In this informal questionnaire, we pick the heart and mind of Alok Gadkar, General Manager & Executive Creative Director at Dubai-based The Classic Partnership, the agency that won this year's Dubai Lynx Healthcare Grand Prix. Get to know this passionate adman, who reveals dreaming everyday, hating dishonesty, fearing reptiles and wishes he could fly.
What gets you up in the morning?
The sun peeping through the curtain.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
Feeling like a superhero who gets to save the day, every day.
Who do you ultimately want to become?
Alok Gadkar.
What’s your motto in life?
Live & Let Live.
What keeps you in the game?
Competition.
What keeps you up at night?
My Netflix subscription.
What would be your worst nightmare?
When any of my nightmares come true.
What inspires you most?
Anything and anyone who has a story worth telling.
What music have you been listening to lately?
Been looking for inspiration to score a new film. So everything is on the playlist at the moment.
What is the gadget you cannot live without?
My phone. I hate how much I love it. Can’t live it with, can’t live without it.
What can we find on your phone?
Here’s a list:
- Screenshots of art, paintings, photos of sculptures, textures, visual references
- Banking apps
- Instragram
- Outlook
- Pictures so old that I don’t even remember taking them
- Most important - Clash of Clans (pictured)
What quality do you most look up to in a friend?
All my friends have two common traits. I can trust them with my eyes closed, and they are all blatantly honest with me.
Who would you like to sit next to on a seven-hour flight?
It’s a secret…
If you could live for one day the life of another person, who would it be?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
If you were to be reincarnated, what would you like to come back as?
A tiger, as there are very few left.
If you were to change profession, what would you choose to do?
I would become a fisherman.
What do you consider to be the greatest headline of all time?
‘There are some things money can’t buy.
For everything else, there’s MasterCard.’
What business tip would you give the newbies?
Don’t start a startup. Start a business.
Don’t be afraid to fail, or you will never know what it takes to succeed.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A good meal.
Where can we find you on a Friday night?
Home sweet home.
If you could choose one superhero power, what would it be and why?
Time Travel, because I love to explore.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Smile :)
What is the one word you catch yourself saying too often?
#$*@
What would you like to be doing five years from now?
The only thing I am good at. Advertising.
If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
El Rinconcillo, the oldest tapas bar in Seville, Spain. Founded 1670, I can never get enough of the vibe.
What is the one thing you wish you have designed?
The Dot Watch
I AM
I am... a restless soul
I like…what I want
I want...what I wish
I have…what I struggled to get
I wish…I could fly
I hate...dishonesty
I fear…reptiles
I Google…only when I am stuck. Now don’t ask me how many times I get stuck.
I wonder…what the world would be like without Google
I regret...anger
I love…my family
I need…blood
If I ruled the world…the world would be a happier place
I dream…everyday
My Favourite…
Dream Destination: Hogwarts
Restaurant: I have a new favourite every month
Hotel: Taj Fort Aguada
Meal: Fish in any form
Quote: “Your customer’s opinion is the only one that matters”
Book: Shantaram
Movie: The Lion King
Flower: Lilium in White
Animal: Tiger
Poet: Javed Akhtar
Music/band: Pink Floyd
Painter: Salvador Dali
Hero: Mamoudou Gassama
