Product Description

"The Ramayana" - the Journey of Rama - is India's best-loved book, an inspiration to school-children, monks and moviemakers, yet it is virtually unknown in the Western world. The story of Rama, an exiled prince searching savage jungles for his kidnapped wife, it combines aspects of Heart of Darkness with The Odyssey but it has become a flashpoint for Indian politics, and disputes surrounding its locations have claimed an estimated 13,000 lives since 1992. When Martin Buckley first encountered the "Ramayana" twenty-five-years ago, it became a guide to the complexities of Indian life and in "An Indian Odyssey" he fulfils a dream - to retrace the route of Rama from his birthplace in north India to the climax of his confrontation with Evil in Sri Lanka. The journey, by motorbike, microlight, bus and train, was sometimes perilous but the resulting book is a remarkable travel diary and a thought-provoking account of the story of India.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #410576 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 368 pages

Scotland on Sunday
'Travel writing with a difference as Buckley traces the route of the Ramayana, the great Indian epic, from north-west India to Sri Lanka, encountering "Marxists and Mystics" along the way. A brilliant blend of travelogue, history and romance.'

Yoga and Health Magazine
'An absorbing holiday read'

Irish Times
'A rich account of a country bursting with piety and mysticism'

Customer Reviews

Missed Opportunity
If you know little of the history of Indian communal violence and of the Ramayana you will find this book interesting: if you do have a basic knowledge and are looking for deeper insight into the possible relationship between the two, or into India in general, you will be disappointed. The writing is often pedestrian and flat-footed, and I would have expected sharper and more penetrating observation from someone who has a long-standing relationship with the country.