BOOK REVIEW OF THE MONTH
The book begins with the Author, Rishad talking you in believing his love for a hot cup of tea at the most obscure of highway Dhabas, is the theme, but you soon realize that tea is just one of the characters in the book. The main character of the book is his various travels on both motor cycle as well as cars across India, with a special focus on the mighty Himalayas both for the bike as well as car trips. Though other parts of India are sprinkled throughout to add the spice of variety.
If I have to find a common theme through the book is than it will be that you meet the most interesting people on the road and you get the best memories of your life on the road.
This is one book that will easily qualify as a natural-born citizen of Humoristan, such is the
Dr. Anoop Mathew
Post-Doc Fellow
IIT - Madras
Where to lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
Hot Tea across India
style of writing by Rishad. Rishad’s love for road travel comes out loud and clear from the book, but mind you he is not a reckless road raider, he is somebody who drives to enjoy and not to show off or win the race. Though he did win Raid de Himalaya in 2004, considered to be the toughest till date due to bad weather, his vehicle on those roads where the Mars rover was tested- Maruti Alto! I hope I am able to make my point.
The book documents the day-to-day life in the rural India as a city bred guy sees it, so we are introduced to the buffalo wala who brings the buffalo to deliver milk right to the chai shop. We meet as rustic as it can be dhaba owners and truck drivers and he travels with them happily, trying to sleep under the drying undies of the truck driver, sharing a bus ride with goats and shepherds and riding his bike in dark on dangerous mountain roads in middle of night tt.. Mind you not even once he passes judgement on these humble folks, or tries to portray India as land of snake charmers and naked fakirs, instead he actually enjoys their company and is amazed like a little boy at their earthy wisdom. So you meet a nomadic Pathan in Pehalgam who volunteers to be his guide, khansama (Cook) and friend during his camping in Kashmir and then you meet polished guide in rural Karnataka whose love for the history of the monument makes him stand apart from the petty peddlers of the pious place.
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