Note to readers: Morning Stars is a series of interviews with achievers across fields about their morning routine and how they get ready for the day ahead. Mornings bring optimism and a fresh start. And how we spend them sets the tone for the day.

Faisal Husain is the boss of a digital consulting firm. But when he wakes up in the morning, the Synechron CEO prefers to stay offline for a while. An auto-freak, he also has a slightly un-Buddhist take on meditation. Husain revs up his Jeep four wheel drive and seeks out unfamiliar roads to his destination. It’s meditative for him, he says. Naturally, he is able to give into this indulgence only occasionally. Most days, Husain makes do with a workout on an elliptical. Breakfast with family further energises him for the day.

In this interview, Husain, currently in Dubai, talks to Moneycontrol about his mornings, and their different hues in cities around the world.