What one word would describe you?
Open
What do you fear the most?
Being foolishly open: to too many people, too many crazy ideas
What is your greatest regret?
Not being a long-distance runner. When I was 8 my parents signed me up for boarding school in Eldoret, in the Kenyan Highlands, where many runners train. At the last minute, they changed their mind. So who knows?
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Yellow rice and chicken curry
On what occasion do you lie?
When the Wife tries on new clothes
Who or what is the greatest love of your life?
The Wife. Followed by yellow rice and chicken curry
What is your most marked characteristic?
Being stingy with myself. I recently tried giving away my last pair of running shoes. Even the beggars outside the gate didn’t want them
Choose a movie title for the story of your life.
My Life as a Dog
What is your greatest extravagance?
My Nano car. (You wouldn’t laugh if you saw the state of my previous car, a Datsun 120Y from 1980)
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Naivety
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Trickiness
What do you wish you had right now?
The Gratiaen Prize, you fool! I’ve been shortlisted 4 times, but never won.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“I’m so thrilled that the best man won!”
What is your current state of mind?
Just finished my new book, The Ceaseless Chatter of Demons, so I’m floating
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My chicken legs
What is your motto?
If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly. (And I seriously mean this)
What was one of your life-changing moments?
When my first book, Colpetty People, got published
If you had to change your name, what would you change it to?
Something obscure like Saroj Sinnetamby or Suresh Mudalnayake
If you could eliminate one weakness or limitation in your life, what would it be?
Being left-handed. We die ten years earlier than you lot
What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Use my left hand of course
What life lesson did you learn the hard way?
When you’re up, everyone loves you. When you’re down, nobody gives a toss
What was your favourite food as a child?
Need you ask? Yellow rice and chicken curry
If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
Well, not a chicken obviously