City of Joy
Dominique Lapierre
This book was my original inspiration for travelling to India and 25 years later I still have my well-worn copy with Patrick Swayze on the front cover. Kolkata (Calcutta) is actually nicknamed “City of Joy” after this novel, which tells the story of a young Polish priest living and working amongst the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. The other main characters are slum dweller Hasari Pal, a rickshaw puller and an American doctor, Max Loeb. The characters in the book are based on real life aid workers in an area served by the late Mother Teresa. I think I need to watch Patrick Swayze in the movie again….
Rick Stein's India - in search of the perfect curry
Rick Stein
This book and the tv show inspired my second trip to India where I spent a rejuvenating week in Kochi (Cochin), Kerala indulging myself in Ayurvedic therapy and cooking classes. I continue to use this book and highly recommend making the 1st Class Railway Mutton Curry which is always a hit at my Indian dinner parties. It’s one of the signature dishes at the Brunton Boatyard Hotel where I was lucky enough to taste the real thing before I began cooking it at home. A fine addition to your Bollywood evenings, this is now my go-to Indian cookbook!
Recipes to take you there
The Great Railway Bazaar
Paul Theroux
This book was first published 30 years ago and was another of my inspirations to travel India. I love the romance of train travel above all other forms of transportation, solely for the characters you meet along the way. Even though I travelled through India in 1st Class, I was always sharing a carriage with other travellers; Mr Ali and his family, an Iranian woman who I described in my journal as having a “witch-like” nose and was on a pilgrimage to see her Indian guru and the helpful ticket seller at the counter reserved for “Foreign Nationals and Freedom Fighters” in Tamil Nadu. This book is still a classic for railway buffs!
Recipes to take you there
The Mistress of Spices
Chitra Divakaruni
Tilo is a priestess of the secret, magical powers of spices and runs a spice shop in Oakland, California. As well as dispensing the classic ingredients for curries and kormas, she also helps her customers to gain a more precious commodity: whatever they most desire. For an Ayurvedic student and lover of cooking with spices like myself, I got swept away by this novel. I loved all of the characters who came to Tilo’s spice shop and laughed and cried with them…. then I went to grind some of my garam masala for Gigi’s chicken curry!
A Fine Balance
Rohan Mistry
This is a heart-wrenching novel which will probably make you cry more than it will make you laugh, but it’s a masterpiece. It’s set in 1970s India and tells the stories of four strangers; a spirited widow; a young student uprooted from his idyllic hill station; and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village, who are forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future. The characters move from distrust to friendship and from friendship to love and we learn of their hardships and brief joys in a country divided by caste and barriers between rich and poor. This is a must-read before you plan your trip to India!
Recipes to take you there
The Henna Artist
Alka Joshi
I follow @reesesbookclub on Instagram and I’ve never had a bad book review from Reese Witherspoon. This was her book club pick for May, and it’s my book club pick if you want to travel to India or just have your own Bollywood evening, complete with stick-on henna tattoos. Lakshmi is a strong, independent woman who has escaped an abusive marriage to live in Jaipur and dreams of saving enough money to build her own house. She uses the skills taught to her by her ex-mother in law to become one of Jaipur’s most sought-after henna artists. Along the way she has many obstacles to overcome on a path which eventually leads her to a hill town at the foot of the Himalayas. Perfect research for my 2021 trip to northern India and it will get you in the mood for curry night at your house I promise!
Recipes to take you there
