Sebastian Shakespeare, the Editor of Londoner's Diary in the London Evening Standard has become a household name among Indians when he wrote on his love for India early this year. Here, he shares his love for India yet again in a candid interview with Cynthia Chandran of Media Voice.

QnA with Sebastian Shakespeare

In your article 'To be Indian is now first prize in life's lottery', in the London Evening Standard, you mentioned about seeing more beggars in London than in Chennai. Can you elaborate a little more about your thoughts on the same?

I had mentioned that I had seen more beggars in London in one week than I did in my entire sojourn in Tamil Nadu. It was an accurate reflection of my albeit limited experience. I was on holiday for two weeks in Tamil Nadu but the point I was trying to make is that any regular visitor to India, like myself, can see how it has prospered in the last ten years. There is greater wealth, self-confidence and there are greater opportunities and the infrastructure has vastly improved.

There is too much emphasis in the West on poverty in India and I wanted to correct that negative imbalance. London is the richest capital in Europe, yet almost half our children live below the poverty line.

You must have been inundated with fan mails from India on this feature about India? How do you feel?

There has been a huge response on Twitter and internet blogs and the Evening Standard website. And I was criticised by some for only seeing the bright side of India, not mentioning the slums of Mumbai, and so on. But many Indians (especially from Tamil Nadu!) were thrilled that I was sticking up for them.

How many times have you visited India and which is your favourite city/village in India?

I have visited Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. My favourite village is still waiting to be discovered.

Do you feel sad about your home country's deterioration when it comes to providing basic amenities (like housing) for the poor?

The state does provide a safety net in the form of council housing but there is a huge underclass in Britain without jobs and without hope. There is a poverty of aspiration. What they lack is spiritual nourishment.

In this birth of yours, if given an opportunity, do you wish to apply for Indian citizenship?

My wife and I often fantasise about coming to live in the land of our parents' birth. My father was born in Shimla and my mother-in-law was born in Quetta (before Partition). If the chance arose, yes, we would seriously consider it.

(As said to Cynthia Chandran, Pic by: Catherine Blyth)