A Few Of Author Aanchal Malhotra's Favourite Things

Despite being the granddaughter of a bookshop owner and growing up browsing through Bahrisons, I've spent time in Midland and Faqir Chand, which are both also beloved, family-run bookshops. Outside of Delhi, my favourite stores have to be in Bangalore — Champaca, who curate their shelves most thoughtfully, and The Bookworm, which has the most wonderful second-hand section on the top floor that I have never left empty-handed! 

Pro Tip: Get stranded in some of these second-hand bookstores in the city! 

I run a crowd-sourced digital archive called the Museum of Material Memory with a school friend, and our weekly meetings are at L'Opera cafe, which is a quiet place to work with delicious coffee! 

I've only used the same kind of Moleskine notebooks for the past decade and a half — black, soft cover, ruled. And while they are a bit on the expensive side, they do bring pleasure to the writing process.  

My mother's favourite flower is the Nargis, which is seasonal and all too fleeting but always reminds me of her. Last year, I found the most exquisite heady Nargis fragrance called Amrita at Forest Essentials. 

Delhi is going through an in-between weather these days, with spring giving way to summer and I find my skin to be drier than normal. On such days, I turn to two products that help retain hydration and moisture — the I'm From Rice Cream and the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. 

Pro Tip: Best beauty brands to check out 

I love wearing the TrueBrowns Co-ord sets — they are elegant but also relaxed, and can carry all the way from a day of field research to a literary panel. Another brand I have been loving recently is Suta, who make comfortable and vibrant everyday cotton saris. 

I've never been a big foodie, but homemade pakoras or my father's handmade achar remain deeply nostalgic foods for me. And as a true 90s Delhi kid, a Nirula's Hot Chocolate Fudge will always hit the spot! 

I've spent quite a few days doing research at the Nehru Memorial Library, which not only has a great reading and manuscripts room, but also beautiful, sprawling gardens. 

I would highly recommend Arvind Krishna Mehrotra's Book of Rahim and Other Poems. My favourite section in the book is The Book of Lahore, where Mehrotra writes about 11 Temple Road, the home his family left across the border, embroidering inherited memory with imagination and impossible yearning.

I am looking forward to spending two weeks this summer teaching and writing at Siyahi’s Writers’ Retreat at the Padmaa Hotel in Jaipur, which looks to be a paradise for the creative heart, in a city saturated with history, culture and stories.