Graduated from the University of Delhi with Bachelors in Commerce, I joined the legendry booksellers – BAHRISONS at Khan Market, New Delhi. After having worked with the bookstore for 20 odd years under the tutorship of Balraj Bahri, I looked at other avenues in the book trade and added a small publishing division called Tara- India Research Press, and a literary agency called Red Ink, to the existing line of business as a bookseller. Thirty-five years later, with an all-round experience as a bookseller, publisher and literary agent, - I head the group of BAHRI.

All books talk, and I am listening. Tell a story simply, and tell it well! I am looking for books that engage, entertain and inform. I read everything from thrillers to fantasy, young adult to historical fiction, classics to narrative non-fiction. Some favourites from an endless list, includes Conn Iggulden, Rick Riordan, Erin Morgenstern, JRR Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, Sarah J Maas, Stuart Turton, James Patterson (of Alex Cross books), Lee Child, Brad Thor, Salman Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Upmanyu Chatterjee, and Richard Dawkins. I’ve been a journalist for twelve years, and then an editor for more than that time. I spend my time reading and editing, looking for that one gem that will take the world by storm.

I enjoy reading stories that have a strong plot and immerses the reader in the narrative from the get-go. I like reading across genres but I mostly gravitate towards young and new adult, literary and commercial fiction. I will read anything written by Sally Rooney, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry, and Cassandra Clare.

Indian Literature has shaped my early years as a reader, making me fall in love with South Asian sensibilities presented through twisted plots and a dash of desi spice. Storylines talking about sizzling samosas, witty cats, and scheming women like that of Manto, has me in a cultural chokehold that has only grown over time.

 
Some of my favorite writers include Salman Rushdie, Farah Bashir, Vivek Shanbhag, Anita Desai, Shubnam Khan, Christian Kracht, Vincent Delecroix, Sally Rooney, Helen Hoang.

I am a very character-driven reader, the character stays with me even after the story has ended. I am always on the lookout for commercial fiction, especially a good romance, as well as memoirs and autofiction.