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In 1999, I was in Bangalore without a job, after having bid a not-so-pleasant farewell to my job in a newspaper.

The editor had said, "Do not burn your bridges." I had thought, "I am not burning any bridges, I am just thinking about the future."

Quitting the job made me penniless and homeless; I began living at a friend's place, taking care of his dog, while his family was away shooting for a movie in Tirthhalli.

One morning, I got a call from my friend. "I need two stocks of film, by tonight," he said.

I checked the price, it cost Rs 10,000. Where on earth was I going to get that money from, that too in a day?

However, by that evening not only had I raised the money but also managed to send the film through the driver of a night state roadways bus from Majestic.

I think it was then that I decided to stay on in Bangalore. If I, an outsider, could raise money instantly, I would never go hungry here and I could find a home.

If I found a home, I could ensure the world would not impinge upon my time and space. Once I could sort out my needs, I could devote myself to writing.

If you read Sepia Leaves you would know that my life has not been easy. Moving from home to hostels across various regions in the country, I had grown tired of the transition and confused about my sense of family.

I took up a well paying job in the IT industry and soon brought my parents to Bangalore.
It was when my parents decided to come here that I had to finally find my peace with them. I wrote Sepia Leaves to find my equation with my parents, to understand their lives, their struggle, and my life as a member of a family. It took me from the year 2000 to 2005 to write the book and another three years to publish it.

All through this period Bangalore has been a wonderful base. If I had not found what I did in Bangalore warmth, a home, security, and my evenings to myself I would not have been able to write the book.

The reason I say this is: Bangalore accepted me, never pushed itself on me, allowed me to function freely, and helped me create a capsule where I was free from worries of the world, and thus Bangalore allowed me the time and space to fulfill my need to write.

Living in Bangalore, I have never felt the need to come to grips with the city, its acceptance of people, its ease of culture, its ease with people who did not know its language or ways, have always given me the feeling that one of the best decisions I made in my life was to adopt Bangalore as home.

My parents died peacefully in Bangalore. I completed my second book here — Roll of Honour.

I have made many friends here and I have never gone hungry or cold in this city. Wherever I go from here, Bangalore will always be home.

Sepia Leaves, published by Rupa and Co., is available at leading bookstores for Rs 195