Tucked away neatly in the corner of the study in the 'White House', the residence of the Guptas of the Rs 10,000-crore Havells India in the leafy neighbourhood of Civil Lines in North Delhi, is a professional microphone. One can mistake it as a tool to aid Anil Rai Gupta in the numerous virtual meetings he has participated these last few months - he has almost entirely run his company from his study post lockdown - but it is an indulgence of a different kind. The 51-year-old Gupta is an avid singer and loves to record his own songs. He even has a small makeshift studio of sorts next to his bedroom in the house.
A fan of old Bollywood classics with special bias for Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar, Rai sings to de-stress, unwind or relax as the mood maybe. So much so that no private party with friends and relatives is complete without a singing session. Even the company's annual foundation day function is an occasion where there is time allocated for songs.
"There is no better way to unwind. Sing a song and the mood automatically lifts," says Rai.
