India: Microcosm of the world?

EDWARDS, Colorado — India is ubiquitous, and according to Mira Kamdar, India is a microcosm of the world. India’s progress in universally challenging realms such as health care, overcrowding, poverty, terrorism prevention, environmental protection, job creation and economic growth is a predictor for what is going on in the rest of the world. Through reporting and analysis, Kamdar will explore India’s transformation from a developing country into a global powerhouse. Kamdar will bring her expertise and insight to the valley at 5:30 p.m. today at the Chaparral, Cordillera Valley Club in Edwards for the Vail Symposium’s Hot Topic Series.

The world’s fourth-largest economy and fastest-growing democracy, India has the youngest population on the planet and a middle class as big as the population of the entire United States. While India is celebrating its meteoric rise, it also is racing against time to bring the benefits of the 21st century to the 800 million Indians who live on less than $2 per day. The urgency of these universal challenges for India is spurring innovative solutions.

Kamdar’s work has appeared in publications around the world, including the Washington Post, the International Herald Tribune, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the World Policy Journal, the Times of India, the Daily News & Analysis, Outlook, Tehelka, The Guardian Online and more. She has provided expert commentary and been interviewed for radio and television outlets as diverse as CNN International, Bloomberg TV, the BBC, National Public Radio, South Asia World and TV Asia.

In Kamdar’s new book, “Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World,” she discusses the dramatic story of India’s quest to transform itself from a developing country into a global powerhouse. In her talk, as she does in her book, Kamdar will detail just how high the stakes are for America — what there is to lose and what there is to gain from India’s dramatic rise.