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Book Reviews: Travel
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Shanti Bloody Shanti an Indian Odyssey by Aaron Smith
Read by Tracy in January 2012
Tracy recommends as a slightly quirky retake on the "finding yourself" travel book
I have to admit I was not looking forward to yet another book of someone heading to India to find themselves blah blah blah - even I have travelled there hoping to discover a karmic meaning to life in an attempt to combat the profligate consumeristic lifestyles surrounding me and I although I didn't have a world shattering epiphany, I fell in love with India and like Aaron found myself seduced by her smells, the delays, the crowds and the persistent hustle and bustle of the streets which all work together harmoniously that you forget you are surrounded by millions of people (pg 122). India is a country where Sab Kuch Milega (everything is possible) (pg 117). I think it was this change in Aaron's philosophy that made me devour the book in one sitting.
Aaron is fleeing Australia because of some shady business and an affair with the girlfriend of his drug dealer. He finds himself sitting in the travel agent's office at closing time finding out that it is cheaper to book a round the world ticket than just a return ticket to India, so he picks the other countries and is soon arriving in Mumbai to meet a friend. He initial thoughts as he takes a taxi from the airport to the city which gives you a bird’s eye view of the slums and shantytowns and their tenacious hold on life through illegal electricity and water hook-ups. His stories however are interesting and the other travellers he meets along the way provide an interesting interlude of eccentric characters. Aaron does have the ability to make you want to pack up your bags and head off again and when he describes Beach Number Seven in the Andaman Islands I was mentally there - warm waters gently washed against the white sand without rip or current, creating a complete balance of harmony (pg 77). Aaron also managed to insert a fair amount of historical background information as well as the constantly changing political situation in India and Nepal which doesn't bog the book down in detail, but makes for a more enjoyable reading experience. His analogies were also funny and I laughed that crossing the road in India is probably more dangerous than the Nepalese revolution (pg 115), so true.
The book is not all hippy travels and there are some life changing moments when coincidences and events collide to show how mighty nature is and how doing something great can end is sadness but also draw travellers together. So amongst some of the more serious stories, I found the book was particularly funny when it talked about the comparisons between India and Australia and particularly in relation to cricket. This sport is idolised in India and played on every conceivable surface and, like Aaron, knowing a few of the cricketers names can certainly get you out of some stick situations. Aaron travelled to a lot of the same places that I had previously travelled to, although from very different perspectives. In Shanti Bloody Shanti Aaron is constantly under a cloud of drug use and seems to spend a fair bit of time just sitting around. His trip to Hampi (a must for Indian visitors) was spent in his hotel room, what a shame. This constant drug use was one of my pet hates in the book. I presume the demographic Aaron is targeting are the twenty something’s who want to travel in ways reminiscent to the drug fuelled sixties, but don't let this stop you from seeing a country that has so much more to offer.
This book was kindly provided to us by Quikmark Media
