Suzie, whom I once knew, and Arundhati, whom I know now

She was anarchic, yet not an escapist—at ease in discomfort and uneasy in comfort.

My first impression of Arundhati Roy, when she became my classmate and roommate for a brief period in 1976, was that she came from a cosmopolitan world. Everyone called her Suzie. She was cute, confident, articulate, and had an excellent command of English. She wore multicoloured, oddly shaped earrings, necklaces, and bangles. Her ragtag dress, with a warped pocket protruding out of her navel, and matching her wild, flowing hair, was her identity.