HarperCollins India recently celebrated the launch of Sanjoy K. Roy’s debut book, There’s a Ghost in My Room: Living with the Supernatural, in Delhi. The event took place under a banyan tree at 1AQ, Qutub Minar Complex, creating a fitting ambiance for the book’s supernatural theme.

Sanjoy K Roy in conversation with Mrinal Pande

Veteran actress and longtime friend Sharmila Tagore officially inaugurated the book, followed by a lively discussion between Sanjoy K. Roy and journalist-writer Mrinal Pande. The evening blended nostalgia, personal memories, and reflections on how the supernatural can be a spiritually significant and intrusive presence for some.

Book Launch: There’s a ghost in my room by Sanjoy Roy in Delhi

Sanjoy K. Roy shares in the book his first ghostly encounter at age five in his ancestral Kolkata home and later experiences in his parents’ Lutyens’ Delhi bungalow. He describes the memoir as “accidental,” filled with rich anecdotes about his encounters with a wide range of supernatural beings across various locations, suggesting a parallel dimension teeming with spirits.

Sharmila Tagore expressed admiration for Roy and praised his leadership at Teamwork Arts, which produces India’s Jaipur Literature Festival. She read from the author’s note, highlighting the book’s fascinating premise. Udayan Mitra, Executive Publisher at HarperCollins India, praised Roy’s diverse life journey involving extensive travel and engagement in advertising, theatre, and arts entrepreneurship as the backdrop for these supernatural stories.
During the launch conversation, Roy described much of the book as exploring the “twilight space” between our world and the mysterious otherworld. Mrinal Pande related to these supernatural tales, reflecting on how such stories impacted her childhood.

The book, rich in humor, adventure, and detailed storytelling, appeals to both skeptics and believers of the supernatural and offers an engaging travelogue through Sanjoy Roy’s remarkable life and eerie experiences.