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Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips: A History of the Indo-US Encounter, 1492 to the Present
The fame of people like Priyanka Chopra, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Kumail Nanjiani, Indra Nooyi, Mindy Kaling, M. Night Shyamalan, Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) sponsorship of the New York City Marathon, the ubiquitousness of Indian restaurants and yoga studios in many American cities and much else illustrates the close relationship the US and India enjoy today.
From the 1780s onwards, there have been relationships of various kinds, all mediated, until India’s independence, through the British Raj. While ties in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were somewhat thin, the closer relationship through three-quarters of the twentieth century, has now become an extremely close one as India has sent large rivers of people and goods to America, and Americans have responded with growing interest and involvement in India. This, despite occasional blips like the Bhopal industrial disaster.
Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips takes the long view of the Indo-US encounter. Besides documenting well-known ties, it also brings into focus some ignored and forgotten people like Kumar Goshal, Ida Scudder, Charles Page Perin, John Bissell and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Deeply researched and engagingly written by veteran historian Leonard A. Gordon, this work is the definitive account of the Indo-US connection.
From the 1780s onwards, there have been relationships of various kinds, all mediated, until India’s independence, through the British Raj. While ties in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were somewhat thin, the closer relationship through three-quarters of the twentieth century, has now become an extremely close one as India has sent large rivers of people and goods to America, and Americans have responded with growing interest and involvement in India. This, despite occasional blips like the Bhopal industrial disaster.
Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips takes the long view of the Indo-US encounter. Besides documenting well-known ties, it also brings into focus some ignored and forgotten people like Kumar Goshal, Ida Scudder, Charles Page Perin, John Bissell and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Deeply researched and engagingly written by veteran historian Leonard A. Gordon, this work is the definitive account of the Indo-US connection.
688 pages, Hardcover
Published July 15, 2025
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May 23, 2025
-The Dynamics of Indo-US Relations Across Centuries-
Review of 'Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips' by Leonard A Gordon
Quote Alert
"𝐓𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: '𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬.'𝟑𝟗 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫."
Shifting the current of times and dusting the history pages, Gordon brings forward a detailed, microscopic account of Indo-US relations. In wake of the current political climate, it's only relevant that we understand the relations between these countries. And since history plays an important role in the present and the now, Gordon moves to the fifteenth venture to start his time. His account of this relation begins in 1492.
The book, as its title promises, has four chief sections that talk about Christian Missionaries to India, Indian spiritual leaders in US, Diasporaa in US and the US workforce comprises of Indians. Many prominent personalities feature in Gordon's account. Prominent is of course Mahatma Gandhi but we also find Mark Twain, Jansetji Tata, Swami Vivekanand, Rabindranath Tagore, Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Kamala Harris and many more.
While ties in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were somewhat thin, the closer relationship through three-quarters of the twentieth century, has now become an extremely close one as India has sent large rivers of people and goods to America, and Americans have responded with growing interest and involvement in India.
Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips takes the long view of the Indo-US encounter. Besides documenting well-known ties, it also brings into focus some ignored and forgotten people like Kumar Goshal, Ida Scudder, Charles Page Perin, John Bissell and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
An engaging read.
Review of 'Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips' by Leonard A Gordon
Quote Alert
"𝐓𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: '𝐓𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬.'𝟑𝟗 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫."
Shifting the current of times and dusting the history pages, Gordon brings forward a detailed, microscopic account of Indo-US relations. In wake of the current political climate, it's only relevant that we understand the relations between these countries. And since history plays an important role in the present and the now, Gordon moves to the fifteenth venture to start his time. His account of this relation begins in 1492.
The book, as its title promises, has four chief sections that talk about Christian Missionaries to India, Indian spiritual leaders in US, Diasporaa in US and the US workforce comprises of Indians. Many prominent personalities feature in Gordon's account. Prominent is of course Mahatma Gandhi but we also find Mark Twain, Jansetji Tata, Swami Vivekanand, Rabindranath Tagore, Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Kamala Harris and many more.
While ties in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were somewhat thin, the closer relationship through three-quarters of the twentieth century, has now become an extremely close one as India has sent large rivers of people and goods to America, and Americans have responded with growing interest and involvement in India.
Missions, Mantras, Migrants and Microchips takes the long view of the Indo-US encounter. Besides documenting well-known ties, it also brings into focus some ignored and forgotten people like Kumar Goshal, Ida Scudder, Charles Page Perin, John Bissell and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
An engaging read.
May 8, 2025
Spanning centuries, this book goes beyond the surface-level connections we see today, delving into the early seeds of cultural exchange, the impact of missionaries and intellectuals, the waves of migration that shaped both nations, and the modern era of technological partnership.
While scholarly in its approach, this book beautifully weaves together the personal stories of individuals – missionaries, thinkers, laborers, and entrepreneurs – who have been part of the Indo-US encounter.
It's a slow burn, requiring patience, but the depth of analysis and the sheer scope make it a rewarding read for anyone wanting a comprehensive understanding of this evolving relationship.
While scholarly in its approach, this book beautifully weaves together the personal stories of individuals – missionaries, thinkers, laborers, and entrepreneurs – who have been part of the Indo-US encounter.
It's a slow burn, requiring patience, but the depth of analysis and the sheer scope make it a rewarding read for anyone wanting a comprehensive understanding of this evolving relationship.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews