Just as I started to read Paulo Coelho’s The Witch of Portobello, villagers in Udaipur in Rajasthan were brutally beating up a woman they labeled a witch. In Rajasthan, women who act strangely are branded witches and are mistreated by their neighbors. It’s against the law but here in India anything goes.

When Richard Gere kissed a famous Bollywood star a few weeks ago at an AIDS benefit it sparked national controversy. In fact two business men were so appalled by the public demonstration that they filed arrest warrants with the courts for the two actors. Never mind the fact that women everyday are raped, molested and burnt in this damn country.

Reading Indian newspapers is a great source of entertainment. Stories published are what you would read in a fiction novel or movie. Most of it is unbelievable but it’s so very true. Take for example the man who was beaten to death in Rajasthan for stealing a goat. Or the fake murder plot that allegedly involved some top Indian cops which made headlines. Never a dull day for the media here.