I keep thinking of all the other writers who also have these sorts of protagonists. The cops of Karen Slaughter, Ian Rankin and Peter James are not exactly happy guys who are at peace with the world; their relationships are in shambles; they are eccentric. It's probably like taking the mad genius idea and remoulding it to fit the flawed cop. I know this character, Borei Gowda, so well; I know what he can do and what he can't do. His own flaws allow him to see the world with a certain cynicism. But then every cynic is maybe also a naive idealist. In many ways, Bangalore and Gowda are synonymous with each other" - Anita Nair, author, Hot Stage, talks to Manjula Narayan about writing a police procedural series, how personal agendas often drive even political crimes, and creating believable characters with familiar tics and hypocrisies