I’ve just finished The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, which is an interesting & funny read. It’s the story of Balram Halwal, a poor village boy from the Delhi area, who becomes the driver to ‘The Mongoose’ & his rich family. Balram has a very humorous & insightful perspective on modern Indian society & invites you to India from the eyes of a local. He talks about the craziness of his country, the corruption, the 34,000 gods…..& he does it with large dose of Indian humour.

We actually spent time with a driver like Balram, when we were graciously given several nights in a posh hotel in Mumbai at the end of our last trip. He was a smart & amiable chap who took us on a fascinating tour of his city, but he also spoke openly about the problems facing India. Just like Balram, he told us about the hardships he faced – he spends four hours commuting every day to & from his tiny flat on the outskirts of Mumbai & uses his two weeks’ holiday on his annual trip to see his wife & kids in Kerala. His story made my heart sink. It was one of those moments which made me think how lucky & free we are in the West. And freedom is a theme which runs throughout The White Tiger. I’d always wondered how an Indian would be willing to swap the wonderful, warm paradise of Kerala for a much colder & greyer life in the UK, but now it made sense. However, White Tiger also reminded me again what a beautiful & fascinating country India is & I can’t wait to return & meet Balram again.

Life of Pi is a visual feast & a real heart-warming treat, not to mention a film which more than justifies the introduction of 3D. It’s a beautiful story of a young Indian boy called Pi, who must overcome the hardest of challenges as he’s left floating across the ocean in a life raft with a Bengal Tiger. The feelings & thoughts of Pi alongside the colours, sounds & wonderful animals throughout made this the most touching film I’ve seen for while. The story also has more than a few similarities to Hemingway’s Old Man & The Sea. The film also opens in lush green Pondicherry & with the references to it’s French colonial past, I wanted to discover more about the history of this town in Tamil Nadu, Southern India.

Pondicherry formed part of French India, which covered a great stretch of the Eastern coast of India from the 17th century right up until 1956. Ports were built here by the French East India Company in order to compete with their well established British & Dutch rivals in shipping silk, spices & sugar back to Europe. Nowadays, according to Matt Gross (Pondicherry’s French Connection, 2008), Pondicherry ‘is like India seen through a French lens……you see tile roofs and wooden shutters, balconies and colonnades, wide brick streets and pastel Catholic churches’. There’s even boules, baguettes & the Tricolor! And you can learn & see more from Rick Stein’s fascinating travels to the city here, 38 minutes in….

Indian musical legend Ravi Shankar sadly died yesterday aged 92, but he will always hold a special place in my heart for his impact on some of my favourite British music. I especially love the Indian flavour to the brilliant Revolver lp by the Beatles.

Ravi started young, touring Europe & the United States with the dance group of his brother, Uday, from the age of ten & learned to dance & play various indian instruments whilst embracing western music & culture.

He returned to India as World War II grew closer & looked to concentrate solely on Indian classical music, notably the sitar. By the mid 40s, he began to record music for radio & HMV India & by the mid 50’s, he was composing music for legendary film director, Satyajit Ray & his Apu Trilogy.

Shankar’s reputation was now growing internationally & by the 60’s, his music was inspiring the Byrds, the Beatles & the Rolling Stones amongst others. He continued to flourish as an international artist, including work with Philip Glass, Andre Previn, an Academy nomination for his soundtrack to the film Gandhi & famous collaborations with George Harrison – I especially love the Shankar Family & Friends LP. Performing up until a month prior to his death, Ravi Shankar will be sadly missed.