An Indian OdysseyMartin Buckley Hutchinson, £18.99
The Ramayana is India's best-loved story, but virtually unknown in Europe. It tells the story of the journey of Rama, an exiled prince hunting for his kidnapped wife, in an Asian equivalent to The Odyssey or the Táin Bó Cúailnge. It is more than a fairy tale; it has become a flashpoint for Indian politics, and disputes surrounding its locations have claimed an estimated 13,000 lives since 1992.
Martin Buckley has attempted to retrace the physical journey of Rama through India to Sri Lanka. The route is a constant source of dispute between Indologists, and this is a rich account of a country bursting with piety and mysticism, where Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, mystics, idealists and charlatans all try to carve out their own niche.
Buckley has interspersed the passages with his own translated excerpts of the Ramayana and, in this way, the book functions as a story of India, wrapped in a fairy tale, hidden in an often perilous and fascinating road-trip diary.
Essential stuff, then, that brings the reader into the heart of the Indian subcontinent.
Mumbai GoaTime Out, £12.99
Mumbai is where India meets the west, a clash of cultures that crackles with energy; Goa has long been the party paradise for the backpacking tourist, a laid-back oasis in a country of bustle. In this way, the guide book is a composition of opposites, but makes for an intriguing two-handed trip. The pages are dripping with colour and packed sections hustle and harry the reader, pulling at your sleeves and leading you down back alleys with promises of a vibrant Indian experience. Very appetising stuff indeed.