Q. Why did McCluskieganj intrigue you to write this novel?
A. It was an impulse. Two decades ago, I went to McCluskieganj for a reporting assignment on the only Anglo-Indian village in the world. I realised this village and its people deserve more than a report. Their stories, contradictions, their pain and sense of longing inspired and intrigued me.

Kitty Texeira, better known as Kitty Memsahib, is one of McCluskieganj’s most familiar residents. Her story is symbolic of this village’s existence since it was envisioned. Pic courtesy/Brijesh Patel