German actress Stephanie Stumph during a film production in India (2012).

A few months ago, a white South African friend of mine went to India. She asked me how I would feel if she wore a sari (traditional dress for many Indian women) there. I was somewhat indifferent and wondered why she was asking me since I was not even in India. Since she was there, why shouldn’t she wear a sari, I thought. People from other cultures have worn it for years and I’m always pleasantly surprised by how much more welcome they are in Indian circles when they do wear traditional dress.

Paridhi Singh wanted to figure out how it would feel to meet a ‘phenomenal’ author like Maya Angelou. So she created this mock interview with the renowned women’s rights activist and poet, who passed away recently at the ripe old age of 86.