My literary tour of five cities in India is nearly ending. What a journey it has been.
I am now in Aligarh. Coming to Aligarh is like coming home for me. I have visited three times, and have always been so warmly weleomed. My work is well read and celebrated, and the hospitality is phenomenal. I and am being hosted by Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), one of the most prestigious universities in India, and I have just returned from a dinner held in my honour with all the academic staff.
What an amazing day I have had. First of all, it was so good to meet all of my dear friends, fellow writers, and academics, including those who contributed to the text book on my work, The Holy and the Unholy. Then I had one of the most memorable and moving experiences in my life. I visited a school for the blind that the AMU funds and oversees. Later, my literary session with post graduate students and teachers was full of interaction as we discussed my work, and I signed books and posed for group photographs.
Today I am off to Agra and Fatepur Sikri. What a lovely way to end my tour — lost in the splendour of the Mughal architecture and the glory of the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
