#Literature |

There are books that inspire travel, and travels that inspire books. This blog will be both – some books that inspired travel across India, and some adventures that inspired novels, which perhaps in turn will inspire you to chart your own journeys across India. Keeping with this month’s theme, these books also touch upon the rivers of India, as a backdrop or an inspiration – and these tales are woven around rivers.

There Are Other Rivers: On Foot Across India
Alastair Humphreys
Genre: Non-Fiction / Travel

If you love travel novels based on first-person journeys on the open road, Alastair Humphreys’ There are Other Rivers could be a great addition to your library. The author traipsed alone across India from the east coast to the west along the course of a sacred river. Along the way, he slept beneath open skies or under the roofs of hospitable strangers, and this novel charts his walk across the country, on a shoestring budget. What he lacked in luxuries, he made up for in sheer experiences and adventures – and his journey could inspire other adventure travelers to venture on the road less taken.

The Angry River
Ruskin Bond
Genre: Children’s Fiction, Short Stories

Ruskin Bond’s narrative is distinct in its lyrical quality, and his stories usually revolve around simple, everyday lives and incidents. The Angry River, at first glance seems like the story of a little village girl affected by a river flooding. Yet the character of the girl develops, as she deals with maturity and enters adulthood, so the book touches a chord in a hauntingly, evocative manner. While the book forms part of school curricula across India, it can appeal to audiences of all ages – keen on gaining an insight into the everyday trials and tribulations of the rural folk across India.

The Hungry Tide
Amitav Ghosh
Genre: Fiction

Set in the 70s against a backdrop of the Sunderbans, in West Bengal, Amitav Ghosh’s the Hungry Tide skillfully weaves together the narrative of three characters, a marine biologist, a fisherman and a translator. The book offers rich details of Sunderbans’ natural history and the vagaries of the mangrove ecosystem, as also the political problems arising from its location on the border of India and Bangladesh. The novel is a riveting inspiration for those visiting the Sunderbans and is full of the emotional drama between the characters, making for an ideal travel read.

Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography
Sanjeev Sanyal
Genre: Non-Fiction – History / Geography

India’s giddying history from its earliest civilization to its present-day politics, is best understood in the context of its geography. Sanjeev Sanyal’s book tries to answer some of the many curious questions that define India in his book, Land of the Seven Rivers: A Brief History of India’s Geography. From how the country was named Bharat, to why the highest peak was named Mt Everest, from how the Dutch sailed to the subcontinent for trade in the early days to how the British colony laid down the railway lines – the book offers an interesting, witty look at India’s history and geography. The information gleaned from mythological lore anthropological theories, geological occurrences, historical documents and the author’s travels, serves as a delightful introduction to this rich, diverse country!

A River Runs Again: India’s Natural World in Crisis, from the Barren Cliffs of Rajasthan to the Farmlands of Karnataka
Meera Subramanian
Genre: Non-Fiction / Ecology

Exploring 5 themes through the 5 sacred elements – A River Runs Again is an iconic take on India’s environmental crisis. A narrative of India’s ecosystem on the brink between urbanization, development and overpopulation, it touchingly details the tragedy and offers a small hope against the country’s decline into environmental chaos. Written informatively, yet with a compassion and deep understanding of the short-sighted environmental strategies and their impact on real lives – a definitive work for readers interested in a stark, realistic picture of India’s ecological context.

Across India, January is increasingly being associated with literature festivals. Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and the state of Gujarat, all celebrate indigenous and international literature – each with their inimical selection of authors and other personalities gracing the stage. In Jaipur, the literature festival started off as a small effort and today, is being touted as ‘the world’s largest free literature event’ – and its history and acclaim made us curious enough to attend it this year.

On the foggy morning drive to the pink city – we scanned the festival schedules to decide upon the sessions we’d like to attend, an important stage as with parallel events, one often misses out on more than one would like to. We reached our hotel – the heritage property Narain Niwas Palace, had a quick lunch and headed down the road to Diggi Palace – the potpourri of literary hubbub.

The throngs of literature-seekers at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2016

The long queues moved faster than we thought, giving credence to the news of increased attendance per year, as also venue upgrades to accommodate the literature-seekers. The venue was split up into several sections of tents, with raised stages and audience areas – and we weaved our way through the chaotic crowds to reach our selected sessions.

Stephen Fry talking about the author Oscar Wilde

Our first session was by Stephen Fry – the British actor, who spoke about his exposure to the author Oscar Wilde. As often with TV personalities, a real-life encounter creates very different impressions – and Stephen Fry’s sensitive, personal, heart-warming account of Oscar Wilde’s genius, arrogance and personal problems, brought out a different side to the author and actor alike.

JaipurLitFest2016_18 — Author Amish of the Meluha trilogy and the Ramchandra series in an interactive session with the audience

The sessions we attended were of a wide variety: a panel on what makes South Asians laugh; a candid, interactive session with Amish – the author of the Meluha series; a political debate on the India Story; a discussion on India’s visual culture; a look at the insensitivity of media; readings by authors of select travel excerpts; a book-promotion by a Bollywood-cum-political figure, and a talk on the legacy of the British Empire, among others.

JaipurLitFest2016_24 — A discussion on the visual culture of India with Steve McCurry, Vidya Dehejia, William Dalrymple, Aman Nath and Alka Pande

JaipurLitFest2016_26 — Deciphering ancient knowledge systems with economist Bibek Debroy, scholar Sitanshu Yashachandra, oncologist Aarathi Prasad and mediator Sudha Gopalakrishnan

Over the next two days, we tried to attend as many sessions as possible, bumped into known faces, were overwhelmed by the crowds, learned tricks of how to bag the limited chairs at venues and how to dodge the crowds and chaos, with many impromptu photo-stops along the way! Every evening ended on a high note – discussing the highlights of the day, sharing juicy tidbits from the speakers, with a fair consumption of brews, cocktails and food!

JaipurLitFest2016_33 — Travel excerpts by authors (From right to left) Anthony Sattin, Salil Tripathi, Christina Lamb, William Dalrymple, Alex Shoumatoff, Gerard Russell & Colin Thubron.

Beyond offering a platform for authors and readers to connect – the literature festival set the stage for cross-cultural interactions. With diverse panels of speakers and an incredible range of topics, each year, it attracts a culture-hungry audience from across the world. This festival, has today, made Jaipur “the literature capital of the country” – and only promises to get better as time goes by.

JaipurLitFest2016_28 — Shashi Tharoor, former diplomat, writer, public intellectual and political figure, talking about the British Empire

We couldn’t help but think that the Rajput Maharaja Jai Singh II’s grand vision to set up public institutions and modernize Jaipur, which was responsible for the city being declared the capital of Rajasthan, has assumed a new avatar. Established with lofty scientific and cultural ideals, Jaipur continues to hold a torch to literature and learning. A movement like the literature festival is creating an enlightened, well-exposed, culturally sensitive youth while providing a great platform to disseminate the state’s rich heritage, history and culture – and we hope the literature festivals across the country, create the same ripples of change!

A packed audience for the Shatrugan Sinha – Shashi Tharoor session

In the rich, cultural tapestry of India – with its colorful festivals and celebrations, the literature festivals would be a great way to understand how the traditions of Indian literature are being carried forward by the next generation. It is a chance to witness a modern-day India in the making – and we would highly recommend attending one of many literary events, from books fairs to literature festivals, from reading clubs to storytelling sessions that are defining the urban culture of the country today!

Tag Archives: #Literature

Book Reviews: Rivers of India

Reflections on the Jaipur Literature Festival 2016