Planes, Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws: A Journey through Modern India

325 Pages·2012·1.858 MB·English

by  Laura Pedersen

Critical Acclaim for Laura Pedersen
Buffalo Gal
“This book is compulsively readable, and owes its deadpan
delivery to the fact that she has performed standup comedy on
national television (The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Night with
David Letterman, Today, Primetime, etc.).”
—ForeWord Magazine
Best Bet
“The book’s laugh-out-loud funny, and readers will find
themselves rereading lines just for the sheer joy of it.”
—Kirkus Reviews
The Big Shuffle
“Although it’s a laugh-out-loud read, it’s an appealing,
sensitive, superbly written book. One you won’t want to put
down. I loved it.”
—The Lakeland Times
“Be prepared to fall in love with a story as wise as it is witty.”
—The Compulsive Reader
The Sweetest Hours
“To call The Sweetest Hours a book of short stories would be
like calling the Mona Lisa a painting.”
—Front Street Reviews
“Pedersen weaves tales that blend humor, sorrow, and
sometimes surprise endings in the games of life and love.”
—Book Loons
Heart’s Desire
“Funny, tender, and poignant, Heart’s Desire should appeal to
a wide range of readers.”
—Booklist
“Prepare to fall in love again because Laura Pedersen is
giving you your ‘Heart’s Desire’ by bringing back Hallie
Palmer and her entire endearing crew. In a story as wise as it is
witty, Pedersen captures the joy of love found, the ache of
love lost, and how friends can get you through it all—win or
lose.”
—Sarah Bird, author of The Yokota Officers Club
“This book will make you laugh and cry and like a good
friend, you’ll be happy to have made its acquaintance.”
—Lorna Landvik, author of Angry Housewives Eating Bon
Bons
Last Call
“Pedersen writes vividly of characters so interesting, so funny
and warm that they defy staying on the page.”
—The Hartford Courant
“This book is a rare, humorous exploration of death that
affirms life is a gift and tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Pedersen writes an exquisitely emotional story. A must-have
book to start the new year.”
—Romantic Times
Beginner’s Luck
“Laura Pedersen delivers…if this book hasn’t been made into
a screenplay already, it should be soon. Throughout, you can’t
help but think how hilarious some of the scenes would play on
the big screen.”
—The Hartford Courant
“Funny, sweet-natured, and well-crafted…Pedersen has
created a wonderful assemblage of…whimsical characters
and charm.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This novel is funny and just quirky enough to become a
word-of-mouth favorite…Pedersen has a knack for capturing
tart teenage observations in witty asides, and Hallie’s naiveté,
combined with her gambling and numbers savvy, make her a
winning protagonist.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A breezy coming-of-age novel with an appealing cast of
characters.”
—Booklist
Going Away Party
“Pedersen shows off her verbal buoyancy. Their quips are
witty and so are Pedersen’s amusing characterizations of the
eccentric MacGuires. Sentence by sentence, Pedersen’s debut
can certainly entertain.”
—Publishers Weekly
Play Money
“A savvy insider’s vastly entertaining line on aspects of the
money game.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Also by Laura Pedersen
Nonfiction
Play Money
Buffalo Gal
Buffalo Unbound
Fiction
Going Away Party
Beginner’s Luck
Last Call
Heart’s Desire
The Sweetest Hours
The Big Shuffle
Best Bet
LauraPedersenBooks.com

Text © 2012 Laura Pedersen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system—except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review—without permission in
writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pedersen, Laura.
Planes, trains, and auto-rickshaws : a journey through modern India / Laura
Pedersen.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-55591-618-3 (pbk.)
1. India--Description and travel. 2. Pedersen, Laura--Travel--India. 3. India--
Social life and customs. 4. Women--India--Social conditions. 5. Children--
India--Social conditions. 6. India--Social conditions--1947- I. Title.
DS414.2.P43 2012
915.404’532--dc23
2012005900
Printed in Canada
0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Design by Jack Lenzo
Fulcrum Publishing
4690 Table Mountain Dr., Ste. 100
Golden, CO 80403
800-992-2908 • 303-277-1623
www.fulcrumbooks.com
In memory of Nina Kohnstamm (1940–
2011)—
teacher, traveler, friend
Contents
Bewildered, Bothered, and Bewitched
Eastward Ho!
Planes, Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws
Mother India
Old and New Delhi
Taj Mahal
Safaris, Spas, and Shopping
Shall We Gather at the River?
Oh! Kolkata!
Salaam Mumbai!
All Aboard!
Down South
So Many Gods, So Little Time
Caste Away System
Boldface Names
Monkeys and Tigers and Snakes, Oh My!
Game Changers: Women and Children
India Unbound