This book would not have been possible without the support and assistance of
family and friends, mentors and colleagues, and dozens of Indian and World
Bank officials who spent time with me for formal interviews and informal
conversations.
First, I thank my wife Deepa, to whom this book is dedicated. Her support,
through years of study and multiple trips to India and Washington, has never
wavered, in spite of her demanding career and our shared responsibilities of
caring for our two wonderful children, Arun and Uma.
I thank my father and mother, Bill Kirk and Debbie Durdel, for
understanding my budding interest in India, thirteen years ago, as an
undergraduate at the University of North Carolina. I thank my parents-in-law,
T.L. and Anjana Devi Perumallu, for their encouragement and support. I also
deeply appreciate the hospitality of their relatives in India, K.L. Krishna and
the late Indira Krishna in Delhi, and G.R.K. Murthy and Puspha Valli Murthy
in Hyderabad, who opened up their homes (and kitchens) to me