An IAS Officer’s Cambodian Travelogue
- 24 May 2017
- Sunaya
- Features
In conversation with M P Joseph IAS during the book launch of “My Driver Tulong: And Other Tall Tales from a Post Pol Pot Contemporary Cambodia”
Kochi recently witnessed one of its best book launches on 23rd May, 2017 at Bharat Tourist Home Hotel. In association with Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) and DC Books, “My Driver Tulong: And Other Tall Tales from a Post Pol Pot Contemporary Cambodia” written by M P Joseph IAS (R) was launched in the august presence of Dr. Christy Fernandez IAS and Ambassador T P Sreenivasan IFS. The first copies of the book were gifted to Mr. Bose Krishnamachari, renowned artist and president of Kochi Biennale Foundation and Mr. Sijoy Varghese, noted actor and ad-film maker.
During the launch, Ambassador T P Sreenivasan IFS, spoke about the book and described it as one of his favourite. He also read a couple of lines that he liked from the book for the audience and he designated it to a humorous travelogue set in Cambodia.
This book mainly talks about the time that the author spent in Cambodia when he was sent on a UN assignment. He says he fell in love with the country the moment he landed there and asked everyone to visit the beautiful land and people of Cambodia. Though the country witnessed a lot of cruelty, in his book he talks about all the pleasant things that he experienced during his tenure. This book is a fictional travelogue as the author calls it, but it's mostly been inspired from the experiences that he perceived there and the people that he interacted and spent time with.
Talking to us, he reveals the reason why he wrote this book on the first place, “I have lived in Cambodia for 7 years and have seen and experienced a lot things. I keep talking about it to people and what happens when we talk is it stays for some time and then goes away. That is when I conceived the thought of writing about it and producing all that I spoke into a physical form.”
“This is my first attempt in writing a book and I don’t know if I’ll be writing one after this but I wouldn’t mind writing one about my experiences in other parts of the world. All that I want people to take from this book is Cambodia and its heritage and people. Though bad things have happened there, I want people to see the positive and serene side of it and go visit there at least once.”
The book launch was attended by the author’s family including his 6-month old granddaughter and other eminent guest. “My Driver Tulong: And Other Tall Tales from a Post Pol Pot Contemporary Cambodia” is now available at DC Books and on Amazon.com. Grab your copies now and relish the walk through with the author.
Text: Roshan D Photos: Shan S H
