Travel to India

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

Format: Paperback
Author: Sarah Macdonald
ReleaseDate: 13 April, 2004
Publisher: Broadway
Rating:

One of the most entertaining travelogues I have read in a long time...
I grew up and went to college around Delhi. For the record, I am from India (now living in the US) and Hindu.

I was intrigued by the book when I saw it in the bookstore. I thought the cover was hilarious (you can attribute that to Hindu tolerance :-)) We had just met some friends (Americans) for dinner who had recently spent a year in Bangalore, India working for TI, so the timing of encountering this book was impeccable.

The initial part of the book was slightly off-putting as Sarah seemed to be very negative about India but then as you read further you realize that she was indeed negative when she came to India and as she stayed there longer her views evolved.

Having grown up in India I am well aware of the positives and negatives of India that Sarah points out. What really impressed me about Sarah was her desire to go out of her way and explore the land, the religions, the culture and the language. I wish more of us did that when we travel overseas.

The prose is well written and flows very well. I would strongly recommend this book.

I couldn't put it down


If Hinduism stands for tolerance, I fail to see how other Indians could not read between the lines to see that she is quite attracted towards the Hindu approach to life as being wonderfully suited to every individual's aspiration to find a unique path to his or her own goals rather than the prescriptive approach followed by other faiths. I am an Indian and a Hindu and I would like to affirm that I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

After getting a grasp of her own questioning, irreverant and open mind - I think she is more a Hindu than she is a Christian. I can totally relate to her.

It is totally true that most North of India is patronizing towards women, it totally true that there is dirt and filth, it is totally true that the weather is oppressive - and if all that is true - would it not be a writer's duty to report it as it actually is? But wait a minute - if in spite of all this, she was totally overwhelmed with the affection showered on her by the people - to the extent that she weeps when she bids adieu to the country, is it not the ultimate tribute to India?

Why is it that we are are conditioned to be admired only for our material possessions, our so called victories or our magnificent monuments? Our most endearing possession is the warmth in our hearts and Sarah responds to that better than she does to anything else.

Her name is Sarah. I believe that she is Sarasvati incarnate :o). . as I indeed believe that Sarah and Abraham were none other than Sarasvati and Brahma who migrated West after Brahma's fall of favor within the Hindu religion.

I would love to be able to chat with her some time and get to know her.

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Bought and read this book while traveling in India in 2004
I purchased it at a little book store in the mountains - well out away from all the big cities. What a find it was to buy a used copy of this book in India. I was kind of amazed that it was there on the shelf for sale. I spent almost two months on my own "spritual Journey" around India and traveled over 6,500 miles.

What Sara writes about and feels is kind of what all first timers to India find or must think. The longer you are there the more you begin to absorb the culture and understand the people. It is a cultrual shock no matter how much you think you are open to yoga, Hindu religious beliefs and the people. There is just something so special and different there that you find in person. The author captures much of that energy in her book.

I would recommend that anyone going to India buy this book and read it on the flight over there (You will have lots of time to read many books on the airplanes - that is one very long flight!).

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	India (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
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