How did this book come about? What inspired you to write it?
I was reporting in Kashmir for seven years. So this was a place that was most important to me in my reporting career. And there were stories and experiences that I could never tell because they were not a part of the main news. I wanted to share these experiences with people and this is how the book came about. The other half was I wanted to write a book that everyone would like to read. It often happens that people don't want to read a book that is politically oriented or which deals with a national or any other problem. Therefore, I wanted to write a fictional thriller, which was based in Kashmir.

Was it a difficult task completing the book? Were people forthcoming and willing to talk?
Actually, since this is a fictional book, I didn't need to interview people. Also, I did not research it in the traditional sense of the word. I have written it in the form of a story unfolding through the years, as seen by me. Although, it wasn't very difficult completing the book, but yes, time was one big hurdle. Around two-three years ago, I had written some 7,000 words and then it was left like that. After all these years, when Penguin contacted me and asked me to complete the book, I started it again and completed it.

Do you think your book will create an impact on the masses reading it, change or influence their views about Kashmir?
Yes, definitely, in a way, it would do that. See, I have not tried to give any obvious message through the book,, I have narrated my story in the form of a thriller. The message is very subliminal-in between I have given my views, some political descriptions, etc, but I have tried to disguise it as much as possible so that the book doesn't digress much and people don't lose interest in it. But definitely, it will have an impact on the people reading it and they will draw their own conclusions and interpretations about the ongoing national problem in Kashmir.

You are considered to be a specialist on Kashmir for NDTV, what other subjects are equally close to your heart?
Kashmir still remains my favourite subject, but over the years, I have done a lot of work on other subjects like elections, budgets, the technology revolution and all that was affecting the nation at any point of time.

What were your expectations from this book, what did you have in mind while you were writing it?
Basically, I wanted enough people to read this book and like it. Touch wood, my expectations have been fulfilled, the book is doing quite well, the response to it was quite good. I got a couple of nice reviews and, of course, a couple of not so nice reviews. The Srinagar Conspiracy has been on the Bestsellers list for the last three weeks.

How did you foray into the world of journalism?
I did my graduation from St Stephen's, then I went to Oxford University. I studied broadcast journalism and then I joined Newstrack in 1991 and I am here in NDTV since 1994. Television journalism was very much in its infancy in those days and people used to ask me, `Fine, you are a TV journalist, but what is your profession?'

Since NDTV covered Kargil so well, can you tell us why the Kargil war was covered so well by the electronic media and so desultorily by the print media?
Well, what I think is that Kargil was a war and the electronic media had an automatic advantage in covering it. Through the electronic media coverage, you could actually take people there. At NDTV, when we (I myself or my colleagues) were reporting from Kargil, we could show the Pakistani posts or the bunkers, or we could show the point where shelling was going on. This was not possible in the case of the print media. I think that was the reason why the print coverage was not so good.

NDTV newscasters are becoming popular figures and people watch STAR News because they trust these newscasters-this is what is making the news channel popular. Do you think this is going to create a trend?
I think that at NDTV, we are journalists or news editors first; appearing on the screen is just a small fraction of it. Of course, I feel quite hurt when someone calls me a newsreader-we are anchors or newscasters. I don't think NDTV is the only one doing this. The late Mr S P Singh was a pioneer in the field.

But yes, in a way, NDTV started this trend and I hope this trend catches on.