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My grandfather had two friends and he pulled down the drawing room curtains when they came, probably to prevent us ladies from getting charmed by one of the old boys. And, my mother sneaked out the bakery cake, biscuits or nimko from her secret cabinets and put a pot of water for boiling on the stove.
I was due to meet Jeet Thayil in the Mira Hotel at the Tsim Tsha Tshui area of Hong Kong. And I was a few minutes late already. The glass building of the 5-star hotel glimmered amid the clouds. Tsim Tsha Tshui is the most happening, loud and diverse area of Hong Kong. But inside the lobby it was dark. The Booker-nominated and DSC prize-winning author of Narcopolis was sitting in the centre like the Greek god of the Underworld, Hades. He was fidgeting with his cell phone while his bald scalp shone under the circular (rather abstractly post-modern) chandelier. Behind him was a noisy bar. We moved to a quieter section of the hotel where he ordered coffee and sandwiches.
