Posh Brit on elephant in India
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I found the passages about the dealing with the elephant very good. But the basic situation grates - Camilla Parker Bowles' brother travels across India on an elephant accompanied by local staff and handy jeep just in case. All rather condescending as patrician young Englishman plays-at-being-native.
The tone is set at the start when Shand just happens to know the old boy network (Anglo-Indians, zoo directors, journalists and politicians) who smooth his path all the way along, lending vehicles and doling out visiting cards that bring the local police to heel when handed out.
Give it a miss, on the whole
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An entertaining, well written book
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Mark Shand has a relaxed, humorous and entertaining style. The book is a pleasure to read. Assam is faithfully depicted, as is the dire plight of the indian elephant. But above all the personality of Parbati, the "Queen of the Elephants" comes across - a woman of serenity, character and resilience, for whom the reader can only have respect.
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