Dehradun, May 18 -- Tuiika Singh Roy.

'Grass does not grow on concrete!' exclaimed the clean-shaven man in Bhurey's Barber Shop. He tapped his fingers on his bald pate and said again: 'Grass does not grow on concrete!'

Normally, I would have let it pass. But with a hairstyle like mine, I only say: 'Bald is bold!' Which would be perfect on the ghats of Haridwar, but not this hill station, for nowadays it is teeming with selfie-sticks.

'Must be the City Board! They put something in the water!' he lurches on. 'I can't stop writing. A month's work done in a week!' says Prajwal Parajuli, whose books include Land Where I Flee. He says: 'In Landour, the juices flow.' Some of his books are The Gurkhas's Daughter and Land Where I Flee. They are...