1
My wife is troubled by the things I forget. I am troubled by the things she recollects.Ashwin Sanghi
2
My greatest qualification for writing fiction was my ability, as a child, to lie with a straight face.Ashwin Sanghi
3
Stop worrying whether the grass is greener on the other side. Find out how to own the other side.Ashwin Sanghi
4
My life is ruled by four W’s: my writing, my work, my wife, and my whisky. Not necessarily in that order.Ashwin Sanghi
5
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step unless you missed it.Ashwin Sanghi
6
Writing a mystery is like drawing a picture and then cutting it into little pieces that you offer to your readers one piece at a time, thus allowing them the chance to put the jigsaw puzzle together by the end of the book.Ashwin Sanghi
7
Combine two words, Myth and History. What do you get? Mystery.Ashwin Sanghi
8
The average buyer in bookshop spends 8 seconds on the front cover and 15 seconds on the back cover before deciding whether to purchase the book or not. On average, he does not get past page 18. See? The odds are stacked against us writers!Ashwin Sanghi
9
Thrills are much more about anticipation than action. An unfired bullet is more dangerous than one that has already met its target.Ashwin Sanghi
10
In India we never distinguished between history and myth. Our Puranas as well as Itihasas contain fantastical tales. They are lies that convey deeper truths.Ashwin Sanghi
11
Mythology is a set of primitive lies that people rarely believe. This is rather different from history, which is a set of lies that people believe.Ashwin Sanghi
12
Would the fish have ever been caught if it had kept it’s mouth shut?Ashwin Sanghi
13
I was told that Ganesha sat between Lakshmi and Saraswati. My quest to attain the blessings of both goddesses explains my physique.Ashwin Sanghi
14
I don’t want to be remembered as a writer. I would rather be remembered as a storyteller.Ashwin Sanghi
15
Mythology is like a game of Chinese Whispers. What goes in at one end of the human circle is rarely what emerges at the other end.Ashwin Sanghi
16
Everything is going to be right at the end. If it's not right, then it is not the end.Ashwin Sanghi
17
Physicists explain creation by telling us that the universe began with the Big Bang, an intense energy singularity that continued expanding. But pray, please do explain who created the singularity?Ashwin Sanghi
18
Surprise is when a prime minister is assassinated during his speech. Suspense is when an assassin lurks while the prime minister speaks. Balancing surprise and suspense is the job of the thriller writer.Ashwin Sanghi
19
The first thriller ever? It was probably one from 1697. It was called Little Red Riding Hood.Ashwin Sanghi
20
Take the first A out of Abraham and put it at the end. You get Brahama. There’s the ancient connection right there.Ashwin Sanghi
21
It is the manner of death that reveals the importance of a man. Ordinary people are murdered while extraordinary people are assassinated.Ashwin Sanghi
22
The Egyptians saw the sun and called him Ra, the Sun God. He rode across the sky in his chariot until it was time to sleep. Copernicus and Galileo proved otherwise and poor Ra lost his divinity.Ashwin Sanghi
23
Write when drunk. Edit when sober. Market it with the persistence of a drug peddler.Ashwin Sanghi
24
Mythology does not interest me. Nor does history. But the possible overlap between history and mythology excites me immensely.Ashwin Sanghi
25
In Kolkata is a temple where the deity worshipped is Amitabh Bachchan. The daily aarti is performed to the chanting of the Amitabh Chaleesa. And people still ask, “Could our mythological heroes be based on actual people who once lived?Ashwin Sanghi
26
While I can’t walk on water, I can certainly wobble on whisky.Ashwin Sanghi
27
There is indeed one person who can help solve “writer’s block”. His name is Mr Johnnie Walker.Ashwin Sanghi
28
A community that engages readers and culturally enabled people to connect, support and harness intellectual and cultural capabilities.Ashwin Sanghi
29
The fundamental difference between books and movies is that the length of a book does not depend upon the capacity of the human bladder.Ashwin Sanghi
30
The publishing scene in India is evolving rapidly, and the key challenge is to keep reinventing oneself so that one does not become formulaic. Sometimes it is safer to deal with the consequences of failure than the fruits of success. Remaining on one's toes is critical, and often one finds that success makes one complacent.Ashwin Sanghi
31
The relationship between critic and writer is similar to the one between the pigeon and the statue.Ashwin Sanghi
32
I have always been a bit of an introvert. In fact, my dad used to force me to meet people so that my interpersonal skills improve. As an individual, I was happiest when left alone.Ashwin Sanghi