Shanti Bloody Shanti: An Indian Odyssey

by Aaron Smith

Journalist Aaron Smith never planned to go to India before he had a contract put on his life by a drug dealer, and suddenly India seemed like the perfect place to get lost. In the process,he ended up finding himself, as well as encountering a dead body or two, witnessing the tragic death of a friend, dodging terrorist attacks and a revolution, and befriending a colorful cast of characters. This gritty, laugh-out-loud travelogue across the Indian subcontinent is more than just a coming of (middle) age story, it provides a look into contemporary India without drowning in rhetoric.

Genres: Travel, India

260 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Aaron Smith has been a punk rocker, actor, truck driver, construction worker, scuba diver guide, sound engineer, filmmaker, playwright, English teacher, and barman in various countries. He is now a freelance journalist who continues to travel extensively through Asia and Latin America. His work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, and journals in Australia, the US, and South America. Aaron makes regular appearances on the radio and at literary festivals to discuss his travels. He lives with his Brazilian wife and daughter in Australia (or where ever they drop their bags).

Reviews

[Tuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

a bit of a gonzo travel book to india, that turns serious when somebody gets hurt, dead hurt. so if you like your india with modern day lsd psychonuats, chillums for breakfast, mcashrams for rich germans, and dorms for backpackers, you may like this rather touching report of a long stay in and all over india, and beyond. he;s oz also, so there is that angle too.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Shanti Bloody Shanti as part of a Goodreads giveaway.

In terms of summary, there's not a lot to say other than it's the author's travelogue through India, his first stop on an impromptu around-the-world trip necessitated by his dalliance with a drug dealer's girlfriend and the resulting hit put out on him. The chapters are various accounts of the colorful characters he meets and the

The book is gritty and graphic and, at times, very sad. If you're looking for a lot of musing on inner peace and spiritual enlightenment, this probably isn't the book for you, unless your idea of spiritual enlightenment involves a lot of drug use.

That said, after reading a lot of India travelogues that do take the hippie-ish inner peace route, this was actually a nice change of pace. The characters and situations were more interesting and relatable, and it made for an entertaining and relatively quick read.

Recommended.

[Dmg94706 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great take on the mid-life-crisis-search-for-meaning genre. "Gritty," yes, but it is also really funny!

[Sarah loves books 😻😻😻 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick n easy read that sounded like a lot of fun (except for the horrendous bouts of food poisoning and the excessive drug consumption- ah yer and chai made from a river where tons of dead bodies float..)

[rhodeswarrior · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tad too popular tone for me....

[Jodie Stroud · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shady character flees Australia and immerses himself in the shady side of India. In fact the book opens with a dramatic car ride in the midst of an LSD trip. Trouble and shady characters seem to be attracted to Aaron Smith like bees to honey and he is soon a part of the drug culture that seems to define certain parts of India. He tells his story in sometimes cringeworthy candidness missing the beauty of India while spending his days in a drug addled haze and his other moments chasing girls. Until he decides to embark on a spiritual journey, the very reason a lot of people end up in india. Filled with some funny scenes and a cast of misfits, the drugs, while still there, take second place in the second half of the book as Aaron tries to fulfil his destiny and the try to deal with a tragedy, the memory of which haunt him in the years to come. I enjoyed this book but if you are looking for a feel good 'finding yourself' story, this book isn't for you. The comparisons in the blurb at the back of the book to Sarah McDonald's 'Holy Cow' and Gregory David Robert's 'Shantaram' fall well short of the mark as I have read the other two books and they are definitely in a different league. However I did develop an empathy for the characters, Smith gives us a brief 'where are they now' excerpt at the end of the book which was nice. All in all I did enjoy this book.

[Rand]

I'll start this off by stating my intentionally minimal exposure to both Hunter S. Thompson and Herman Hesse. I did watch that movie about Fear and Loathing and I did read Siddhartha, but that's it. Whether or not Aaron Smith's book borrows (whether heavily or consciously) from those authors, I cannot really say.

I do know that the book was passably entertaining, with the occasional insight thrown into the mix. The one such pearl which stuck with me was the line "We are human beings, not human doings. So stop trying to DO things and start focusing on BEING." The second line is a paraphrase, but that's pretty much it.

Moral of the story is that you don't have to travel to India to "find yourself" nor do you need take drugs nor do you need to DO anything. Just focus on your breathe and be.

This narrative would be entertaining as a film. Preferably animated.

For those of you not hip to Hindi, "shanti shanti" is a slang phrase meaning "copacetic". And then there's that U2 song—which, if you don't know about, then you must be far, far, far away in the future.

*I received a copy from the publisher via the goodreads First Reads program*

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I started reading this book it made me want to go to India- to pack a bag and leave behind my boring job and stay in hostels and smell the Ganges and visit ashrams and drink chai, so much chai.

It was even more intriguing when I realized that this book is really a travel memoir and the author is really sharing a first hand experience. It's authentic and populated with a range of very real characters, and it's as entertaining as it is moving.

Once I got to the end of the book I felt like I had been to India even though the closest I've actually been is seeing naan for sale at Target. I would recommend it to anyone and can't wait to read more by Aaron Smith.

For full disclosure, I also submitted this review to amazon.com.

[Yarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this book was supposed to be author's description of his travels in India, it is more a kind of memoir and, as it usually goes with Indian journeys, self-discovery. There is too much space dedicated to drugs and similar things and his fellow travelers, so don't expect that you will learn so much about India, except how some westerns high on various substances see it. But it is still well-written and it is difficult to put it down once you start reading. You will laugh on many parts. There is also a tragic part of it. However, too many spiritual awakening and miracles made me to doubt the reality of this book - the author seems very talented in story-writing so maybe he invented some of things. This I am not sure, but I still enjoyed reading this book.

[Russ · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book reminds me of 'on the road' to quote the author on page 123 of the book "I feel like the rich and spoilt cousin. Most of the world lives like this, struggling from hand to mouth, from day to day. How frivolous and conceited of me to here from my more affluent, but morally effluent culture, on my little spiritual safari. I wince at an image of myself in the future"
I winced all the way through this book, only grateful that it was a library book and I did not reward this self indulgent drug fuelled wank of a self discovery trip.
Australian tourists should read this book and reflect on their behaviour in the wider world.
Cringe worthy is possibly the best description for this book

[Lissa00 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the more entertaining and descriptive travel narratives that I have read about India...and I have read a large amount for someone who has never actually been to the country. At times the antics were annoying, and I had to check twice to make sure that I had read his correct age to be 36, but overall the message of discovery and spiritualism was profound and well written.

This book was a Goodreads Giveaway.

[Lesley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tiresome stoner's tale of his travels in India to 'find himself'. One learns very little about the people and places of India as the 36-year old author, who comes across as an idiot 20-year old, focuses mainly on telling us about all the times he gets drunk/stoned and/or ends up vomiting and crapping. Only the last couple of chapters covering the trip to the Ganges source saved this book from being utter rubbish.

[Glenn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really didn't like this book unfortunately... I liked the idea of a travel story through India from a male perspective but I just couldn't identify with any of the people in the book. I feel I learnt very little about the place and people of India. The ending was a bit moving so I gave it one star rather than zero.

[Alicia Holborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn't normally rate this book as highly but I happened to be reading it whilst in India and could completely relate to the places and people being described in the book. However, read out of the context it may have just appeared to be another 'find yourself in India' type books.

[Bonny Macisaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably would not have encountered this author book if it was not for a Goodreads Giveaway. I found the author's journey through India interesting. It's his story. His journey. I liked the author's wit and honesty.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quirky take on the all too boring "find yourself whilst visiting India" books.

Read the full review at OurBookClub

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far it's very funny. This isn't the kind of book I'd normally read, but I'm up to chapter three and I just want to keep going.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fun read. I look forward to more from this author