How NoBroker’s Saurabh Garg 'squashes' stress on weekends

If you want to work out the mind and the body alike, there is no better game than squash, says Saurabh Garg, Co-Founder and CBO at NoBroker.com, one of India’s best-known peer-to-peer real estate portals. The sport that he is so passionate about is no gentle game where a player knocks a ball around, hoping to de-stress and feel good. This high-pressure, high-speed game needs great skill and agility, because you need to retrieve a ball that is coming at you at 100 miles an hour and hit the ball onto the playable surfaces of the four-walled squash court with as much power as you can muster. The game continues between two or four players and it is believed that the player who commands their mental and physical powers in the best way possible, usually wins the game.

Looking back

An alumnus of IIT Mumbai and IIM Ahmedabad, Saurabh began playing squash during his teenage years as there was a squash court nearby. Work, however, took him to many cities where he could not pursue the game so easily. After spending almost three years with the Sales and Marketing team at Hindustan Unilever Limited, he took an entrepreneurial leap with a company called Four Fountains De-Stress Spa.

In 2014, he co-founded NoBroker.com with two more founders, Amit Kumar Agarwal and Akhil Gupta. The company is now a well-known C2C platform that addresses the house-hunting hassles and huge intermediation costs faced by Indian home seekers.

“I started playing squash a long time ago in my society. It has been ten years since I have been playing the game. My co-founders are also very fond of this sport. My society has a clubhouse with squash courts and sometimes I go to the homes of my co-founders and we play together.”

For the love of squash

The best part about squash is that it is an intense game even if it is only for 30-40 minutes. You need great concentration to play the game. It is a tiring sport but it keeps you fit and offers the maximum exercise in the shortest span of time

Saurabh begins his mornings early by going for a run for 30-40 minutes before going to the office by 9.15 am. Squash is reserved for the weekends, usually for one hour on Saturday and Sunday. Though he has never had a coach to train him, he was able to pick up the game on his own. His co-founders have also helped him improve his technique and they would advise each other about the game.

“One of my co-founders, Amit used to make me practise my back hand stroke for long hours and that is how I got better at the game,” he says.

“Squash helps you develop stamina as you have to run quite a bit. It is important to know your opponent’s weakest side and form the right strategy. This strategy develops as you start the game and changes as you are playing the game. The best way to win the game is to find a strategy by which you can put in minimal effort and get the maximum results,” he explains.

Saurabh does not take part in matches but likes to watch squash tournaments on his computer. “I try to see how the players use different strokes and how they play the game,” he says.

I have had no injuries so far because I always make sure that I do warm-up exercises like stretching. Only by warming up can you be prepared for the game. It is the same in business. You need to understand a business before you take it up.

As to whether talent or hard work is important in a game of squash he says, “I have always believed in the power of practice. I make sure that I am always observing my weaknesses and improving my game.”

Running with the wind

The most important aspect of pursuing any sport is staying fit with regular exercise. “I keep fit by running,” he says. “I make sure I go for a run on most days of the week. It is usually a 5 km stretch, mostly around the lakes near my house. I do not do marathons or any other kind of competitive running. My comfort zone is around 5-6 km and I don’t push myself more than that.”

Running has helped Saurabh in many ways. “It is a very good form of exercise,” he says.

“When you are running, you need to concentrate on your breath, so that you do not get tired. You need to focus on building strength. Running helps me clear the clutter in my mind and also helps me de-stress. For me, running is like meditation.”

According to Saurabh, fitness is a very important aspect of life and everyone, irrespective of age or gender, should pursue fitness by way of exercise or sports.

If you are fit, you can put in enough effort in your work, focus better, and get ahead in your career. If you are an entrepreneur you will have to work very long hours and it is necessary to be very fit in order to do things the right way.

Diet is also equally important for Saurabh. “I usually keep my diet simple, by eating small portions and eating 3-4 meals a day,” he says. “I don’t eat junk food and I don’t eat sugary foods either.”

Ruskin Bond and a love for books

Besides sports, Saurabh also loves to read. “I have a large collection of books but I mostly read only non-fiction and travelogues. One of my favourite writers is Ruskin Bond; I have met him also. My other favourite writers are Milan Kundera and Paul Theroux,” he says.

Saurabh has over 1,000 books in his collection and he recently got a wall-to-wall bookshelf to house them all. “It is my most prized possession,” he laughs.

And finally…

One of the biggest life lessons he has learn through sport is that he should not compartmentalise his life in any way. “Though I need to prioritise and I try to do what is most important first, I don’t’ compartmentalise my day,” he says. “Also you need to start with a problem and see it first-hand in order to solve it. Always make sure that you relate to the problem because only then, can you find a better solution. Finally, you need to work with the right team to take you to success.”