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On the time taken to finish this book
I started formulating this book over two years ago, soon after I resigned from the Government. But finding the time to write consistently was a difficulty and by January this year, I had only written about half. It was then that my wife Sunanda decided to give me an ultimatum: she insisted on having the book in her hands for her birthday on June 27. And over the next three months, in what was a positive rush, I finished the manuscript by making time each day to write. Of course, it meant between two and three hours of sleep every night, but in the end when her birthday came, we unwrapped the first copy together.
On sunanda pushkar, to whom the book is dedicated, her contribution and interest in foreign affairs
Sunanda played quite a tyrant, rather than the muse, to ensure that the book was completed on time. Sunanda is not the archetypal reader of this kind of book, but she is the kind of reader I hope would find it worthwhile to dip into the book. She tells me she liked the book.
His favourite quote on indian diplomacy
A veteran told me years ago, ‘Indian diplomacy is like the love-making of an elephant; it is conducted at a very high level, accompanied by much bellowing, and the results are not known for two years’.
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