Chandra Down Under

Vikram Chandra is currently touring Australia and New Zealand to promote Sacred Games. Here, he speaks to The Age about the writing of the novel and his 'research' conducted amongst the underworld: "At the beginning, it was a little nerve-racking, and they do have a fair amount of bullshit they put on you. But they understand you're afraid of them, they don't need to show the big stick. Most of the time they were very avuncular and welcoming: 'Come, sit, have a cup of tea. What can I do for you?' "