For me, the day job comes first. That's why I call myself a diplomat who writes, not a writer who masquerades as a diplomat. If the day job demands it, I won't write at all. I write in what I call 'the crevices of my day job', and that comes only on weekends.

I get invited to many more literary festivals than I used to because I'm associated with 'Slumdog Millionaire,' the brand. Many more doors have opened up for me as a result of the global success of the film, although I believe that I'm the same person that existed before it.

My first novel was a challenge to myself. No one had an inkling that I was working on it.

Indian writers have appropriated English as an Indian language, and that gives a certain freshness to the way we write.

The brain is not an organ we are authorized to use. We are supposed to use only our hands and legs.

I am very interested in human-interest stories emerging from modern India. I get my inspiration and daily dose by reading the Hindustan Times.

That dreams have power only over your own mind. But with money you can have power over the minds of others