“Travelling – It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller”
-Ibn Battuta
‘Rambles into Sacred Realms’ is a travelogue by Krish V Krishnan, that was sent by WritersMelon in exchange for my honest review. This is the second in the travelogue series, that I have started exploring. The first book is ‘Wonders of the Holy Land’ by Carlo Giorgi – a book bought by my better half during his official trips to Israel.
Book review of Rambles into Sacred Realms
The book cover of ‘Rambles into Sacred Realms’ has a captivating sketch made by the writer himself, who has well-played with light and shadow on canvas, thus imparting sanctity to the already sacred city. Well, you did read it right! Call Krish.V.Krishnan an author or an artist or both, one is bound to be enthralled thoroughly by both his ‘words and sketches’.
Honestly, I, for one, was a little skeptical when at first I flipped through the pages of the book. It was devoid of photos captured during travels! Aren’t photographs synonymous with books based on travel stories? Instead, this book promised sketches done by the writer and painter par excellence. However, the below cascade of words (with great panache) in the very first chapter on Belize, sort of sealed my doubts :
“Torches in hands, muttering arcane incantations, the shamans who had been feasting on hallucinogenic mushrooms would have splashed into these very waters with their hapless victims, effortlessly navigating their way through the rushing current and razor-sharp stones. Their tall headdresses, laden with feathers of the sacred quetzal bird, must have slowed them down. The fervent chants of this ominous entourage drowned in the cacophony of the gushing waters” ( Excerpt From Krish V. Krishnan. “Rambles into Sacred Realms.” Inkhorn Publishers. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright)
The USP of the book is in its intricate and thought-provoking sketches, especially of the Scratchboard masterpieces. This, apart from the powerful prose that rekindles a reader’s imagination. The descriptions left powerful imagery of the landscape, and a sense of the history of a destination, through its colours and finesse, thanks to the teasers in the form of paintings.
Be it the caves of Belize or the monuments and temples of Sukhothai – as I read through the poetic lines and descriptions, I was compelled to co-relate the places described to similar places of historic importance in our own country, that in turn made me realize the importance of preserving our culture and heritage. For example, when I was reading about Belize, I was reminded of the Borra Caves nearby to Visakhapatnam in India. Also of the Drona caves nearer to Dehradun, where we had to wade through waters, to reach the cave. Maybe if the book had photographs, I would not have been forced to imagine and co-relate these two, as the clicks would have hindered my thought process, and ultimately my imagination would have faced a natural death!
Apart from the sketches and wonderful descriptions, the book also boasts of anecdotes, humorous incidents, and some fine lines–
“I waited for what seemed like an hour, braving the relentless onslaught of mosquitoes. A Japanese tourist caused a commotion when a large beetle disappeared into her dress and could be dislodged only by a vigorous dance that was a bit incongruous against this calm setting.”
“In this expanse of a spectacular jungle, I was but a small brush stroke in nature’s endless canvas.” (Excerpt From: Krish V. Krishnan. “Rambles into Sacred Realms.” Inkhorn Publishers. iBooks. This material may be protected by copyright)
As a south-Indian myself, I could so much relate to the situation faced by the writer pertaining to his south-Indian name in one of the chapters. Also, the worldwide influence of prominent Indian religious figures could be assessed by the author’s mention of a ‘SaiBaba devotee’ at a remote Mexican village!
I only have positives in this review on Rambles of Sacred Realms but for one rue- of not reading a hardbound copy of it while reviewing!
Overall, this book is a collector’s and a traveller’s ‘Must-Have’, that’s sure to lure readers into visiting the realms mentioned inside its pages. Coincidentally, in the last couple of days, a few new sites have been discovered and excavated at two of the sites mentioned in the book. Ancient cities have further been discovered in Angkor Wat and a mysterious structure has been found at Petra. Many more to be unravelled of the Sacred Realms, ain’t it?
“Rambles into Sacred Realms” is a pictorial narration through captivating frames of a vibrant canvas called ‘travel’. Do grab a copy, as it’s worth the bucks. I am already keeping a watch on the writer’s next, to grab a ‘collector’s copy’ without fail.
I give this book a rating of 5 / 5!
Title of the Book: RAMBLES INTO SACRED REALMS
Author Name: KRISH V. KRISHNAN
ISBN: 978-81-931940-1-0
Category: Travel – Essays & Travelogues
Publishers: InkHorn Publishing India
‘I received a free digital copy from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’
