Author: Paul Theroux
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 342
Theroux’s book on his epic train journey is now one of the most celebrated travel books. Theroux begins his journey from London, travelling on Orient Express to Iran and further to India, Srilanka, Myanmar, South-East Asia, Japan, Russia and back. The long journey took him three months, taking him through some prettiest regions to a few depressing ones too. And the landscapes changed considerably over time, from hot desert climes of middle-east to freezing temperatures in Siberia.
Theroux epitomizes the old saying in his book, all the time trying to tell his readers that the journey is more important than the destination. Indeed, the book is more about the journey, where he talks in detail about his fellow passengers and the changing window view from the train, while he talks very little about the destination where he spends his days between journeys.
Theroux’s book may not seem all that special in the days when every tom, dick and harry talks about Round The World travel and gap-year, but it stands unique in the fact that he made his journey by train, and the book is not much about the destinations. His writing style is very readable, keeping the reader travelling with him all the time. A worthy read, but one might also wonder if the book was worth all the fame it has acquired.
Author: Helena Norberg-Hodge
Publishers: Oxford University Press
Pages: 224
Ancient Futures is a book on Ladakh’s cultural and social atmosphere, its environment and changing face of Ladakhi civilization with the influence of modern world.
Hodge, director of International Society of Ecology and Culture, and founder of Women’s Alliance of Ladakh is an long time visitor to Ladakh. She has been vocal about sustainable development and preserving cultural values in the region. In this book, she writes about her own experiences of spending many years in Ladakh, the change she has been seeing since the time Indian Army built a major presence in the region and tourists thronged in large numbers.
The book has a good preview of Ladakhi culture, their way of living, the attitude of the people and their economic system. It is rich with personal experiences of the author from the days when Ladakh was still a secluded place to the times of modernization. Sometimes the book appears as though the author is working with a one pointed agenda to say that everything Ladakhi was good and the onslaught of ‘bad’ modernization has made irrecoverable damages. But nevertheless, it is hard to deny the facts she puts forward about the problems that come in with change. It is a well written, readable book and is worth picking up, for anyone who is interested in the life, culture and geography of Trans-Himalayan regions of India.
Author: Ruskin Bond
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 251
Rain in the mountains is a collection of Ruskin Bond’s short works such as essays, stories and poems related to the mountains. Most of the stories, previously published in newspapers and magazines, are related to his wanderings, experiences and observations around Landour near Mussoorie, where he lives.
The collection of essays brings the mountains alive, and makes the reader yearn for those streams, grasslands, hills and the natural locales Bond lives in. He makes nature come alive and stand right in front of his readers, effectively conveying his feeling and making the beauty of the mountains stand out.
The book, at times, has a feel of his own brief autobiography. He writes about his days in the mountains, the people he lived and interacted with, and describes his everyday life in the mountains. A brilliant collection and a must read for any mountain lover.