book about train travelling through india???

caramelina · Jan 22nd, 2007, 02:24

hey,
just looking into good reads for whilst i'm in india, a friend mentioned a great book he'd read that was all about travelling on trains around india... does anyone know what that one is??? he couldnt remember the name.. i'm sure there are loads but just thought i'd post on the off-chance theres one that sticks out for IM's???

machadinha · Jan 22nd, 2007, 02:31

I wonder if he didn't mean Trains at a Glance, which are just the timetables. Indispensable for serious train travel though.

caramelina · Jan 22nd, 2007, 03:47

nope, although that will be important reading too! it was either a journal or fiction/semi fiction i think

tacita · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:09

ruskin bond's "penguin book of indian rail stories"? it's a collection of short "snap-shot" tales of travel by train. admittedly, i haven't cracked the binding, so can't say whether or not it's a worthy read. if it's the same book, though, your friend has already given it a good review.

cyberhippie · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:27

Third Class Ticket : By Heather Wood would fit the bill and a wonderful read as well!

mt.kailash · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:37

"India by rail " by Royston Ellis is a guidebook which was useful for info on Indian Railways in the days before IndiaMike.It's got lots of anecdotes about his encounters while he was researching it.
Ellis -a 60's Liverpool beat poet and former Beatles crony -now lives in Sri Lanka and has published also decent guidebooks for Sri Lanka, Maldives ,and Mauritius.

martintheveg · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by mt.kailash

"India by rail " by Royston Ellis is a guidebook which was useful for info on Indian Railways in the days before IndiaMike.It's got lots of anecdotes about his encounters while he was researching it.
Ellis -a 60's Liverpool beat poet and former Beatles crony -now lives in Sri Lanka and has published also decent guidebooks for Sri Lanka, Maldives ,and Mauritius.

Hi,
Yes, this looks like a handy read, I checked in Waterstones,
it`s £12, trouble is, the book has not been updated for 10 years.
For this reason i didn`t order it.
Martin.

caramelina · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:44

interesting! thanks guys! i will check those all out and pick one that appeals, thought it sounded like nice literature to have on my travels!

steven_ber · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:47

"India by rail " by Royston Ellis is no longer available in the shops, but can be bought over the net, look for the 3rd edition.

It's useful if you wan't extensive info about the trains and is a good read, but the third edition is an updated copy of the original book, first published 18 years ago, the 3rd edition was brought out 10 years ago.

EDIT - I didn't notice Martin's post.

caramelina · Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:50

THIRD CLASS TICKET:

(AMAZON

"This is a semi-fictional book about an elderly Indian lady who, knowing she is dying, arranges to leave her money to her village - with the proviso that it buy a third-class ticket around India for each villager in her Bengali village. This is the story of the village elders who became the first group to undertake the journey. The trip challenges the preconceptions of the villagers, most of whom had never been out of the village before. Thus, the book presents a traveller's perspective of India - but one from a very unique point of view, that of a Bengali villager. Truly magical!"

sounds nice!

machadinha · Jan 22nd, 2007, 06:00

From the thoroughly wacky department, I mentioned this book some time ago.

Recommended, no not exactly; interesting in its own right, yes perhaps.

unclelach · Jan 22nd, 2007, 06:27

Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" published over thirty years ago has several highly readable accounts of long distance rail travel in India. I think that Theroux's observations of people and places are accurate and remain valid except that the sound and smell of steam trains are no more.

steven_ber · Jan 22nd, 2007, 11:53

"Exploring Indian Railways" by Bill Aitken.

This book was recommended to me, so I bought it, it tells lots of stories about travelling on Indian Railways, mixed with some history and technical stuff.

I'm fascinated by Indian railways, but found this book very hard to read, it just didn't 'grab me', I really wanted to read it and went back to the book several times, but it just didn't do it for me.

Maybe it was his writing style, but to be fair, I'm not a big reader; there are only a handful of books I've read from cover to cover.

I'd suggest reading a few pages of this book before buying it.

(anyone in London can have my copy.)

caramelina · Jan 22nd, 2007, 19:14

uncle lach,
thats the one i think... Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" hurrah!

steven_ber · Jan 22nd, 2007, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by caramelina

uncle lach,
thats the one i think... Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" hurrah!

I got that book in a charity shop for £1, I've not started reading it yet.

I've also was 'A Suitable Boy' (Vikram Seth) for £2 a couple of times (I've already got it) and last week I bought 'India, a history' (John Keay) for £2.

It's always worth looking in these shops.

Jan 22nd, 2007, 02:24	#1
caramelina Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 36	book about train travelling through india??? hey, just looking into good reads for whilst i'm in india, a friend mentioned a great book he'd read that was all about travelling on trains around india... does anyone know what that one is??? he couldnt remember the name.. i'm sure there are loads but just thought i'd post on the off-chance theres one that sticks out for IM's??? __________________ dont worry be happy

Jan 22nd, 2007, 02:31	#2
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 11,445	I wonder if he didn't mean Trains at a Glance, which are just the timetables. Indispensable for serious train travel though. __________________ Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links

Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:09	#4
tacita Maha Mutant Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Gotham Posts: 1,410	ruskin bond's "penguin book of indian rail stories"? it's a collection of short "snap-shot" tales of travel by train. admittedly, i haven't cracked the binding, so can't say whether or not it's a worthy read. if it's the same book, though, your friend has already given it a good review. __________________ Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. ~Helen Keller

Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:47	#9
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 9,784	"India by rail " by Royston Ellis is no longer available in the shops, but can be bought over the net, look for the 3rd edition. It's useful if you wan't extensive info about the trains and is a good read, but the third edition is an updated copy of the original book, first published 18 years ago, the 3rd edition was brought out 10 years ago. EDIT - I didn't notice Martin's post. __________________ . How to get helpful replies to your transport/Itinerary questions. Train information. RAC & Waitlists explained. Last edited by steven_ber : Jan 22nd, 2007 at 11:42.

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Jan 22nd, 2007, 03:47	#3
caramelina Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 36	nope, although that will be important reading too! it was either a journal or fiction/semi fiction i think

Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:27	#5
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,009	Third Class Ticket : By Heather Wood would fit the bill and a wonderful read as well!

Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:37	#6
mt.kailash Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: hurn Posts: 99	"India by rail " by Royston Ellis is a guidebook which was useful for info on Indian Railways in the days before IndiaMike.It's got lots of anecdotes about his encounters while he was researching it. Ellis -a 60's Liverpool beat poet and former Beatles crony -now lives in Sri Lanka and has published also decent guidebooks for Sri Lanka, Maldives ,and Mauritius.

Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:44	#8
caramelina Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 36	interesting! thanks guys! i will check those all out and pick one that appeals, thought it sounded like nice literature to have on my travels!

Jan 22nd, 2007, 04:50	#10
caramelina Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 36	THIRD CLASS TICKET: (AMAZON "This is a semi-fictional book about an elderly Indian lady who, knowing she is dying, arranges to leave her money to her village - with the proviso that it buy a third-class ticket around India for each villager in her Bengali village. This is the story of the village elders who became the first group to undertake the journey. The trip challenges the preconceptions of the villagers, most of whom had never been out of the village before. Thus, the book presents a traveller's perspective of India - but one from a very unique point of view, that of a Bengali villager. Truly magical!" sounds nice!

Jan 22nd, 2007, 06:00	#11
machadinha Not Your Guru Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: yörp Posts: 11,445	From the thoroughly wacky department, I mentioned this book some time ago. Recommended, no not exactly; interesting in its own right, yes perhaps.

Jan 22nd, 2007, 06:27	#12
unclelach Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: melbourne, australia Posts: 222	Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" published over thirty years ago has several highly readable accounts of long distance rail travel in India. I think that Theroux's observations of people and places are accurate and remain valid except that the sound and smell of steam trains are no more.

Jan 22nd, 2007, 11:53	#13
steven_ber Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: London, England. Posts: 9,784	"Exploring Indian Railways" by Bill Aitken. This book was recommended to me, so I bought it, it tells lots of stories about travelling on Indian Railways, mixed with some history and technical stuff. I'm fascinated by Indian railways, but found this book very hard to read, it just didn't 'grab me', I really wanted to read it and went back to the book several times, but it just didn't do it for me. Maybe it was his writing style, but to be fair, I'm not a big reader; there are only a handful of books I've read from cover to cover. I'd suggest reading a few pages of this book before buying it. (anyone in London can have my copy.)

Jan 22nd, 2007, 19:14	#14
caramelina Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Liverpool, UK Posts: 36	uncle lach, thats the one i think... Paul Theroux's "The Great Railway Bazaar" hurrah!

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