This Scot will bring a Devdasi to your home

After writing on the Mughals and British colonials, William Dalrymple makes devoted Hindus the focus of his new book. He spoke to the Guide about why these nine stories need to be told, and why he will never write about Mumbai

Scottish author William Dalrymple's easy, genial charm is reminiscent of the words that lie scattered in his booksu00a0- comfortable, non-judgmental and pleasantly genuine. And though he brands himself (with a laugh) as a "Westerner", his affection for India shines through his literary pursuits.

His latest book, Nine Lives, which he says has surprised him by selling "35,000 copies in just two weeks in India", is a distillation of 25 years of travelling and observing India, as it chronicles his search for the sacred in modern India.

In an objective, detached and non-judgmental tone, Dalrymple sensitively recounts the stories of a Jain nun who has decided to starve to death, a theyyam dancer who uses dance to rise above social stigmas, a Devdasi who lost her daughters to AIDS, and a middle-class Bengali woman who finds love and fulfillment living as a tantric in a cremation ground.

"It surprises me that Indians are buying my book. I thought they'd be snotty about a Westerner writing about their religion. Try going into a bookstore and asking for a book about the Bauls or the theyyam dancers. There's hardly any written information on them. People are going to read this book simple because no one else is
giving them this information."

Dalrymple narrowed down the selection to nine interviews from almost 80 interactions. "Almost 80 ended at first base, as people don't really want to talk about themselves. Around 20 interviews filled half a notebook. And then there were these nine, where I spent a week with each person, and by the end of that week, they were ready to share the highs and the lows of their lives with me," he shares. His favourite though is the interaction with the Jain nun. "You always see these people, but don't spare a thought. They have lives you knowu00a0- desires, feelings. It was such an interesting experience."

Dalrymple's love affair with India started in 1984 after, as he puts it "a series of accidents" pulled him to the country. And since then, his love for all things Indian has found voice in The City of Djinns and White Mughals. But there are days when he gets frustrated with this country that he now calls his own. "Oddly, I felt at home from the beginning. I loved the history, food, people, the climate. The only time I get madly frustrated is when I'm stuck in a traffic jam at 6 in the evening, with the rain drowning my car. And that's when I wish I was back in Scotland," he guffaws, patting his red his face with a wet towel to beat the Mumbai heat.

So after writing two books on Delhi, is a book about aamchi Mumbai in the offing? "I don't know Mumbai at all. When I come here, I just sit in a five-star and talk to friends. And I think Suketu Mehta is the last word on Mumbai anyway. I can't even think of attempting to write a book about Mumbai after he has!"

Extract from the Nun's Tale
"People think of our lives as harsh, and of course in many ways it is. But going into the unknown world and confronting it without a single rupee in our pockets means that differences between rich and poor, educated and illiterate, all vanish and a common humanity emerges. As wanderers, we monks and nuns are free of shadows from the past. The wandering life, with no material possessions, unlock our souls. There is a wonderful sense of lightness, living each day as it comes, with no sense of ownership, no weight, no burden."

Nine Lives is published by Bloomsbury and available at all leading bookstores for Rs 375