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WHAT’S IN
Dreaming Vishnus
Dreaming Vishnus is an account of the author Vikramjit
Ram’s journey through parts of the sunny bowels of our
great nation. I would categorise it as narrative nonfi
ction. He travels through Madhya Pradesh and bits of
Uttar Pradesh as he satisfi es his passion for seeing and inquiring
about tucked away sculptures and their intriguing stories. One of
its appeals lies in the fact that it would interest people with varied
strengths and likes. A writer, a designer, a photographer and an
architect and even a traveller would all enjoy the book.
This book with an enchanting title that attracted my hurried senses
on a busy day, turned out to be a reminder to sit back, take a minute
and step into one of the shaded stages of a crumbling edifi ce the
writer seems to be so fond of. Over the next few days of snatching
guilty moments between work I travelled with the author in auto
rickshaws, ramshackle jeeps, met sour faced cooks with pregnant
wives in guest houses, the cousin with the ‘loving name Guddu’,
runaway man, aubergine, Hawk eye and many more fi nely drawn
characters.
The use of words to showcase the speed and its
continuous variation is a strength of the book.
The pace of the book changes with the authors
availability of transport, his worries or otherwise,
his sensibilities and his organization. The frantic
speed of an auto and the words used to describe
the racing scenery and at times a leisurely walk
to a shrine, both manage to convey a palpable
sense of the excitement that Vikramjit Ram
is feeling. His search for ‘Eran’ and as he later
learnt ‘Eh Run’ is one that will put you through a
roller coaster ride of emotions and discoveries. I
restrained myself from hitting Google search to
find out more about the place and waited to find
it with Vikramjit. It was worth the wait. His words
clearly etched out his long stay on his heart to
visit Eran and somehow he weaved in the reader
The other feature of this book which leads me to strongly recommend
it is author’s eye for detail. I but expected it, as the writer is also a
designer. What made me enjoy the book was the minutely etched
details of co passengers on trains, the colours of leaves, and the
colours of a certain day refl ecting off the colour of the sandstone
or granite a sculpture may be made of. I impatiently looked forward
to him reaching every destination as I knew he would once again
and very expertly embark on a loving and careful description of the
structure he is visiting. One such example, “In the shadow of the
shrine sits a larger than life image of the Buddha, described with
remarkable tenderness. The circular aura to the head presents
concentric bands of delicate lotus motifs. A half-smile lights his
serene face.” He attends to each stony faced god or goddess he
meets with equal grace and devotion, signifi cant or the opposite,
and the result is a sense of utter awe and respect once again for
the history of our nation and that of silly ignorance that so much is
living hidden, in lanes, behind old sign boards, in towns that people
say don’t exist and on top of dry brown hillocks.
Vishnu’s image keeps cropping up through his
travels and the author describes it best when he
writes in Dashavatara, “It’s a recumbent fi gurerendered
lifelike and to near human scale. A
trick of the light has touched the sleeping face
with the hint of a smile. It is the single most
stunning sight I have ever seen.”
The writer loved his journey and his mastery
over words have communicated this effectively
and has ensured a fantastic read. As my eyes
encountered the last line, “ A new day begins
to unfold in detail.”, I was disappointed that my
thirst for more won’t be quenched. I am left with
a strange sense of having visited bits of Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and I must say I
am quite enjoying this feeling!
Pick up the book I would say….!