When first published in India in 2003 Neem Dreams was widely acclaimed for its language, the accuracy of observation and the pitch perfect depiction of the various characters. Set in southern India in the mid 1990s Neem Dreams deals with the clash between tradition and globalisation. Four characters —an English lawyer, an Australian feminist scientist, an American buyer for a New York store and an Indian in charge of a women's development project— meet on quests centred on the neem, the tree known since ancient times for its beneficial properties. Neem has become the centre of disputes about ownership of knowledge, exploitation by multi national companies, village based development projects and discovery by people interested in natural cures.