It is often said that India is a land of contradictions: the world's largest democracy, yet it retains an oppressive caste system; a burgeoning superpower, yet home to some of the most crushing poverty in the world. In Snakes and Ladders, Gita Mehta gives insight into modern India, with the affectionate prose of one who truly loves her homeland. Yet at the same time, her account is unflinching and candid, as in her wry take on the marketing of the mystical east, Karma Cola.

This month we've got an excerpt from Snakes and Ladders and an interview with Gita Mehta, plus her tips for travel in India and selections from a reading recorded at the Asia Society in New York.



Photo of Gita Mehta copyright © Sigrid Estrada.

Send us comments