Travelogue
By Jaladhar Sen. Translated from the original Bengali by Somdatta Mandal
I found myself revisiting the happy days of my childhood and the cherished memories of my youth’ (p. 158). Time collapses, ‘I momentarily forgot the sorrow, suffering, and hardships endured along the journey’ (p. 163). Sen’s receptivity to the divine surfaces despite his scepticism: ‘This beautiful, harmonious sound did not arise from any earthly musical instrument, rather, it seemed to flow into the ears of the pilgrims like a divine congratulatory hymn’ (p. 182). Why ‘congratulatory’? For reaching the final destination or attaining the peace that his bruised soul craved? Perhaps it brought a readiness to return to worldly pursuits.
By Shahnaz Habib
Habib’s anecdote about her trip to Paris with her partner and the insurmountable barriers encountered by her will certainly hit home to residents of a Third World country! The anxiety to ensure that her travel comes through by the end of the chapter will meanwhile compel the reader to encounter a degree of racial discrimination that the travel industry rests upon. And so, through a series of examples