A Compelling Read on
North East India

chillibreeze writer — Anita Rao Kashi

Need an editable PowerPoint map of North East India

For most Indians, especially those in the ‘mainstream,’ the country’s North East is uncharted territory. It occupies the same psychological place as it does geographically – in a corner, largely forgotten or ignored. The region also occupies a rather unique position: taken together, 98 % of their collective boundaries border foreign countries! Yet the region seldom figures on the vacation lists of tourists and this is further enhanced by the lack of any proper material available. In a situation like this, organised information on this region makes for compelling reading. North East: India’s Paradox Worth Visiting by James M Perry, a self-confessed ‘cultural nomad’ is one such. That it’s an e-book and carried in e-form or printed out makes it that much more convenient.

It is evident from the beginning that the author knows what he is talking about. The North Eastern states comprising Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura are among the country’s most neglected, misunderstood and inaccessible areas. Travelling, gathering information, researching and collating them could not have been an easy task and is truly commendable.

North East: India’s Paradox Worth Visiting is not merely a travel guide, though it serves adequately as one. Its appeal lies in the fact that it is suitable for the real as well as arm chair traveller. What makes the book more interesting is that it attempts to go beyond the mere surface and provides insights into why and how the region is both different and similar from the rest of the country.

The book is structured in such a manner that it provides general and tourist information about each of the eight states, packing in history, information and related aspects such as art, culture and lifestyle. There are various dimensions to each of the states which make them so interesting: festivals, rules and regulations, traditions, such as the snippets about the Naga headhunting days or the rules of the Khasi tribe. The latter part of the book is devoted to tours which can be taken in this region, how to get the best out of your visit, the cuisine of the region, aspects of cultural biodiversity, permits that are required and such others. To relieve the monotony, the book is generously speckled with bits of interesting information like ferocity of the Naga chilli and anecdotes from personal trips. All this not only makes for interesting reading, but brings immediacy to the whole experience.

Nevertheless, a couple of minor discrepancies mar an otherwise superb effort. It is a bit jarring, and confusing as well, to stumble upon spelling inconsistencies (For eg., is the river called Jiabharali or Jia Bhoroli?) and grammatical errors which appear to be the result of proof-reading oversight. Though the frequent ‘top 5’ intersperses seem a good idea, it is a bit disconcerting to read a tit bit about another state without knowing anything about it, like the information nugget on Naga Konyak tribes in the section on Assam. I wonder if there was a better of organising these nuggets. Just some small stumbling blocks in an otherwise smooth and enchanting road.

PS: Chillibreeze is currently reviewing the eBook for proof reading discrepancies in light of the above review

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in April, 2010. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Anita is a travel and food writer based in Bangalore, who worked for 12 years in the rough and tumble of daily reporting with The Times of India before going freelance. Her travels have taken her to some of the most fascinating countries but she’s realized nothing compares to India. Apart from writing for various magazines and newspapers, she has worked on travel and food guides.

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A Compelling Read on North East India

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A Compelling Read on
North East India