writers in residence
In Residence
Zurich, Switzerland
June — November 2011

Kiran Nagarkar

India

Author

Indian writer Kiran Nagarkar (1942–2019) was born in Mumbai where he studied at the Ferguson College, and subsequently worked as a lecturer at various colleges. He has also worked as a journalist, made a name for himself as a writer of screenplays and worked primarily in advertising. Kiran Nagarkar wrote his books in Marathi and English. // As of May 31, 2011

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A Short Passage

God’s Little Soldier

“Zia has a way with numbers. He can square and cube any figure, whether it’s five digits or fifteen, and just as easily calculate the square or cube root, even if it means entering decimal territory. Go ahead, test him. 6 x 6, that’s easy, anybody can tell you it’s 36. 36 x 36? Need some help with the answer? Before you can hit the second key on the calculator, Zia will tell you it’s 1'296. Now cube that. Don’t bother to say Jack and the rest of it. 2’176’782’336. You think Zia’s bluffing? Go ahead. Use the calculator. Are you finally convinced that he is not making it all up? Zia can zip and unzip through arithmetic with barely a trace of conscious thought and yet he believes that what he excels at is cricket.”

— From “God’s Little Soldier” (Noida, HarperCollins India 2006)