Letter from Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Delhi, India, to James Ivory and Ismail Merchant, New York, New York, 1967 July 10 : autograph manuscript signed.

Saying Som Benegal has returned from New York laden with gifts from Ivory and Merchant, and thanking them for a dress they sent which is "just the sort of thing I like"; also thanking them for the Beatles record which she finds "very, very interesting" and which the children "play over & over & are terribly proud of it because they're the first among all their friends to have it"; commenting on "George's Indian song" on the album, which she thinks sounds "just like an Indian film song"-- "At some point in our Ustad film ["The Guru"] Tom must come out with a song like that"; saying they really don't need to contact Harrison or Ravi Shankar personally, and wondering why one of them [probably Ivory] is so keen to do so; making the case for making both protagonists of the film "instrumentalists" instead of singers; insisting the main issue presently is obtaining funding, and asserting that they are learning that "skill" right now; saying they will deal with the major studios once their reputation is established; admonishing them "for heaven's sake" not to put their own money into their films again; observing "What a lot of advice I'm giving you on things I know nothing about!"; musing on what "mistake" or "wrong turn" has led to the "difficulties" with "Vertical and Horizontal"; signing off with "I'm thinking about the Ustad film all the time."