It was Joe Atwood, my consultant and good friend from UK who mentioned about a book about a guy who travelled in India and met all sort of magicians and Godmen. "it is really interesting", Joe said. "I dont know if he actually met all these people, but he should have as he reveals all their secrets".

I forgot all about this book, till it arrived one day in a parcel, from Joe. I promised myself to read it on my trip to Cyprus.

I was travelling by an early plane to Cyprus on Sunday the 11th of February. I misread the flight timing as 8:30 AM (which turned out to be the time of arrival in Frankfurt). So when I arrived at the airport at 6:12, well in advance for the flight, I figured out that the flight was infact at 6:50.  In any case, the guy at the check in counter did let me get on to the plane. Geneva must be the last international airport where one can arrive 38 minutes ahead of the flight time and still be on the plane.  The last time I was in London, in December 2007, I had to be in a queue for 3 hours, OUTSIDE the airport before I could get in to the check in counter queue inside the airport.

Anyway, my comment is not about the length of the check in queues at various airports but about the book which Joe sent. The book's name is "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" by Tahir Shah.

I started reading the book at 6:25 in Geneva airport and let me tell you, I have never enjoyed  a book as much as I did this one. I did not keep the book down, nor did I take time to eat or drink, till the time I finished the book. In between I landed in Frankfurt, waited for next plane, took off. Just as the plane was taxiing in at Larnaca, I finished the book.

The book is about a British guy of Afghan origin, who get fascinated by Magic to which he was introduced in his childhood by another Afghan (who is the guard of the tomb of his great grandfather). In his adulthood, the boy returns to India, to the tomb of his ancestor, to meet with his Magic Teacher and continue his learning. He is then referred by the teacher to another Guru and in the process of learning, he travels all over India seeking out Godmen and Godwomen. He is joined by a young boy who is a "walking crime wave" who can trick anybody to part with their money (including the author). Together they travel to various cities in India visiting Lunatic Asylums and Asrams meeting witches and psychic healers, Gurujis and fish cure experts.

The book is fantastic for its content and hilarious in its style. Tahir Shah is neither celebratory or contemptous about the situations he encounter in India. He is cheated and robbed multiple times in various locations. He comes across criminals, Godmen, witch crafts and so on. But he continue to keep the balance in looking at those incidents as pictures in a great canvas without feeling too much bitter about those.

The book is an honest cross section of India today and might come as a shock to people who have got used to seeing only positive and shiny pictures of India and its IT and corporate world. Just around the corner, the world of superstitions and Godmen is also busy and active. Also, in a somewhat unique feature in India, the new generation IT whiz kidds are equally taken in by the Godmen and some of the later Godmen are well educated charlatans. To take a miracle fish cure administerd by one family in just one day of year in June, half a million people turn up and not only special buses are run on that day, but also special aircrafts !. So there is no distinction in social class too on belief in superstitions. The two Indias are actually not separate worlds, but an intertwined mosaic.

Having visited most of the cities visited by Tahir and also knowing many of the charecters myself, I know the stories are mostly true. Whether he actually encountered all of them, I dont know. Whethere there was indeed a trickster with him all the while, I cant tell. But who cares. His stories are entertaining and the Trickster is fascinating.

I recommend this book to all Indians for they will find it very enlightening. I also recommend this book to non Indians who will find the book very amusing.