Antaryatrayen Via Vienna – Sunil k jha

‘Antaryatrayen Via Vienna’ is neither travelogue, nor Reportage, nor a diary or memoir, but all in the right measures to make it a brilliant read. Here, the author travels beyond the established genre of prose writings in Hindi as the journey in the book is as much internal as external, exploring the transcendent socio-cultural heritage of the places visited. The canvas of the writings is spread from sublime artistic sketches of Vienna, to discovery of the opulence of Switzerland, and from exploring the mysticism of Assam to the heart-rending incidents of Gujarat. However, the sensitivity of the Author to explore what is more than visible especially in terms of cultural uniqueness of the places visited remains same. In fact, the writing is infused with deep feelings in which ‘atmosphere’ becomes a character remembered.
I particularly liked first chapter of the book, ‘Via Vienna: Stefan Zweig ki zameen par’, where the style is lyrical and it resonates with a tone of melancholy, which probably has shaped from author’s personal liking for Stefan Zweig and eagerness to explore the places associated with him, having cultural and artistic legacy of a very impressive line up, the likes of Sigmund Freud, Thomas Mann and Joseph Roth besides Stefan Zweig.
This evocative and beautifully written book is a brilliant read also because of it’s finesse of language and execution.