To celebrate World Book Day, we invited a select group of leaders and experts from across the industry to reflect on the transformative power of the written word. We asked them to look beyond data and strategy and share the stories that shaped their thinking and the pages they return to for inspiration. In this special feature, Parvin Dabas, Actor, Founder of ProPanja League, offers a personal glimpse into his literary journey—revealing the books that serve as a compass in both life and leadership. Read on.
Parvin’s reflection:
One book that’s had an impact on me: The one book that would have had a huge impact on me would be The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) because I was quite young. I think it’s the kind of book you sometimes read while you’re growing up, with an influential mind, that sticks with you the most.
I remember it being such an amazing book that took me into a fantasy world, and I was completely immersed in it. It took me a little time to get into it, but the moment I was in, I still remember lying awake reading it, hiding and pretending to sleep because I was so into the book. I think I read it two or three times.
It was also a farewell gift to me when I left Canada and we moved back, from my teacher and classmates. It stayed with me for some time, and I remember that after a couple of months, I finally read it and, like I said, it had a profound impact on me.
The fantasy, the themes of good and evil, and the use of imagination really stood out. You had to truly imagine these worlds, and it was very descriptive, so you could vividly picture everything in the book.
I also remember later, when the films were coming out, I was so excited—even though I was much older by then. I went to watch all the films first day, first show, because of the huge impact the book had on me. I was amazed that they had done such a wonderful job with the films as well.
But yes, it had a very big impact on me as a child.
I was quite a voracious reader, especially as a child. Growing up as well, I’ve kept some of those habits. I just loved diving into a novel. I was a bit of an introvert—well, quite an introvert, you could say—as a kid. So books allowed me to mentally enter these fantasy worlds and drown myself in them, I think.
And I think reading those books and letting my imagination go wild also led, somewhat, to my acting career.
A book that I would recommend is: The book I would like to recommend is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
I bought a bunch of them, which included Anna Karenina, War and Peace, and a few others like Crime and Punishment. I remember reading—and this is where the memory ties in—when I used to travel in Delhi by DTC bus, I got completely caught up in the world of Anna Karenina. I used to just read all the time. Whatever time I had on the bus, I would just read, read, read.
So that’s one of the strongest memories I carry—being on those DTC buses and reading, starting with Anna Karenina, and then moving on to Fyodor Dostoevsky. I was really surprised because, like I said, I had bought them in a lot without knowing their importance or how much of a classic they were.
But yes, they are still seared in my memory even now.
A quote I connect with: A quote I really connect with is from The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth. It is essentially about life being too short and not holding any grudges. I still remember The Golden Gate being so amazing because it was written in verse and was a very detailed, layered novel, and being able to depict so much through verse.
