<p>Sir William Mark Tully was born in Tollygunge, British India, in 1935. Son of a British businessman in India, he spent the first nine years in India before going to England for his studies. <br /><br /></p>.<p>A Theology graduate from Cambridge, his initial career choice was to become a priest in the Church of England, but soon abandoned the idea and joined the BBC as its India correspondent, covering all the major happenings from the assassination of Indira Gandhi to the demolition of Babri Masjid.<br /><br />A freelance journalist and broadcaster now, his books No Full Stops In India, Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi’s Last Battle, From Raj to Rajiv: 40 Years of Indian Independence, The Heart of India, and several others, are well-received worldwide. A recipient of numerous awards and accolades, he is also a Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan awardee.<br /><br /><em>Excerpts from an interview: <br /></em><br />What about India fascinates you?<br /><br />Its uniqueness. There’s no other place in the world like India.<br /><br />What is the last thing you read that made you laugh out loud?<br /><br />Mugby Junction by Charles Dickens.<br /><br />Where do you write best?<br /><br />I write best sitting in my little study in Delhi, with a pen and paper, rather than a computer.<br /><br />Your literary influences...<br /><br />Victorian novels, R K Narayan’s Malgudi Days, and short stories by Premchand.<br /><br />You grew up reading...<br /><br />Dr Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.<br /><br />Your current read...<br /><br />Gita Press And The Making Of Hindu India by Akshaya Mukul, and India’s War by <br />Srinath Raghavan.<br /><br />How would you describe your life as a writer?<br /><br />Am a journalist. My prime occupation has been journalism, particularly radio journalism.<br /><br />When writing your books, do you have a specific audience in mind?<br /><br />When I write, I am almost blind. I do not think of who I am writing for.<br /><br />You are scared of...<br /><br />Reviewers. Very scared of my books being badly reviewed.<br /><br />What keeps you awake at night?<br /><br />Jetlag, which is a horrible experience.<br /><br />Your relaxing routine...<br /><br />Going for walks with my dog, reading, having a bottle of beer every evening, <br />listening to music, and watching the telly.<br /><br />What would you change about yourself?<br />If only I could be more less easily diverted...<br /><br />If granted three wishes, what would they be?<br /><br />* To start life all over again, with the <br />knowledge that I now have.<br />* To have firm faith in god.<br />* To live in the countryside.<br /><br />If you could own any painting, what would it be?<br />An El Greco.<br /><br />What book do you wish you had written?<br /><br />Diaries throughout my life.<br /><br />What are you most proud of writing?<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />Do you have a writing routine?<br /><br />Not really. I start at about 11 in the morning and finish by 4 pm.<br /><br />When do you feel most free?<br /><br />When I’m walking in the countryside.<br /><br />Your favourite places in the world...<br /><br />In India, it is Chail in Himachal Pradesh; in England, it is the Yorkshire moors.<br /><br />Your favourite cuisine...<br /><br />Punjabi.<br /><br />Who would you most like to sit next to at a dinner party?<br /><br />Babasaheb Ambedkar, but I guess he’s too clever for me.<br /><br />A cause dear to your heart...<br /><br />Environment.<br /><br />Your favourite sport...<br /><br />Horse racing.<br /><br />What best describes you?<br /><br />A very lucky person.<br /><br />Awards mean...<br /><br />Gratitude, a sense of my own unworthiness.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Sir William Mark Tully was born in Tollygunge, British India, in 1935. Son of a British businessman in India, he spent the first nine years in India before going to England for his studies. <br /><br /></p>.<p>A Theology graduate from Cambridge, his initial career choice was to become a priest in the Church of England, but soon abandoned the idea and joined the BBC as its India correspondent, covering all the major happenings from the assassination of Indira Gandhi to the demolition of Babri Masjid.<br /><br />A freelance journalist and broadcaster now, his books No Full Stops In India, Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi’s Last Battle, From Raj to Rajiv: 40 Years of Indian Independence, The Heart of India, and several others, are well-received worldwide. A recipient of numerous awards and accolades, he is also a Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan awardee.<br /><br /><em>Excerpts from an interview: <br /></em><br />What about India fascinates you?<br /><br />Its uniqueness. There’s no other place in the world like India.<br /><br />What is the last thing you read that made you laugh out loud?<br /><br />Mugby Junction by Charles Dickens.<br /><br />Where do you write best?<br /><br />I write best sitting in my little study in Delhi, with a pen and paper, rather than a computer.<br /><br />Your literary influences...<br /><br />Victorian novels, R K Narayan’s Malgudi Days, and short stories by Premchand.<br /><br />You grew up reading...<br /><br />Dr Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.<br /><br />Your current read...<br /><br />Gita Press And The Making Of Hindu India by Akshaya Mukul, and India’s War by <br />Srinath Raghavan.<br /><br />How would you describe your life as a writer?<br /><br />Am a journalist. My prime occupation has been journalism, particularly radio journalism.<br /><br />When writing your books, do you have a specific audience in mind?<br /><br />When I write, I am almost blind. I do not think of who I am writing for.<br /><br />You are scared of...<br /><br />Reviewers. Very scared of my books being badly reviewed.<br /><br />What keeps you awake at night?<br /><br />Jetlag, which is a horrible experience.<br /><br />Your relaxing routine...<br /><br />Going for walks with my dog, reading, having a bottle of beer every evening, <br />listening to music, and watching the telly.<br /><br />What would you change about yourself?<br />If only I could be more less easily diverted...<br /><br />If granted three wishes, what would they be?<br /><br />* To start life all over again, with the <br />knowledge that I now have.<br />* To have firm faith in god.<br />* To live in the countryside.<br /><br />If you could own any painting, what would it be?<br />An El Greco.<br /><br />What book do you wish you had written?<br /><br />Diaries throughout my life.<br /><br />What are you most proud of writing?<br /><br />Nothing.<br /><br />Do you have a writing routine?<br /><br />Not really. I start at about 11 in the morning and finish by 4 pm.<br /><br />When do you feel most free?<br /><br />When I’m walking in the countryside.<br /><br />Your favourite places in the world...<br /><br />In India, it is Chail in Himachal Pradesh; in England, it is the Yorkshire moors.<br /><br />Your favourite cuisine...<br /><br />Punjabi.<br /><br />Who would you most like to sit next to at a dinner party?<br /><br />Babasaheb Ambedkar, but I guess he’s too clever for me.<br /><br />A cause dear to your heart...<br /><br />Environment.<br /><br />Your favourite sport...<br /><br />Horse racing.<br /><br />What best describes you?<br /><br />A very lucky person.<br /><br />Awards mean...<br /><br />Gratitude, a sense of my own unworthiness.<br /><br /><br /></p>
