I wrote 'Time Stops at Shamli' in 1956, shortly after 'The Room on the Roof' was published, and I couldn't find anyone to publish it.

A few years after my father's death, my mother sent me to the United Kingdom for 'better prospects' in 1951. Those four years were not easy.

It's nice to have awards from time to time. There was a time when I had to make a living from my writing, and it wasn't always easy. I value awards a lot - and more so if there is a little cash with them!

I used to type, but now, typing or working with a computer, I get a stiff neck. So I prefer writing longhand.

There will always be books as long as I am mentally capable of it.

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'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.

I keep a journal, like many writers do. It helps in writing a story, as you can use an incident from the journal and put in your story.

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.

I have an excellent memory - for books and authors, that is. I remember all the books I've read.

I won't usually just sit down to write. I'd have done it in my head already. I visualise a story just like a film strip running in my head. I guess that is also a reason why my books have such a visual element to them. And it's what I tell young writers: plan your story ahead.

One of the very first ghost stories I read - and that was in a forest rest house, where it is a bit scarier - was by M.R. James. He is one of the pioneers of ghost stories. And the book was called 'Ghost Stories Of An Antiquary.'

I was a bookworm in school, and in those days it was easy to get books. Bigger cities had book shops.

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.

I have been apolitical all my life.

I used to consider myself a loner.

I use a ball pen because fountain pens are clumsy, and I get ink all over my fingers by the time I finish with it.

When I was growing up, I remember having read all the books in the library. I often tried to emulate my favourite writers.

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.

Solitude helps you reflect.

Writing is the only thing I am good for.

Whenever I run out of people to write about, I cook up a few ghosts, or they appear before me.

Yes, I do seek solitude, but I am never lonely.

Films and books have been intertwined as far as my growing up is concerned.

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 suppose in the long run, it's the good work that outlasts the shoddy work, but there's enough room for all kinds 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 may not have become a good writer, but I managed to make a living out of writing.

I enjoy writing personal essays in the way of Charles Lamb because it goes back to the school days when I was good in writing essays.

If you live in America, you need a gun, and I am not very fast with a gun, so I think I would walk out very quickly.

I'm rather fond of my awards.