The Holy Trail : A Pilgrim's Plight

The Holy Trail : A Pilgrim's Plight is a tongue-in-cheek yet touching first person recount of Nabaneeta Dev Sen's experiences on her virgin Kumbh pilgrimage. From the perch of a quintessential nonpilgrim, the narration is vivid and bursting with wit. It brings to life the essence of Kumbh Mela, where pilgrims throng in millions to reap their shares of goodness.

Having decided to brave the daunting crowds of Kumbh Mela alone, the author faces the brunt of society. Trials and tribulations are a galore but so are divine interventions in unforeseen forms and faces. In the span of a few hours she comes across myriad faces of humankind — from stoic sannyasis to benevolent brethren to spiteful spouses. She sleeps rough, shares a cuppa with sannyasis and teeters into holy waters in high heels. Yet, all's well that ends well.

Jai Purna Kumbh!

Nabaneeta Dev Sen is a highly acclaimed creative writer with more than seventy five publications and is equally powerful in an astounding variety of genres. She has been recognized with Padmashri, Sahitya Akademi Award and Bangla Akademi Lifetime Achievement Award, to name a few. She has represented Indian writers in various international festivals and received worldwide acclaim. Retired as a Professor of Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, she was Radhakrishnan Memorial Lecturer at Oxford University and held the Maytag Chair of Comparative Literature and Creative Writing at Colorado College, USA. She is the President of Soi, Women Writers' Association of West Bengal, India and presently resides in Kolkata.

About the Translator

Soma Das is an editor and also translates Bengali fiction and non-fiction works into English. Her translations include Kato Ajanarey (The Great Unknown) by Sankar and Manabjameen (Unitilled Earth) by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay among others.