Booksology Years ago, long before vlog blogs and Instagram reels were around. A time when readers were enlightened only through print media. If you want to know about the new vehicles coming to the market, you should look at Manorama’s Fasttrack column. Auto enthusiasts eagerly waited for Fasttrack on Thursdays, with the name Santosh on the byline and the beautiful Malayalam captions below. Santhosh gave story and life to the vehicle posts which could have been boring and mechanical. In continuation of the column, the book ‘Test Drive’ was also published by Santosh in 2011. After a long period of book silence, I met him again through ‘Solo’. Through the travel stories of a solitary traveler across the seven seas and back.
Santhosh’s language has the magic of turning the reader into a fellow traveler when he starts reading. Automata are at the same time conversations with an imaginary companion. Santhosh does not lead the reader alone through the brick pavements of Charlottesville, the gardens of Monticello, and the mythology of Alexandria, where ghostly ghosts roam. How right the author hints in the introduction that ‘Solo’ is more than a travelogue of a solitary traveller. It is a walk with the reader.
The strength of Santhosh’s writing is close observation, not eloquence. This introversion is not a characteristic of a traveler. But the reader is the beneficiary throughout the book. The visual beauty of the sights is not lost at all. Tasting a club sandwich and Napa wine at a classic restaurant in Napa is just one example. Many such explanations can be found in the book.
‘Solo’ does not take us to places or sights that no one has seen before. The specialty of ‘Solo’ is some historical facts, anecdotes, anecdotes, original observations and interesting comparisons discovered by the journalist’s interest in history and innate research skills. That is the relevance of these travelogues.
‘Solo’ tells the story of Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, which not many have heard. At the height of their romance, Jefferson was infatuated with Sally Hemings, a slave woman who was the half-sister of the president’s first wife, and granted her freedom in Paris. However, in the passion of love, Sally returned to the life of slavery in America. There is a journalist’s keenness to trace the roots of this love story during conversations with Gale Jessop, Sally’s fourth generation, during a visit to Monticello.
How many people know that the mayor of Houston, Missouri is a Malayali? Visiting Kottayam native Mayor Robin Ilakatt in his office, Houston’s history, social life and politics are described in the chapter ‘Missouri City Knows Malayalam’. Galveston, Thiruvananthapuram’s sister city, should be introduced to Malayalee readers for the first time through ‘Solo’.
In this way, observations and speculations about the places and the people who live there are intermingled and the journeys become insightful life lessons. If you look at it that way, ‘Solo’ opens small windows for introspection here and there.
Food varieties and their brief history and sometimes cuisine can be enjoyed to the fullest ‘solo’. Mongolian food in New York Wall Street, Mexican sandwiches in Dallas, vintage wine in Napa Valley, exquisite ballast beer and snacks in Virginian outdoor restaurants, Long Island ice tea, Southern Americana in Southern Steel, blueberry ice creams and drinks in Shanando Park, cocktails in Petit Maribet, Virginia Stfood, 18th century A variety of southern chicken dishes at Mickey’s Tavern, biscuits, fruit juice at Toastique Boutique Restaurant in Alexandria, avocado and salmon dishes at Hooters Girls in Missouri City, five-star buffet at Carnival Glory, Swiss chocolate at Cologne, and other traditional German dishes A feast of cures Preparing ‘Solo’.
The graphic, glossy paper, and the contrasting and mesmerizing images make ‘Solo’ a coffee table book and a serious read for those who want to travel to places like New York, the Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Virginia, Alexandria, Switzerland, Sweden and Germany.
It is a must-have book for those who are preparing for ‘solo’ trips, in addition to articles, they introduce information such as what to prepare while leaving, how to book vehicles and hotels profitably, and what to see when you get there. Published by Manorama Books through Horthus Edition, ‘Solo’ can be kept forever as a reference book in the library and can be proudly gifted to anyone.
(The writer is Assistant Professor at Maharaja’s College)
To order ‘Solo’ visit www.manoramabooks.com. Orders can be made at Malayalam Manorama Unit Offices, Manorama Agents, and via WhatsApp on 8281765432. The book is also available on Amazon.
