Author: Alexander Frater
Publishers: Picador
Pages: 378
By ‘Torrid Zone’, Frater refers to the tropics. Alexander Frater, born in the French Polynesian island of Vanuatu, revisits the island to see many changes in the place where he grew up as a kid. The land where his father’s home stood was replaced by a plush resort occupied by rich Australians, but the mission hospital built by his father remained. People of Vanuatu lived better, had started living in a more modern way of life, converted to Christianity and yet, there were many things in their society that intrigued Frater. The story that starts as a mere visit to the place where he spent his childhood grows into gigantic travelogue of entire tropics, covering Polynesia, Asia, Africa and South America. He visits many islands, lagoons and atolls, and even volcanoes in the tiny islands of Polynesia. He extends this story to more amazing journeys, like cruising down the Irrawadi River in Burma for several days by a mass transit boat, or taking a luxury liner and sailing up the Amazon – some privileges entitled to a person who is travel writer by profession! There are much more, like taking a small plane to some unknown war torn region in Africa or visiting many islands north of Australia. He occasionally blends his story with history, inserting names Captain Cook who discovered Polynesia on his search fo Australia, or adds some learnings about how a perennial rivers get formed. The variety of information and stories in the book are vast and sometimes feels like a jumble. For aspiring travel writers, the book is even a realization that all is not as easy and thrilling as it looks. But Frater’s stories are as exciting as it could get, and is a must read.
The cover of the book probably features the backwaters of Kerala, but don’t assume any related stories in the book. India hardly figures anywhere in the book but Frater has written a separate book entirely on India – Chasing the monsoons.
Author: Alexander Frater
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 273
‘Chasing the monsoon’ is a book on Alexander Fraters journey through India, along with the monsoon clouds. He starts right at the bottom – Trivendrum when the monsoon clouds arrive in June and travels all the way north to Delhi with the progress of monsoon. He is there in Kovalam beach when people dance and rejoice at the sight of first rains. He moves northwards via Cochin to Goa and sees people welcoming the monsoons all the way. On his way, he does some research by meeting people at the meteorological department, learns the science behind these seasonal clouds that brings rain into India, and all about predicting the monsoons. He learns how important monsoon is for the Indian farmer and also to all those people who are looking for relief from the rains.
Set in the seventies, his journeys and many other experiences of those days feel a little outdated, but the facts and narration on monsoon do not change with time. In those days when he travelled, he had to find someone’s influence even to get an air ticket on board of Indian Airlines. He had to spend several months and go from door to door begging all the bureaucrats just to get permits to visit Cherrapunjee – a place that is open for all to visit now.
Besides being a wonderful narration of monsoons and making a good learning of everything that monsoons is, this is a well written travel story that gives a glimpse of the way of things in India’s the seventies. Sometimes the scientific facts seem overwhelming though. It is a worthy book to read for any one interested in travelling in India, and a must read for the fans of monsoon.
Author: Stephen Alter
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 327
Unlike what it’s title seems to indicate, Elephas Maximus is no science book for the students of biology, but a book for every one who has slightest interest in Indian Elephants, or Asian Elephants to precise. Stephen Alter has done considerable research on every aspects of the elephants in India and has presented it well enough to attract readers of every kind. In his own words –
In this book, I have tried to tell elephant’s story in India through myth, art and literature, as well as something of its biology and natural history.
He travels all through the country in search of the elephants and visits them in the wilderness of National Parks, in temples in captivity, in breeding centers of state forest departments and anywhere else elephants might exist as myth or reality. He writes about their biology and natural history, besides covering cultural aspects of their relationship with man, historical status and position of elephants in India and also man-animal conflict. Alter also ponders on Ganesha, the elephant faced Hindu god. He digs through the ancient scriptures of Gajasutra and Kalidasa’s Meghadoota to discover the role and status of elephants in the history of our society.
The emotional aspect of relationship between man and pachyderm is given considerable importance and is one of the highlights of the book. He writes about Mahouts who love their elephants and remain sensitive to the needs of the giant, about conservation efforts in India, and caring for the elephants. The pains of capturing elephants by Khedda and other measures in the past have been well elaborated.
Also notable are his coverage of elephants at various locations all over India, including Mysore, Guruvayur temple, Sonepur Mela, Mudumalai elephant camp, Corbett and Rajaji National Parks, Kabini and Kaziranga.
The contents of the book are well organized, has a good flow and makes a good reading for those with even the slightest interest on pachyderms.