Shashi Tharoor, United Nations Under Secretary General for Communications and Public Information, takes writing very seriously.

The prolific writer, whose visit to the capital coincided with the controversy over the Volcker Committee report believes he has spoken enough on the issue. Therefore, he warns us at the beginning of the interview that he will not answer any more questions on it.

After reading excerpts from his books, The Great Indian Novel, The Riot and Bookless in Baghdad at the India Habitat Centre, he refuses to pose for eager shutterbugs and explains, "I am in a hurry. I have to catch a flight back home." On a whirlwind tour to the country he has been travelling a lot and has not had the time to relax. The exhaustion has taken its toll on him but despite that he manages to charm everybody with his candidness.

"I have a number of responsibilities that I express through my writings or my work," says the celebrated author.

Shashi confides that ideas and inspirations "compel you to write". "There are ideas bubbling in my head. But of late, I have been too busy with work to write a novel. In fact, I began writing a novel two years ago but I have not touched it since then," he adds.

Shashi believes that to write fiction you "need time and space in your head because you have to create characters who are as real as the people you see around."

Through his writings, he admits, "I explore things that matter to me like our Indian heritage, the forces that are making and unmaking India and also the dilemmas, problems and situations we are dealing with in our society and civilisation."

Being a writer has helped him understand his priorities. These include the principles of political values and the convictions that inspire him.

"Writing, for me, is also a process of self-discovery. I am raising questions and this is a process of self-education for me," says Shashi, adding, that he has often thought about writing some of his experiences of working with the United Nations.

Even after staying abroad for several years, for Shashi, home remains where his heart is. "As a citizen of the country, I have the right to express my views on issues that concern us," he says.

Don't you expect much more from a man who represents the country at the international arena?

Aren't there many Indians counting on him to raise the subcontinent's concerns and aspirations at the United Nations' discourse and deliberations? What does Shashi think about the on-going global war on terror?

"I am professionally not free to air my views on many things. But I think that the titles, professions and designations are transient. One day, I'll be relieved of my professional obligations. Then, I'll definitely be free to write about things I strongly feel about," he concludes. Till then, we can make do with his books like Show Business and India: From The Midnight to The Millennium.