If It's Monday, It Must Be Madurai
- Srinath Perur
- Srinath Perur
I guess, age is catching up with me - in last few years, I have started reading quite a bit of non-fiction, and even enjoying it! And this happens to be the first travel book I have read (if I discount Nine Lives by Dalrymple, which is more about spirituality than travel).
In the introduction, the author notes that "Serious travelers and certainly travel writers look upon the conducted tour as the lowliest form of travel. ... However, a conducted tour, by definition offers something that solitary travel cannot: other people and the opportunity to know them". And this is precisely how he has approached the group tours, which he started undertaking for magazine assignments. It is a unique and delightful read, where he recounts his travels that cover a range of destinations - both with respect to the location and the purpose, with a diverse set of fellow travelers. He travels with a group of devout people on pilgrimages to Tamilnadu and Pandharpur, with a group of Indian men in search of carnal pleasure to Uzbekistan, with foreigners to the biggest urban slum in Mumbai, with young (and mostly IT) crowd to explore the unspoilt expanse of nature in North-east.
The book is only so much about the places he visits; it is more about the experience, which in this case, constitutes his keen observation of the people he travels with, people he interacts with on the trips, and a commentary on the Indian society in general. Their quirks amuse, their faith moves, and their hope warms you. His observations are highly insightful, sometimes delightfully sarcastic and sometimes sensitive. At times they made me laugh, at others they made me sad about the state of affairs (specially as to how we are destroying our natural and cultural heritage, out of greed and apathy). He observes and some times ponders, but does not pass judgement, and does it all with a touch of humor. (And I am glad he is not inclined to be introspective or philosophical, which is easy to fall into as you write about your travel).
Not all the stories are great though, there were a couple of them that didn't interest me much. But that will not deter me from recommending it.
At times there is a story behind how you come by a book, and this one has a guilty secret of mine behind it - when I see someone reading a book, particularly if engrossed in it, I get curious to find out which book is it. I'm unfortunately not the outgoing kind who would go and ask a stranger about what s/he is reading, so I try to steal a glance. On a train journey, we had in our compartment, a sophisticated lady, clearly not accustomed to traveling by train - during and after the trouble of finding herself a seat, she was immersed in a yellow-green hardbound volume. I finally made out a part of the title - "it must be Madurai", but it sounded so incredulous that I was quite sure I had it wrong. Once back into the realm of net connectivity, I searched for it, and there it was - "If it's Monday, it Must Be Madurai". The romance of the title (with obvious reference to "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium", of which I was only vaguely aware), and the great reviews pushed it into me reading list.
In the introduction, the author notes that "Serious travelers and certainly travel writers look upon the conducted tour as the lowliest form of travel. ... However, a conducted tour, by definition offers something that solitary travel cannot: other people and the opportunity to know them". And this is precisely how he has approached the group tours, which he started undertaking for magazine assignments. It is a unique and delightful read, where he recounts his travels that cover a range of destinations - both with respect to the location and the purpose, with a diverse set of fellow travelers. He travels with a group of devout people on pilgrimages to Tamilnadu and Pandharpur, with a group of Indian men in search of carnal pleasure to Uzbekistan, with foreigners to the biggest urban slum in Mumbai, with young (and mostly IT) crowd to explore the unspoilt expanse of nature in North-east.
The book is only so much about the places he visits; it is more about the experience, which in this case, constitutes his keen observation of the people he travels with, people he interacts with on the trips, and a commentary on the Indian society in general. Their quirks amuse, their faith moves, and their hope warms you. His observations are highly insightful, sometimes delightfully sarcastic and sometimes sensitive. At times they made me laugh, at others they made me sad about the state of affairs (specially as to how we are destroying our natural and cultural heritage, out of greed and apathy). He observes and some times ponders, but does not pass judgement, and does it all with a touch of humor. (And I am glad he is not inclined to be introspective or philosophical, which is easy to fall into as you write about your travel).
Not all the stories are great though, there were a couple of them that didn't interest me much. But that will not deter me from recommending it.
At times there is a story behind how you come by a book, and this one has a guilty secret of mine behind it - when I see someone reading a book, particularly if engrossed in it, I get curious to find out which book is it. I'm unfortunately not the outgoing kind who would go and ask a stranger about what s/he is reading, so I try to steal a glance. On a train journey, we had in our compartment, a sophisticated lady, clearly not accustomed to traveling by train - during and after the trouble of finding herself a seat, she was immersed in a yellow-green hardbound volume. I finally made out a part of the title - "it must be Madurai", but it sounded so incredulous that I was quite sure I had it wrong. Once back into the realm of net connectivity, I searched for it, and there it was - "If it's Monday, it Must Be Madurai". The romance of the title (with obvious reference to "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium", of which I was only vaguely aware), and the great reviews pushed it into me reading list.
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