Kuldip Nayar is an Indian journalist and columnist. He has also written many books, the latest of which is his autobiography, Beyond the Lines

What are you reading these days?

Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu James A. Robinson.

Which books are on your bedside table?

Gandhi: Essential Writings by V.V. Ramana Murthi, Reporting the Partition of Punjab 1947 by Raghuvendra Tanwar and Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin by Akbar S. Ahmed.

What is the one book/author you feel everyone must read?

The poet Iqbal. His Shikwa, which is a straight, spontaneous treatise, spells out the purpose in life.

What are you planning to reread?

Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

What is the one book you read because you thought it would make you appear smarter?

Never thought about it. Every book makes you smarter.

What is the one book you started reading but could not finish?

George F. Kennan Memoirs 1925-1950.

What is your favourite childhood book or story?

The Mahabharata.