When a successful mythological novelist like Tripathi takes to writing a children’s book, it becomes imperative to ask whether his debut in the genre is because the Maths graduate pre-empted profit in this target readership. “I’m more of an artist than a businessman,” states the 51-year-old, adding, “I find what art motivates me and then figure out how I make money from it.”Author Amish Tripathi poses exclusively for HT City, at Delhi’s Khan Market.From ‘boring’ past to ‘adventurous’ futureHe felt it was important to venture into writing for children because: “My 17-year-old kid and many of his friends don’t learn enough through the standard education system about the beauty of India. Our history books have not been decolonised. Secondly, our historians have made such an important subject as history really boring. So with my new book, Dhruv-Tara & The Great Indian History Quiz, I’m trying to make it interesting as it’s an adventure of two kids who hate each other because both of them are competing to be number one in their class and will have to figure out how to work together.”The Immortal Question: Who will play Shiva on screen? Recently this writer, who is popular for his Shiva Trilogy and Ram Chandra Series, debunked reports of Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh acquiring the rights to his book, The Immortals of Meluha. Now, he tells us, “Some conversations are happening. But the movies will get made when Lord Shiva wills it... In India, there are very few directors who can do it. The finest today are Sanjay Leela Bhansali, SS Rajamouli and Aditya Dhar.”Delhi’s dramatic developmentWhat’s a trip to Khan Market without recreating the Instagram aesthetic of getting clicked outside the quaint Faqir Chand bookstore? Indulging in the same, Tripathi’s memories flash back to the old times. “Delhi has grown dramatically,” he reminisces, adding, “I grew up in Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Mumbai. So my interaction with Delhi became much deeper after I started working. With my first book in 2010, I started coming to Delhi a lot more often, to meet the publishers.”Khaike Paan ‘Dilli’ Wala “Bhaiya, ek magahi bana denge?” asks Tripathi when HT City offers him a chance to try paan in this posh south Delhi market. But when the local panwari (betel leaf vendor) in Khan Market says he cannot make his choice of paan, the Banarasi in him settles for a jodi paan and relishes every bite of it. “This is good,” he exclaims, adding, “It’s difficult to find a good paan in Delhi!”For more, follow @htcity.delhijunction