About the Book

A plaintive request for advice on how to trace ancestral origins from an overseas Indian led to the writing of Journeys of Discovery. Whether presidents, prime ministers, professionals or small farmers, Indians settled abroad share a similar desire to trace their origins and connect with India. For some it is a passionate search for an identity, but the absence of a strong genealogical tradition in India makes tracing the old roots a difficult task.
The book relates the intensely human stories of overseas Indians who have traced their ancestral homes in India. These are journeys into the past following the unwritten narratives of the great Indian diaspora, poignant accounts of a brutal dislocation, the struggles and the eventual triumph over circumstances. Author has deftly intertwined the compelling narratives of the relocations and the journeys with practical advice on how to carry out the searches to make an engrossing book.

About Author

Shubha Singh is a columnist and author. She has worked with two leading Indian newspapers and now writes a weekly column on foreign affairs. She was awarded the Chameli Devi Jain Award for the best woman journalist for her "perceptive and analytical writing on foreign affairs." She has a special interest in the Indian diaspora and has travelled to regions with a large population of people of Indian origin. In 2001 she wrote a critically acclaimed book titled Fiji: A Precarious Coalition, her second book, Overseas Indians - The Global Family published in 2005 gave an overview of the Indian diaspora.

Contents

Introduction,
Migration, Indenture, Dislocation, Identity Starting a Genealogical Search,
Ancestral Search in India
High Profile Searches: Basdeo Panday,Bharrat Jagdeo,
Navin Ramgoolam Girmitiya Stories from the Pacific: Rajendra Prasad,
Satish Rai Stories from the Caribbean: Parmanand Singh, Ashwini Kumar, Sita, Vishnu Bisram
Conclusion: Search Facilities in India

Additional Info.