Sandip Roy

Tens of thousands of people are attending the Jaipur Literature Festival in India — including many international literary stars and Oprah Winfrey. Author Salman Rushdie was invited but decided not to attend after a warning that hit men would be after him. Rushdie wrote The Satanic Verses which has been banned in India for more than 20 years.

Tamil is a language known for its poetry, but commentator Sandip Roy knows it has another side. Dime-store pulp fiction has a large Tamil-speaking following — and a newly translated anthology is coming to America.

Thursday begins the five-day Indian festival Durga Puja, the largest annual celebration for Bengali Hindus. Commentator Sandip Roy contrasts celebrating the holiday as a child in Calcutta and as an adult in California.

Commentator Sandip Roy compares the new Bollywood superhero Krrish with Hollywood's "man of steel." The biggest difference? Krrish can sing and dance.

Americans are encountering India's Bollywood style on fashion runways and in music videos. But commentator Sandip Roy, an Indian immigrant, isn't sure what to make of the new Bollywood section at his local Blockbuster.