The golden stupa and chatri of Doi Sutep Temple in Chiang-Mai, Thailand

For most of my life, I lived in Asia–well, South Asia to be exact. India is such a vast part of the continent that it takes almost a whole lifetime to see just that peninsular alone! I was fortunate to have covered a great deal of it while still a child in the company of my parents and brothers on summer vacations. As an adult, I chose to major in Literature in English from the Indian sub-continent–a field that has taken me on several forays into India. After my emigration to the United States and my work at New York Univeristy began, I led travel courses to Asia that included India and Nepal. The courses on South Asian Studies that I teach at NYU today tie in with all the travel experiences I have gleaned as a native of India and as a scholar. In January of 2008, I will be leading a Study Tour to India for the Pequot Library in Southport, Connecticut, where I conducted a series of discussions on Post-Colonial Literature from the Indian sub-continent. This promises to be only the first of several such private tours that I shall lead in the years to come. Please click on the link below to view our Itinerary.

Pequot Library Trip to India, January 2008

Our group will be traveling to India on the Palace on Wheels, a luxurious train that once belonged to a Maharaja of Rajasthan. Superbly equipped with comfortable bedroom suites, each including an attached bath, and two restaurants on board that offer a selection of Indian, Continental and Chinese cuisine, the train ranks as one of the finest in the world. As it traverses the varied terrain of Northern India, it will make stops at the most important sites of tourist interest such as the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Ranthampore Tiger Sanctuary for a safari that will serve the interests of animal lovers, the Keoladev Bird Sanctuary that offers a glimpse of migrant birds from as far away as Siberia, the palaces and forts of the erstwhile Maharajas, bustling cities and rustic village hamlets forrgotten by Time.

To learn more about the Palace on Wheels, please click here.

India

Come  fly with me into the Asian skies, home of centuries-old history, multiple languages, colorful rituals and cultural traditions, spicy cuisine and astonishing art and architecture. In India, my homeland, you will discover secrets known only to a few. Taste the culinary creations  of the best kebab maker  in all Delhi and pick the most exquisite handwoven carpets in Jaipur without paying a Maharaja’s ransom . Walk with me through the crowded streets of Bombay, the beloved city of my birth, and take in the marvels of its Victorian Gothic monuments including Elphinston College where I was a student and the Victorian Terminus Railway Station where I boarded commuter trains to my home in the suburbs. Let’s explore the Islamic masoleums of Agra and Emperor Akbar’s astounding sandstone city of Fatehpur Sikhri in the north. Let’s peak inside the shore temples of the Pallavas and the Cholas near the Tamilian city of Madras (Chennai) in the South. We shall walk in the holy footsteps of the Buddha at Sarnath and dally by mirror-clear lakes in the frosty Himalayan air of Kashmir. In Goa, we shall revel in the old-world Portuguese ambience of stucco cathedrals, then laze on golden tropical beaches. And don’t let’s forget Rajasthan, celebrated State of Kings with its pink and blue cities and wildly colored textiles. Then, when you have had your fill of the Indian experience, fly further away with me towards the mysteries of East Asia.

South East Asia

In Singapore, we shall pursue colonial British history in a traditional Malay setting. In Thailand, we will traipse around the congested streets of Bangkok in a tuk-tuk only to discover surprisingly quiet retreats in wooden teak houses built on stilts. At the Golden Triangle, we shall rendez-vous at the confluence of three countries on the banks of the legendary Mekong River. In the Lanna regions of Chiang-Mai and Chiang-Rai, we shall enter gigantic Buddhist wats that will take your breath away with their towering golden Buddhas and the lowly humility of their clean-shaven monks. We shall walk on the bridge over the infamous River Kwai-ai and ride the Ghost Train into the emerald-green rice fields of Kanchanburi, clad constantly in gossamer light mists.

Take your pick of the offerings below and speed off to Asia on the wings of  your imagination. Enter the exotic world of Asia where cultures collide.