The idea of recommending this classic, at first, seemed like an easy out. That is until I asked my recent travel partner if she had read A Passage to India. When she stated, matter of fact, “No”, the light bulb went off. We’re starting from the basics here kids.

E.M. Forster cleverly incorporates the disdain of English Ex Pats with the stereotype of Indian curiosity and over reaching desire to please. Set in India during the British time of rule, the book centers around a small group of key players. The reader is quickly swept into the facade the British created in order to “bear” the inconvenience of residing in India. It was for the Queen, but was she mad?

Some tourists want to see the “real” India, while others are content to see what they believe to be real. Two main English characters, both ladies, are just that tourist. Both set out to find India on a deeper level, one already feeling it in her bones, and the other as a way to escape her inevitable future. But it’s really Dr. Aziz who stands out for me.

Good Muslim, consummate professional, eager to please and honest; These are but a few outstanding qualities the reader easily sees in Dr. Aziz. Often I think about the interaction Aziz has with Fielding at his bungalow early in the pages. Fielding has lost a collar stay, Aziz gives him his own as a token of friendship, brotherhood really, claiming he carries an extra around at all times. Fielding curiously accepts the collar stay. Later both are seen at the Club where, after Aziz leaves, several English ladies dissect his appearance. Specifically noted is the missing collar stay. When traveling India, I can’t help but think of Aziz on a daily basis. How many times do I come in contact with Indians eager to please me, yet I’ll never know what they truly sacrificed for my happiness? Do they ever wonder if their token of kindness is fully appreciated?

Before any journey to India, before you even purchase tickets, pick up this book. The British may be long gone but the mannerisms & relationships between Indians and tourists are very much alive. To understand even a fraction of their culture through this book will enhance your trip ten fold.