“Travelling – It leaves you speechless , then turns you into a story teller”
-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 my second travelogue in the past 8 months after ‘Wonders of the Holy Land’ by Carlo Giorgi – a book bought by my better half on one of his official trips to Israel.
The book cover of ‘Rambles into Sacred Realms’ in itself is captivating with a play of “light and shadow’ captured so very perfectly on canvas by the writer, that it imparts 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 sceptical when I started with the book as it was devoid of photos captured during travel which are so synonymous with books based on Travel stories! Instead it promised sketches done by the writer cum painter. However, all my doubts were put to rest the moment I started reading, which included the below play of words with great panache in the very first chapter on Belize :
“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 are the intricate and thought provoking sketches especially the Scratchboard masterpieces , apart from the powerful prose that kindles the imagination of the reader. It made me imagine the landscape, the descriptions , the history through its colours and finesse, thanks to the teasers in the sort of paintings! Be it the caves at Belize or the monuments and temples at Sukhothai – as one reads the poetic lines and descriptions, one is bound to co-relate the places described to similar places of historic importance in our own country that in turn makes one realize the importance of preserving our culture and monuments! Like, when I was reading 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. May be if the book had photographs, I would not have been able to imagine and co relate these two because the snaps would have hindered my thought process and imagination would have had a natural death!
Apart from the sketches and wonderful descriptions, the book also boasts of anecdotes, humorous incidents and some fine lines such as the below ones:
“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)
Being a South Indian myself, I could so much relate with the situation faced by the writer pertaining to his South Indian name in one of the chapters! Also, the influence of Indian religious figures can be assessed by the mention of a SaiBaba devotee stumbled upon by the writer in a remote place in Mexico!
I only have positives to write about this book but for one rue- of not reading a hard bound copy of it while reviewing!
Overall, this book is a Collector’s and a Traveller’s Must Have that will lure the readers into visiting the realms mentioned across its pages. Something spooky about having read this book is , that in the past couple of days – there are some more new sites which have been discovered and excavated in two of the sites mentioned in the book : Ancient cities have further been discovered in Angkor Wat and mysterious structure has been found at Petra! Many more to be unravelled of the Sacred Realms, I guess !!
“Rambles into Sacred Realms” is a pictorial story narrated through the canvas called ‘Travel’ ! Do grab a copy and 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 copy from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.’
☕️ 
This edition of Rambles into Sacred Realms was published by Shanti Arts Publishing in the US, not by Inkhorn. To purchase this book in the US, go to http://www.shantiarts.com. It is also available on Amazon.
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If this comment is with respect to the book cover,then I was working on and uploading the Cover for the Indian version while you commented.
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