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10 books about India that are better than Shantaram

Mariellen — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:44:12 +0000

Shantaram and Eat, Pray, Love are not the only books about India: Here are 10 of my favourites

There are two types of people in the world: those who think Shantaram is a great book; and those who think it is a spew of virulent air, driven by the criminal mind and maniacal ego of its Australian pseudo-writer. I guess you can tell which type of person I am. This post is 10 suggestions for books about India that are better than Shantaram.

I tried to read Shantaram when I was living in Delhi, but ended up literally throwing it across the room. I thought it was poorly written and more about the fevered imagination of its writer than about India. In fact, it offers very little insight into India, if you ask me; and the longer I spend in India getting to know it, the more true this statement becomes.

Since that time, however, I’ve read lots and lots of book about India, by Indians and foreigners, and almost all of them are much, much better. Except Eat, Pray, Love. If you actually want to know something about India — rather than about an ego-driven writer — I suggest the following 10 books, in no particular order.

(If you want to learn more about a book, below, hover your cursor over the image; and to buy it, simply click on the image and you will be whisked to the U.S. Amazon site.)

1. A Search in Secret India by Paul Brunton. A cult classic, this book was published in 1934 and it’s about the author’s sincere, strange and ultimately inspiring search for spiritual truth in India. After many false starts, dead-ends and kooky run-ins, he lands at the feet of Sri Ramana Maharishi. Which in itself a metaphor for the spiritual journey. This is the book that introduced Sri Ramana Maharishi to the west (and he still remains one of the greatest Indian saints of the 20th century).

2. Empire of the Soul by Paul William Roberts. This is the book I hope Shantaram readers graduate to read. It is about two lengthy trips journalist Roberts took to India, separated by many years; and about how he reconciles some of the extraordinary experiences he had there. Roberts is known for hard-boiled books about war-torn countries like Iraq, so when he writes about his spiritual awakening, it rings true.

3. Out of India by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The introduction to this book of short stories is alone worth the price of the book. It’s hands-down the best piece of writing I have ever read about what it is like to be a foreigner in India. Absolutely priceless. If you recognize her name, it’s because she was the screen-writer for the Merchant-Ivory film productions (including A Passage to India, see #6.)

4. India’s Unending Journey by Mark Tully. Mark Tully was the BBC’s chief correspondent in India for many years. He has the character to overcome his profession’s limitations and admit that the chief thing he learned in India was to be certain only about uncertainty. And he says it’s the most valuable thing he has ever learned.

5. India: A Million Mutinies Now by V.S. Naipul. What can I say? It’s the classic. Personally, I admire this book more than I like it.

6. Passage to India by E.M. Forster. Very recently, the Consul General of India in Toronto — a remarkably cultured woman — told me she thought Forster really captured India in this book. I told her I feel like Fielding. Mutual understanding was firmly established. It was the best book I studied at university, I still remember the discussion about the meaning of the Marabar Caves. The film is good too!

7. Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. This is one of the best books I have read recently. It has an ambitious scope and many small wonderful moments, and seemed Dickensian to me in its attempt to capture the spirit of the times in a big, broiling, magnificent city. This is Bombay (Mumbai): gangsters and hero cops, foot-path poets and down-to-earth movie stars. You will learn a lot more about what Bombay is really about in this book than in Shantaram.

8. Kim by Rudyard Kipling. This is my favourite book of all time. If you’ve never read it, throw out everything you think you know about Kipling, who was the most famous writer of his time. The book follows the story of teenage Kim, son of an Irish immigrant and ‘friend of all the world’, who travels the roads of India with his guru, an elderly Tibetan lama on a spiritual quest for a river of enlightenment. It is unique and uncanny in its ability to absolutely immerse you into the scene and the story. You can feel the oppressive heat of the plains and the crisp air of the mountains. You can imagine Kim’s excitement about rejoining his friend on the road after a stint locked-up at school. You can feel the old man’s pain as his quest seems to elude him, and the love he engenders in Kim, his disciple. And you will be carried away by the transcendent ending.

9. City of Djinns by William Dalrymple. I was torn, not sure which Dalrymple book to put on this list. They are all good, especially Nine Lives. He is a solid as a rock in terms of research, reporting and writing. But this is his first book about India and it’s about Delhi (Dilli), my home-away-from home in India — and in fact, his real home. He lives there now. He has an Indian soul. The book is both a personal narrative about living in India for a year and about the history of Delhi. (And if there’s one thing Delhi has, aside from crowds of people and traffic, it’s history.) It’s by turns informative and funny. I keep intending to find out if International Backside taxi stand really exists. P.S. Dalrymple is the found of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

10. Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. On the stroke of midnight, August 15, 1947, India became free. This is the classic book about the biggest event in modern Indian history: the freedom struggle, partition and birth of a nation. You cannot begin to know or understand modern India if you don’t have a grip on its struggle for independence and the larger-than-life players who made it happen, especially Gandhi, Nehru, Mountbatten and Jinnah. The film Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough, gives you a lot of the same information, but this book fills in all the holes.

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Spirit of change sweeping India

Mariellen — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:16:40 +0000

Anna Hazare (left) on stage, April 8, 2011 in New Delhi

At ground zero of the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement

Today, day three of the protest, I joined thousands of people from all walks of life at Jantar Mantar, in the centre of Delhi, to provide my support to a quiet, gentle determined man who recently declared he would fast unto death to end corruption in India. I arrived fairly early, about 10:30 am, to find a large number of people, and an almost equally large number of media, gathered together around a tent-covered stage. I was lucky to be there when the man at the centre of the action, nicknamed “Anna Hazare,” was on stage. I found the atmosphere to be relaxed, positive and festive; and when I filed past the stage, I was struck by Hazare’s powerful yet quiet presence. He seemed rock-solid, sitting on that stage, though he has been fasting for several days.

He is very much like a modern-day Mahatama Gandhi: a strong, simple man whose steadfast determination has created a spark — a spark that has ignited a fire in India. The anti-corruption movement is sweeping the nation. It is bigger news than the Cricket World Cup win — which is almost hard to believe.

I truly felt I was at an historic event as I milled about the excited crowd this morning, and again when I was there in the evening. I happened to be there when the candle-lit procession arrived from India Gate, a river of people, of every age, waving flags, chanting, carrying home made signs. People seem to be fed up with the endemic corruption in India. The global climate of change that has affected places like Libya and Egypt is sweeping through India now, too.

I was asked my opinion of the movement (and my country of origin) many times, and was also interviewed by several news outlets. My family in Delhi saw me on CNN/IBN!

But I also interviewed someone. When I got home in the afternoon, I suddenly decided to meet Mrs.Tara Gandhi Bhatacharjee — otherwise known as Mahatma Gandhi’s grand-daughter — who lives directly across the lane from us here in South Delhi. I have wanted to meet her for many years, all the years I have been coming here, and finally I did today — for today I had a reason. I wanted to find out what she thought of Anna Hazare and the anti-corruption movement. And she said something very, very important, which I captured on video. Essentially she said, “Be the change.”

What a day, what an exciting time to be in India, and what a privilege and honour to meet the Mahatma’s grand-daughter, especially at a time like this. I feel I am at the centre of events in India, and observing history in the making. It is like witnessing the coming-of-age of a nation as India swells with pride (cricket) and stands up against the country’s biggest plague (corruption).

Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Meeting the Mahatma in New York City

Mariellen — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:51:54 +0000

Gandhi statue in New York City

India, TBEX and New York City

This weekend I was in New York for TBEX 10, the travel bloggers conference. As I was walking to dinner with several colleagues, we unexpectedly came across a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a small garden in Union Square. I did a double-take. I have seen the same statue countless times in India, in the centre of Delhi, in small towns, on mountain ridges, at the seaside — basically, Gandhi is everywhere. His presence in India is palpable, though of course he has been gone for 62 years. For a moment, I felt transported to India or, at least, my idea of India. To me India represents both sights, sounds, tastes and smells — the kaleidoscopic circus of the senses — and a way of being in the world that is based on the belief that we are all part of the same universal life force — the Hindu ideal that underlies Gandhi’s worldview.

The next day I returned by myself, and touched his feet. I would never had made such a gesture before traveling in India.

A taste of India

But that was not the only time in New York I felt transported to India. One night I went to “Curry Hill,” to a restaurant called Bhojan. While it definitely looked New York, there was something very Indian and very authentic about the place. I ordered a Gujarati thali and chaas or chaaj – a north Indian buttermilk drink – and when I started eating, I suddenly really missed India. It’s funny how smells and tastes can be so evocative.

Gujurati Thali at Bhojan

The word thali is Hindi for plate, and when you order a thali you get a quantity of small bowls, each filled with a different dish on a large round stainless steel platter: spicy vegetables, creamy dal, cool raiti and dessert, accompanied by rice, bread, chutney and papad. Non-vegetarian thalis would also include meat or chicken dishes. According to the menu, the word Bhojan in Hindi translates to a “simple, delicious and homestyle meal that is hearty and satisfying.” That’s how I found the food, and also really well-spiced: they didn’t hold back for North American tastes. Bhojan is a “pure veg” (aka vegetarian) restaurant in a warm bistro-like room with a spiritual bent: you are greeted with a serene prayer engraved into the wall; there is a biography of Swami Sivananda Saraswati in the menu; and garlic- and onion-free Jain food is available by request. I loved the décor, the warmth of the employees, the food and my neighbours. Two men sat beside me and we starting chatting , appropriately, about food. They were in town for a big food show. Rakesh imports spices from his native Rajasthan and Vaibhav deals in rice.

From Vaibhav I learned that India grows 1800 varieties of rice. There are 200 varieties of basmati alone. His family has been in the rice business for generations and his Father can recognize 800 types of rice at a glance; but he is only up to about 150. He’s young, a student in Vancouver, and he smiled during the entire meal. Rakesh is from Jodhpur and imports about 60 different spices grown near Jodhpur alone. I was surprised as I always think of Kerala as the spice garden of Indian.

Selfless power

Evelyn "Journeywoman" Hannon

Being at Bhojan gave me a feeling of connection — to myself, to India and to some values that both Indian culture and I hold dear. During the TBEX 10 conference itself, I also had a similar feeling of connection to important values while listening to Evelyn “Journeywoman” Hannon speak about her niche, women travelers. Evelyn started the Journeywoman newsletter for women travelers back in 1994, and eventually moved it online. She created a website, e-newsletter and Twitter account under the name Journeywoman, and she has a huge worldwide following. She also created Hermail to connect women travelers to women in their destination countries.

Evelyn is an inspiration and a mentor to me, and she supported BreatheDreamGo right from the beginning. So it really was no surprise to see her make such a big splash at TBEX for her clarity, authenticity and selflessness. Evelyn is a woman comfortable in her own skin, and the mandate for her work no doubt contributes to her calm, natural and caring demeanour. She stated, simply, that she wants to help women travel safely.

Watching Evelyn on stage, and listening to her wise words, I again felt inspired by her, and by the idea of selfless service — which of course was something Gandhi wrote about, talked about and modeled. The more you give, the stronger you are.

Like many passionate and selflessly motivated people, Evelyn came up with the idea for Journeywoman from her own personal experience. In 1982 she divorced and found herself alone in the world. She was afraid to stay home and afraid to go out. So, she decided to travel. “I’m going to give myself 35 days to go out into the world by myself and if I don’t die, this will be the story of my life,” she said during her conference presentation.

And, thus, Journeywoman was born, “My passion is to inspire women to travel safely and well. And for those who know how to travel, to hold the hands of those just starting out. It’s not about getting people to come to my site in droves; it’s about getting people to hold hands and help each other.”

Evelyn probably got the biggest — and warmest laugh — at TBEX when she explained the rationale for her website design: “If you haven’t been to my website yet, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s the same website I’ve had since 1997. [pause] Do you enjoy going to your Grandmother’s house? At your Grandmother’s house you know where everything is. Come and visit. It’s lovely.”

Yes, it is, Evelyn. Thank you so much for your support and inspiration, and for being you!

It was a wonderful weekend in New York City. I would also like to thank the organizing committee of TBEX , who did a great job: Kim Mance and Maren Hogan of Galavanting, Jim Benning and Michael Yessis of World Hum, Mike Richard, Vagabondish, Pete Meyers, Euro Cheapo, Kelley Ferro, TripFilms, Andrew Hickey, Brooklyn Nomad, Annemarie Dooling, Frill Seeker Diary, Shanna Quinn, Galavanting and Angela Berardino, Turner PR.

Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Empire of the soul

Mariellen — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:07:28 +0000

Evening aarti in Haridwar, India during Kumbh Mela 2011

Getting ready to return for the third time

I am “borrowing” the title of this post from writer Paul William Roberts. It’s the name of his book about his travels in India and I think it just perfectly describes how I — and so many others — feel about India.

I haven’t been writing lately (holidays blah blah blah) , but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been immersing myself in my subject. Au contraire. I am leaving for my third trip to India in 17 days (January 30, 2009), and am completely immersed in figuring out my itinerary, getting ready, and getting excited. Also sending out as many query letters as I can, to newspapers and magazines and radio shows — hoping to write about my trip: a one-month train journey around India’s heartland.

And, as usual, I am always on the lookout for movies, books, shows, articles — whatever — about India. Here are two I recommend …

Recommended

First and foremost, the PBS series airing on Monday nights, “The Story of India,” is really terrific. Host Michael Wood, a British historian, is knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic. He is so understandably bowled over by attending rituals that have performed in the same way and in the same place for 1,000 years. The two shows I have seen so far have covered the periods from about 150 BC to about 400 AD, but it’s not dead-and-gone-history, the kind that bored most of us to distraction in school.

This is one of the amazing things about India. Ancient history is alive and well in the architecture, culture, traditions and rituals of modern India: The sea routes and trading practices of the ancient Greek and Roman traders; the story of Rama; the Gupta dynasty in the north; the Cholan empire in the south (which is the world’s last remaining classical civilization — Wood interviewed a descendant of the great Cholan King Raja Raja). All of these were brought alive under Wood’s careful observations.

Maybe this is one of the reasons India stirs my soul so much. The cultures of India have evolved unbroken for centuries, and the stories and values of the past are just as important as they ever were. It is both a wisdom culture and a soul culture.

Also enjoying Mark Tully‘s new book, India’s Unending Journey. Tully was the chief BBC correspondent in India for 22 years (and he was also born there, in Calcutta). In the book, Tully traces his own journey from rigid Christian to someone who is “certain about uncertainty.” He takes an introspective look at religion and spirituality and how Hinduism and India’s pluralistic approach has deeply influenced him and his own views. I also enjoyed one of Tully’s previous books, No Full Stops in India, and plan to read more.

Itinerary

The holidays for me were overshadowed by my need and desire to create a journey for my trip to India. I really threw myself into the creative process of thinking, reading, researching and weighing various factors, which included time, money, interest, feasability and … what would make a good travel story or stories.

In the end, I got my inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and Slumdog Millionaire. In the movie Slumdog Millionaire, the two young brothers jump on a train to escape Bombay and ride around India, using their wits to survive. Watching this part of the movie reminded me about how much I like train journeys in India, and also reminded me of another great movie, Gandhi, and of course of the man himself.

The first “tourist” spot I visited in India, back in 2005, was Raj Ghat, the place where Gandhi was cremated. It is now a large and peaceful park by the river Jumuna, which runs through Delhi. I was moved by the simple marble slab and eternal flame that pays respect to this incredible man. Later, I spent an afternoon at Birla House, also known as Gandhi Samadhi, the place Gandhi lived when in Delhi — and also the place where he died by assassination.

So, I decided to take a train journey that would allow me to visit both of Gandhi’s ashrams in India — Sabarmati in Gujurat and Sevagram in Maharashtra, as well as Jaisalamer and Varanasi, my top two wish-list destinations. I am buying a one-month train pass and in early February I will travel from Delhi west to Rajasthan; then south to Ahmedabad (Gujurat) Mumbai and the Konkan coast; and then inland to Sevagram ashram, Kanha and /or Bandhavgarh Naitonal Parks in Madyha Pradesh (for tiger spotting); and finally a week in Varanasi; then the overnight trian back to Delhi, arriving the day before my birthday.

If anyone has any tips, advice, must-see places or invitations to dinner (hahaha), please let me know!

Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Top 10 books on India (thus far)

Mariellen — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:08:01 +0000

Just before the news broke about the terror attacks in Mumbai, I was going to write about my favourite Indian books and books about India. Ironically, one of my top picks is Maximum City by Suketu Mehta, an incredibly well-researched and well-written book about Bombay. Having recently read that book, I felt much more in-the-know about the city, and especially the local politics. Which are very tricky.

So, here are some of my favourite books on India, about India, by Indians …

1. Maximum City by Suketu Mehta. He’s like a cross between Charles Dickens and The New York Times. He’s a great investigative reporter, but his real strength is in telling a story and making the characters come alive. If you have any interest at all in Bombay / Mumbai, read this book.

2. Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre. This was the book that got me started, way back when. It is essential reading for understanding the current conflicts between India and Pakistan, and it will give you a lot of background and insight behind the independence movement in India, partition, colonialism, the creation of the world’s largest democracy and Mahatma Gandhi’s role in the whole thing.

3. City of Djinns by William Dalrymple. He does for Delhi what Mehta does for Bombay. And while Delhi and Bombay are very different cities, so are these books. Dalrymple’s emphasis is the history of Delhi — which must be one of the wrold’s most historical cities. But he weaves in scenes from his own year in Delhi, which are often hilarious. I am determined to find out if the International Backside taxi stand really exists. I’m going to look for it (behind the International Centre, naturally) next time I’m in Delhi.

4. Out of India by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. You may know her name as the screenwriting partner behind many wonderful Merchant-Ivory films. She was a European who married an Indian architect and lived the rest of her life in Delhi. The introduction to these short stories — in which she presents herself as a foreigner living indolently in India — is one of the most well-written pieces I have ever read. She nails the cultural divide, which I experience on a daily basis. She’s one of my favourite writers, anytime, anywhere.

5. My Experiments with Truth by M.K. Gandhi. For my money, this ranks with Memories, Dreams and Reflections by Carl Jung as a truly honest and interesting autobiography. The title says it all, and says so much about a man who just seems to be made of different stuff than you or me.

6. The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan. If you want to understand the heart and soul of Hindu India, you have to read the Ramayana and the Mahabharat. R.K. Narayan wrote abridged versions of both of these epics (the Mahabharat is, I believe, the longest book ever written).

7. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. It was years ago when I read it, and I don’t even own a copy, but it really left an impression on me. It is the fictional version of Freedom at Midnight. If you don’t know, India was granted independence from British colonial rule at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947. Nehru gave his famous “tryst with destiny” speech from the Red Fort in Delhi and the rest is history. This book is about a man born in India at the exact moment of independence.

8. Empire of the Soul by Paul William Roberts. PWR was just another youthful seeker backpacking around the subcontinent in the 1970s. The difference is a) India really got under his skin and he had some amazing spiritual experiences and b) he can write. He has his own style, which I know for a fact has made a tremendous impression on at least one blogger. (Hint: she’s on my blogroll.)

9. Chasing the Monsoon by Alexander Frater. Like Dalrymple, Frater is an English journalist with a passion for India. (Actually, neither Dalrymple nor Frater was born in England … I just mean they are of English or British heritage …) The documentary based on this book, same title, stands as my all-time favourite documentary. Frater goes on a sometimes profound and sometimes whimsical journey to follow India’s monsoon to the wettest place on earth, Cherrapungi in the Indian state of Meghalaya.

10. What the Body Remembers by Shauna Singh. The partition of India in 1947 led to the greatest mass movement of people in history as millions of Muslims left India to move to newly created Pakistan; and millions of Hindus and Sikhs left the part of Punjab that suddenly fell on the Pakistani side of the border. The violence that was unleashed was massive and devastating. This book is a novel about a Sikh woman who is a young bride at the time of partition — living on the wrong side of the border. The personal narrative makes the history very real.

Oh, boy, I like lots more books so I guess there will be a few more Top 10 lists … Maybe in one I will highlight Indian writers; maybe another will be about travel books. Then there’s cookbooks. Yoga books. Yikes, the list goes on and on …

In the meantime, I would love to hear from others about book you have discovered and recommend.

Thank you for reading. Please visit Breathedreamgo or stop by my Facebook page at Breathedreamgo.

Breathedreamgo » Gandhi

10 books about India that are better than Shantaram

Shantaram and Eat, Pray, Love are not the only books about India: Here are 10 of my favourites

If you enjoyed this post, you can….

Spirit of change sweeping India

Anna Hazare (left) on stage, April 8, 2011 in New Delhi At ground zero of the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement

Meeting the Mahatma in New York City

India, TBEX and New York City

A taste of India

Selfless power

Empire of the soul

Getting ready to return for the third time

Top 10 books on India (thus far)

Anna Hazare (left) on stage, April 8, 2011 in New Delhi

At ground zero of the Anna Hazare anti-corruption movement