Seduced by the Beauty of the World: T

Travelling in India, Bijleveld and Bloch discovered the concept of "masti", a Sanskrit term that stands for quiet, ecstatic surrender to the beauty around us, an infatuation with reality. As Bloch says, "This book is an attempt to portray the sensory repletion that overcomes you in India".

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For many months over a period of several years, the American novelist Donald Bloch and Dutch anthropologist/photographer Iman Bijleveld travelled through India, collecting experiences and impressions. They were enthralled by the people in the countryside and on the back streets of the great cities, and they also discovered the concept of "masti", a Sanskrit term that stands for quiet, ecstatic surrender to the beauty around us, an infatuation with reality - the act of being seduced by the beauty of the world. As Bloch says, "This book is an attempt to portray the sensory repletion that overcomes you in India".