And now, this Thursday evening, we are in the beautifully restored Royal Opera House, Mumbai to listen to the backstories behind many of these writings. The essays in Wild Fictions are a mix of environment reporting, and travelling across countries like Egypt, the Sahara and India. There is even one essay on the beloved Indian undershirt - the banian - this one was written for Vogue magazine after Ghosh’s daughter did an internship there, he tells us.

Earlier, the evening was rushed. I left home late having spent the afternoon engrossed in Island by Sujit Saraf. The novel had me in a boat off the Andaman Islands, with Steven, a white missionary determined to visit forbidden islands despite the deadly risks. With him is a disgraced Kashmiri anthropologist, adding a layer of tension to the story. The novel’s foundation in true events keeps me hooked—and I cannot pull myself away. The Andaman tribes, the Jarawa and the Sentinelese, demand my attention, their world so compelling it almost overshadows my real-world plans.

Dusk is falling by the time I reach the venue—a beautifully restored Royal Opera House. The chandeliers are dimmed, the audience settled, and on stage stands Q, a man of many talents. Slim, bespectacled, and earnest, Q is the son of the late advertising icon Alyque Padamsee. His love for theatre has inspired him to create whole ecosystems of storytelling, from LitLive, a literary festival, to hosting the monthly Great Text Reading. The latter is especially intriguing: an open invitation to read from the world’s literary masterpieces. All you need is an RSVP, and you’re in.

Q announces the dates for this year’s LitLive festival—November 7th to 9th. “I know it’s a long way away, but put it in your calendar,” he says and his enthusiasm sets the stage perfectly for the evening ahead.

When the author enters, the applause is immediate. Accompanying him is journalist Raghu Karnad. Karnad frames detailed questions and Ghosh listens intently. And when Ghosh speaks his stories are stunning – from hitchhiking in the Sahara desert to walking with his young son on 9/11 on the Brooklyn bridge to go pick up his daughter who went to a school that was opposite New York’s twin towers.

Afterwards, we line up for book signings, strangers, friends and a fellow book clubber visiting from New York. The author leaves, yet we tarry over soup and salad – talking about the unforgettable character of Deeti, the young widow in The Sea of Poppies who falls in love with a low caste man, about opium cultivation and our favourite essays in Wild Fictions.

My favourite essay is Ghosh’s essay on the Andaman Islands. Like the best literature, this one entitled The Town by the Sea becomes a bridge - taking me back to my reading life, connecting the fictional journey in Sujit Saraf's Island with the real world of the Andaman Islands.

In other reading for this Republic Day weekend, engage with democracy with these books. More here on the secret life of democracies. And until next week, happy reading.

Sonya Dutta Choudhury is a Mumbai-based journalist and the founder of Sonya’s Book Box, a bespoke book service. Each week, she brings you specially curated books to give you an immersive understanding of people and places. If you have any reading recommendations or suggestions, write to her at sonyasbookbox@gmail.com

The views expressed are personal