A River of Life: Travels through Modern India: Books I & II: Travels in the North & A Tour of the South

Buses, trains, sacred cows, gurus, saddhus, holi and more: like the subcontinent itself, this travelogue is chock-full of life and incident. Book 1, Travels in the North, covers the author's journey overland across the Gangetic Plain, from Delhi in the north to Calcutta in the east, threading a way through the cities of Agra, Gwalior, Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, and Patna. Book 2, A Tour of the South, traces a great V on the map of the country, beginning in Calcutta, dipping down to the southernmost tip of the Subcontinent, then sweeping up again to Bombay, with the objective of visiting every state that lies between those two great cities, including the real heartland of the South, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. The encounters with Indians of all walks of life are countered by historical observations and anecdotes, setting modern India side by side with its historical counterpart, creating a rich background for travels through this most beguiling and fascinating of countries.