“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
~ Saint Augustine
In Suitcases, Sandcastles, and Little Anvik: A Travelogue (Writers International Edition, 2025), Dr Aparna Ajith offers a contemporary rendition of this timeless idea, transforming the mundane itineraries of a young naval family into a tapestry of intimate revelations and sensory delights. Spanning twenty-two chapters across 244 pages, this debut work chronicles the peregrinations of Dr. Aparna, her husband Sujeeth, and their toddler son Anvik (affectionately dubbed Kunjapp) through diverse Indian landscapes, from the mist-shrouded hills of Kodaikanal to the turquoise waters of the Andaman Islands. What elevates this volume beyond a mere itinerary is Dr. Aparna’s deft interweaving of personal narrative with broader reflections on motherhood, transience, and the redemptive power of place.
The book opens with a structural elegance that mirrors the fluidity of travel itself. Following a series of endorsements from luminaries such as National Award-winning filmmaker Dr. Santwana Bardoloi and poet Johanna D.S. Chittranjan, Dr Aparna presents a foreword, biography, preface, and acknowledgements before plunging into the journeys. This paratextual apparatus serves not merely as formality but as a framing device, positioning the travelogue within a continuum of literary appreciation. Bardoloi praises the “inimitable style” and “overwhelming love and passion for people and their places.” At the same time, Chittranjan highlights the author’s ability to transport readers to “hitherto unknown territories” through vivid observation. Such commendations, drawn from a spectrum of artistic and academic voices, underscore the work’s interdisciplinary appeal, bridging literature, cinema, and pedagogy.
Dr Aparna’s narrative commences with “Flight at 0.8,” a chapter that captures the exhilaration and trepidation of air travel with an infant. The title alludes to the Mach speed of commercial aircraft, a clever nod to the family’s naval affiliations and the accelerated pace of modern mobility. Here, Dr. Aparna describes the sensory overload of airports and the quiet heroism of parental vigilance: the careful packing of suitcases, the construction of ephemeral sandcastles on distant beaches, and the anchoring presence of little Anvik amid constant upheaval. This motif recurs throughout, symbolizing the tension between rootedness and rootlessness in a military household. As Sujeeth’s postings dictate relocations, the family navigates a pan-Indian odyssey that encompasses urban bustle in Bengaluru and Kolkata, ecological wonders in Thattekkad, and spiritual sojourns in Rameswaram and Palani.
Thematically, the travelogue excels in its portrayal of familial intimacy against expansive backdrops. Dr. Aparna recounts a trip to Kodaikanal, where misty movements and pine-scented air frame Anvik’s first outing to the mountain. The chapter eschews sentimental excess, instead grounding emotion in precise sensory details: the chill of high-altitude mornings, the taste of homemade plum cake, and the toddler’s tentative steps on uneven terrain. This restraint distinguishes Dr Aparna’s prose, which favours clarity and lyricism over ornamentation. Her language, as noted by Prof. (Emeritus) Dr Annakutty Valiamangalam K. Findeis, is “very lyrical,” yet it remains accessible, inviting readers to inhabit the scenes without alienation.
A particularly compelling section unfolds across chapters devoted to the Andaman Islands, forming a mini-arc within the larger narrative. “Jab We Met @ Port Blair” playfully references Bollywood conventions while chronicling a reunion with extended family amid colonial remnants and cellular jails. Subsequent entries on Havelock, Neil Island, and Baratang explore mangrove labyrinths and limestone caves, blending adventure with ecological awareness. Dr Aparna’s descriptions evoke a mosaic of memories, to borrow her own phrase, where natural splendour intersects with historical resonance. The mangroves, for instance, become metaphors for resilience, their tangled roots mirroring the family’s adaptive bonds. Anvik’s interactions with marine life, his wide-eyed wonder at coral reefs, infuse these passages with innocence, counterbalancing the adult lens of transience.
Goa emerges as another focal point, with chapters like “Anvik, Pariksheth, and Bhavishya: The Three Musketeers of Goan Childhood” and “In the Rhapsody of Nandanvan Spice Farm.” Here, Dr. Aparna delves into intergenerational play, as Anvik frolics with cousins amid spice plantations and froggyland enchantments. The spice farm visit, rich with aromas of cardamom and clove, exemplifies her skill in sensory evocation, transforming a tourist staple into a meditation on sustenance and heritage. Similarly, “Au Revoir, Our Queen’s Kitchen” bids farewell to Goan culinary traditions, with recipes implicitly embedded in narrative, such as the preparation of bebinca or vindaloo shared among kin.
The travelogue’s emotional core lies in its negotiation of absence and presence, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though not explicitly detailed in the provided excerpts, endorsements allude to Dr Aparna’s transformation of lockdown constraints into reflective beauty. This period likely informs chapters like “Our Humans of Bengaluru,” where urban encounters with friends and strangers provide solace amid isolation. Lt. Jesin Alex, a former student, commends this alchemy: “What touched me most is how she turned difficult times… into moments of reflection and beauty.” Dr Aparna’s honesty in depicting parental exhaustion, the chaos of travelling with a toddler, the logistical nightmares of naval transfers lend authenticity, preventing the narrative from descending into idyllic fantasy.
Stylistically, Dr. Aparna employs a first-person perspective that fosters immediacy and empathy. Her sentences are well-structured, often building to rhythmic crescendos that mimic the ebb and flow of tides or the cadence of train journeys. Her phrasing aligns with the lyrical yet grounded tone evident in endorsements. Dr Aparna avoids clichés, opting for fresh metaphors drawn from everyday observations: suitcases as vessels of memory, sandcastles as ephemeral art.
Critically, the work invites comparison to established travel writers like Jan Morris or Pico Iyer, who similarly blend personal anecdote with cultural insight. Yet, Dr. Aparna’s focus on domestic Indian locales and the microcosm of family life carves a niche within postcolonial travel literature. Unlike Morris’s imperial gaze or Iyer’s philosophical detachment, Dr. Aparna’s lens is resolutely intimate, rooted in Malayali heritage and naval exigencies. This specificity enriches the text, offering readers a glimpse into subcontinental diversity seldom captured in Western-centric narratives. From the haunted shores of Dhanushkodi to the Christmas camaraderie with a “German Muthassi,” the book celebrates hybridity and connection.
One potential limitation lies in the episodic structure, which, while mirroring the fragmentation of military life, occasionally sacrifices depth for breadth. Certain destinations, such as Thenmala or Laharinagar, receive brisk treatment, leaving readers yearning for extended immersion. Additionally, the reliance on familial anecdotes risks insularity, though Dr. Aparna mitigates this through inclusive language that invites universal identification. Her acknowledgements, gratefully extended to relatives and friends, reinforce a communal ethos, extending the travelogue’s warmth beyond the page.
In terms of production, the volume benefits from professional design by Black Innovations and printing by Manipal Technologies, ensuring legibility and aesthetic appeal. The ISBN (978-93-94182-43-1) and copyright assertions affirm its status as a serious literary endeavour, published under the auspices of Writers International Edition, with offices in Mysore and Athens. This transnational imprint symbolises the book’s bridging of local and global readerships.
Ultimately, Suitcases, Sandcastles, and Little Anvik succeeds as a heartfelt paean to the quotidian miracles of travel. Prof. Subhas Chandra Saha anticipates a “next volume of such tantalizing stories,” a sentiment this reviewer shares. Dr Aparna not only documents journeys but distills their essence: the laughter echoing in spice farms, the silence of misty hills, the indelible imprint of a child’s handprint in wet sand. In an era of digital ephemerality, her analogue recollections, penned with the rhythm of recollection, as Lt. Col. Dr Sonia Cherian (Retd.) observes, preserve moments that “shimmer like golden threads against the fabric of time.”
For scholars of travel writing, the book contributes to discourses on gender and mobility, illustrating how women navigate patriarchal structures like military service through narrative agency. For general readers, it offers escapism laced with relatability, proving that profound discoveries often reside in the interplay of suitcases unpacked, sandcastles erected, and little ones cherished. As Augustine implied, to travel with Dr Aparna is to turn myriad pages of the world’s book, each revealing layers of humanity previously unread.
Preeth Padmanabhan Nambiar
About the Author
Preeth Padmanabhan Nambiar (b. 1978) is an Indian poet, educationist, and humanitarian whose oeuvre intertwines mysticism, cultural diplomacy, and pedagogical innovation. Imbued from an early age with the profound influences of music, arts, and spirituality, Nambiar’s formative journeys across India and abroad cultivated a universal perspective that permeates his literary output, characterised by eloquent narration laced with contemplative silences and explorations of nature, life, and humanity. As the founder and CEO of the Writers Capital International Foundation, an organization that extends its humanitarian ethos through literature to over eighty-seven countries, he has orchestrated global initiatives such as the Panorama International Literature Festival and the Panorama International Arts & Sculpture Festival, fostering intercultural dialogue while advocating for minimalism, natural living, and compassion. His educational contributions, including Holistic Horizons: Effective Teaching Methodologies for Indian Classrooms (Writers International Edition, 2025), co-authorship of pedagogical texts like Elementary English Grammar Course A1 and Intermediate English Grammar Course A2 with linguist Irene Doura-Kavadia, underscore his commitment to holistic, value-based learning. His bibliography, spanning poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, includes seminal works such as The Voyage to Eternity (Poetry Society of India, 2013), Solitary Shores (Global Fraternity of Poets, 2015), Songs Ethereal (Indus Scrolls Press, 2019), The Passage to the Infinite (Writers International Edition, 2023), and Tales Beyond Twilight (Writers International Edition, 2024) earning acclaim for their poetic resonance and thematic depth. Nambiar’s verse, exemplified in lines evoking “the void of ethereal joy” and the interplay between silence and words, continues to bridge personal introspection with collective aspiration, positioning him as a pivotal figure in contemporary mystic literature and global cultural stewardship.