| Besides these, she has published two collections of short stories, Hot Death, Cold Soup, and more recently, Kleptomania. Her wide repertoire also includes a travel memoir, Getting There, besides a much-loved (but since deceased) comic strip, Suki. |
| Apart from being one of the most interesting Indian authors writing in English, Padmanabhan is also an accomplished illustrator. She shares some innovative ideas for the dream budget she'd present were she the finance minister of the country. |
| "I'd focus on primary education and social health. I'd cut down on military spending in favour of a strong, positive, family planning programme. I'd make water and sanitation real priorities, instead of leaving ordinary citizens to struggle along as best they can. If primary education, health care and sanitation became the main targets of government spending, the rest of society's aims and needs would automatically be met. |
| "I believe tax-payers would be more willing to pay their taxes if they thought they were being well-served by the government. The emphasis should shift to collecting taxes more efficiently rather than just raising taxes and watching a handful of honest dummies struggle to bear the load for the rest of the country's tax-payers. Taxes should be levied on activities too, not just products. Religious rites and weddings, for instance, could be made to attract especially high taxes "" that would really test the faith of believers! |
| "But, you know, no budget or structural change can be made to work when corruption is the primary element in Indian public life. Maybe there needs to be a Ministry of Honesty to establish a cultural identity based on truth and sincerity. It would be a very busy place." |
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