Mr Mishra

So Mr Mishra will be a 2 hour drive away from Dubai tomorrow. Or most probably he already is. I have never felt so connected with an author before in my life. Upamanyu carried the mantle so far, but Mishra ji has walked away with the honours hands down.

What is it about his writing? Is it the content or the fact that most of his work that I have read till now or will be reading shortly is based on travelogues? May be yes. But how does it matter? Besides the content is extremely indepth and well researched. I find my opinions and perceptions challenged.

The question that I wanted to ask him if I could meet him was that how could he capture so many aspects of his travels so effectively? May be he always planned which aspect he will focus on. Thats why in Butter Chicken he talks only about the changing small towns and in Temptations he goes on to comment on national issues over a period of time along with the ones of our neighbouring countries.

I wonder how would he have reacted to my idea of taking that train journey and then penning it down. Why should he give importance to it anyways..many many people do that all across the world. Especially in this time and age of blogs et all, the numbers would be endless. However I dont intend to do it for any book writing purpose..this is a journey that I have always wanted to take to not just see my country, but to also in some sense connect with its soul.

Why only me..When Mahatma Gandhi came back to India from South Africa, before taking up an active role in the Congress, he ventured on a nation wide travel to understand the country. Jawaharlal Nehru did the same and then asked the same question..what is the true soul of this country and how is it that it has stayed intact for centuries all together.

I am not such a visionary or a thinker. My desire stems from my love for trains and to satisfy my desire to criss cross the country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari. As this would beyond doubt be one of the most expansive journeys of my lifetime, it is imperative to capture this in a way that it stays with me for the rest of my life.

Pictures, write ups..in a nut shell capture this journey in the most comprehensive manner possible. That is why I feel extremely connected with Mr Mishra..for his ability to do this so effectively.

It would have been nice to meet him and ask him how he does it.