I am a part of the old school where I feel that purity of the language should be retained. But English is a constantly evolving language where new words are being added to the dictionary, so I don't see any harm in experimenting with the language. Only poor editing standards need to be improved.

I was passionate about reading from an early age, and I would always be carrying a different book each week.

Worry is like a rocking chair; it keeps you in motion but gets you nowhere

I don't care if my books don't sell abroad; we have a large enough market in our country. I write for Indian readers.

Writing helps me create a different world that I can escape to.

Writing is incidental to my primary objective, which is spinning a good yarn. I view myself as a storyteller more than a writer. The story - and hence the extensive research that goes into each one of my books - is much more important than the words that I use to narrate it.

I was learning book-keeping at the age of 12, but it never stopped me from pursuing literature. Over the years, I grew to love the written word.