FOREWORD

India, as a sub-continent and her civilization has been a topic of my interests since my childhood. When I was a kid, I liked seeing Indian movies with many scenes of dances and songs with exotic music. 


I was 28, when my post-graduate study at Stuttgart University in Germany  was disrupted because of my long illness and hospitalized,  which finally ended up with my left lung operation in early 1977.

Overland route from Munich to Madras

Without any hesitation, I asked to travel with my German friend, who had planned to make an overland route to India many years ahead. We spent a few months in converting a used parcel mini-van, bought by auction from the Deutsche Bundestpost to our campervan as well as our rolling hotel, by ourselves in a friend's garage.

As I haven't known how to drive (- such a big handicap  :-(  !!), my role was like a co-pilot or navigator (in reading route maps) and a travel companion. Though, I shared expenses for all costs, except the vehicle. I was then mostly responsible for cooking meals for us whenever we camped in camping areas along the route.