Notes from a Hectic Month
and the FAQs of readers
Dear Readers,
My Substack has been bit silent for the past month or so. The last few weeks have been, to put it mildly, hectic. A book release, literature festivals, family events, and a constant state of being in transit. I did not get the time to sit at my desk, do my work, and sink back into the comfort of routine.
I was telling a friend last night, a filmmaker and a firm believer in being a prisoner of boring routines, that there is something tragic about stealing someone’s routine. The rush of travel and events is exciting, but beneath it sits a steady longing to return to the calm, reliable boredom of everyday. The kind of days where nothing important happens and that itself feels important.
After almost a month, I finally found my way back to a little peace. Enough to sit down and write. This Substack is partly to mark that return, and partly to share a few updates about my work and upcoming events. I also want to address some questions that keep appearing in my inbox .
When are the next book signing and meet up events?
There have been quite a few book signing events around Delhi over the past few weeks. At many of these bookstores, they also recorded short videos of me, asking me to tell readers why they should buy the book. At one store, while recording, the bookstore owner gently told me that I did not look excited enough. Smile more, raise the tone, look happier while talking about the book.
I told her this was my natural response to things. I am not very overtly excited in general. She smiled and said yes, but you have to act a little. You have to understand the marketing game.
I thought about it for a moment and then realised that if I appeared any more excited than this, I would probably start laughing at myself. Or biting my lips. I suspect this has something to do with Vipassana, a meditation practice I have followed for years. It slowly takes away your capacity for extreme joy and extreme sadness. You end up somewhere in the middle. It feels like a barter system of life. You give up something to gain something else. A kind of spiritual negotiation.
While walking to some of these signings, especially the ones inside malls, I had strange flashes from an older life. The past of the city came back in fragments. Voices of people who are no longer here. I remembered walking on these same streets almost fifteen years ago, completely anonymous, a migrant who did not know a single person in the city. For years I wandered through the same malls and roads like a detective, observing people without being noticed. Now, I was the one being observed.
It felt a little like the dream sequences from Satyajit Ray’s Nayak. Not exactly, but there was a similar daydream quality to it.
At one signing, I also realised I had not held a pen properly in years. I could not even remember whether I preferred a gel pen or a ball pen. Back in school, this distinction mattered deeply. Each had its own loyal crowd. I had completely forgotten that such loyalties once existed.
What surprised me most was how many readers turned up on weekdays. Some even brought gifts. One person gave me a beautiful pair of socks, which I recently realised is a deeply underrated accessory. I had never paid attention to socks before, until I noticed my friend Suraj Yengde’s fondness for them. Others brought chocolates and small things.
It made me realise how intimate the internet can make relationships feel. As they say- para-social relationship. People develop a closeness with those they consume online, even if they have never met them.
More book events will happen soon at bookstores in different cities. I will keep updating you as and when they are confirmed.
For now, these are the upcoming festivals where I will be speaking.
I will be at the Jaipur Literature Festival on the 19th.
I will be at the Kerala Literature Festival from the 22nd to the 25th of January.
If you are around during these dates, do drop by.
When will the Kindle edition be available
Good news! The Kindle edition of the book is now out on Amazon, worldwide. I have been getting a lot of messages, especially from people outside of India who felt a mild FOMO during the book release posts and stories. You can now finally read it without waiting for a physical copy.
You do not need a Kindle device to read the book. You can read it on the Kindle app on your phone, laptop, or desktop. If you like the book then please leave a review. It helps the writer in more ways than you can imagine.
What are the other options besides Amazon?
If you prefer a physical copy, the book is available at all major bookstores. If you want to order it online in India, Midland is a good option. They will also have lot many signed copies. Please call them before you order to make sure that you get he signed copies.
https://www.midlandbookshop.com/en/product/the-great-indian-brain-rot
My work lately ?
A few months ago, an editor at The New York Times asked if I would write about Delhi pollution, but not as a report full of numbers and warnings. He wanted it from inside the house, what it does to a person’s days, habits, mood, and sense of the future. By then we had been in touch for many months, so he also knew what was changing in my personal life, my writing style, and my relationship with the city.
The result was the piece I finally published with them. It is about the helplessness that comes with Delhi air, and how people have little choice but to accept this dystopia. Every winter arrives like a familiar problem with a familiar outcome. The sadness has a season.
Read here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/opinion/india-air-pollution.html
The book excerpt: Here is a small book excerpt on the fascinating cult of Neeraj Tanwar Pepsu from Delhi NCR: https://scroll.in/article/1088658/how-the-digital-cult-of-neeraj-tanwar-pepsu-is-creating-a-mythology-about-the-gujjar-community
My piece on Nikhil Kamath and Elon Musk interview: https://www.newslaundry.com/2025/12/06/a-conversation-that-never-took-off-when-nikhil-kamaths-nervous-schoolboy-energy-met-elon-musk
My Indian Express piece on the end of the Twitch ban and the future of the internet: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/australias-social-media-crackdown-internets-free-range-era-is-over-10384912/
A fun and breezy podcast I did about my book with Manjula, the editor of the Book Page at Hindustan Times:
I will return with essays and more updates once things settle down a bit. Till then, happy holidays, and I hope you have a great new year.