Every watcher of the Dalai Lama notes the Tibetan Buddhist leader's ochre robes, his hearty laugh and his pleas for compassionate living.

But there's much more to the man than his "spiritually cuddly side," journalist Mayank Chhaya notes in his recently published biography, "Dalai Lama: Man, Monk, Mystic."

The Dalai Lama is also a statesman, a Nobel Laureate and head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, who has passionately - but nonviolently - confronted China over Tibet's autonomy since 1959.

Chhaya, a veteran journalist from India now based in Chicago, talked about the many aspects of the Dalai Lama - his personal charm, his activism and his appeal to Americans. Here are excerpts.

Q: What made you want to write about the Dalai Lama?

A: This is a subject that for some reason has been in my universe since early childhood. My fascination has several layers. It began early as a sight, or visual thing (growing up in western India and meeting Tibetan refugees); then I began reading about Tibet. And when the Dalai Lama was attending a congress on the synthesis of science and religion in Bombay in 1989 I began to wonder what it would be like to sit down with him.

Q: You were able to interview the Dalai Lama personally several times for the book. What were your personal impressions of him?

A: The first thing that struck me was that, before I even talked to him, several of his (advisers) told me that he enjoys very vigorous conversation, so I should not hold back from asking him any questions. There were no boundaries, which I found very interesting, because, when dealing with other prominent leaders, especially religious leaders, they were rather guarded. This was totally the opposite. Tibetan Buddhism has a lot of intellectual underpinning - they like to debate concepts.

Q: Why do you think he is so popular in the U.S.?

A: I think it begins with curiosity. He is very charming and exotic looking, with his ochre robes. His message is totally free from dogma or the do's and don'ts that people might be used to in the U.S. People in the U.S. always seem to be searching for something new. I think it's as much a tribute to what he says as it is about the openness Westerners have about new ideas.

Q: Do you think his personal charm and the exotic part of his appeal may cause people to overlook his reason for coming to the U.S., to talk about Tibet?

A: He has walked that chalk line very successfully. He is the most visible symbol of the cause and he has to keep building on his personal popularity if only to push the cause (for Tibetan autonomy). But it doesn't even register with him that he's a celebrity. He genuinely thinks he's an ordinary monk.