Rolling off track
A journalist travels the length and breadth of the country by train, taking the trouble of stopping by a few days at dusty towns one doesn’t usually bother with: Mughal Sarai railway settlement in UP, Itarsi, Jhansi, Shoranur and other such. Author Bishwanath Ghosh writes Chai, Chai with the enthusiasm of an explorer, painting a rather adventurous picture of days spent in these seemingly non-destination towns. Railway stations and trains hold a special charm for Ghosh, nostalgic as he is about magazine stands on platforms, the effervescent chaiwalla calling out to passengers, steaming beverage in tow, and illustrious co-passengers with their travelling ticks and home-packed khana.
From railway stations, it’s a journey through the small-town bylanes to seedy motels and beyond. Dhabas. Highways. Local shops. The works. Past a chapter or two, you get the entire picture in a flurry of descriptions, and may not want to know more. It gets repetitive.
Ghosh keenly takes in the menu at local bars, the farmers who drink themselves silly at the end of a hard day, the grumpy managers at motels, the dispositions of rickshawallas/ taxi drivers who take him from each station into town. There are interesting tidbits on local food, people and their little stories. The author’s adventures strike a chord, for many of us have possibly, if fleetingly, at some point in our travels, caught a glimpse of these towns. Either way, Chai Chai is likely to kill any curiosity such an exploration may have enthused. The book suffers from mediocre writing and poor editing. It seems dumbed down for the foreign reader, in the process taking down with it what seemed at the outset a perfectly good idea.
CHAI, CHAI
TRAVELS IN PLACES WHERE YOU STOP BUT NEVER GET OFF
Author: Bishwanath Ghosh
Publisher: Tranquebar
Pages: 214
Price: Rs 250