Karma Cola

Karma Cola is a non-fiction book about India written by Gita Mehta originally published in 1979.

The story begins in the late '60s, when hundreds of thousands of Westerners descended upon India, disciples of a cultural revolution that proclaimed that the magic and mystery missing from their lives was to be found in the East. An Indian writer who has also lived in England and the United States, Gita Mehta was ideally placed to observe the spectacle of European and American "pilgrims" interacting with their hosts. When she finally recorded her razor sharp observations in Karma Cola, the book became an instant classic for describing, in merciless detail, what happens when the traditions of an ancient and long-lived society are turned into commodities and sold to those who don't understand them.

Reprints include: