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Lost in thoughts of the mountain ranges that surround Yangtze river i cycled today. it is telling that a genius cinematographer like Navroze Contractor can show the reader China in words just as well, halfway through “Dreams of the Dragon’s Children” i am thinking of Chairman Mao, the red army Barracks, bikes and Che Guevera.It is after a long time i have picked up a book that can be read for days without realising they’ve become nights- philosophical or poetic books tend to slow my pace down. I must put Difference and Repetition down & ponder on the variations of the concept, i must close In The Presence of Absence & wonder about Arabic prose-poetry & Gaza.Travelogues of Indian men in foreign nations have been a personal indulgence i treat myself to time to time, previously Nirmal Verma’s Days of Longing in Czech Republic; Ashokamitran’s Mole! in Iowa & To Byzantium where Charu roamed Turkey…these books are personal, easy & intuitive.It was when i found myself lonely in the dead winter of Toronto 2021 that i had picked up Mole! once again- my favourite of these yet- and one incident stands out.Ashokamitran was born in Secundrabad & had grown up & lived exclusively in Madras. He was called to Iowa for a 7 month writers workshop in 1970- when Soviet-US Cold War had resulted in extreme fuel shortage in North America. He never thought about the weather that would greet him in foreign lands. His wedding suit was the warmest garment he owned! And since all his relatives always told him his wedding suit is too warm for Chennai, he figured it would be useful. He wears that on a boat in Iowa, the winds of below freezing temperatures have him shivering and cold to the bone. All the poets & writers drank the beer and wine served to them- one such drunk writer got sea sick and vomited all over Ashokamitran. But he was so glad for that warm vomit on his chest in that extreme cold that he did not even mind the smell!I had landed in Toronto in April. Despite Google & friends in the city i had not got many warm clothes with me. I was surprised at the 0 degree staring at me from the board announcing the temperature of Toronto city. I had immediately thought of the vomit.