A Taste for Trouble: Memories from Another Time - Aniruddha Bahal

Step behind the curtain of India's most high-stakes modern reporting. Written by the nation's premier pioneer of sting operations, A Taste for Trouble is the gripping, hilarious, and unputdownable memoir of veteran investigative journalist Aniruddha Bahal.

Aniruddha Bahal has been a constant thorn in the side of the political Establishment for as long as he can remember. His restless spirit was evident early on: as a boy of barely fifteen, he ran away from his home in Allahabad to Bombay, returning a week later broke but armed with unforgettable life lessons. Decades later, as a fearless young journalist, he fundamentally transformed the boundaries of Indian reporting with the unprecedented risks he took, chasing down massive systemic scams and paying a heavy personal and professional price for his audacity. From co-founding Tehelka.com to launching the independent investigative news portal Cobrapost.com, Bahal consistently went against the grain, keeping hard-hitting journalism alive at a time when speaking truth to power had fallen off the media agenda.

But this book is far more than a media archive. It is a wildly entertaining, anecdotal journey through a multi-faceted life. Bahal recounts his surreal detour into international literature when his debut thriller, Bunker 13, won global acclaim alongside the infamous Bad Sex in Fiction Award—handed to him in London by rock legend Sting himself. Moving from a quiet village in Uttar Pradesh to the chaotic corridors of New Delhi’s political machinery, this memoir captures the absolute rough-and-tumble of an extraordinary career. Candid, witty, and deeply reflective, Bahal looks back at the turning points, public triumphs, hidden disappointments, and the secret memories he chose to exhume to keep himself anchored in the present and hopeful for the future.

Why This Investigative Memoir Belongs on Your Shelf:

• Unvarnished Media History: Offers a front-row seat to the birth of modern Indian digital journalism and the backend mechanics of legendary political stings.

• Highly Entertaining & Anecdotal: Written with a sharp, mischievous wit that balances intense political danger with hilarious personal escapades.

• A True Maverick's Journey: Tracks an incredible arc from a teenage runaway to an acclaimed novelist and a globally recognized entrepreneurial editor.