Book: On The Way..They Gave a Hand
Author: Payel Dutta
Genre: Travel | Story
Format: Kindle Edition
Pages: 101
Price on Amazon: INR 98
“Wherever we go becomes a part of you somehow” … This has been the quintessence of the book “On The Way..They Gave a Hand”. Whereas most of us travel to discover places and remember the sights, very often we tend to forget the stories that we collect while interacting with various people along the journey. Payel has beautifully recounted her chronicles from her solo travelogue that reminds us that a trip is not only about visiting destinations but also accumulating the interesting tales we create with the people we come across.
About the Author
Passionate about traveling, and more so ‘A solo one’, Payel Dutta has discovered her dream through her expeditions, collecting and accepting all the surprises life had to offer along the way. Breaking the restraints of spinning funny thoughts of the mind, she has poured out her impressions from her travel tales in the most interesting manner.
The Book
The four-liner foreword seems to have aptly summed up her journey of ‘Breaking the shackles and driving to pursue her dreams’. These few lines speak a lot!
Every chapter in the book begins with an engrossing title that immediately spikes interest in the reader. One can’t help but be prompted to devour the book and relish the lovely stories delineated in these segments. While every episode introduces the reader to a wonderful travel destination, the incidents from the travel diaries of the writer keep you hooked to the narration.
The ease of presenting these stories conversationally is most fascinating, engaging, and indulging. The narrative has a mix of all emotions and one can hardly wipe off a constant smile on the face while reading them. The narratives give an immersive experience to the readers.
Whether it was the thrill of being featured in the Times of India entertainment section with her ‘brilliant Kerala host’, or the ‘communication’ rather ‘no communication’ in Kerala experience; whether it was the welcoming ‘Candidasa in Bali’ or the toothless gummy smiles from Marari; whether it was the fun ‘cruising to Holland’ or discovering India in Indonesia; Payel has reminisced the experiences of her sojourns in the most captivating way.
The stories not only narrate her experiences and exchanges during the trips but also introduce some prudent thoughts and learnings along the way.
Quoting the author from her book-
“There’s always learning from a journey, right?”
“Your gratitude exalts your honour so wear it with pride. And never forget to un-box your naturally gifted senses before stepping out of your house”
“Meeting strangers and making new friends is one side of the travel fun, but how about discovering the unknown side of the known ones coming de-shelled and making you shell-shocked?”
Stories that stood out for me
While every chapter is fresh and is narrated in a uniquely individual style of storytelling, and I enjoyed reading and re-reading all of them several times, the ones that touched my heart are – “That Japanese Smile”, “The Knowledge Trader”, “The Girl at the Night Bus”, “Learning Sensibility”, “Zany We Were Together”, and “Unparalleled Andaman”.
Craving some more?
Most of the stories end at a heartwarming note, but some of them just leave the reader yearning and aspiring to know more. While some instances and characters spear the mind to the cliffhangers like ‘what might have happened next’, I would actually love to find out more about those.
Concluding remarks
To visit some delightful destinations, both from India and abroad, and for a mesmeric experience with the people, culture, and the places, “On The Way..They Gave a Hand” provides a complete package. Dive into a mix of funny, emotional, disheartening, and cheering, all at once, tales from the writer’s journal, and explore the venues in this entrancing book.
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