Wildlife enthusiast Mike Pandey enjoys his Wilbur Smiths as much as loves delving deep into Ernest Hemingway

Wildlife enthusiast Mike Pandey enjoys his Wilbur Smiths as much as loves delving deep into Ernest Hemingway

For wildlife enthusiast and documentary filmmaker Mike Pandey, books are more than just a pastime. Pandey reads anything he can lay his hands on. Sometimes, the wildlife expert says, he even ends up reading two books at a time.u00a0

Now reading
Currently, he's reading Khushwant Singh's autobiography Truth, Love and a Little Malice, and Patrick McCully's Silenced Rivers -- a book on the ecology and politics of dams.

Reading spot
Pandey enjoys curling up on a large couch in his living room, made comfortable with a generous sprinkling of pillows. In the usual occasion when Pandey reads for three hours into the night, he shifts to a comfy chair in his bedroom, where he often falls asleep.

Books for every mood
So, what have books taught him so far? "They provide me with information and a different perspective on issues that matter," says Pandey. The wildlife enthusiast reads different books at different times. While
travelling, he packs Wilbur Smiths for light reading and re-reading. When at home, he catches up with deeper stuff; books on serious social issues, commentaries and biographies.

Tough picking favourites
Shakespeare has been an all-time favourite. "As a child, I used to love quoting from Shakespeare," he says.
Other favourites include Manohar Malgaonkar and J. Krishnamurti whose works, Pandey says, have influenced him deeply.

The Only Revolution is a favourite, so is Ernest Hemingway's Farewell to Arms. Pandey also keeps re-reading The Autobiography of a Yogi. "Every time I read it, I find a different meaning."