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Over the course of 30 years India has changed everything in my life.
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t the guest cottage located amidst lush foliage at Chennai’s iconic Madras Club, we find Scotsman William Dalrymple sprawled on a bamboo divan, soaking in a sensuous southern breeze. The adjacent teapoy plays host to a microcosm of the acclaimed historian’s literary life. Haphazardly strewn across its circular space are sheets of paper with a must-do list, born from the frantic urgency of a book tour. Jostling for space are the laptop, Blackberry and a cup of coffee. There is also a hardbound copy of his latest work, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839–42, which he deftly autographs for an old friend. And then we see it – a Bose radio that faithfully accompanies William on all his tours. As he gently tucks away the contraption and gets into Q&A mode, we realise that the old school romanticism of a radio might just be the perfect counterpoint for the millennial storyteller.
Journeyman’s blues .”Some writers hate going on tours and dread going off anywhere. I love going on tours. Particularly when it means leaving cold, wintry New Delhi and coming to a gorgeous place like Chennai. What not to like, you got Eucalyptus, parakeets in the trees and warm sunshine. Before this, I was in Hyderabad feasting on biryani and haleem (thick stew made of meat, lentils and pounded wheat). And before that, it was Bombay (sic) with the Writer’s Festival. This is the much deserved reward you get for writing a book, which by the way, is a laborious task.”