I try not to put anything political on the forefront of what I'm trying to do creatively. At the same time I do think it's wonderful when I hear people say that it's inspirational that I'm an Indian woman on camera. My life is very diverse and my friends are a diverse group of people.

We're living in a time when the world has suddenly discovered India because it's run out of raw material for its imagination. The raw materials for imagination are inexhaustible here.

I think they quite like me when I work because I'm one of the safer directors to back because even if my films don't bring their costs in back home once they're shown outside of India they manage to cover the costs.

I noted that people are happy here in India. When I went back home people had everything in the materialistic sense and were surrounded with abundance but they were not happy.

India is a curious place that still preserves the past religions and its history. No matter how modern India becomes it is still very much an old country.

Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India history will look upon the act depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.

I'd like to see the health care professionals making decisions not some bureaucrat in Indianapolis working for an insurance company.

I believe economic growth should translate into the happiness and progress of all. Along with it there should be development of art and culture literature and education science and technology. We have to see how to harness the many resources of India for achieving common good and for inclusive growth.

You know I think we Indians are afraid to show and celebrate our happiness lest things change around. But I feel that it's okay to be sad and okay to show when you are happy.

We used to root for the Indians against the cavalry because we didn't think it was fair in the history books that when the cavalry won it was a great victory and when the Indians won it was a massacre.

I don't feel we did wrong in taking this great country away from them. There were great numbers of people who needed new land and the Indians were selfishly trying to keep it for themselves.

Each year India and China produce four million graduates compared with just over 250 000 in Britain.

Lo! The poor Indian whose untutored mind sees God in clouds or hears him in the wind.

Also it is interesting that developing countries with China and India perhaps in the lead where the future of the global environment will be decided are now on board with the case for sustainable development.

India-Seychelles relations have been characterized by close friendship understanding and cooperation.

We can't equate democracy with Christianity because the largest democracy on earth is India which is primarily Hindu. The third largest democracy is Indonesia which is Islamic. Democracy and freedom are not dependent on Christian beliefs.

Violent means will give violent freedom. That would be a menace to the world and to India herself.

I think there is a real misconception about Indian food being super spicy. And I know that's because when you go into an Indian restaurant it is pretty spicy. But it doesn't have to be. In fact my husband can't handle a lot of heat. I've had to temper my cooking so that he can eat with me.

When I was younger I was fat. I was never conscious of it and was content with who I was because I was so loved. My mother never told me to lose weight and my father doted on me but my agent told me. I tried but I loved Indian food too much.

I like to cook Indian food when I can. I find the process of creating a home-cooked meal to be unwinding.

One can hardly be Indian and not know that almost every accent which hand you eat your food with has some deeper symbolic truth reality.

But Australia faces additional regional and global challenges also crucial to our nation's future - climate change questions of energy and food security the rise of China and the rise of India. And we need a strong system of global and regional relationships and institutions to underpin stability.

In my travels I also noticed that kids in Thailand like spicy food and kids in India love curry. I'm hoping to introduce my son Hudson to lots of veggies and spices when he's young. I say that before he's started on solid foods so it could be easier in theory than practice!

My late wife Olympia was Goan and I've been to India many times. I love the food there. We used to do our shopping in Southall where you can find cheap but wonderful fruit like mangoes vegetables and spices. I didn't do much of the cooking as Olympia did a lot - I was the under-chef and did some of the chopping.