My love of Indian cinema started very simply in 2002. Right after September 11th, I felt the need to leave NYC and the empty spot of skyline across from my window, where the Twin Towers had once stood. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew I would not return to my home city until I had found it.

We got a little apartment in London and from there, traveled nonstop with my mom - the ultimate globe-trotting gypsy. Our adventures took us to India, where we had already been on holiday before. India is the kind of place where one’s soul is consoled. How? The country, the people, the food all overwhelm the senses and manage to fill your thoughts with colorfully fragrant dreams. That, and the fact that my very best friend in the world lived in Jaipur, made India the perfect place for mending our broken spirits.

While visiting gentle Ravi in Jaipur - a turban-wearing slim Sikh boy I consider my “soul brother” - all he seemed to be able to talk about was a recent film titled “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham” - literally translated as “Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad”. He played the songs incessantly, quoted the lines and translated them for me at every breakfast, lunch and dinner and insisted that I watch the movie.

After the three and 1/2 hours extravaganza on the big screen, I was HOOKED! The costumes, the songs, the dances, the unbelievably handsome actors and perfectly beautiful leading ladies, the sentimental message, the family values… Everything was exactly what my weary soul needed to start believing in the greatness of the world again.

I eventually made it back to NYC and six years later, Bollywood is more than a significant part of my life. It is responsible for my fortune as a writer and the reason I love India as much as I do. It defines my fashion taste, as well as my music choices and if you know me, well… you need to know Hindi films. So, if I have your curiosity tickled, let me get you started on your own multi-colored journey into the land of Indian Cinema.

Besides “K3G” - as the film that started it all for me is popularly known - there are a few other films that I would tackle as a Bollywood first-timer. The list must include “Fanaa” - from a Sufi word meaning “Destroyed in Love” - which stars one of the most intelligent actors in the Hindi film industry, Aamir Khan. With his nearly European good looks and subtle moves, he plays an ambiguous role that will leave you breathless at the end. Then, there is my own favorite director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali - who makes films that are lavish and visually stunning. He’s been criticized that they can be a bit lacking in substance, but if I want substance, I can watch something French. When I want true blue entertainment, on the other hand…

Speaking of other foreign films, “Saawariya” - meaning Beloved - Bhansali’s latest film, distributed by Sony Pictures - was inspired by Dostoyevsky’s short story “White Nights”, which was also made into a film by Italian director Luchino Visconti. Before you go thinking that I will just throw names at you and bore you to death, lets get back to Hindi films. A few more suggestions. For beautiful depth of story, check out Anurag Kashyap and his latest “Dev.D”, or go back to his classics with “No Smoking” and “Black Friday”. For lavish song-and-dance numbers, see choreographer-turned-director Farah Khan’s movies, which include “Mein Hoon Na” - I’ll Be There - and “Om Shanti Om”. Her husband Shirish Kunder also wrote, directed and edited a wonderful and fantastical film titled “Jaan-E-Mann” - Love of my Heart. And finally, for strong women roles, watch any film by master director Sudhir Mishra, a great man as well as an amazing filmmaker. My two favorites by Mishra are “Khoya Khoya Chand” - Lost Moon - and “Chameli” - Jasmine.

So why not make it a whole evening of fun and rent one of these films, all available on Netflix. Then, may I suggest ordering some Indian food like Chicken Tikka Masala and Samosas, making some Chai Martinis and inviting all your coolest friends over, for a Bollywood Night…

Images courtesy of Wikipedia, Dharma Productions and Yash Raj Films

This past year, along with millions of people, I mourned the loss of an amazing actress, a truly beautiful woman and someone utterly irreplaceable to her loving family. I was in awe of how many sympathy cards and television programs were dedicated to Ms. Richardson, but perhaps not completely surprised. In an era where we live surrounded by the crass and the vulgar - bombarded by shows such as “Bad Girls’ Club” - she represented ageless class, style and composure. The images of her and husband Liam Neeson walking the red carpet, any red carpet, were always the very depiction of what elegance means, inside and out. They were touching reflections of an era that seemed to be coming to an end, before the US elected a president who appears to want to bring classy back.

But throughout the broadcasting circus of this tragedy, I kept thinking of a film which showed Natasha Richardson at her very best: talented, gorgeous and with just the right balance of strength and vulnerability, goodness and immorality a real woman should possess. The film, a favorite of mine by Merchant Ivory Productions, is “The White Countess”. The sadness I felt when I first watched the film three and a half years ago, I felt surging up in double dose watching the film once again. While in 2005, it was for the tragic loss of the brilliant Ismail Merchant, now again, a sense of too early a demise for Ms. Richardson. My faith in fate is shaken at these times and I question what kind of God keeps around the Madoffs of the world while taking away the good ones. But my traditions eventually win out and free me of the ability of us humans to ponder such dogmas.

Far be it for me to write a review of the film, I simply urge you to rent it on Netflix and prepare for an incredible experience. The chemistry between Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson alone will have you in tears in their first scene together. One which will leave you also asking “WHY?” 

Images courtesy of Merchant Ivory Productions

OK, so generally I am a pretty gentle, positive and well intentioned person. But I am also an Italian - with strong Neapolitan blood to be precise - passionate, Leo woman and when things hit me the wrong way, watch out world, my wrath is mighty! This week, let me count the ways…

NAY-SAYERS and CRITICIZERS 

You know, those who perpetually pick apart what others do without ever having done anything themselves?! Someone I highly respect quoted Bambi’s mother herself recently. Yes, THAT Bambi, the one from the film that broke all our hearts as little kids: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”. It’s a credo I live by in today’s world. I mean, all we have to do is turn on our TVs or open a newspaper and people are picking each other apart. It’s the new world’s favorite pastime. Hardly two months into the White House, President Obama has to deal with headlines such as “The Dream Is Over!” and “What Have You Done For US Lately?” while he is busy trying to fix the mess we have gotten ourselves into. And it doesn’t get better with artists and the art they struggle long and hard to create for our benefit. A wonderfully innovative film opens and I find myself sitting through countless discussions about how many minutes of editing the director missed, how this filmmaker’s piece won’t do well in that market and what problems with casting were obvious in the movie. And all with people who have never held a video camera in their hand or even written a short story. Maybe it’s a sense that being the square peg, the one who takes the opposing view, makes them seem intelligent… Or going against the grain means that they are different and interesting… Oh, and if I had a dime for every time someone said to me “It’s going to be very difficult for you to get your book published” or “Writing is not an easy field to get into” I would never have to work another day in my life!. I guess all that must come from their own insecurities and unfulfilled dreams? To me, intelligence, class and grace are one and the same. And knowing who I am inside is quite enough, without needing to play a part to sound important.

UNGRATEFULS

A new friend and a fellow writer recently sent me a wonderful and inspiring email, at one point mentioning how lucky I - Nina - am. I have usually resisted that word, it always felt laden with accusation that I may be undeserving of what I have, but chuck it to the gentle way in which he used it, his unaccusing tone, or maybe the new Deepak Chopra book I am reading, I realized how right he is. With all that I see, hear and read happening around me, I need to be grateful for where and who I am. These are the best of times, even if we don’t like to hear it and are always too busy to simply look to the horizon to realize how large our world truly is. It is the age of magic we live in, where I can “speak” with my friends in Bombay as if they lived next door and watch a film in NYC the same day it opens in Rome, or Singapore. My palate is privy to foods from China, India, Japan, Morocco and Thailand, and all within three city blocks of my apartment! And I have a choice about EVERYTHING, from how much money I want to spend in a day, to where to go on my vacation, to what kind of fashion I choose to wear to show my inner style. I even have a choice to have friends in faraway lands and I don’t need to pawn my life to go and visit them! Learn to make yourself happy, simply by remembering how lucky you are.

HYPOCRITES

We all know them, and may even be guilty of being one from time to time… The kind of person who will behave one way with one group of people and completely different with another. Or those who never, ever speak their mind, so much so that though you may know them a long time, you don’t feel you know a single thing about them. The truth shall set you free in life. And speaking one’s mind is the best way to allow others to respond. What is the point of communicating if the words aren’t conveying your inner thoughts? At times, I realize it’s a question of upbringing and the result of negative experiences as a child. I was fortunate to be rewarded for telling the truth but I know that many of my friends were not. They had parents who would react irrationally and therefore learned at an early age to manipulate their way out of life. Oh, and among hypocrites I also count those who are afraid to admit they do not know something and simply bullshit their way through a problem or a discussion. Being humble does not mean being weak, but rather admitting our own vulnerability is always a sign of inner strength. 

CONDESCENDERS 

Yes, yes, I know… The word does not exist, well, not yet anyway… The world dictionary is growing daily but as of today, it’s still a made-up word. What I mean with it is those who talk down, put down and look down on everything and everyone. The kind who could have made Nicolò Machiavelli feel dumb, if given enough time with him in a room. I come across this type regularly, it’s an occupational hazard. My theory as to why I am a favorite prey is this: I typically can be found in worlds where these types do not see me as “belonging” - i.e. an Italian in India, a non-muslim woman in Arab countries, someone who celebrates her womanhood and love of nice clothing in journalism, someone non-pretencious and with a brain in the fashion world. The list could go on and on. So, being an a-typical being in these areas where the typical is quite different from me, I get asked a lot of stupid questions - mostly about whether I “understand” this and that, and constantly have to battle with passive aggressive attempts to pull the wool over my eyes. I dated a well-celebrated Indian writer last year who quickly freaked out when he realized I actually had a brain. And that I was not the typically Italian woman he had hoped and whom he had described to me in details on our first date. He giggled while telling me about a woman in Capri, at a literary reception he had attended with his ex-wife, who allowed her dress to fall off to the ground, and was not embarrassed in the least by this “accident”. Needless to explain, I keep my dress on in public, at all times, hence the end of our tryst!

COWARDS

The great Gandhi - whether or not one agrees with his actions, his intentions were always notable and noble - supplied the world with my all-time favorite quote. It is in front of me every time I sit at my computer and I have gifted it to all my beloved friends and relatives: “A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave”. I love it so much because I have found it to be true in my life. It takes an incredible amount of strength and bravery to be a mother, a father, a wife, a lover, a husband, a boyfriend, a friend, a daughter and a son. A good one. And love is its own great reward, but requires passion, guts and an overall ability to stand up for what even we may at one point believe to be wrong. Look around yourself and see those few individuals who truly love and are loved. They are the ones who have discovered the secret of life. But don’t be jealous or envious of them, simply sit still and see inside yourself all that strength and love just bursting to come out. It’s in all of us, make good use of it, starting now. And don’t be afraid…

At the very end, there are a few others who are like the sinners of the Deadly Sin of Sloth in Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. Not worthy to really enter into this hell, but worth mentioning. Among them, those who always complain that nothing good ever happens to them, that no one has ever helped them in their lives, those who use passive aggressive tactics with their friends and loved ones, those who are so unhappy with their own lives that they try to bring everyone else down to their level, drama kings and queens - though sometimes they are funny to watch, once you have understood their issue - and finally, those who are simply not supportive. They don’t do anything bad, but you just know in your heart that they think nothing of your work, of your worth and what you are trying to accomplish. Perhaps in need of all the attention themselves, they shrink at the thought of someone else getting some… If you can think of more toxic personalities to add, feel free to include them in the comments below!

Yes, many years before “Slumdog Millionaire” fever ever hit the Oscars and two decades before the hoards of British and American tourists started invading Dharavi and Juhu Slums in the hope of discovering their own personal Jamal, Salim and Latika, Mira Nair - of the upcoming highly anticipated “Amelia” - made her poetic masterpiece “Salaam Bombay”. That the film was her first effort at filmmaking, as well as screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala’s first script, is amazing enough. For those who may not know, Ms. Nair has since directed several more masterpieces including Mississippi Masala, The Namesake and Monsoon Wedding, while Ms. Taraporevala has written the screenplays for two of the above titles - among many others - in addition to directing one of my personal favorites this year, “Little Zizou”.

But to think that “Salaam Bombay”, which I recently purchased in its new and wonderful Widescreen Special Edition full of fun behind-the-scenes footage and interviews, has nearly a quarter of a century on this year’s Oscar smash hit, is just incredible. “Salaam Bombay” is a film that even today is as modern, current and trendsetting as they come.

From the first frame of the film, the circus scene supported by the daunting soundtrack courtesy of L. Subramaniam, the movie grabs the viewer, body, heart and soul. So, is it any surprise that Ms. Nair has been in talks to once again distribute the film in India? What I want to know is where were all the raves when the film was first released? I remember watching it, in some arthouse cinema here in NYC, and leaving the theater heartbroken and inspired. The simple and tragic tale of a boy struggling to survive a series of unlucky twists of fate on the grungy streets of Bombay has always stayed with me, even if I discovered so much more when I watched it again recently. But I think the connection I felt to this film (before I had ever been to India) is the reason I immediately understood the value of “Slumdog Millionaire” - that the world was finally ready for this story to be told - and never saw any of the inconsistencies that seemed to bother some of the South Asian critics of the film…

In an incredible twist of fate, I actually watched Slumdog with Ms. Nair sitting right behind me, at a screening back in November through the IAAC. I kick myself today that I did not immediately turn around at the end and asked her how having watched SM made her feel. That after more than twenty years after her own SB, a film telling a tale of Bombay street children trying to survive in a corrupt world truly out to get them was finally being recognized? How did she feel that she had been at least two decades ahead of the times? I will never know. I could feel a certain pride emanating from the whole row of Nair family, friends and supporters at the screening and I am personally incredibly joyful that the success of SM has made it possible for “Salaam Bombay” to resurface and receive the praise it has always deserved.

The film, in its new deluxe edition, is easily available for rent on Netflix, or for purchase at Amazon or, if you live in India, wait for it at a theater near you!

Images courtesy of Mirabai Films

If the thought of a perennial chocolate fountain doesn’t appeal to you, the idea of row upon row of shiny chocolate pralines of all flavors bores you and the promise of scrumptious warm waffles drizzled with hot fudge just makes you yawn, then this post is just not for you. But if you are in any way like me and consider chocolate a major food group, not to mention you try to constantly find medical and nutrition experts who will back up your theory that cocoa is indeed a healthy vitamin, no less important than the tart C or the yucky fish oils, then by all means read on.

Although it had been staring me in the face every time I walked by it in my neighborhood, I never ventured inside the Max Brenner chocolate restaurant on Second Avenue until very recently. A few friends I would trust with my life had recommended it and I knew enough about the place to write positive reviews for a few of my chocolate articles. But I never actually found the environment very cocoa-dream-friendly and if you ask me to explain why, I am stunted. It’s not an easy thing for me to be, stunted that is, but to date the Second Avenue eatery is not a favorite spot in my book.

Then I learned that Max Brenner has another location at Union Square, on Broadway right between 14th and 13th street. Now THAT is a spot which makes a girl like me dream big dreams of her very own “Ninny and the Chocolate Factory”! OK, the whole Ninny thing is to make a point and if anyone ever calls me that I promise they will not be able to taste chocolate ever again. Ninny is the word used when Florentine farmers call their piglets at feeding time. No, I don’t advise anyone to venture into dangerous territory by calling me that, ever. REALLY.

But back to the Max Brenner at Union Square. It’s a veritable factory of good times in there. The way the room is set up is very festive and bright. It has some “Dora, the Explorer”-type graphics on the walls and the tables have this old Soda Fountain shop atmosphere to them. The waiters are cheery, friendly and have this elf-like quality that makes it all seem very Willy Wonka, so much so that my friend C. and I had a hard time looking ours in the face, for fear of a spontaneous laughing fit. The place has a full chocolate shop in the front, where boxes of bonbons are available, alongside cocoa body creams and bubble baths, boxed teas and hot cocoa mixes. It’s a chocolate lover’s paradise, in every possible way.

I walked away from my own first experience there very satisfied. Of course, the temptation to try every single item in the place is soon replaced by the reality of their impossibly extensive menu. But I highly recommend the Chocolate Chai and the Profiteroles, which come filled with pastry cream, are served alongside chocolate and vanilla dipping sauces and garnished with a small dish of miniature crunchy waffle balls dipped in milk chocolate. Salivating yet? No… Then how about a beloved chai tea, but with an extra bit of panache added by mixing in some yummy cocoa? I think that has done the trick for sure. If not, have you checked your pulse lately?!

Now finally, an explanation for the title. You see, Mr. Brenner himself - first name Oded, not Max - is bald and a pastry chef. He started the original business - Handmade Chocolate - with a partner named Max Fichtman, hence the combination of the names in the title of the joint. And the concept behind the restaurants? To simply take chocolate to the… Max!

Image courtesy of Jason Perlow - Off The Broiler

So, what many of you may not know - and really might not be that interested in anyway - is that my site is hosted on WordPress. They rock! Nuff said.

They are holding their own WordPress Design Awards this year - worthy of Oscar attention, of course! - in five categories which include: Best Clean & Minimalist, Best Retro & Vintage, Best Grunge, Best Hand-Drawing Style and Best Modern & Elegant. Nominations are abounding and I have placed this beautifully designed blog of mine - courtesy of Ante Meridiem Design - in the “Best Modern & Elegant” category. I think that befits it best, don’t you agree?

If you run your blog on WordPress, or like something someone else is hosting with them, by all means nominate them. Their guidelines are pretty straightforward to follow. And thanks again for your continued support, of course!

Image courtesy of WordPress

So, that perennial cool chick I grew up dressing, hairstyling and even at times aspiring to be - minus the miniscule waist and the feet permanently in a tippy-toe position, of course! - is turning the big Five-O this year. Wow, and she doesn’t look a day over twenty-five! But then, fifty is the new thirty these days. Just open the latest J. Crew catalogue and savour their fantastic “American Icon” campaign, starring the exquisitely gorgeous and intelligently strong Lauren Hutton, for proof!

Plaza Too is one of those fantastic NYC shops that simply combines great taste with fabulous service to give the savvy New York woman just what she needs. It’s only natural that glamorous Barbie® would choose to stop by the store for some of her birthday celebrations.

You may have heard of the Christian Louboutin pumps in special Barbie® pink, or the Barbie® At 50 fashion show that rocked the Tents during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, right on Valentine’s Day… Well, at Plaza Too you can partake of that Barbie glamour in the form of some fun and fabulous Tarina Tarantino jewelry. And you won’t have to take out a second mortgage - GASP! - to do it. The pieces run from $70 for a pair of lucite earrings with the famous Barbie® profile in black silhouette, up to about $250 for the multicharm necklace seen here at left. The way I see it, you can’t go wrong. And if you don’t find yourself in the Big Apple this month, don’t worry. Simply shop online, using the Plaza Too link or by going to some of their other locations, all around the tri-state area.

So, meet you at Plaza Too, but don’t be late… This fun event - which includes full Barbie® windows and yummy sweet treats inside the shops - begins this Friday, March 6th and will be gone March 30th. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Thanks to the enthusiastic, charismatic and giving spirit of author William Dalrymple, I recently attended the Jaipur Literature Festival, which takes place every year in January, in the city of … you guessed it! JAIPUR. This year Amitabh Bachchan, Tina Brown, Gulzar, Vikram Seth, Pico Iyer, Mohammed Hanif and Coleman Barks were in attendance, among many, many more. But for me, the festival was a sort of closing of the magic circle that had started with a special viewing of the film “Slumdog Millionaire” back in November, right here in NYC. Danny Boyle, along with some of the cast and primary crew were at the screening organized by the IAAC and inspired my piece on the film, published later that week on Chic Today. For the first time in my own writing history, I predicted something that later came true… SM did go on to win many, many Oscars and I admit, I cried real, wet tears of joy when the Best Picture award was announced. But far from making me toot my own horn - OK, toot, toot but very softly - that piece simply inspired me to do better, to be more confident with my own instincts and indulge my likes and dislikes. So what did the Jaipur Literature Festival have to do with all that, and how did it help me to conclude a cycle of my life that ended up being so important for me? Well, there in the Pink City, on a crisp Indian winter afternoon, with a cup of Rajasthani chai in hand, I met author Vikas Swarup. For those who might not know, he is the seldom mentioned author of the novel “Q & A” on which the story of “Slumdog Millionaire” is based.  Without him, the film would have never existed. In person, Vikas Swarup is as witty, incredible, charming, interesting and unpredictable as you would expect him to be. He wrote the book while serving in the Indian Foreign Service in the UK and is presently India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Pretoria, South Africa. Following is my own short and personal Q & A with the author as well as some of the highlights from his talk with Mr. Dalrymple, later that evening at the Festival.

THE AJNABEE: With a family and your work in the Foreign Service, how do you find time to write?

VIKAS SWARUP: My kids go to a school 35 Km away. They have to get up at 6.30 in the morning. I am up at 5.30 and write from then until 8.30. I cannot write at the office, with interruptions and phones ringing… Some can manage, but I need absolute concentration.

TA: The book is currently being sold under the title “Slumdog Millionaire” instead of the original “Q & A”. How do you feel about the name change?

VS: In the beginning, I was opposed to it but have since understood that it is done for marketing reasons. It will eventually go back to its original name, once all the hoopla generated by the film is over. The title at the moment is so that the people who see the film, who find out that the story is originally a novel, will then go to a bookstore and ask for “Slumdog Millionaire”. Whatever sells books, I am OK with that!

TA: How do you feel about the criticism that the book, and therefore the film portray India’s slums and India negatively?

VS: Well, India is a country of a billion people, and therefore of a billion stories. Some will be of wealth and some will take place in the slums. I think the film is true to its own story.

Later, Vikas Swarup sat on a stage set up in the lawns of Diggi Palace and talked about his experience writing the most beloved story of the year.

VS: I am in the Indian Foreign Service and actually wrote the first draft of “Q & A” while I was waiting to transfer back from my London post. My wife and kids had preceded me back to India. Without them around, I had no fun but more importantly, no distractions and I wanted to write an entertaining story. I have yet to meet a foreign diplomat who is not in search of a publisher! Anyway, the version of the novel that you are reading is pretty much my first draft. I had heard a true story about an English Army Major who had cheated on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” with the help of a Cambridge professor. The professor would cough on cue to help with the answers the Major didn’t know. They were caught by the producers who watched the tapes of the show… It was also the time when the Indian version of the game show - “Kaun Banega Crorepati” - had begun and this all got me thinking. About a man winning a million rupees, about someone who might be accused of cheating but was not guilty of it… I started looking on that site EveryoneWhosAnyone.com for an agent. On the Wednesday, I had written two chapters, by Thursday I had sent them off to a few agents, by Saturday, one had rung my house asking for a meeting in person on the following Tuesday… My dear friend Patrick had one this advise for me: “If they ask for money from you, don’t sign!” But it turned out to be the fabulous Peter Buckman who said that thus far the book was great but, and I quote, “Where’s the rest?!” I knew I had to finish the book before I got back to India, since I had been told I would be in charge of Pakistan for my next assignment and I knew I would never be able to write there! That would definitely not be a cushy job… So I wrote like a maniac and I finished the book in three months, on September 11th, 2003. On the 12th, I was on the plane back to India.

After the book was published, I was criticized for painting an “unpatriotic depiction of India”. I was pressured to take out the dark bits, by my American publisher, never by the Indian government though. I have always been weary of the kinds of books that are touted as having “captured the soul of India”. At best, one can capture a slice of life moment.

About the title change for the film, well there were a few factors. A film titled “Q & A” already existed, with Nick Nolte and I find that although “Q & A” is iconic, the title “Slumdog Millionaire” is evocative and works well for the film. After I was shown the first draft of the script, by Simon Beaufoy, I had a choice to make: either reject it completely or accept it wholeheartedly. A lot was changed. But I thought it best to keep my opinions to myself. For film people, the writer of the original story is not integral to the process. I actually wasn’t even invited to the premiere. I paid my own way to London for the Leicester Square opening night.

I didn’t even know the Golden Globes were that huge, until I started being hounded by the South African and Indian press and that’s when I realized it was a big deal. 

My next novel is titled “Six Suspects”. It’s a polyphonic narrative that comes at the reader from all directions. I was inspired by “If on a winter’s night a traveler” by Italo Calvino and “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell, the latter is made up of six stories. My novel has six suspects in an overarching framework. There are references to many real-life headlines like the Jessica Lall case in Delhi, the murder victim Vicky Rai is straight out of the case where a well-to-do young man was accused of mowing down six people with his BMW and there are even references to shooting a black buck, as in the Salman Khan case. The unchanging factor in my books is that I always want to identify with my characters.

At the end of the talk, William Dalrymple asked Mr. Swarup if “Q & A - Part 2″ could be in the works. The answer? “I really would rather write a fresh story. Wouldn’t writing that mean that I don’t have any new stories to tell? I should not be predictable…” Indeed, Mr. Swarup, and from hearing you speak, you could never be accused of being anything less than brilliant and way ahead of the times.

Photos ©2009 E. Nina Rothe