Following Orwell across Myanmar
Using George Orwell’s books as a guide, Emma Larkin travels to Myanmar to study and compare Orwell’s time there and the present day
History of Indian food
A research highlighting the influence of outsiders on Indian food and how, India in turn, influenced global cuisine; contains an extensive bibliography and many recipes
Billy, the honorary tiger
‘Honorary Tiger: The Life of Billy Arjan Singh’ is a remarkable biography of India’s ‘tiger man’, by Duff Hart-Davis
The other side of the LoC
Apart from being a book on the Indian cricket team’s 2004 tour of Pakistan, it is also a fascinating account of a young Indian travelling in Pakistan, from the dusty Multan to Lahore and beyond
No man’s land: The history of war in India
“The grain of the land” that soldiers often talk about is vertical, or waterless, or it’s freezing cold, or steamy hot. Far more men die in Siachen of exposure and/or pulmonary oedema than of bullet-wounds.
A wanderer’s account of travels by all means of transport
Prabhu Ghate, in his book ‘By Thumb, Hoof and Wheel’, not only gives an account of his travels of over seven decades, but also provides a link between the places’ history and present
Unveiling Kailash at Ellora
Architect Roger Vogler’s book ‘The Kailas at Ellora’ is a detailed survey of the gigantic Kailasa Temple in Ellora
Tales from the edge
‘The Ends of the Earth’ is a collection of essays that document the traveller’s experiences in unusual and hard-to-visit places
A photobook on Kashmir
Photographer Shome Basu has captured Kashmir valley’s essence, through good and bad times, in his photobook ‘Shades of Kashmir’
Adventures in unexpected places
‘Extremes Along the Silk Road’ by Nick Middleton is his personal account of expeditions to extreme destinations
History of early maritime exploration
‘The Spice Route’ by John Keay is about the European exploration of the Spice Route and its consequences on rest of the world
On Sariska National Park
The book ‘Sariska National Park’ by Himraj Dang contains a comprehensive list of the park’s plants, animals and birds but not much practical information
According to China…
–Foreign Babes in Beijing– by Rachel DuWoskin is a personal viewpoint of what China is (and could be) like. Read on…
A home for Mr Naipaul
On the life of the Nobel laureate, Sir V.S. Naipaul, and the influence of Trinidad, England and India on his writing.
Charting the Mekong river
John Keay–s book describes the French expedition along the Mekong and how it left an impact on the Southeast Asian countries