On the Self

Jaipur Nama: Tales from the Pink CityBy Giles TillotsonPenguin, Price: Rs 295THE Pink City usually attracts vibrant descriptions. Giles Till...

Driving Holidays in the Himalayas: uttaranchal
By Koko Singh
Rupa 038; Co, Price: Rs 595
THIS is a good navigator for your journey up the hills. It has a bit of history, a bit of culture and, of course, travel tips. It8217;s not all about winding roads, snowcapped peaks and blushing rhododendrons though. And neither is it all about Garhwal8217;s Famous Four: the char dhams. Driving Holidays chalks out your route to the exquisite but neglected temples at Dwarahat and other temple towns of Uttaranchal.

The state8217;s colonial legacy is explored too. At Mukteshwar, the 8216;8216;town of lovely quaint buildings,8217;8217; writes author Koko Singh, 8216;8216;the library at the 1898 Indian Veterinary Research Institute has an interesting feature8212;the foot-rest for the reading tables is a brass pipe that used to circulate hot water to keep your feet warm as you read!8217;8217;

The makeover of Nainital from a beautiful but not known town to the overbuilt hill station that it is today is well-documented. As is the traditional rivalry between the Kumaonis and Garhwalis.

So if you are hill friendly, get this crash course on Uttaranchal and jump into the driving seat.

Jaipur Nama: Tales from the Pink City
By Giles Tillotson
Penguin, Price: Rs 295
THE Pink City usually attracts vibrant descriptions. Giles Tillotson8217;s delightful story of the city established by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh in the 1720s, is one told by visitors and residents. Some labels are flattering, others anything but that.

Austrian Jesuit Joseph Tieffenthaler8217;s account of Jaipur dating perhaps to 1750, is one of the earliest by a European author. He wrote: 8216;8216;Certainly this city, while being new, is also the most beautiful8230;8217;8217;

A century later in the 1880s, archaeologist H.B.W. Garrick who visited Jaipur was eloquent in his criticism. And no, he did not find the city pretty in pink. 8216;8216;I made a very short stay at the modern Jaipur, which city is uninteresting archaeologically, and, in the rigid angularity of its plan, excessively ugly8230;Matters are not by any means improved by the universal coat of pink colour wash often rendered more hideous and paltry by floral ornamentation in whitewash which the buildings en masse appear to have received.8217;8217;

From architectural plans to palace intrigues, Jaipur Nama maps out the city for you, brick by brick.