Letter from James Ivory, New York, New York, to Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi, India, 1967 May 23 : typescript signed.

Describing a recent visit to his elderly friend Alida's home, and her frail condition-- "I imagine she will get through the summer and then, when the cold weather starts again, she will go" [Louise Alida Livingston died September 3, 1967]; passing on Jennifer's message that "she's sorry her family planning has been so faulty, but she's sure she'll be ready for MIP before MIP's ready for her" [Jennifer and Shashi Kapoor's daughter Sajana was born on November 27, 1967]; entreating Ruth to "do a proper synopsis of the Ustad film," and describing a scene he witnessed in Central Park of a group of Western hippies approaching a "bania" [Bengali term for bankers and moneylenders] family; saying they must finish the script for the "Shakespeare Wallah" sequel; saying both script and synopsis will be useful marketing tools, including to James Fox; asking what she thinks of possibly adapting some Kipling short stories about "Simla and the Hills"; asking her to locate an Urdu translation of "Twilight in Delhi" for Merchant; moving on to the "Gossip and Giggle Department": announcing that "The Budi" [Stella Snead] "has got the Godden sisters to write the text of her book, 'Patterns of India'" [retitled "Shiva's Pigeons: An Experience of India," 1972]; that the Kendals will be appearing in a Hindi film as Shashi's parents-in-law; and that Ruth's friend Rana has twice offered to bring items back to India for Ivory, then failed to get in touch or pick up the gifts, so he is "furious" with him.