John Kuruvilla was the Founder and Advisor of e-commerce company Taggle, which closed shop recently. He is currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Via, formerly FlightRaja, a technology-based services company.the company provides services like bookings for flights, railways, buses, and works with agents who process their customer’s transactions through online portals.

Prior to founding Taggle, Kuruvilla was the Director on the Borad at US Pizza and 20 North. He was also the COO- Commercial and Revenue at Deccan. He was the Executive Vice President-Marketing at The Oberoi Group and the Chief Revenue Officer & Head of Marketing at Air Deccan. He was the CEO and Managing director at Propmart Technologies, the Senior Vice President at Leo Brunett, and Contract Advertising. Kuruvilla was also the Group Account Manager at Ammirati Puris Lintas.

He pursued BSc. Statistics from Madras Christian College and pursued Executive Development Program, Strategy for succeeding in Asia from National University of Singapore. He shares his thoughts on what he does when faced with tough times.

The Best Way To Handle Stress

The one thing I have learnt in life after leading a highly stressed work life is, to never react in the heat of the moment. One has to switch off to the problem for atleast two hours. I do either of two things: I play chess real-time online on Yahoo, if the environment is not too stifled; if it is then I visit a book store and spend a couple of hours there. People tell me two hours is a very long time, but I have seen that the world does not come to an end in two hours. More often than not, we tend to magnify the problem in our own mind. I also have over time come to a strong belief that every problem has either a solution or an opportunity waiting to be discovered; provided that we not always look in the obvious places.

My Mantra To Destress

Switch off completely and revisit the problem later. It is similar to when a car engine overheats. The mechanic tells you to open the bonnet and the radiator cap and let the engine cool.

My Health Regime

I do Pranayam and use the cross trainer in the Gym every day. The one game I love is Chess. If I am stressed when I reach home, I play with my daughter and my dogs, which I feel is indeed bliss.

My Stress Busters

When my body and mind has had its overdose of stress and Trauma, which normally happens over 24-30 months, I check into Jindal Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic sciences (outside Bangalore) for 10 days. I have been to Jindal 5 times over the past 11 years. This makes me return as a completely rejuvenated person who is ready for the next round of battle. This is a pilgrimage I do every 2-3 years; the peace and serenity and the cleansing of body mind and soul through naturopathy is something one must experience to believe.

My Favorite Books

Sun Tzu’s “Art of War” and “Lust for Life” which is the story of Van Gogh. Sun Tzu talks about the principles of war since 2500 B.C., which are so relevant in today’s marketplace, where brands are at war to succeed in a marketplace; while customers are promiscuous, with little or no brand loyalty. “Lust for Life” is the story of one man’s passion, his obsessions and failings, and the good things which got recognized only after he was long gone.