Talk Asia: 'Shantaram' author Gregory David Roberts

CNN's Anjali Rao, host of Talk Asia, tackles the vast subject of Gregory David Roberts' life.

The CNN website has excerpts and a video interview from the show, with the 57-year-old Australian, whose book "Shantaram" follows his escape from prison and life in Mumbai, where he lived for 10 years working with the mafia and as a doctor in the city's slums. Watch Roberts talk about his life in the slums here.

On "Talk Asia," Rao and Roberts talk while walking the streets of Mumbai, the setting for "Shantaram," Roberts' bestselling novel loosely based on his life. It turns out Roberts writes poetry in the Sufi tradition too. He'll be publishing a collection in 2010. Click here for a sample.