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"A journey to India . . . is quite unlike a journey to any other land . . ." -- this sentiment expresses the `uniqueness` of a visitor`s experience of India. For, among other things, India is a perpetual mystery to him from the beginning; he wades through the mystique and out of it; and he is never free of it.
For Mr. Tzannis Tzannetakis, a former Prime Minister of Greece, India is this and much more. His informal experiences presented here are diverse and steeped in the historic-cultural flavour special to India. He sees its centuries-old palaces, forts of ancient maharajas, of the glorious Mughals; the unparalleled cave monuments of Ajanta-Ellora with their exquisite carvings, the breathtaking sculptural decorations and the architectural `dream` of Khajuraho; the grandeur of the Taj, a wonder in white marble; the exotic deserts of Jaisalmer; the heart of holy India, Banaras, with the ever-flowing Ganga; the marvel of Delhi which amalgamates the old and the new. His response is, likewise, rich with a range of tones; he not only admires the material landmarks of ancient India but breathes in the `spirit` of the past -- the old delight, the royal romance, the dignity, valour in that chivalry . . . His is not simply a `discovery` of India but an analysis of India`s `time-tested` values and its `modern` message in order to understand India in the real sense -- its unique past; the India of today, of the traditional and the modern; and the India of the future . . . its goals, aspirations.
The author`s tone is wonder-struck but, at the same time, genuine and realistic. He captures the `essential` India -- and not just its forms and colours -- to present a delightful, critical and sensitive picture.
ISBN : 9788124600832
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Pages : 192
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