My Two Indias

My Two Indias takes readers on her journey into the India of old and new. Mitra and her artist husband enter the elite of Delhi’s society,joining a cast of characters from CEOs to cross-dressing curators. In this bubble, they embrace India’s rush towards free-market reform. But another economic reality looms in Mitra’s backward home state of Assam in India’s forgotten northeast. Relatives’ pleas for jobs, advice and guidance reflect an Indian tragically bypassed by the boom. Their different lives and expectation of government confuse and exasperate Mitra, as do their expectations of her. Gradually, exasperation turns to understanding and appreciation. And after months of lecturing Indians on US-style efficiency, Mitra draws unexpected lessons on hustle and innovation from India. What is the government role in an economy? What is its obligation to rich and poor? Why do managers struggle to find talent even as millions around them are desperate to land jobs? What values get left behind when a country makes itself over? My Two Indias lucidly reconciles the many faces of India: separate, unequal, inextricably, dependent.