BENGALURU: It might be common to make a new friend or two while one is travelling. Abhishek Ganguly, however, hasn’t just made an acquaintance but has even gone on to hire people he met on his trips or went on to collaborate professionally with fellow passengers travelling in the same aircraft as him.
So, when the managing director of Puma India tells CE that he is an ‘atypical traveller’, it’s easy to believe why. While travelling, tourists around him are usually busy whipping out their DSLRs and selfie sticks, but Ganguly prefers to capture the moment as best as he can in his memory.
“I firmly believe in experiencing the moment rather than clicking pictures. I can always look at the photograph shot by someone much better at it, but I cannot relive the moment without going back to the place again,” he explains.
The 41-year-old MD has been indulging his passion for travelling for over a decade now and has managed to strike off Camp Nou, Old Trafford, Wimbledon, Lord’s, Flushing Meadows, Roland Garros, London Olympics, World Cup Football in Germany and the IPL in South Africa in 2009. He has also travelled to Giethoorn: ‘A place in Netherlands where there no roads and one travels through canals and wooden bridges.’ Ganguly is still waiting to tick off Mount Kilimanjaro, Iceland, Machu Picchu, Serengeti, North East of India and catch the NBA live.
Thanks to the nature of his work, Ganguly is on the road at least seven to 10 days a month. “I have often extended the work trip to the weekend for myself. Even during working days, an early morning run around city gives the best, unadulterated view of the city. I have done this in almost all cities where work has taken me,” he says.
On a personal front, Ganguly plans two short and two long trips every year and in almost every trip, one experience remains constant: Coaxing the customer service agents of travel portals to speak to hotels to make alteration based on a new plan and forgoing cancellation costs. “I always read up and travel but end up changing my schedule often. I stay at places longer if I like them a lot and cut time from subsequent destinations in that trip,” explains Ganguly.
While he doesn’t mind moments of spontaneity, some aspects of his trip have to be fixed too. For example, fitness. As the MD of a sports brand, Ganguly doesn’t just talk the talk. Before any trip, he does a mental calculation of the number of workouts he can fit in and packs his fitness clothes accordingly.
“Once I am back from the trip, I compare the actual with the plan. This has become like a resolution routine,” he says, adding that a six or eight km run around the city is a great way to capture glimpses of a new place.
Travelling has helped Ganguly to be more open to diverse people, culture and places, a trait he finds helpful professionally too.
“One should not give space to stereotypes that can emerge in work environment based on comfort zones. Working for a global brand, I interact with people from various nationalities. Travelling helps one connect with people of different countries and cultures better,” he says.