We are men without ambition, and all we want is to be left alone, in peace so that we can try and be happy. So few people will understand this simplicity.

I need to have some depth in my characters. That's why they are all Bengalis. I can't imagine writing a book with someone called Saxena as the hero.

The more languages you know, the less likely you are to become a terrorist.

It's a huge headache - the more money you have, the more hassles. I find money very uncomfortable.

Anyone who has grown up in Delhi knows it's horrible.

Governance is complex, difficult, and on the whole, thankless - why ever should the Bright Young Things leave the management of their hotels, newspapers, banks, TV channels and corporations to join, like fleas on a behemoth, the government? Wherein lies the difference between the two worlds?

I feel completely at home in the absurdities of India.