There was a mix of motives which had led them to India. In the early fifties at the UCLA, there was a certain fascination with a young and 'underdeveloped' nation which believed in democracy but also spoke of socialism.
In American college campuses, among those interested in the wider world, many believed that it would not be a good thing if 'India went communist' or lost its democratic moorings. There was a fascination and respect for Nehru and yet some puzzlement about his inclinations.
Another aspect, unrelated to the first, were concerns about how America was perceived in the third world.
There was a worry that the world saw America mainly through the Hollywood prism, a land of aggressive men shooting their way through troubles and beautiful blondes cheering from the sidelines. 'Set forth and by your personal example show that the real American youth is different' preached Adeline Guenther, an elderly lady at the UCLA who was a prime motivator.
A third element, though less specific, was religious. "Will India go the godless communist way?" And finally a spirit of adventure and doing something different which is always the spirit behind all such 'experiments in international living', for since then there have been other similar programmes, but this was perhaps the first on such scale.
Image: The outskirts of Roha village in Maharashtra.
Photograph: Rajesh Karkera
Also see: Can the US escape from Empire?
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