The result of a decade of travels through Indian and neighbouring countries, The Age of Kali is a collection of essays with subjects ranging in scope from the widows of Vrindavan to rap stars in Mumbai; the temples as old as the Parthenon in Madurai to the socialite author Shobaa De; the remnants of the kingdom of Avadh to meetings with then Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and cricketer Imran Khan. Stylish, witty and steeped in knowledge, these jewel-like essays string together a captivating and enduringly relevant portrait of the subcontinent from an extraordinary writer.