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Chai Chai
by
Bishwanath Ghosh (Goodreads Author)
Biswanath Ghosh paints an amazing and mystical picture in this book, where he starts his journey from the Itarsi Station, Madhya Pradesh.
Chai, Chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop But Never Get Off allows the reader to join the author-narrator while he experiences new places and faces. The beautiful sun, the rich cultural history and the people are all rendered with humo...more
Chai, Chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop But Never Get Off allows the reader to join the author-narrator while he experiences new places and faces. The beautiful sun, the rich cultural history and the people are all rendered with humo...more
Published
2010
by trnaquebar
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As the byline of the book states, Bishwanath Ghosh travels around India visiting the railway stations that one passes through usually but never gets off. He starts from Mughal Serai in the north, covering Jhansi, Itarsi, Guntakal, Arakkonam, Jolarpettai and terminating his journey at Shoranur. While some stations such as Jhansi are towns in their own right, the rest are just railway towns; the life there
seems to revolve around the railway station. Ghosh has a chapter for each town he visits (onl...more
seems to revolve around the railway station. Ghosh has a chapter for each town he visits (onl...more
Ever wondered what existed beyond those pallid boards in some of India’s biggest railway junctions? Ever wanted to know about the lives of those who inhabited those towns that were highlighted in bold only in the country’s railway route? If at some point you have pondered over any of these questions, ‘Chai, chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop but Never Get Off’ by Bishwanath Ghosh, is a must read.
Mughal Sarai, Itarsi, Jhansi, Shoranur, Jolarpetai, Arrakonam and Guntakal are familiar towns for...more
Mughal Sarai, Itarsi, Jhansi, Shoranur, Jolarpetai, Arrakonam and Guntakal are familiar towns for...more
Very poor account of few of the central India's railway junction (Jhansi,Itarsi etc). The problem with this kind of book is the shallow depth of it's writer. Biswanath Ghosh resembles the new breed of hasty writers who have been coaxed by the publishers to pen books for the young English readers of our country.
This book reads like a newspaper article with no insights into the history of this place. All the 4-5 stories narrates only what the author saw & heard in his 1-2 days of staying at th...more
This book reads like a newspaper article with no insights into the history of this place. All the 4-5 stories narrates only what the author saw & heard in his 1-2 days of staying at th...more
Got tis bk for 2 reasons..
vry much impressed wit Outlook traveller magazine, and wanted to read a travelogue for a long tym..
and the title of d book had my most fav drink's pic ..
A daring encounters in unknown places s worthy reading & intresting also..
I myslf has thought, wat is there beyond stations of itrasi & guntukal in the those days wen i travelled in GT & TN Exp to Delhi..
Overall, my first travelogue reading was gud & expect'g to read sme more...
vry much impressed wit Outlook traveller magazine, and wanted to read a travelogue for a long tym..
and the title of d book had my most fav drink's pic ..
A daring encounters in unknown places s worthy reading & intresting also..
I myslf has thought, wat is there beyond stations of itrasi & guntukal in the those days wen i travelled in GT & TN Exp to Delhi..
Overall, my first travelogue reading was gud & expect'g to read sme more...
A well paced out read, this book takes the less travelled road as it brings to life places you never thought existed beyond the railway junctions that they have irrevocably got appended to. It's an account related straight from the heart and completely unselfconsciously. Not surprising then that I found myself transported to dusty dirt roads and decrepit hotels, seedy watering holes and the warm companionship of total strangers.
I had picked up this book as I had loved the previous travelogue about small town places picked up way back in 2000 by the then unknown author Pankaj Mishra(at least to me) and this book had a similar backdrop and premise. But this book was a letdown as compared to the previous travelogue I had read. It had its moments but it wasn't able to paint the picture it had intended to. Would have given it 1.5/5 if it was possible.
1 like · like · see review
The summary and title seemed promising enough, but I was disappointed by the lack of depth in this travelogue. The author didn't make a significant enough effort to interact with the towns that he explored, other than to search and find glasses of whisky everywhere he went. His writing also seemed to be lack any connection with the places and people he visited.
It's a fast read I'll give you that. But somehow I didn't quite enjoy it the way I thought I would have. It touches on all the places the author has gone to but not in a great deal of detail which makes the whole experience quite superficial. But hey, at least he took us there so it can be read for sure.
A gem of a book with some loose endings. Makes you want to hop on a train, go to strange bars, drink with strangers and have friendly conversations with them! Except for the last two chapters, this book keeps you entertained with a smile on your face!
DO NOT BUY this!!
Its a waste of money & time.
Travel stories can be really interesting but this is all about what the author got to eat & desperate for drinks!!
Its a very dry & boring book..Nothing close to what I'd expected.
Its a waste of money & time.
Travel stories can be really interesting but this is all about what the author got to eat & desperate for drinks!!
Its a very dry & boring book..Nothing close to what I'd expected.
Nice story through the just-known jucntions of the great Indian Railways.. The first few chapters are really interesting while it fades a little in the South Indian section.. But overall, thouroughly enjoyable read..
Faintly remeniscent of Alexander Frater's masterful 'Chasing the Monsoon', but without the literary flair. It's engaging, but very eager to be profound. Middle of the road, but a pleasant walk down it.
This book made me travel to some of the unknown places in india..Such a good book with a tinge of flavor, humour and booze
It is the first book ever that I failed to complete. I got so bored reading this! In the beginning this book was so interesting. The whole idea of visiting those stations where we get off but never go was good. The author seemed in a very good mood at first but he cannot deliver what the readers anticipated. As I proceeded with this book my boredom increased. The author himself was not that cheerful. He did not seem interested in visiting the small towns. I must accept that this is my first trav...more
Detailed review at: http://www.anureviews.com/chai-chai-b...
Nice idea, execution not so much.
Written in Ghosh's simple, inimitable style, where he is a curious observer and a good-natured, humorous drinking companion makes for an enjoyable read. Check out my full review at http://www.greyoak.in/scribble_pad_1.htm
An interesting book, funny and evocative.A good read for a rainy afternoon.
Ok. But there are more to those Towns then booze and bad hotels.
Awesome read...!!
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Bishwanath Ghosh is the author of Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began (2012), which is a portrait of Madras, now known as Chennai. In 2009 he wrote Chai, Chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop but Never Get Off, which The Telegraph (Kolkata) called "a delightful travelogue with a difference." He has also contributed two stories to Urban Shots, a collection of short stories published in 2010.
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Feb 27, 2012 09:26pm