I am a very personal writer. I write direct to the reader. I don't hold back.
Holidays can become tedious without something to read.
The books that I wrote in my late teens and 20s, the little love stories, they were right from the heart.
In India, not enough importance is given to writing for children. And what could be more important than the enrichment of young minds with great literature?
I may not have become a good writer, but I managed to make a living out of writing.
No, I don't want to be a brand. Brand means I cannot go out for a quiet walk without tourists and fans constantly following me.
I have no real regrets.
The older you get, the lesser you are bothered by what others think.
Jokes apart, I, like many other, am looking for strong and stable government. I don't want any chaotic political situation where the elected government is being toppled frequently.
Writing is the only thing I am good for.
I am a compulsive writer.
In my twenties, I wrote a lot of romantic stories in which I always lost the girl.
Children haven't changed - the world around them has. Their basic natures haven't changed. They like ice creams. They like to have fun, play games if they get space.
I always look for a bookshop wherever I go.
As a schoolboy, I loved Charles Dickens. His 'David Copperfield' has had the strongest influence on me - I looked up to David Copperfield as a role model.
The transition from an English father to a Punjabi stepfather demanded an adjustment that was far from easy for a 10-year-old boy who had just lost his father.
There was Uncle Ken of mine about whom I wrote a lot of stories. I can always write stories about uncles and aunts and distant relatives. They have to be distant, though; otherwise, you'll be in trouble.
My mother wanted me to join the Indian army, as the army was seen as a decent and respectable career to have. I shocked my mother by telling her that I wanted to be a writer.
I've lived in small rooms, flats, growing plants in pots on window sills. I'd have liked to have had a full-fledged garden with all kinds of flowers and plants. I've never had enough money to buy a big enough garden space.
It is okay to experiment with language. Writers such as James Joyce, Virginia Woolf experimented with writing, but basically, one must have a familiarity with the language. And to have that, one must respect it.
