“Bollywood is no longer Hollywood’s poor cousin. Bollywood is no longer just a convenient nomenclature devised by unimaginative folks. Bollywood cinema is one of the strongest global cultural ambassadors of a new India. And India is on its way to becoming a global soft power to reckon with,” Swaminathan contends in the book.

When artists look for a dream workspace, Manhattan exerts a powerful pull. But for choreographer and cultural ambassador Ronald K. Brown, who celebrates the 30th anniversary of his troupe Evidence, A Dance Company with a run at the Joyce Theater this week, creative opportunities led him back to his Brooklyn roots.