I am neither a Bengali nor am I from Delhi's St Stephen's. I am an Allahabad boy.

I don't look at myself as a writer; I am a storyteller.

I am not into the unrealistic realm of magic realism where birds talk.

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

I am the luckiest novelist in the world. I was a first-time novelist who wasn't awash in rejection slips, whose manuscript didn't disappear in slush piles. I have had a wonderful time.

I am neither of the East nor of the West, no boundaries exist within my breast.