Intent - March 06, 2007

Mira Kamdar writes about why she wrote Planet India, her latest book.
Why I Wrote Planet India
By
Mira Kamdar
I wrote Planet India because I believe India matters as never before to a world in crisis. We must imagine a different path for humanity or we simply will not make it. The old order forged by an ascendant West is toppling. A new world where a resurgent Asia will likely reign is still under construction. Despite the unstoppable rise of China’s economic juggernaut, I believe that India, an ancient Asian civilization and a vibrant democracy, holds the key to this new world.
Growing at an astounding rate of 9.2 percent, India’s 1.2 billion people face all the problems of our age – extreme inequality, global warming, a growing energy crisis, severe water shortages, a galloping HIV/AIDS epidemic, global terrorism. To the extent India can yoke the momentum of exploding economic growth to the rich legacy of its ancient and varied culture to create new paradigms that are equitable and sustainable, it will succeed and we will all benefit. If India fails, our collective fate is not likely a pretty one.
To a very large extent, we already live on planet India. My book takes the reader inside India to confront the challenges and meet the visionary people who dare to imagine what kind of planet that can be. As a mother, I can think of nothing more important to my children’s future.
Bio
Mira Kamdar, an Associate Fellow of the Asia Society, was a Senior Fellow at the World Policy Institute from 1992 to 2006. She founded the Institute’s program on Emerging Powers: China, India, Brazil and South Africa, and was a founding member of the program on Citizenship & Security. She served as Acting Director in 1996-97.
Kamdar is the author of Planet India: How the Fastest-Growing Democracy is Transforming America and the World (Scribner 2007). Her critically acclaimed memoir, Motiba's Tattoos: A Granddaughter's Journey from America into her Indian Family's Past
(Public Affairs 2000; Plume 2001) was a 2000 Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection and won the 2002 Washington Book Award. Kamdar was a core member of the Pacific Council and the Observer Research Foundation's bilateral U.S.-India task force, and was one of the principle authors of the task force’s ground-breaking 2005 report India-US Relations: A Vision for the Future. She is a contributing author to the four-volume Encyclopedia of India (Thompson Gale 2007), edited by eminent historian of India Stanley Wolpert, writing the entry on “Contemporary Culture in the U.S.-India Relationship.”
Mira Kamdar's work has appeared in numerous publications, including The Times of India, Daily News & Analysis, The International Herald Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, World Policy Journal, Seminar, Tehelka and American Theatre magazine, and she has provided expert commentary and been interviewed for radio and television outlets as diverse as CNN International, the BBC, TV Ontario, Public Radio International, Headlines Today, South Asia World, and TV Asia.
Kamdar is a member of the editorial boards of World Policy Journal and India Review. She is a member of the Pacific Council on International Policy and of the South Asian Journalists Association, and is a regular speaker at high-level international gatherings.
Mira Kamdar was born in Seattle, Washington. She received her BA from Reed College (Phi Beta Kappa), and her MA and PhD degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. She was a Thomas J. Watson Fellow in 1980 and a Danforth Graduate Fellow in 1981-85. She has lived in France, Japan, South Korea and India, and is fluent in French and Hindi. She currently lives in New York City with her husband and two children.
Kamdar is represented by Sterling Lord, Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc
More about Mira Kamdar at www.mirakamdar.com
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Posted by Intent at March 6, 2007 04:44 AM
Dear Mira Kamdar,
I have read an excerpt from your book and found it really very good. I must admit that am amazed how you nailed correctly down all the major problems India has to overcome and on the other hand the blossoming democracy with a so rich cultural and religious background that goes back to the Greek and Egyptian roots of the West and even further.
Am practicing Hatha Yoga now for about 30 years, this has brought me major advantages for body mind and soul (am 61 and feeling as healthy as ever!).
Have translated Harbhajan Singh's book "Self Designed Universe" in which he builds a great bridge towards uniting Western and Eastern points of view regarding science, philosophy, religion and evolution.
At the moment am a member of DK Matai's project on Holistic Quantum Relativity, in which we are trying to establish a basic vision for the 21st Century gathering all common values we share together all over the world and trying to unite them with scientific views that are heading towards some sort of union too.
In my view the Universe is placing us at a very important crossroad in order for us to unite for peace, first in ourselves and from there radiating it to everything around us and choose the right direction unanimously.
I found out that i can buy your book through an internet book company here in our country (the Netherlands).
Am away for a couple of weeks but when i am back the first thing i am going to do is order your book from them :). I have bookmarked the page.
Not so long ago i made an intro animation to a 3D gameworld i am developing inspired by Harb's book, in it a new earth is born: Planet India :)
I deliberately made the animation a bit jerkily as i believe the quantum leap goes with sudden starts and stops.
I would like to invite you to become a member of our Holistic Project. Am sure you will have so much valuable input to add.
For an overview of the project i would like to give you the link to the Wiki pages of the Alliance for the New Humanity:
http://wiki.anhglobal.org/wiki/Holistic_Quantum_Relativity
With kind regards, Mieke
Dear Mira,
I have not read your book, only this explanation on why you wrote it. Please allow me to offer you my view.
Yes, we need to imagine a new world, or we will not make it. But the "new world where a resurgent Asia will likely reign" is not a new world, it is the old world with new names for the same roles...
A new world cannot have someone who "reigns" over another. Dominance of any kind is the result of separation and conflict. The new world has to be one of equality and unity, or we will not make it. The problems India faces are the problems we all face, because we are one world. They are the problems of humanity as a whole, and it is only together that we can solve them. I do not believe in cheering on one region, as if there was any separation between us. We either make it together, or not at all.
Dear Mira,
I fully agree with your "new world where a resurgent Asia will likely reign" line. And in fact I knew it already as it is based on my vision of evolution of any system - and here the global cultural system as a whole - happening because of their going through four basic forces-based four basic interactions as explained in my book Self-Designed Universe.
According to my book, as we evolve individually, similarly we evolve at all other system levels and because of the same reasons of going through four basic interactions, and global culture beginning with AD era as a whole is one of them.
Now as we evolve individually through childhood, youth, middle age and old age we may be said to be reigned by our senses, emotions/feelings, intellect/reason and finally intelligence/intuition. And also, thanks to the centers of four basic forces or interactions in us, in a way by our stomach, heart, head and what some people rightly call spiritual heart - supposed to be two digits to the right of our physical heart. All these centers are also known as four basic chakra.
And as I envision the global culture as a whole, I see it likewise pass through four basic phases, and reigned by four like basic modes/traits. And to cut the long story short, I now see it entering/going through the phase of intelligence/intuition, of spiritual heart, which I identify with East as against intellect/reason of the Age of Reason which I identified with the West.
So no wonder now Asia will largely reign.
But now to see the word reign in the right perspective. For this first we will have to take global culture or even the Living Earth as a whole as one body, just as we take ours. So that then reign by one mode or part will not mean that we have separated our body into parts and now one part rules over the other. But that, now it is time to run the affairs of the body or world as the case may be from the point of view of a certain mode thanks to our evolution and obviously FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE WHOLE BODY.
So this way "reign of Asia" to me will mean that it is now time for global culture to be run as guided by the wisdom/intelligence of the East.
Thanks, Harb
Dear Harb,
thank you for presenting your view and connecting it to your book, it was interesting to read.
My view is slightly different. I see a world where as we evolve, we use our full capacity -- senses, emotions, reason and intuition, in harmony.
In this world, the tendency to identify with East or West, with heart or mind, with woman or man, with one colour or another, with rich or poor, with the good guy or the bad guy -- will be forgotten, because all people will know that they have it all inside.
In this world that I can see being born, human beings will remember that the source of the "outside" world is inside, as affirmed by so many wisdom traditions around the world, and they will realize that every person already has it all. There will be no need to boost one's self- image with arrogance of any kind, neither material or spiritual, because our inherent spiritual power will be obvious. There will be no need for comparison, competition or for "taking the lead", because everyone will be a leader, on a uniquely creative and spectacular path. There will be no need for fear, as everyone will be surrounded by the same divinity with many faces.
It seems to me that this is already happening, all over the world.
Yes aurora, now the wisdom tradition will reign and make senses, feelings, intellect act in harmony with it.
I hope so. India has alot to offer.
So did the west, until greed and self-serving ways finally ate the west from the inside out.
India has a lot of problems, and there's potential for the downside to come out as well as the good side.
Nevertheless, India may be the country can can take up championing Democracy because it seems like the US is losing that ability.
Technological leadership may also have to come from Asia as America's backslide in educating our youth and government supported anti-science fundamentalism strangles what was once one of our greatest strengths.
After all, who needs a masters in computer science when you have vacation Bible School?
Good points yogi. Possibilities yeah. I reckon it is transient though. Wait for two yrs, and the whole scenario can change. Life by its nature is transient, like the waves of an ocean. The ebb and flow basically. When something is as down as america is, presently because of the screwed up reps it is natural to get such thoughts. However, I believe there is no other country in this world as america which has such good infrastructure and one which is known for its resilience to bounce back. How the balance will tilt of the two sides, the dark and bright of any country whether america or india will really determine its future. I just believe that after two yrs, a new wave will come up in america and that could mostly likely decide the long term future. Most of these Indians are biased here, so don't take them very seriously. Every child likes to talk good about their parents.
Each culture can see images of itself through the behaviours of other cultures. Rather than judge and blame, and assume one way is beeter than another, why not step back and choose to retain valuable lessons and simply apply them?
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Good points yogi. Possibilities yeah. I reckon
I hope so. India has alot to offer.
So
Yes aurora, now the wisdom tradition will reign
Dear Harb,
thank you for presenting you
Hi Mira,
Whole of India and all the Indians are with you.
Non Violence of Indian
Satya (Truth) of India
Vegetarianism of India
Yoga of India
Meditation of India
Forgiveness of India
Democracy of India
Huge population of India
Corrupt Administration of India
Various Colors of India
Variety of Land of India
Various religion of India
Various gods of India
Rich past culture of India
All are with you.
I am along with them.
With lots of love
and great future
All the best
Rajesh Sharma