Abraham
Thomas
Chief Operating Officer
Red FM
 By:
CHIKITA KUKREJA
Life is all about balancing out things.
Chalking out his life mantra, Abraham Thomas,
COO , Red FM says, "I very well know
when to switch on and when to switch off.
What keeps me going is the ability to manage
my stressful work along with quality time
with family and that's what keeps me going."
The
Red FM office situated in S Mumbai, looks
like a real happening place, with some 20
something kids walking in and out of his
cabin. Looks like, Red FM is a rather informal
place to be in. As Abraham adds, "All
youngsters in the company are like a family
and therefore there is no formality as such
between us."
He
further adds, "I joined Red FM as I
wanted to utilize all my leadership skills
into something more creative and challenging.
I was working as Product Manager with Indian
Express for eight years and later was with
Sony Television as a director sales for
three years. Seeing a sudden boom in the
radio industry, I took this plunge from
being a VP- sales in MTV to now being the
COO in RED FM."
A
born Mumbaiya, Abraham basically hails from
Kerala and loves travelling. He says, "I
plan my holidays along with wife Mini, my
son Amit (13) and daughter Sanjana (8).
I feel this is the only time when my children
are actually mine. After a few years they
will have their own life and won't like
it, if I interfere in their lives. And so
I make it a point to spend some quality
time with them. So, Friday nights, when
I am on my way back, I pull off my switch
and don't think about work till Monday morning."
As
we get him talking more about his life,
Abraham garnishes us with his lovely recipes
for a happy living.
 "I
have fond memories of Venice"
I plan my holidays at least three times
a year. Overseas holiday vacations have
always been fun. Some of my favourite destinations
are Barcelona, Venice, Florida, Spain, and
Europe amongst others. I don't really like
new and modern cities, but I prefer places
like Venice and Barcelona which are historically
significant as well as culturally rich.
I have fond memories of Venice. I very clearly
remember a small restaurant where we had
lunch once. The restaurant had six tables
in it which were all full. The hotel was
run by a family of four, where the head
of the family sat outside with a glass of
beer, the son and daughter- in- law took
care of the orders and passed it on to the
lady in the open kitchen, supposedly their
mother. The food was exceptionally tasty
and on peeping into the kitchen unbelievingly,
I saw the lady cooking alone. Sometimes,
I still wonder how she managed all the cooking
on her own. Another exciting experience
was the Gondola ride. (A gondola is a traditional
Venetian rowing boat propelled by an oarsman
(the gondolier) who stands facing the bow
and pushes, rather than pulls, a single
oar.) It was an awesome experience.
"Goa
never leaves me unsatisfied"
India is a great tourist destination.
There's always so much to explore here.
Goa is one place where I can go anytime
of the year and I am never tired of it.
It always has something new and exciting
to offer. It just keeps getting better every
time you are there. And the local food out
there is just unbeatable. Last year, I had
gone to Sikkim with my family which is a
splendid beauty. Also, I will always cherish
my trip to the majestic Himalayas. I still
vividly recall it when we reached a particular
height, we could see snow and I felt as
if we've reached the top. But as the clouds
cleared, I could see no end of the Himalayas
and that's when I realised its majesty.
"I
can't cook basic food"
I can eat anything and everything,
be it grilled, baked, steamed or fried.
Though, sea food remains my all time favourite,
I even loved trying out oysters in Japan
and snails in Malaysia. I am really adventurous
when it comes to tying out new cuisine.
I try my hand at cooking but that is of
course very occasionally. Sometimes, I do
try out some exotic dishes over weekends
or on special occasions.
"My
I Pod is my all time companion"
I
have a total of 4,370 songs in my I pod
which has been my friend for the past four
years now. I love listening to any kind
of music be it classical rock, latest and
even hip hop. Now a days, I've been trying
to keep pace with my children and listen
to the latest music.
"I
loved Maximum City by Suketu Mehta"
I love reading. Tough, its difficult to
find time but I do find some time to catch
up on my favourite authors. One book that
I can very well. I loved reading Maximum
City by Suketu Mehta. This book gives
some chilling undercurrents of Mumbai. I
liked Richard Branson's Losing Your Virginity
and have also read most of John Grisham
and Sydney Sheldon.
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