Light Within

Making sense of blogging and social media

Roads Less Travelled
Saturday, 4 February 2012

Salman Rashid, adventurer and prolific travel writer and photographer, who has extensively written about Pakistan telling the tales less told, sights less seen, roads less travelled in addition to adding newer dimension in much trumpeted historic, heritage and geographic stories. Based on his deep research and physical exploration, Salman Rashid has covered everything (ok, almost everything) from Astola in the Arabian Sea to Yarkand on the other side of Pakistan China Border and a whole lot in between. Remember, his latest book The Apricot to Yarkand.

Given my own love for untold stories and respect Salman Rashid has earned, I love to hear first hand whenever I can. This time I met him along with my friend Qazi Hussain, he told us about series of books of days he is doing. The diaries do more than overtake the travelogue. He did Tales Less Told in 2009 and it was very well received. The first book of days was followed by Sights Less Seen in 2010 and Roads Less Travelled in 2011. These diaries are collectors’ delight and one would love them in a bookshelf. I have not written anything on Roads Less Travelled 2011 and am keeping it as a reference book.

In 2011, he is coming up with another thematic diary titled Wheels of the Raj. Coming years diary, that is about to come of the press any time and I am already waiting to lay my hands on, is about railway heritage. Slaman Rashid is an authority on Pakistan Railway heritage. Though presently we can’t relate to most of what he says but his work does fortify the past glory of the Railways in Pakistan.