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Meet me at the Border
Inder Raj Ahluwalia is from the former genre, with an experience of three decades apart from writing also lecturing on think-tank activities involving tourism, heritage, environment and aviation. Many Sikhs can regale us with stories of their encounters abroad in areas, where people are not familiar with their persona. Ahluwalia’s style is easy, racy and engrossing as he takes us along with him on his travels which commence with Africa. For those of us who have visited the latter undeniably it is one of the most bedazzling and diverse continents on this planet. Ahluwalia travels to relatively unknown places like the Etosha National Park in Northern Namibia, a premier South African sanctuary for the wild. The chapter ‘Waltzing through Salzburg’ is lyrical and the author carries us to this idyllic scenario, making the power of the written word pertinent. There is almost a reverberation of Mozart’s music. It was nostalgia all the way, as I could not help but visualise the mountains immortalised in the Sound of Music. A travelogue such as this often draws attention to certain unknown destinations juxtaposed with evocative descriptions which inspire the traveller to chart these off beat places. Last but not the least, the author is back on his home turf at the Golden Temple which instils an inner peace for him. "It stands there in simple majesty, the gilded splendor of its dome and panellings shining in the sunlight, silhouetted softly in the water of the surrounding ‘pool of nectar’ (holy tank). All around the pool, along the spotlessly clean marbled pavement that fringes the temple complex’s vast amphitheatre like a mosaic border, walk the devotees in clockwise fashion, heads bowed in reverence, some praying, some listening to the hymns, others just reflecting. And everywhere, resonating across the shrine and filtering through its various buildings and open spaces, forming a continuous, soothing background soundtrack is the nonstop chanting of the kirtan (religious hymns). It grows on you. It soothes. It calms. It makes you want to pause and listen. It makes you unwind." A travel writer’s acumen is imbued in his ability to transport his reader to traverse or even to trapeze to a far-flung landscape or seascape. The reader, of course, delves into the recapitulation of the writer’s mindscape. Ahluwalia’s rendition is simple, detailed, picturesque and fun-filled.
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THE fulfillment of one’s
wanderlust has become far easier with global shrinkage facilitated by
the internet search engines. Travel facilities have sprung up
enormously so increased travel has escalated the enormity of travel
writing with varied individual perspectives of the paths tread. Shared
experiences and pen portraits inspire others to traverse the paths
savoured. We have come a long way from merely Hugh and Colleen Gantzer
charting travelogues to various travel writers both indigenous as well
as foreign, as ‘Incredible India’ beckons and conversely Indians
go Westward and Eastwards, with a profusion of travel agents to aid
them.