Nikhil Kamath (Author of It Was You...Always)

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing Wild Capital: Discovering Nature in Delhi by Neha Sinha (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Delhi, as a city, never fails to fascinate me. Sure, it has its own problems, and the people are rough most of the time, but in all the chaos, if you stop for a minute and look around, you’ll find yourself standing next to a beautiful tree or hear th ...more
17 hours, 36 min ago · like · see review
Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing The Misadventures of Detective Ghanshyam by Abhishek Singh (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I must say it turned out to be completely different from what I was expecting it to be. But it was all quite fun! The book is a light and quick read about this teen who is an aspiring detective and how he looks at things around him. The book progress ...more
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Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing The Cold War of Sadanand Borse by Shyam Manohar	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
What happens when, on a scorching afternoon, a scooter collides with a funeral procession? You would expect that such an incident would unravel a whole series of unfortunate events for those involved, but that is not the case with The Cold War of Sad ...more
17 hours, 38 min ago · like · see review
Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing Scenes from the Magic Mountain by Ruskin Bond	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are books and authors you never want to miss out on, no matter how old you are. There is always a sense of comfort and freshness in their writing. For me, Ruskin Bond is that author, and I try not to miss out on his books. I was first introduce ...more
17 hours, 40 min ago · like · see review
Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing Absolute Jafar by Sarnath Banerjee	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I have been a fan of Sarnath Banerjee's work ever since I read All Quiet in Vikaspuri. That was how I was introduced to his work a few years ago. The simplicity of his art, complements the complexity and wit of his storytelling perfectly and that's w ...more
Apr 21, 2026 03:05AM · 1 like · like · see review
Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing River of Stories by Orijit Sen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am a little late to reading River of Stories, but I'm glad I finally did. Reading this graphic novel took me back to one the classes I was attending during my Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Law where we were discussing construction of dams a ...more
Apr 20, 2026 10:21AM · like · see review
Nikhil Kamath rated a book really liked it Maithili and the Minotaur: Isle of Insanity (Book 4 in an Outlandish Graphic Novel Series) by C.G. Salamander (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 18, 2026 07:22AM · like
Nikhil Kamath liked Nikhil Kamath's blog post: The Unhappiness of Being a Delhi Guy "Delhi is a city I absolutely love. Not because I have lived all my life here, but because even now, the city doesn’t fail to surprise me. Being a Delhiite also comes with its own stereotypes. The biggest one being, “Don’t trust a Delhi guy.”The fi..." Read more of this blog post »
Apr 17, 2026 10:49PM
Nikhil Kamath rated a book really liked it Food & Farming - A Journey Through India in Comics by Orijit Sen	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I am quite surprised, why more people are not talking about this book. If you're someone who works in food systems or is interested in learning about how food systems work, this is a book you should definitely pick up. Food & Farming by Orijit Sen, V ...more
Apr 17, 2026 10:44PM · like · see review
Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing Scenes from the Magic Mountain by Ruskin Bond	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There are books and authors you never want to miss out on, no matter how old you are. There is always a sense of comfort and freshness in their writing. For me, Ruskin Bond is that author, and I try not to miss out on his books. I was first introduce ...more
Apr 12, 2026 09:23PM · like · see review

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

Wild Capital: Discovering Nature in Delhi
by Neha Sinha (Goodreads Author)

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Delhi, as a city, never fails to fascinate me. Sure, it has its own problems, and the people are rough most of the time, but in all the chaos, if you stop for a minute and look around, you’ll find yourself standing next to a beautiful tree or hear th Delhi, as a city, never fails to fascinate me. Sure, it has its own problems, and the people are rough most of the time, but in all the chaos, if you stop for a minute and look around, you’ll find yourself standing next to a beautiful tree or hear the faint call of a grey hornbill or come across a monument hidden away in the bylanes of a colony.

This side of Delhi, where history and nature come together seamlessly, is what makes me fall in love with the city, and this is what I want everyone to see.

When I learnt about Neha Sinha’s latest book, Wild Capital, I was genuinely excited. I have been following Neha’s work for a while and have learnt a lot through my interactions with her. I picked up a copy of Wild Capital as soon as the book hit the bookstores in Delhi and started reading it the same day, putting aside all the other books I was reading at the time.

Through Wild Capital, Neha takes you on a journey across Delhi to find these spaces where nature thrives. It’s a well-researched book that takes you across centuries-old groves of trees, neglected rivers and creatures that you never thought existed in this urban sprawl. It encourages you to take a break from the fast-paced lifestyle, look beyond our concrete spaces and appreciate the little things nature offers us.

As a 3rd-generation Delhiite, I found parts of the book extremely relatable. Having grown up in the capital, I came across a few similarities in how both Neha and I learnt about certain things as kids. The most prominent one being how the silk cotton was introduced as Buddhia Ke Baal by our mothers when we were in school.

Another chapter discusses the Jaal trees in Mitraon, a village near Delhi’s Najafgarh area, which are hundreds of years old and hold a certain heritage related to them. There is also the Najafgarh lake, which is fed by the Sahibi river, sadly known as the Najafgarh drain now, and it is still an important ecological site.

What makes Wild Capital distinctive is that it goes beyond the author’s personal memory and allows the city to speak through its people. It introduces readers to Vallari Sheel, an urban ecologist who found her voice while researching Delhi’s trees; Colonel Pankaj Sharma, who turned to birdwatching in Delhi after the Kargil war; and Sunil Harsana, who champions the cause of Mangar Bani, a sacred grove near the Delhi-Haryana border.

Reading their stories helps you to see Delhi’s landscape from a different perspective. It is also a way to develop your own views on the natural and environmental aspects of the city as a reader.

If you feel adventurous, you can carry this book with you and trace your way along all the places Neha has mentioned, and rediscover the metropolis. Something I found absolutely fascinating is the existence of fireflies in Delhi. I had no idea these existed in the capital till I read this book, and have now made it a bucket list item to go and experience the phenomenon of fireflies myself.

Perhaps the greatest gift of Wild Capital is this: it teaches you to pause. To look up at a tree you’ve passed a hundred times. To listen for a birdcall in the middle of traffic. And to realise that Delhi has always been wilder than we give it credit for. ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

The Misadventures of Detective Ghanshyam
by Abhishek Singh (Goodreads Author)

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I must say it turned out to be completely different from what I was expecting it to be. But it was all quite fun!

The book is a light and quick read about this teen who is an aspiring detective and how he looks at things around him. The book progress ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

The Cold War of Sadanand Borse
by Shyam Manohar

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What happens when, on a scorching afternoon, a scooter collides with a funeral procession? You would expect that such an incident would unravel a whole series of unfortunate events for those involved, but that is not the case with The Cold War of Sad What happens when, on a scorching afternoon, a scooter collides with a funeral procession? You would expect that such an incident would unravel a whole series of unfortunate events for those involved, but that is not the case with The Cold War of Sadanand Borse by Shyam Manohar.

Originally published in Marathi in the late 1980s as Sheetyudh Sadanand, this novella has now been translated into English by Jerry Pinto, bringing this timeless classic to new readers this year. For me to pick this book, the title itself was enough to generate curiosity about what Sadanand Borse was up to.

The story on the surface is deceptively simple, with Sadanand Borse, an unremarkable lower-middle-class man, who finds himself in the centre of some perplexing incidents after suddenly winning a lottery. His scooter colliding with a funeral procession is just the beginning. There are no real wars being fought here. By using the term “Cold War”, the author subtly highlights the conflicts present in the lives of India’s aspiring urban middle class, but they never erupt in the open.

Shyam Manohar’s writing stands out because of the way he captures the rhythm and tensions that exist in everyday life with remarkable detail. As mentioned earlier, the titular character of Sadanand Borse isn’t fighting any real wars, but most of these are psychological pressures he is dealing with, in terms of the circumstances, the people around him, and most importantly, with his own thoughts. You see these unfold throughout the story with everyday interactions, small compromises and unspoken frustrations.

The best way to describe the story is to call it a quick read, which takes you through the slow and mundane moments of daily life. There are no big climactic moments or sudden twists, but the narrative lingers in monotony. The author doesn’t even give any easy or fulfilling resolutions to this story, keeping it fairly open-ended. Life just goes on, and everything is as it is. That’s not the kind of ending to a story I usually enjoy, but with this set of characters, with such realism, the story can’t end in any other way.

What makes this a timeless Indian novella is that in many ways, the experiences of Sadanand and other characters in the story reflect the dilemmas that exist even to this day in urban life, like the gap between aspiration and reality, the compromises that accumulate slowly over time, and the strange inertia that keeps people moving forward even when they feel stuck. Jerry Pinto has done an amazing job translating this book from Marathi to English, and I am glad this happened. I can’t think of anyone else who could have captured this style as well as he has.

The Cold War of Sadanand Borse leaves you with a quiet realisation: most of our battles are never fought loudly. They play out in passing thoughts, awkward conversations, and the small decisions we make every day. Shyam Manohar doesn’t try to dramatise these conflicts; instead, he simply lets us observe them as they are. The wars may be invisible, but they are being fought everywhere, in offices, homes, and in the restless minds of people like you and me, just trying to get through another ordinary day. ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

Scenes from the Magic Mountain
by Ruskin Bond

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There are books and authors you never want to miss out on, no matter how old you are. There is always a sense of comfort and freshness in their writing. For me, Ruskin Bond is that author, and I try not to miss out on his books. I was first introduce There are books and authors you never want to miss out on, no matter how old you are. There is always a sense of comfort and freshness in their writing. For me, Ruskin Bond is that author, and I try not to miss out on his books. I was first introduced to his work in school, like most people, when excerpts from his works were included as lessons in our English textbooks.

Something that has always caught my attention is how he so effortlessly describes the natural world around him. It not only paints a picture, but you can even smell the flowers and the pitter-patter of the rain through his descriptions.

Ruskin Bond’s recent release, Scenes from the Magic Mountain, is about his life in the hills and how the landscape changes with the changing seasons. A work of non-fiction, Ruskin Bond takes you on a journey through time to sixty-one years ago, when he moved to Mussoorie and made the hills his home. At first glance, nothing much seems to happen in this book. There’s no dramatic arc, no singular story pulling you forward. Instead, it unfolds through small, almost incidental moments, watching the seasons change in Mussoorie, noticing a bird return to the same branch, and remembering a house that once held a different version of himself.

The book is structured around five seasons – Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn and Winter; but it also highlights the Eternal Season, the lived reality of life in the hills and the transitions it brings. What stood out for me, as is the case with any Ruskin Bond book, was the deeply attentive style of writing. You notice a sense of discipline with which the author observes the world around him, just by consistently showing up every day. He notices the way light falls differently in March than it does in October. He remembers conversations not for what was said, but for how they felt in that moment. He pays attention to things most of us filter out without even realising it.

Reading the book makes you think, “When did we stop noticing the little things?”

We live in a time that rewards urgency, and we are constantly moving from one thing to another to achieve growth and success. Stillness and introspection are often considered unproductive, yet the book serves as an anchor, encouraging you to slow down and examine the life around you. I also liked how the book engages with time, not keeping it linear; it keeps going back and forth. A memory from decades past sits comfortably alongside a present-day observation. There’s no attempt to separate the two. And that makes you realise how much of our past quietly coexists with our present, shaping how we see and feel things.

The fact that there is no urgency to come to conclusions in this book makes it a light and easy read. It is a steady, unhurried gaze at a life lived closely with its surroundings. There are passages where you’ll see the author mention how the surroundings have changed over the years, but these thoughts come with a hope that things will get better. And that’s what stays with you after you finish the book. The sense that there is value in slowing down, in paying attention, in letting moments exist without immediately turning them into something else.

If you sit with it long enough, it begins to reveal something more uncomfortable, more honest: that the things we often dismiss as ordinary might actually be the most important ones. A pause before you rush past something familiar. A second glance at what you would have otherwise ignored.

And in that pause, you begin to realise that nothing was ever truly ordinary to begin with. ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

Absolute Jafar
by Sarnath Banerjee

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I have been a fan of Sarnath Banerjee's work ever since I read All Quiet in Vikaspuri. That was how I was introduced to his work a few years ago. The simplicity of his art, complements the complexity and wit of his storytelling perfectly and that's w ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

River of Stories
by Orijit Sen

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I am a little late to reading River of Stories, but I'm glad I finally did. Reading this graphic novel took me back to one the classes I was attending during my Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Law where we were discussing construction of dams a ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book really liked it

Maithili and the Minotaur by C.G. Salamander

Maithili and the Minotaur: Isle of Insanity (Book 4 in an Outlandish Graphic Novel Series)
by C.G. Salamander (Goodreads Author)

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Nikhil Kamath liked Nikhil Kamath's blog post: The Unhappiness of Being a Delhi Guy

"Delhi is a city I absolutely love. Not because I have lived all my life here, but because even now, the city doesn’t fail to surprise me. Being a Delhiite also comes with its own stereotypes. The biggest one being, “Don’t trust a Delhi guy.”The fi..." Read more of this blog post »

Nikhil Kamath rated a book really liked it

Food & Farming - A Journey Through India in Comics
by Orijit Sen

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

I am quite surprised, why more people are not talking about this book. If you're someone who works in food systems or is interested in learning about how food systems work, this is a book you should definitely pick up.

Food & Farming by Orijit Sen, V ...more

Nikhil Kamath rated a book it was amazing

Scenes from the Magic Mountain
by Ruskin Bond

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1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

There are books and authors you never want to miss out on, no matter how old you are. There is always a sense of comfort and freshness in their writing. For me, Ruskin Bond is that author, and I try not to miss out on his books. I was first introduce There are books and authors you never want to miss out on, no matter how old you are. There is always a sense of comfort and freshness in their writing. For me, Ruskin Bond is that author, and I try not to miss out on his books. I was first introduced to his work in school, like most people, when excerpts from his works were included as lessons in our English textbooks.

Something that has always caught my attention is how he so effortlessly describes the natural world around him. It not only paints a picture, but you can even smell the flowers and the pitter-patter of the rain through his descriptions.

Ruskin Bond’s recent release, Scenes from the Magic Mountain, is about his life in the hills and how the landscape changes with the changing seasons. A work of non-fiction, Ruskin Bond takes you on a journey through time to sixty-one years ago, when he moved to Mussoorie and made the hills his home. At first glance, nothing much seems to happen in this book. There’s no dramatic arc, no singular story pulling you forward. Instead, it unfolds through small, almost incidental moments, watching the seasons change in Mussoorie, noticing a bird return to the same branch, and remembering a house that once held a different version of himself.

The book is structured around five seasons – Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn and Winter; but it also highlights the Eternal Season, the lived reality of life in the hills and the transitions it brings. What stood out for me, as is the case with any Ruskin Bond book, was the deeply attentive style of writing. You notice a sense of discipline with which the author observes the world around him, just by consistently showing up every day. He notices the way light falls differently in March than it does in October. He remembers conversations not for what was said, but for how they felt in that moment. He pays attention to things most of us filter out without even realising it.

Reading the book makes you think, “When did we stop noticing the little things?”

We live in a time that rewards urgency, and we are constantly moving from one thing to another to achieve growth and success. Stillness and introspection are often considered unproductive, yet the book serves as an anchor, encouraging you to slow down and examine the life around you. I also liked how the book engages with time, not keeping it linear; it keeps going back and forth. A memory from decades past sits comfortably alongside a present-day observation. There’s no attempt to separate the two. And that makes you realise how much of our past quietly coexists with our present, shaping how we see and feel things.

The fact that there is no urgency to come to conclusions in this book makes it a light and easy read. It is a steady, unhurried gaze at a life lived closely with its surroundings. There are passages where you’ll see the author mention how the surroundings have changed over the years, but these thoughts come with a hope that things will get better. And that’s what stays with you after you finish the book. The sense that there is value in slowing down, in paying attention, in letting moments exist without immediately turning them into something else.

If you sit with it long enough, it begins to reveal something more uncomfortable, more honest: that the things we often dismiss as ordinary might actually be the most important ones. A pause before you rush past something familiar. A second glance at what you would have otherwise ignored.

And in that pause, you begin to realise that nothing was ever truly ordinary to begin with. ...more

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Nikhil Kamath

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	It Was You...Always 4.13 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 2018 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Aloo and Sons: Aloo Bane Angarey by Abhijeet Kini (Goodreads Author) (Creator, Illustrator), Nikhil Kamath (Goodreads Author) (Writer) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2025	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Where We Left Off by Nikhil Kamath (Goodreads Author), Abhijeet Kini (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2025	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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