Book reviewer Tanika Singh said, “It is the voice of a child that seems to echo.”
Tanika reviewed the travelogue by Alok Ranjan Jha ‘Siyahat- Yatraien Khatam Nahi Hoti’. The author Alok Ranjan Jha has been honoured with ‘Navlekhan Award’ for the year 2017 by Jnanpith for his Travelogue titled ‘Siyahat’. The reader during her expedition via reading has made an attempt to interpret the nuances of writing through an analysis.
She said that the travelogue is author’s quest to travel to ‘Dhanushkoti’; memorising about the origin of ‘bijapur ka gol gumbaj and then how public display of this learning which would bring smile and pride to his grandparent. Many analogies have been made by the author connecting his childhood experiences with the observations and moments of ecstasy.
As the travelogue moves ahead, a transition is seen in the emotional being of the author. A glimpse of it is reflected in various instances. The reader nowhere feels that this piece is a monologue whereas a dialogue with the self and the nature. There exists a perfect calm in the face of all circumstances and the author is trying to look beyond the surface value of physical happenings. An attempt has been made by the reader to view Language as a difference and not as a barrier.
Good food writing can make the mouth water, the nose tingle, and the stomach growl. There is a strong evocation of interpersonal connect which the author wishes to build whoever crosses his path. Towards the end, the author leaves its readers with a mind-altering question. The frame of mind of the reader that he or she is in has a direct relationship with how they imbibe the essence of this writing.