India and Global Change: "Slumdog Millionaire"

American literati and pundits are doing their usual twirling anxiety dance around that which is different or "exotic" in their realm of experience and/or self identification, e.g. the David Lim piece in Slate (Jan 26, '09). But, common sense pretty quickly gloms onto what Slumdog Millionaire is all about: humanity takes on and creates many, many forms as time goes on (cultural morphing), and as the globe turns everything is becoming the same while still remaining different in some ways. A new book deliciously lays this out - Ian McDonald's Cyberabad Days (2009,Prometheus) which protrays India in a near-future world of water shortage, exotic but understandable bio-enhancements, and many other new technologies that are packaged in ancient lore and icons. "Slumdog" is one more sign of the new paradigm for survival and prospering paradigms coming to India, Asia and even to the US. THere appears to be a resurgenence of looking to India perhaps for clues to getting through some of the globe's current eco-politico-socio-economic challenges. We as well as India have a lot to look forward to.