Reviewed by Rama Gaind.
By Sean Doyle, Bad Apple Press, $32.99.
One of the best ways to learn by experience — in this case an adventurous vacation by train in India — is the trip undertaken by Australian travel writer Sean Doyle, and his daughter, Anna. Their sojourn was in pre-pandemic times “recent yet poignantly distant”.
The paternal bond is significant as he takes a journey through “India with my daughter” in Night Train to Varanasi. It leaves an indelible mark. Blending knowledge, humour and a parent’s disquiet, this is a wonderfully subtle pivot of a father–daughter relationship set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most intense cultural experiences. It’s a persuasive and perceptive read, a memorable pilgrimage, of sorts.
Doyle has loved India for decades, so when his first-born, Anna, finished high school, they set off on a two-month trip. She wanted an adventure; he wanted a holiday. The narrative is profoundly touching; in the way Doyle affectionately discloses his most private feelings related to his daughter, standing on the brink, tentatively, on a path between guarding her and letting her go. Anna says her experiences “made me strong”.
The author deals with the parenting of adult children and the uplifting disorder of India. In the midst of struggle and suffering, the place that meant the most to Sean in all the world was India: its spirituality, its intensity, its unequalled ancientness and its extraordinary aliveness. “Connection … that sweet sense of belonging, of wholeness that comes from within and without: it means everything. It’s the essence of my love for India.”
Many of Sean’s observations strike a chord like waiting for the Metro in Connaught Place, New Delhi, and describing it as “an intimate experience”. Other annotations deliver clear images of what it’s like getting stuck in a monumental traffic jam on Netaji Subhash Marg or seeing some of the numerous places of interest including the Red Fort, Chandini Chowk, Mathura, Bharatpur, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur and Hardwar.
This is a travelogue, a history lesson and an educational insight — all rolled into one.
Above all, Sean makes a profound statement: “… I feel Indian …” Then he declares: “Sometimes the reality of India is much better than the concept”.
Varanasi, or Benaras as it was once called (also known as Kashi, the City of Life), is one of the oldest living cities in the world. In the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh dating to the 11th century B.C., it’s regarded as the spiritual capital of India.
It was English author Mark Twain, enthralled by the legend and sanctity of Benaras, who wrote: “Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”.
We have five copies of Night Train to Varanasi to give away. You could win one, if you tell us what’s another name for Varanasi. Entries should be sent to [email protected] by Monday, 26 April 2021. Names of the winners will be announced in Frank Cassidy’s PS-sssst…! column on 27 April 2021.
