India, May 10 -- A woman walked into a bar. Met two men, and this is what happened.

Minutes after attending a discussion by Arundhati Roy about her book Mother Mary Comes to Me, I walked over to a local club, where I had parked my car. At the outdoor bar, I met two men I am acquainted with. I would have probably joined them for a drink and a little light conversation about media and art.

One of them is a journalist, and the other, a retired businessman who is supposedly interested in art. I told them where I had just come from. And the art collector says to me, with an expansive smile, "You know, if I were to see Arundhati Roy, I wouldn't hear her talk. I want her just to sit quietly, and I want to just look at her."

I don't know what ...