Around India in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh

Book Name: Around India in 80 Trains

Author: Monisha Rajesh

Genre: Non-fiction, Travelogue

About the book: As the name suggests, the book is about travelling through the breadth and length of India. The author’s experiences and the  people she meets along the way are chronicled in this book in a sort of travelogue cum commentary. Monisha gets a companion who she calls Passepartout (French for ‘all-purpose’). Together and sometimes not so together they travel the India and tell us their tales. 

I got my copy of this book through an Amazon giveaway and boy was I happy or not. Honestly because it was a freebie, I really did not expect much from the book.  I also expected a healthy dose of ‘this is my India, my land’ sort of patronising tales from the author as she is an Indian who had been staying in the UK for quite some time. I am happy to say that there wasn’t much of that going on.

Monisha manages to tell us a tale of India as we see it in our daily lives, the tales of ordinary people doing their ordinary things. But when she tells us about these ordinary things we can’t help but think why didn’t we think of that before? Or nod our head vigorously in agreement.

The book reminds me of another book “Mother Pious Lady” by Santosh Desai which also is a narrative on the Indian way of life. However that covers much broader topics and not just a few aspects like this one does.

Around India is funny and a total entertainer. If you happen to read this book on your way to work or in a public place, be prepared for the curious stares coming your way as you would inevitably laugh out loud in some places. To share a line from the book

“One in six people in the world is an Indian, yet when Indians spot another anywhere outside the motherland, we stare as though we expect to be the only ones.”

The author has managed brilliantly to etch out multiple characters in the book with great attention to detail. You would by the end of the book be acquainted with a few of the characters and maybe even identify them from your travels in the trains. One such lovable character is that of Anusha, the chief reservation supervisor, who is Monisha’s last minute helper many a times.

The author’s unique and witty writing style has certainly caught my fancy. For example, the author describes a solitary bulb in a dingy room she checks herself into

“and a light bulb had already hanged itself from a thread of wire.”

Her sense of humour is reflected at many places in the book. For a first time author the book is extremely good. I hope that she continues to write and publish books.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a good read. Also if you wish to see a glimpse of India with its quirks and flaws and all charming niceties, this book is a must read.

My rating: 4/5