On April 18, 2010 I wrote my first-ever column of Paronormal Activity. I had great doubts about producing a weekly column. The editor at the time, probably familiar with writers’ affectations of doubt and fussy despair (what Bengalis call ‘naikamo’) said “just do it for six months.” Now, here I am, the goodest of girls, five years later, with full attendance not a column missed. If emojis were permitted, I’d put a row of smileys here.

At first, each deadline day was torture for the people around me as I slumped about spreading doom and gloom, agonising over what to write about.