India: The Peacock's Call

In the manner of a travelogue, India: The Peacock's Call is also a memoir, blending an account of the author's travels in India between 1997 and 2008 with reminiscences of her childhood in India. Thoughtful and evocative, it is a remarkably absorbing piece of travel writing. The author's story begins with an account of her return to India, thirty-five years after leaving. That departure, in 1963 when she was sixteen years old, marked the end of her family's long and intimate association with the sub-continent. Her return is thus emotional, and what comes through strongly in the narrative is the mixture of sentimental nostalgia, a longing to return, profound satisfaction at the reacquaintance with familiar places, and a sense of dislocation caused by all the things that have changed. The author's primary purpose is to describe India as it is now, using the anchorage of the past as a grounding and guiding device. This lends the account a triple historical depth: her own first-hand reminiscences, her knowledge oof her forefathers' experiences, and the broader, deeper history of India are all brought in to flesh out and deepen her account of her travels with her husband in the modern India. India: The Peacock's Call is a fascinating and deeply engaging guide to India starting with Delhi, and journeys through Rajasthan, to Agra, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata and West Bengal; the author makes a return visit to Rajasthan and the Ganges and a north Indian childhood home ten years later in 2008. The sharp focus on one person and her deep personal association with India makes it much more informative than a standard travel guide. This is an up to date read for the thinking traveller to India.