The Road East to India

This book is a diary written in 1975 and 1976 by Devika Rosamund about her journey to and around India and Sri Lanka. At the time of writing Devika was 22 years old and after graduating from university had spent a year teaching. Since an early age she had always had a deep fascination with India and it was her ambition to go there at the first practical opportunity.

The diary begins in 1975 in Amsterdam where the author is doing a number of menial jobs trying to save money for the journey to India. At the time an inexpensive option to get there was via the famous magic bus route, a six week overland journey by bus via Turkey, Iran Afghanistan and Pakistan. Of course such a journey along a similar route would be quite unthinkable today. Thus the diary can also be viewed as an interesting historical record of a time that has passed.

This diary contains interesting anecdotes of the journey on the bus including a short stay in Istanbul. However once Iran is reached a decision is made to leave the bus and continue the journey by local transport through the remainder of Iran and then Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are some interesting insights into all of these countries.

Once in India, the journey continues around the country by mainly third class railway accommodation and local buses giving the journey a real sense of authenticity. Devika mainly stays in cheap hostels and hotels or occasionally with local people she has met along the way. All the main tourist sights are covered as can be expected including the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple of Amritsar and the toy train railway in Darjeeling.

It was very unusual for a single woman to be undertaking such a journey at this time and one of the reoccurring themes of the diary is the unsolicited and unwelcome advances that she encounters from both fellow male travellers whom she teams up with at times and also certain male members of the local population.

Poverty is an omnipresent theme and so is the continual danger of falling ill on such a journey. A visit is made to the famous Missionaries of Charity motherhouse in Kolkata and there are musings on the practical applications of some of Mother Teresa's beliefs in particular her opposition to birth control.

Devika describes Sri Lanka has the enchanted island and does not want to leave there. It is compared very favourably to India. There is no indication of the conflict that would engulf the country in a bloody civil war in 1983 with an estimated 100,000.00 deaths. Perhaps that is the problem with travel you do not get a real insight into a country unless you live there for a number of years.

This is though fundamentally a spiritual journey culminating in a stay at the famous OSHO International Meditation Resort in Pune. It can be said that from this stay the author's awareness of herself changed.

I would personally recommend this book to all who are interested in travel, history and also spirituality. I certainly enjoyed the read.