This column is all about journeys. One person's soul-searching mission is as interesting as another’s quest for history. Read on...

If it’s Monday it Must be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India – Srinath Perur (Penguin, Rs. 499).

There is nothing more exciting than taking off on a trip. I for one love to travel to places which are not on the tourist maps. And that’s why Srinath’s book sounds like a fun. This delightful travelogue is an account of ten tours conducted in various parts of the country. While it provides a panoramic view of India’s tourist locations and that of travellers and their experiences, it also paints a vivid portrait of a vibrant, ever-changing nation where life throbs despite its traditionalism. Also, this is like an update on travel as a form of entertainment today. Bus-loads of people, clad in shorts, loafers, hats and dark glasses, a Canon or Nikon swinging around the neck, alighting from buses, clicking away and getting back are common sights in many places. Srinath, who is Bangalore-based, captures such imagery with realism and humour.

This book gives you a hint on what it is like to travel for adventure, lust and God. It’s peppered with rich, funny and wonderful experiences. Sample this…Imagine hanging on to the back of a camel in the Thar or rediscovering music on the trail of the saint-poet Kabir or crossing root bridges near Cherrapunji.

Funny, yet factual, here is a lively read when you have a long journey to undertake.

* * *

The Inspiring Journey of a Hero: Learnings from the Life of O.P. Munjal – Priya Kumar with foreword by Ram Charan (Penguin, Rs. 399).

Here is another journey of an Indian whose vision changed Independent India in more ways than one. When O.P. Munjal started Hero Cycles in 1956, fuelled by meagre resources and an insatiable ambition, he did so with the sole intention of making India more mobile. He did it – and how!

His vision was to create an inexpensive and effective mode of transport for a post-independence nation on the move. Today, it’s common knowledge that Hero Cycles went on to become the world’s largest bicycle manufacturer.

This book chronicles the life and times of O.P. Munjal through anecdotes from his professional and personal life. He proved that a people-focussed management style could be superior to the process-driven systems of the West. The book is a result of extensive conversations with Munjal, Hero employees, dealers and family members.

Priya takes you on a roller-coaster ride as seen through the lens of a visionary with the soul of a poet.

* * *

A Strange Kind of Paradise – Sam Miller (Rs. 599).

Down the ages, much of India’s history has come to be recorded thanks to the thoughtful writings of foreign travellers. Fa’hien, Ibn Batuta, Vasco Da Gama, Marco Polo… their first-person accounts of life in an ancient country that was filled with riches have paved the way for both societal dogmas and cultural rendezvous.

In this fascinating book, Miller features many foreign chroniclers, exposes a few of their fantasies, and dismisses long-held stereotypes about race, identity and migration. He examines how the ancient Greeks, the Romans, the Chinese, Arabs, Africans, Europeans and Americans imagined India. There are also accounts by the more recent travellers, like Mark Twain, E.M. Forster, Allen Ginsberg, the Beatles and Steve Jobs. Interspersed between these tales is Miller’s own story of his 25-year-long love affair with India.

This spellbinding 2,500-year-long journey through history, culture and society, does not just fascinate but is also a wonderful academic and scholarly record. And, yes, there are many, many moments when you burst out laughing!

Take this journey, it’s worth it!