It is exciting to write about the present once one gets beyond the trivia of the moment. As a time to live in, as a time to think about, the present is intriguing.

I think goodness is about how person behaves to person, and also person to world, to nature.

I think it's possible to be multi-rooted, rather like a banyan tree, without being deracinated.

Your time is now. Live in the moment.

The present moment, if you think about it, is the only time there is. No matter what time it is, it is always now.

I am careful about fiction. A novel is not a tract or an essay. If I want to write about land reforms, or Hindu-Muslim relations, or position of women, I can do it as it affects my characters as in 'A Suitable Boy.' I could only write about issues specifically through essays. But I'll do that only if I have something worthwhile to say.