Customer Reviews

Planet India: How the Fastest Growing Democracy Is Transforming America and the World

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...but then it really got good. The first 1/3 of the book is full of gee-whiz statistics on growth. It is also full of what I call "Reader's Digest" subchapters that gush excessively, in the genre of: ("Mr. X ushered me into his elegant office, high above the immaculate tech campus. Sales grew at 83% last year, mainly due to American outsourcing...") or ("the girls upon graduation could produce PowerPoint presentations;") just what the world needs more of.

Then we get into the really great parts of the book. All of India's shortcomings are examined realistically, from pollution of the groundwater and air, caste differences, religious hatred, a dozen or two languages, the bomb, the lack of any real education or medical care or opportunity for most of the vast population, corruption, the suppression of women, lack of electricity and airports, global warming, ethnic uprisings, Pakistan, China, etc, and no punches are pulled.

In short there is a real question as to whether success in India will be like success in Mexico: a widening gap between rich and poor that grows worse each decade. Several reviewers have inferred from the book that global success for India is inevitable. Perhaps, but not necessarily.

The book is really superb. I liken it to "Guns, Germs, and Steel" which explained how physical and cultural geography determined why certain areas of the globe prospered in centuries past. Planet India gives us the physical and cultural elements to try and deduce India's future. Frankly, it's not looking good, except for a small oligarchic class. But good luck to them, and good luck to America.

Just because I am not as positive on the outcome does not make this book any less fascinating. Enjoy!

If you agree that it is impossible to understand America's future without engaging with what is happening in the rest of the world, I urge you to read Planet India. Interviewing a wide range of people, from Bollywood movie producers to indebted farmers committing suicide to tea merchants and U.S. software engineers working in India, Mira gives the flavor of India today, tells how it got there, and gives a sense of where it is going along with what its decisions will mean for the entire planet.

Mira is not afraid to break taboos, and she addresses both the tremendous optimism and potential in India as well as the Herculean challenges that the country faces. In Planet India, you'll get the human side of the story as well as that of the geo-political and economic implications of what is going on in India.

In my own work, I have written about the many Indian professionals make both entrepreneurial and philanthropic contributions to their country of birth. I also have had to tell the regrettable stories of many Indians who are contributing their tremendous skills to the United States but often have trouble negotiating our immigration bureaucracy, partly as a consequence of America's deep ambivalence about our relationship with the rest of the world. India's rise can be attributed in no small part to its leaders' understanding that engaging globally is the key to the future.

You also will want to check out Mira's beautiful first book, Motiba's Tattoos, which uses family memoir to shed light on history and the present.

Michele Wucker, Author of Lockout: Why America Keeps Getting Immigration Wrong When Our Prosperity Depends on Getting It Right (PublicAffairs Press, 2006)

Mira Kamdar presents an excellent overview on modern India and its increasing influence on America and the world. She makes clear arguments for India's influence on economic, cultural, and social developments but leaves out an important one; spirituality. The impact of Hindu and Buddhist spirutuality on America and the world is ever increasing but for some reason, she decided not to discuss it (or lost a fight with the editors/publishers). I would be glad to see a second edition of this book which included the increasing spiritual impact of India on the rest of the world, and what it means for all of us.

This is really a great book not to miss. India might very well be the political balance to China when the United States declines and eventually falls.

I did go to Bombay some years back for a friend¡¦s wedding, but I honestly never viewed India as a major economic or military power. Poverty was rampant, and I heard of stories of families killing female babies because they are a financial drain to them (infanticide).

Corruption is also rampant in India, and the author tells the stories of famous Indians who were harassed when they spoke out against corruption. Corruption is rampant in my country as well and I learnt to keep my mouth shut.

The author points out the many tragic challenges facing Indians. HIV is a major problem in India now, with probably 20 million Indians already infected with AIDS. Poverty, infanticide, corruption, and crime are problems that can be solved through education, caring, and policing. India can easily surmount those challenges if the government puts its mind to it.

India is now a nuclear nation, and this worries some that this could lead to an arms race, especially with Pakistan and China. The US is counting on India as a military balance in the region. There has been many instances where the possibility of nuclear war between India and Pakistan was at a critical point.

India is the world's fastest-growing democracy. It also has the youngest population on the planet, and a middle class as big as the population of the entire United States. Its market has the potential to become the world's largest. As one film producer said, "Who needs the American audience? There are only 300 million people here."

Although most Indians highly respected the US in the 90s, most don¡¦t anymore after Bush junior took office. Many are against the offensive strategies of the US, especially the war in Iraq.

The number of American Indians is increasing, which is giving India a powerful voice in its lobbying attempts in Washington. Some say India¡¦s lobbyist in D.C. will attain the power of the Jewish lobbyists in the near future.

The author does warn that India must not follow the American system, but rather invent its own. That concept is very interesting.

I was fascinated by the chapter on how polluted the water is in some regions of India, and of the thousands who die as a result of poisoning and of cancer. According to the author, this water pollution has entered packaged food.

There are also stories of suicides due to the inability to pay back loan sharks who charge 10% a month!

The author also describes how in cities the rich live next to poor neighborhoods and manage to completely ignore them or pretend like they did not exist. The nature of man is the same everywhere.

Here are some facts about India taken from the book¡¦s back cover:

Þ India is the world's fourth-largest economy.

Þ By 2034, India will be the most populous country on Earth, with 1.6 billion people.

Þ One out of three of the world's malnourished children live in India.

Þ 600 million people are under the age of 25.

Þ 72,000,000 cell phones will be sold in India in 2007.

Þ India just edged past the United States to become the second-most-preferred destination for foreign direct investment after China.

Þ In 1991, Indians purchased 150,000 automobiles; in 2007, they are expected to purchase 10 million.

Þ By 2008, India's total pool of qualified graduates will be more than twice as large as China's.

Þ By 2015, an estimated 3.5 million white-collar U.S. jobs will be offshored.

Þ India is the largest arms importer in the developing world.

Þ American corporations expect to earn $20 to $40 billion from the civilian nuclear agreement with India.

Þ In 2007, there are 2.2 million Indian Americans, a number expected to double every decade.

Þ Twenty-nine percent of India's population speaks English -- that's 350 million people.

One reviewer on amazon.com had the following to say:

"This book reads more like a dream of what India could be rather than an objective assessment of what it is. It is proof that Indians continue to suffer from a serious inferiority complex with the constant need to assert their "greatness" without down-to-earth critical assessment of reality facing the country."

I personally enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

i left this book half way because i find it way too detailed and missing to show the bigger picture. I was expecting this book to be something which may explain things on a more macro level. more like why things are happening the way they are happening in india and not what all is happening india. For someone from india, its even less interesting as we know the current state of things in india, what we are trying to figure is how this all came to be and how are things looking 5-10 years down the line.

One of those rare books about India that presents a balanced view. Usually, writers want to present only the poverty that they see and nothing else to a sympathetic but biased audience. Mira presents both the growth story in India enjoyed by the rising middle class as well as the abject poverty and helplessness of the poor.

The chapter on 600,000 villages is especially poignant that brings out the struggles in the life of the everyday non urban poor especially indebted farmers who end up taking up their lives rather than be subject to humiliation and violence.

The chapter on Retailing India presents the tremendous changes happening in urban India with the boom in cellphones, the mushrooming of malls and explosion in sales on cars and other motor vehicles. Its a huge market - consider the fact that the middle class in India is the size of the US population i.e 300 million!

With a population of 1.3 billion and that too with the demographic tiled towards the young (between 13 years and 35 years), the world cannot ignore it especially with populations of the Western countries and China tilting heavily towards the senior citizens.

A quote that I liked from the book "You must rule technology. Let not technology rule you."

I enjoyed reading the book and the author has spent much effort in researching into the topic.

A couple of drawbacks - the author is in a gushing frame of mind to get everything out and in some sense the flow of thought is not well organized and second this book covers India till the end of 2006 - if you are reading this a year of two later, India may have well moved much forward!

A must read for the new executive , business person , traveler or student of Indian studies.

"Planet India" ought to be required reading in every news room, corporate board room and Congressional office. While the world's attention is riveted on India and China, and with many authors shedding light on the opportunities and challenges there (most notably the recent phenomenon caused by Thomas Friedman's "The World Is Flat"), this book takes this discussion to another dimension. The author combines a scholar's rigorous analysis with a personal perspective derived from her family heritage (and which she demonstrated so well in her last book, "Motiba's Tattoos," about her grandmother's life in India).

Because of that combination, we get an extraordinary, warts-and-all snapshot of the world's largest democracy as it lurches forward toward a new level of development and prosperity. But we also get a very personal glimpse into this incredible nation and its people -- through the eyes of one who was born elsewhere but holds deep affection for the people and the culture based on her family ties.

It's a remarkable book about a critically important country by a writer with a unique vantage point. Highly recommended.

Mira Kamdar again displays keen understanding of Indian culture, and how things work -- or don't -- in the world's biggest democracy. Her earlier book, "Motiba's Tatoos," was a wonderful memoir, and "Planet India" is a worthy follow-up effort. Kamdar writes with great clarity, which helps the everyday reader and professional one alike to gain sharp insights about the world's emerging economic giant. I might also cite the Hindi-language edition of "Planet India" as being very well translated. Kamdar is developing a formidable body of work on India, and has become a leading authority on the very complex Subcontinent.

I enjoyed Mira's thougths and pragmatic views and ideas of India. At the same time the realistic colours and hues of India were boldly underlined. The writing on the wall is clear. This is an opportunity India needs to make the most of and not let go of the leash. Mira has been able to clearly bring out the thoughts of many well meaning Indians.

In spite of inappropriate comments of Azad and Sara Akbar,

I do not believe the commentators understand the monumental progress India has made. India is a thriving democracy surrounded by dictatorial and hostile neighbors. India is a beacon of high ideals in the midst of many challenges. The author has provided valuable information and insight to a reader like me, a frequent visitor to India.