My favourite book is VS Naipaul’s A Million Mutinies Now. I love the author’s humility; he disappears behind the persons he interviews and just becomes their script writer. Naipaul depicts a better, more flamboyant picture of India, the largest democracy in the world, than anyone else.
My favourite movie is the 1949 British film Kind Hearts and Coronets, where Alec Guinness played eight roles — a powerful and distinct performance. Lately, I have also starting enjoying Bollywood. One movie that stands out is Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, which introduced me to the world of Hindi cinema.
My favourite travel destination is Picardie, in Northern France, where my parents live. Picardie, with its ponds, wide fields and forests is a traveller’s dream come true. However, among the recent places I have visited, Kerala is certainly the best. In Kerala, I felt at home!
My favourite cuisine is from the North West Frontier region of the Indian subcontinent. The cuisine has robust flavours; these are succulent meals slow cooked for many hours, only marinated, without any gravy or sauce, traditionally cooked in tandoor. When served with a delicious Dal Bukhara, the taste is priceless.
I have a very eclectic taste in music, but my favourite compositions are Haydn’s quatuors, and Les Indes Galantes, an opera-ballet written by Jean-Philippe Rameau in the 18th century. It is a production with a sense of humour.
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