Priyamvada, the glittering star

A sheepish confession: I was dreadfully unaware of the super celebrity status of the very attractive, highly accomplished co-speaker at the just concluded Jaipur Literature Festival International’s first edition in Seattle.

- SHOBHAA DE

I was struck by her personality and body language as she emerged from the elevator to wait for our ride to the inaugural reception at the magnificent Seattle Asian Art Museum. She was immaculately dressed in a deep purple designer salwar kurta, and was busy applying a matching shade of lipstick. We were both scheduled to speak the next day, and the atmosphere at the glam gala for delegates was dazzling as delegates and patrons enjoyed an evening of presentations that set the tone for the next two days.

Priyamvada Natarajan was by far the most glittering star of the gathering, as she mingled with academics and admirers, holding forth on her area of specialisation—the cosmos. Priya, as friends call her, is a leading theoretical astrophysicist and a highly respected professor in the department of astronomy and physics at Yale University. She was featured on