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 th...