Krishnan Srinivasan, Former Foreign Secretary, on How He Started Writing Detective Fiction

Till 1996, Krishnan Srinivasan was one of the most outstanding Indian foreign service officers of his generation. He served as the high commissioner in Zambia, Nigeria and Bangladesh as well as ambassador to The Netherlands. He then rose to the top of his profession to become foreign secretary, and after retirement, served as the deputy secretary general of the Commonwealth in London. But today, three decades later, he's forged a new career as the author of detective fiction.

Michael Marco, the detective he has created, is a former Somalian ambassador living in India. He wears a crumpled dark suit, his socks droop and his tie is askew but he has a cherubic smile. In Srinivasan's later novels, Michael Marco is paired with Koel Deb, a physically handicapped former senior police officer, who is also a detective. She's often the narrator of the story.

In an interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Srinivasan talks about what drew him to writing detective fiction, how he dreamt up Michael Marco and Koel Deb, how he creates the intricate plots they feature in and how much of the novels are based upon his life experiences. The interview also discusses Srinivasan's penchant for description of people and his obvious fascination with Koel Deb's footwear.

Srinivasan discusses his novels, his characters, his approach and style with a depth and detail so even if you haven't read his books yet, you will still be fascinated by his account of them.

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