The book launch for The Delhi Walla series was a success. The venue was packed. People laughed and clapped. And Arundhati Roy came! This is what I said:

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One cold afternoon The Delhi Walla knocked at the door of Somini Sengupta, the former South Asia bureau chief of The New York Times. Read more

The other day I met a friend in Lodhi Garden. She remarked on my unkempt hair. I said, “Who cares! I’m a bloody author of four books!” That same evening I went to the Midland bookstore in South Extension-I. Read more

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Geoffrey C. Ward, the New York-based historian, screenwriter, and former editor of American Heritage, says he likes reading my Delhi stories. Read more

Ms. Vidya Rao, thumri singer and part-time editor at Orient Longman, lives with Sufi in a sunny second-floor apartment, not far from Qutab Minar, in Mehrauli.

Like most live-in companions, they have only a few things in common. While both share an aversion for milk, Ms. Rao loves chocolates and Sufi doesn’t. Read more

54 years ago, on the first day of May, Jawarharlal Nehru flashed a smile (recorded by a grainy b&w photograph) as he flung open the doors of Sapru House on Barakhamba Road. After all, the red-and-white sandstone building, a paean to Nehruvian secularism (Buddhist stupa-style dome; Hindu-esque pillar facade; Islamic design on the gateway), was built for an institution dedicated to his passion – world affairs. Read more

The other day while walking around in the Daryaganj’s Sunday book bazaar, I came across a wrinkled man. He was wearing nothing though an old Shobha De was wrapped around his you-know-what. On further enquiries, I discovered that after dedicating 30 years of his life in the service of Delhi Public Library (Uttam Nagar branch), this gentleman has now taken over the task of addressing the sexual disorders among the city’s bookworms. I took down some suggestions that he offered to a few of his patients.

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One afternoon, The Delhi Walla sighted his most beloved Delhiite – author Arundhati Roy. She was browsing at The Book Shop, Jorbagh.

Ms Roy was looking as she always looks – interesting. Her gaze was kind. A mischievous smile was playing on her thin lips. But her eyes were searching for something elusive. It was not the bookshelves for sure. Read more

Evening traffic. Just left the HT building on KG Marg. In an auto. Motion blur. LIC building, Regal Cinema, Shivaji Stadium… O driver bhayya, jaldi karo… Chelmsford Road, New Delhi railway station, Paharganj.

Walking jaldi-jaldi through the Main Bazaar crowd. Wow, that Person is sexy. But no time. Fast. Read more