Book Review: Why No? – An Indian Woman’s Journey To The World’s Most Misunderstood Places
To be stuck with wanderlust is a much-wanted illness. Travelling truly changes your view of the world. But what happens when those places are not your last choice or just too chaotic to visit? Meet Ankitha Rajendran, whose travel interests include places such as Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Comoros. And you find her unusual journeys in her maiden book, Why No? Travel Odyssey of an Indian Passport, an Unstoppable Woman, Many Misunderstood Lands.
The book, in simple terms, is an eye-opener on travel destinations that were once something else, had seen unrest, or are too small to notice. Ankitha has chosen to visit and then write about various fascinatingly atypical countries that are not easy to travel to or are dangerous. The worries, the lack of information and war damages have thrown up obvious stories while the unheard or unsaid tales are for you to decipher.
What makes Ankitha’s travel stories through Why No? More fascinating and engaging to read is that she offers stories of the sites and sounds of the places, but also the stories of the inhabitants who might be hidden under their country's status quo. For example, her stories of Afghanistan and Syria are poignant about the war and extremism that have ravaged the country, its places of importance and people. What you also get to know are its denizens, who are stronger than you might think.
You also travel with Ankitha and her husband to places like Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe and Turkmenistan, not on the travel map for various reasons. But what you connect are places with something to pull you towards them. Her writing and language have a simple yet full-of-character charm that you want to know more about. You also feel her womanly emotions in places like Afghanistan, where the women citizens are not able to live a life of their own.
The thing about travelling and understanding the sights and sounds is that you choose popular destinations or don't feel the place for its history. Ankitha Rajendran's Why No? Travel Odyssey of an Indian Passport, an Unstoppable Woman, Many Misunderstood Lands brings you out of that bubble to offer you insights into places not considered. You do not have to follow the same path. You need to think out of the box.
Book: Why No? Travel Odyssey of an Indian Passport, an Unstoppable Woman, Many Misunderstood Lands
Author: Ankitha Rajendran
Publisher: Indie Press
Pages: 298
Price: Rs 399
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