The Penguin book of Indian journeys, edited by Dom Moraes

The Penguin book of Indian journeys, edited by Dom Moraes is a collection of travel essays. It includes essays by some of the best known travelers, writers and journalists like Paul Theroux, Ruskin Bond, Mark Tully, Anita Nair and Bruce Chatwin.
As the name suggests, it is a book of journeys and not just travel. Every story is a unique experience that deals with a different emotion. It is only once you start reading that you realize it is a kaleidoscope, of the colors and contradictions that make India what she is, uneven, unequal and mystic.
The stories emphasize the diversity of India, from the hills of Darjeeling to the beaches of Pondicherry and from the urban noveau riche to the bare existence of indigenous tribes.
Some of those will leave an impression:

• "Death lives in Varanasi" talks about the many people whose search for strength to cope with personal losses and a quest for inner peace brings them to the Ganga.  
• "City of Widows" delves deep into the dark, desolate and hopeless lives of the widows in Vrindavan. 
• "Bandit king and the Movie star", covers the events around the kidnapping of Rajkumar, leaving you feeling a sense of deja-vu. 
• "Mela madness" captures the the sheer variety, madness and accompanying flavours of a village mela. 
• "Reports from Orissa" speaks out the grim present and depressing future faced by the cut-off area, a victim of ambitious electric plants and one of the most backward districts in India.    

Overall, the tone is always a little glum, which I have come to believe is typical of most stories and travel essays about India, shooting off dark humour, painting a picture of despair and making India appear a nation of people who are hoping against hope for a better tomorrow.

Did I enjoy this book? - Yes, for the style of writing, the insights, the perspectives and the variety.
Would I recommend this book? - Recommended if you genuinely love India for the way she is: uneven, unequal and mystic and can take all the consequences and contradictions of all this with a pinch of salt.

Most of these essays were written between 1970 and 2001. Are they still relevant in modern India? That is for you to find out :)

Cherai!

As we arrived at Cherai, after a back-breaking 6 hour journey from Munnar (all thanks to the traffic), and I negotiated the stay, this is what Sheetal and Aadi were busy taking photographs of:

Come morning and it gets even better. 

When your backyard looks like this... 

\

 And a 20 feet road is all that separates you from this...

You know that its going to be a special holiday. And that is exactly what Cherai turned out to be. Cherai, on the Vypin island in Kochi boasts not only of a clean and pristine beach almost 10 km long, but also of close proximity to the backwaters (and if you stay where we did, at the Renai Blue Waters, it is right behind you). 

The 1.5 days we spent here were the laziest and best we have spent in a long time. The beach, the lawn at the rear overlooking the backwaters and the swimming pool kept not only us, but the little one busy as well, right through the day, giving us time for little else to write about!

Happy new year!

Yet another year has gone by. While it was not uneventful by any measures, it definitely left us a lot of warm and special memories. Our first trip to Kerala was definitely one of our best ones till date, read a huge number of books of various genres and authors, followed more blogs that humanly possible, day-dreamed more than night-dreamed, became aware of the carbon footprint I was creating and the weight that I was gaining. :D  
But I will not use this space to recap the year that went by (I am a very private person when it comes to personal memories :)). I thought I would revive my blog with the rather serious (and amusing) resolutions that I have been considering over the last 3 days. Here I go:
1. For every time that I use the lift, I will use the stairs twice.
2. I will travel wisely/prudently.
3. I will take shorter coffee breaks and longer post lunch walks at office. One will ensure I am being more productive, while the other will ensure that I get plenty of sunshine.
4. I will read the hindi newspaper at home, improving my reading speed (carry over from last year, or was it the year before that? Never mind!)
5. I will visit atleast 1 new/novel place within Bangalore every month. Before December, I did not even know there was a Tipu's palace in Bangalore :(
6. I will buy a cycle (Wishlist!!!)

Is the the complete list? Of course not!!!

Fort Kochi

This is about the maximum traffic we saw around in the inner bylanes of Fort Kochi during our two day stay!

Fort Kochi, the tourist hotspot of Cochin is full of old English and Portugese bungalows, most of them now
converted to Homestays or Inns. The quaint streets, void of any of the hustle-bustle that accompany touristy places are a pleasure to walk on and hide an assortment of boutique hotels, pubs and exotic stores selling everything from spices to antique jewellery and handicrafts to designer clothes.  
Fort Kochi is also the hub of the tourist circuit, boasting of most of the tourist attractions including Chinese Fishing nets, the Dutch Palace (in neighbouring Mattancherry), the Jewish synagogue, the St Francis Church and the Dutch Cemetry.

About 100 metres from our hotel, was the Fort Kochi beach. The beach is not as clean as some of the other beaches around Cochin, with long strings of weeds washed onto the shore by the currents and rowdy crows (which seemed to be a common feature across Kerala).
However, it is one of the social hotspots of Fort Kochi. On the Sunday morning that we first visited it, there were numerous teams of young people playing football on the beach, oblivious to the slush and weeds and visibly enjoying the animated looks of tourists like us.
One of the discerning features of this beach (and again, probably other beaches around Cochin) is the insane quantities of shells that are washed onto the shores by the water.  You would think that the beach is made up of equal quantities of sand and shells :). And this spawns a huge number of shell-collectors. The shell collectors, work meticulously and with intense concentration picking out shells that are either intact (the possibility of finding an edible mollusc inside are higher) or are the kind that can be used in making souvenirs or accessories.

A quiet evening at the Fort Kochi beach

And for us, the Fort Kochi beach offered a beach that was wide enough for Aadi to play with his "Park and Beach set" without getting hit by a stray football, long enough to walk without tiring and close enough to treat like our backyard!

Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer

A well-known Austrian Olympian is on an expedition to conquer Nanga Parbat when World War II breaks out. Immediately interned by the British at one of the war camps. An unconquerable urge to break out. A 6000 km hike through some of the harshest terrain on earth to arrive at the holiest city of Tibet. Unexpected hospitality, unwelcome challenges and the enviable position of rising to be one of the closest confidantes of the Living God, the Dalai Lama. This is the stuff legends are made of.

All this and more is what makes Heinrich Harrer and his 'seven years in Tibet' a masterpiece!

Part 1 (this is what I like to call it) traces his journey from the camp at Dehra-dun through the harsh and inhospitable terrain, often underplaying the challenges, helplessness and loneliness with stunning details on the majestic mountains and quaint life of rural Tibet.
Part 2 (as I like to call it) is the journey from being a pauper living on the goodwill and hospitality of the warm Tibetan people to a confidant of the Living God.
Heinrich uses his skills and resourcefulness to find acceptance in a society that has been largely unaffected by the rest of the world. In the process of finding acceptance and living in a society whose rich past and cultural heritage was largely unknown to the rest of the world, he gains amazing insights into the Tibetan culture and narrates a first-hand experience of the ways of the Tibetan society. He explores in depth, the pivotal role that religion plays in all aspects of Tibetan life, be it society or government. From being a gardener to building a cinema hall for the Dalai Lama, he quickly becomes Dalai Lama's trusted confidante, a position which gives him (and us) a ring-side view of the life of Tibet and its people.
A must read!

Facebook Phantom by Suzanne Sangi

Initially, Facebook Phantom appears to deal with what should be one of the easiest topics for a teenager to write about, facebook and friendship. It starts with an easy introduction to the protagonists, 3 friends whose life revolves around friendship, cell-phone and gossip (yes, not really facebook). Life is normal. And then comes a strange message on facebook that turns their lives upside-down. The rest is for you to find out!
There are a number of things that stand out in this gripping novel. Suzanne displays a simple mastery over language and evenness of narration that ensures that you breeze through the book, rather than drag your feet through it. The style of presenting different points of view, with the narration being shared between the protagonists is handled well and breaks the monotony. The lines between the normal and the paranormal are often grey, and you cant help but mistake one for the other. Predictable though it is to a great extent, it does keep you engrossed till the end.

The last third of the book has a tad too much romance that often takes away from the broader plot. 

But all in all, a commendable and mature first time effort!

Extremes Along the Silk Road - Nick Middleton

Extremes Along the Silk Road by Nick Middleton is an experience. It is a simple account of the climatic extremes along  the fabled silk road and a complex chronicle of human resilience. As he experiences the extremes of climate and life along this ancient trade route, from the scorching deserts of Mongolia to the icy Tibet and from the towering sand dunes of China to the rolling steppe's of Kazakhstan, he gives a warm insight into how these extremes have shaped human existence, their culture, their beliefs and above all their sense of purpose.

A note on the comparison between this and From Heaven Lake:
At this point, having finished Vikram Seth's From Heaven Lake just before this, I cannot help but compare the two. While Seth's narrative focuses on the journey itself with the experiences along the way remaining secondary, Middleton's narrative is like an amusing documentary, with the experiences taking a high seat and the journey being secondary. Not to mention, while Seth's writing comes with a fair share of nail-biting twists (he is an exceptional fictionist, remember?), Middleton's writing is almost academic (he teaches geography). :)