Do you know which Indian dude’s debut is the most hotly anticipated one of this Fall’s television line-up? No, it isn’t Sendhil “I can’t figure out how to speak in an Indian accent even though I’m Indian” Ramamurthy of Heroes. Nor is it Naveen “torture solves everything” Andrews of Lost. The dude that South Asian Americans have their collective eyes on is 12-year-old Anjay Ajodha of Texas. The question is, can he succeed in wresting the reigns of power away from the simpletons within a newly created society known simply as Kid Nation?

40 Kids have 40 days to build a brave new world without adults to help or hinder their efforts. Can they do it? These Kids, ages 8-15, will turn a ghost town into their new home. They will cook their own meals, clean their own outhouses, haul their own water and even run their own businesses including the old town saloon (root beer only). Through it all, they’ll cope with regular childhood emotions and situations: homesickness, peer pressure and the urge to break every rule they’ve ever known.

Will they stick it out? In the end, will these Kids prove to everyone, including their parents, they have the vision to build a better world than the pioneers who came before them? And just as importantly, will they come together as a cohesive unit, or will they abandon all responsibility and succumb to the childhood temptations that lead to round-the-clock chaos? Don’t miss this intriguing series. [Link]

SM readers, let me be blunt. Anjay is the best chance we currently have to demonstrate to the American public how utopian our society might become if super smart desi people were in charge of everything. The governor’s mansion in Louisiana just won’t cut it. More people will tune in to Kid Nation than will pay attention to Louisiana. The question on all our minds is, “will a group of young children between ages 8-15 allow a kid (that reminds us a lot of ourselves at 12) lead the way when left on their own?” Just look at Anjay’s answers to some questions CBS posed. I dare anyone to find more concise and honest answers in any recent Presidential debate:

Who have been some of the best U.S. presidents, and why?
George Washington - he managed to lead a young nation, and headed the conventions to develop the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln - he abolished slavery, and led the nation through the Civil War. Franklin D. Roosevelt - he established the New Deal which got the economy working during the Great Depression and instilled confidence in citizens during his fireside chats.

Who have been some of the worst U.S. presidents, and why?
The US president that comes to mind, due to recent events, is George W. Bush, because I don’t agree with the way he is handling the Iraq war. [Link]

Also, is Anjay Libertarian? And does he know more about government than Fred Thompson?

If you had the power to change one or two things about our country right now, what would it be?
I would create a law that eliminates all budget earmarks - useless bits of spending. If earmarks are eliminated, approximately 78% of the US budget will be freed up to be utilized in areas where there is a more urgent need, such as the national deficit. I would also eliminate paid lobbying in an effort to give all parties involved in a dispute an equal voice. [Link]

Holy crap. 78%? Draft Anjay (or the parents that helped him write this stuff).

This was by far my favorite line. He isn’t just all brains. He’s got a bit of mountain man in him too. Anjay tries to explain that sometimes the camera crew got in his way and pissed him off:

Council of Elders??

I didn’t like if they got too close and started interrupting us when we’re doing something important. Like I’m building a fire and my hands are in the fire, so I’m like, ”Get lost! I don’t want to burn myself here!”… [Link]

Grrrrrr. Fire. I must admit that I’m a bit apprehensive about watching Kid Nation in that I have no idea how it will all turn out. What if Anjay ends up falling into the roll of Piggy? I’d much rather he be a warrior-poet like Simon.

To understand Kid Nation, picture summer camp. In the Old West. With campers doing all the chores. As a group, they were told to make a society that works. Unlike LOTF the show doesn’t kill anyone off. And you didn’t need a conch to be able to speak. What they needed to do instead was hold council meetings, compete in showdowns, and try to win $20,000 each episode — in the form of a star made of real gold. [Link]

Is it horrible of me to suggest that the show might have wider dramatic appeal if someone got killed off?

What is your favorite quote?
There are three things which if one does not know; one cannot live long in the world: what is too much for one, what is too little for one, and what is just right for one - Swahili Proverb. [Link]

Are you KIDDING me? Swahili? Who is this kid? I predict the girls in Kid Nation will be on his jock.