Ek Kalamchir Safarnama by Agni Roy [Hardcover]

From Oman's Golden Shores to the Blue Winds of the Bosphorus.

From Uganda, the source of the Nile, to the cowboy lands of Arizona. From the green seas of Papua New Guinea to Brussels, the land of Tintin. The fascinating experiences of a journalist who journeyed behind the dateline are now within the covers of a book.

This is not just a travelogue covering fourteen carefully chosen countries. This book captures the essence of these nations—their societies, politics, diplomacy, diverse marketplaces, cuisine, and, most importantly, the history of their ordinary people.

Where the melancholic beauty of Persian women, with eyes like the blue of the Caspian Sea, merges with the silent cries of elderly babushkas in Moscow, selling worn-out gloves in the bitter cold. Where the scent of Ethiopian coffee drifts past a gossip-filled shop in a small Sri Lankan town, and the flavors of Belgium’s home-cooked delicacies—escargots with white wine, cream, and garlic—come alive.

It includes reportage sent from a Kathmandu cut off from the world after a royal coup and stories from Taliban-controlled Swat Valley on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Five of these writings were previously published in Sharadiya Anandabazar, Sananda Travel Edition, and Anandabazar’s Sunday Special. The remaining nine travelogues make their debut in this book.