I met Siddhartha Deb on his first day at my dojo. Did he remember that I was the friendly, encouraging black belt out of all the people he met that day? I'd like to think it has something to do with him now being a valuable assistant in the YAI karate program for adult students with learning disabilities. Anyway, Siddhartha is also a writer & I'm thoroughly enjoying & learning from The Beautiful and the Damned: A portrait of the new India. Next: he's written several novels; I'll ask him his favorite or which to start with. He's another person I have an instinctive infinity for as someone who moved far away from his home & circumstances. Some do, some do not.
Update: Now that I've finised the book, I want to highly recommend it. His eye is incredible: he sees what we couldn't possibly & is able to describe so that I felt I did understand. He is willing to be show when he is vulnerable & doesn't understand, letting the reader work things out on her own. And there are sharp insights not just about India but about people & relationships.