Vikas Swarup

The slums are not a place of despair. Its inhabitants are all working towards a better life.

— Vikas Swarup

It is in the genes of cities to bounce back from disasters - whether natural or man made. The denizens of suburbia…

— Vikas Swarup

That dreams have power only over your own mind. But with money you can have power over the minds of others

— Vikas Swarup

Twenty20 is cricket on speed. In an era of hectic lifestyles and falling attention spans, it gives spectators more drama and intensity…

— Vikas Swarup

I want to show that the underdog can win. I believe were all the same: you, a slum girl, my mother.

— Vikas Swarup

“You must never take a direct route to your destination.”

— Vikas Swarup

The first thing you have to understand is that I was not desperate to be a writer. I was never a closet…

— Vikas Swarup

“There is some pleasure even in pain. A sweet ecstasy.”

— Vikas Swarup

India may be the soul of world cricket, but IPL is its commercial heart. Just as 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire'…

— Vikas Swarup

“It's a basic rule of human nature that the promise of unexpected wealth short-circuits both intelligence and common sense.”

— Vikas Swarup

I am neither a Bengali nor am I from Delhi's St Stephen's. I am an Allahabad boy.

— Vikas Swarup

“The city may have chosen to ignore the ugly growth of Dharavi, but a cancer cannot be stopped simply by being declared…

— Vikas Swarup

“I held my breath and wished for that moment to last as long as it possibly could, because a waking dream is…

— Vikas Swarup

“Till now, my conception of love has been based entirely on what I have seen in Hindi films, where the hero and…

— Vikas Swarup

I am not into the unrealistic realm of magic realism where birds talk.

— Vikas Swarup

I am very interested in human-interest stories emerging from modern India. I get my inspiration and daily dose by reading the 'Hindustan…

— Vikas Swarup

...a rainy day ceases to have meaning for a person who has lived in the open under a monsoon cloud most of…

— Vikas Swarup

“There are those who will say that I brought this upon myself. By dabbling in that quiz show. They will wag a…

— Vikas Swarup

My books are about ordinary people placed in extraordinary situations who are able to draw upon their inner reserves to challenge the…

— Vikas Swarup

“You have been counting rosary beads for an era But the wandering of your mind does not halt Forsake the beads in…

— Vikas Swarup

Indian writers have appropriated English as an Indian language, and that gives a certain freshness to the way we write.

— Vikas Swarup

My first novel was a challenge to myself. No one had an inkling that I was working on it.

— Vikas Swarup

Sometimes street knowledge can be as important as book knowledge.

— Vikas Swarup

“Lajwanti made the cardinal mistake of trying to cross the dividing line that separates the existence of the rich from that of…

— Vikas Swarup

The one conclusion I have reached is that whiskey is a great leveler. You might be a hotshot advertising executive or a…

— Vikas Swarup