From Dieter Zeh To Atul Gawande: A Look At TK Kurien’s Favourite Authors
Former Wipro CEO TK Kurien talks of his favourite books.
From understanding the role that genomes play in a human body to a tug-of-war between empathy and mortality—science and health emerged as predominant themes in TK Kurien’s reading list.
The former chief executive officer of Wipro spoke to BloombergQuint about the books that inspired him the most.
Coromandel, By Charles Allen
This book provides an excellent history of the south of India. It is amazing to read about the social and religious structures that existed in this part of the world from 300 B.C., according to Kurien. “A lot of what shapes us as human beings are the cultural memes that are a product of our past. This book explains the some of the modern day dreams and the nightmares that folks from the region carry through even to this day.”
Genome, By Matt Ridley
“This book introduces us to how the most fascinating creation of all came into being — our human body! The role that genomes play in shaping this, and the impact that it may have on medicine and our general well being,” Kurien said.
Being Mortal, By Atul Gawande
This is an outstanding book that questions the very approach of medical science to the old and also the terminally ill. A tug-of-war between science, empathy and morality. Thought provoking.
The Physical Basis Of The Direction Of Time, By Dieter Zeh
A book that tries to explain the physical concept of time and links this with quantum theory, according to Kurien. “Not for the faint-hearted but excellent reading, especially when quantum computing is a few years away.”
The Emperor Of All Maladies, By Siddhartha Mukherjee
An excellent book that describes the fight against cancer and the science and the passion that has gone into it, Kurien said. “We still have not won the battle but this book gives you a peek into the future. A great read for all the folks who when a loved one is impacted ask the question ‘why’.”
