Book Review: Aapnu Gujarat By Sweta Papaiyawala

Book: Aapnu Gujarat

Author: Sweta Papaiyawala

Reviewed By: Dipali Bhasin

Publisher: Self-Published (25 May 2020)

Pages: 62 (E-Book)

Price: Free (till the 30th June)

Language: English

Genre: Travel

My rating: 3.5/5         

Located in the western part of India, Gujarat is known as the land of lions and legends. Whilst it is a state that is soaked in the vibrancy of colours, history and culture, there are just a few places that have been able to draw in the tourists. Aapnu Gujarat by Sweta Papaiyawala is a compendium of the different places in Gujarat. The author aims to provide insight not just into the popular and touristy hot spots of the state but provide useful nuggets of information about other cities that contribute to its glorious heritage. The book is a part of the Blogchatter eBook Carnival and one can download a copy for free. The 5th season of the carnival sees an amazing array of books of different genres written by 63 budding authors.

About The Author

Sweta Papaiyawala dabbled with writing and poetry at a young age. Her first poem received accolades and was published giving the author further confidence to pursue it further. She finally quit her corporate job as a Quality Engineer to follow her passion for writing. Today she is a content writer by profession and pens primarily on paranormal, horror and fiction thriller stories.

Cover Page and Title

The Lion of Gir makes a statement on the cover page and attracts attention. Even though the name of the book could have limited understanding for one who doesn’t know the language yet the author has intelligently placed the descriptive sentence of the “Book revealing the hidden gems of Gujarat”, thereby shedding all doubts aside. The reader gets crystal clear information about what to expect inside.

My Review

The region of Gujarat has been immersed in history through ancient times. From Indus Valley Civilisation to the imperial grandeur of Chandragupta Maurya, Muslim rule, Mughal and Maratha rule – each leaving its impact on the art and architecture. The book talks about Lothal from the Indus Valley Civilisation, the Shratunjaya Hills, the long arduous but important pilgrimage to Tiranga hills, the Sun temple town of Modhera, the mythological city Dwarka and more. I enjoyed the different facets and the insights to faraway and fairly lesser-known cities that are covered in the book. Beaches, temples, step-wells hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries have been enlisted in a brief and informative manner. For a traveller, the book provides good coverage of the state with special context to the history and the places of interest for every city. It gives us a better insight into the people and the region. A note about the time to visit at the end of every chapter provides valuable information for a well-planned journey. The language used is simple and easy to understand. The book provides a virtual tour of Gujarat and makes an interesting read.

For an enhanced reading experience, the book could do with improved editing and systemised formatting. More photographs would have made the chapters more immersive. For a complete travel book, the author could add information such as places to stay, and share vivid details so that the reader can travel with her more vicariously.

An informative, concise and well-researched summary of the diverse and colourful state of Gujarat, Aapnu Gujarat makes a great companion for anyone looking to visit the Mahatma’s home state.

You can download the book “Aapnu Gujarat” for free on Blogchatter for a limited period of time.

My travel E-Book “A Wanderer’s Revolution” which talks about the global travel trends in the last two decades has been launched as a part of the Blogchatter Ebook Carnival. One can download my E-Book here. Please subscribe to my blog and feel free to drop your feedback or comment.