AROUND INDIA IN 80 TRAINS

In 1991, Monisha's family uprooted from Sheffield to Madras in the hope of making India their home. Two years later, fed up with soap-eating rats, stolen human hearts and the creepy colonel across the road, they returned to England with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Twenty years later, Monisha came back. Taking a page out of Jules Verne s classic tale, Around the World in 80 Days, she embarked on a 40,000 km adventure around India in 80 trains. Travelling a distance equivalent to the circumference of the Earth, she lifted the veil on a country that had become a stranger to her.

As one of the largest civilian employers in the world, featuring luxury trains, toy trains, Mumbai's infamous commuter trains and even a hospital on wheels, Indian Railways had more than a few stories to tell. On the way, Monisha met a colourful cast of characters with epic stories of their own. But with a self-confessed militant atheist as her photographer, Monisha's personal journey around a country built on religion was not quite what she bargained for... Around India in 80 Trains is a story of adventure and drama infused with sparkling wit and humour.

Monisha Rajesh is a journalist, who has written for TIME magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times, and London Evening Standard. She studied French at Leeds University, and also taught English at Cannes high school. Around India In 80 Trains is her debut novel.