8 Books That Will Make You Fall In Love With The Place It Is Based On

It’s been a long tiring day, the monotonous clock striking from morning to evening. Is there an escape to this process, can we just disappear into the fantasy land and never come back?
Probably not a permanent one but a temporary escape could be these books that can take you to that wonderland Alice ended up in. But only, this is real.

1. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts – Mumbai

This brilliant book takes us on a tour within Bombay. From the beginning, leaping out of the bus window, the protagonist portrays Bombay for us. With its towering buildings on one side and the slums on the other, he calls Bombay the city which is dirty on the outside but clean inside. The Colaba Causeway, Cafe Leopold and the mystery within the slums would make any reader take a train direct to that wonderful city and discover its mystery.

 

2. Where the Rain is Born- Writings about Kerala by Anita Nair – Kerala

This book here is a collection of short incidents and extracts from various eminent writers about their experiences in Gods own country. It starts with Alexander Frater’s Chasing Monsoons which is an extract from his book with the same name wherein he chases the monsoon winds to envision that amazing first monsoon shower. The book also includes the experiences of many famous writers like Shashi Tharoor and Kamala Das when in the city. The greenery, the exquisite cuisines, country boats and the rains. What are we waiting for, next destination – Kerala.

 

3. The City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre – Kolkata

Set in the slum of Anand Nagar in Pilkhana, Kolkata, it centers around the life of three main real life characters, a Polish priest Fr. Stephen Kovalski who gave up everything to live amongst the poor and serve them with all his might. Further we are introduced to the character of Hasari Pal who struggles within the slum to find his way out. And yet another character is a young American doctor, Max Loeb who wants to contribute his best before serving the wealthy. Here, this is not a city depicted with all its beauty but rather its beauty blooms from the fact that the togetherness of the people to strive and bring the best, that they call their street the Anand Nagar – The City of Joy

 

4. The City of Djinns : A Year In Delhi by William Dalrymple – Delhi

It wasn’t the new buildings nor the developments that attracted the author to Delhi but rather it was the ruins of the city. If you are a person who loves history, this book is a must read for it explores the dynasties encompassed within Delhi. A stop at Rashtrapati Bhavan, he could flashback only to the time that it stood magnificently as the Viceroy’s House and the imperial rule over it. He believes Delhi is a magical city which rises each time from its ruins as it is ruled by the Djinns. So maybe Delhi is the next stop to awaken that historical bone in you.

 

5. Swami and his Friends by R.K. Narayan – Mysore

Though set in a fictional town Malgudi, it is a microcosm for small-town Mysore. The novel revolving around a bunch of kids, Swami and his friends make us fall in love with this tiny village set back in its time. The descriptions of the post office, cricket fields and their small houses lingers in the reader’s heart that one would definitely give away the city life to be in the midst of that village and innocence.

 

6. The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed – Kashmir

This breathtaking novel is set in the village of Nowgam, Kashmir during the 1990s, the time of the bloody conflict. The protagonist is a teenager who just yearns to spend his time with his friends along the beautiful meadows and the river where water droplets resemble pearls. That paradise of his lost in midst of the conflict, he further goes on describing the horrors of the war. Being the village headman’s son who refuses to leave the village he has to collaborate with Captain Kadiann to go in search of dead bodies and strip them off their ID cards. Although it covers the brutality of the Kashmir conflict, it also portrays a beautiful Kashmir that makes us wonder what that place would be like without the violence – Heaven on Earth maybe.

 

7. The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra – Banaras

All of us have at some point romanticized the West and still continue to. Here in this book, it tells us the story of one such Samar who sets out to Banaras where under the influence of the foreigner Diana West and Catherine, he believes he is finally able to live his dream. But it wasn’t too late before he realizes that  the whole idea was just another disillusionment and what he read in those books and yearned for wasn’t just the reality.The novel thus depicts a very beautiful Banaras city with much of its hustle bustle and the calmness along the Ganges. And finally he provides us another picture of Dharamsala where he ends up to be a schoolteacher. Not exactly content but yet, the novel captures the dilemma of every Indian youth.

 

8. The Toss of a Lemon by Padma Viswanathan – Madras

This is really captivating a read, for the author takes the readers along the life of Sivakami and the two generation of hers. Married at ten, attained motherhood at fourteen and a widow by the age of 18, she is left alone in a house in a village Cholapatti, Madras.While the story goes on shifting focus to her children and the children of theirs, the author just doesn’t fail to provide the readers the beauty of the Kaveri river, the hilltop temple and beautiful ceremonies conducted along the banks of the river. Along with this beautiful picture, it is also an inspiration read of how finally her son breaks away from the norms of Brahmin caste expectations.
Which one of these places do you want to escape and explore?
Crawl into your bed with these books and envision the great wonders of our country, be it the metro cities Bombay, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai or just the beautiful states of Kerala, Kashmir or even the small towns of Mysore and Benarus.

Cover Image Source 1 & 2