The Author (Gita Mehta)

Mehta is a novelist, filmmaker, and cultural commentator. She writes from the perspective of having lived in both the east and the west, of having observed the needs and values of both sets of cultures and belief systems, and of having analyzed both the strengths and the vulnerabilities of each. There is the sense, however, from both the content and style of her writing, that her perspective is primarily Indian - that she is writing from a place of concern for the vulnerability and long-term future of her home country, a concern that (it must be noted) carries with it no illusions. In other words, her considerations of India's values and practices when it comes to its complex economic, spiritual relationship with the west are neither soften nor eased by patriotism or culturally motivated naivete. There is a clear eyed certain skepticism, bordering on cynicism...