(From right) Actress Nandita Das, diplomat Abasar Beuria and litterateur Sitakant Mahapatra hold copies of the book Myanmar ru Madagascar in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Nandita released the book authored by Beuria at the Bodh Vihar. The 200-page autobiographical travelogue is a compilation of travel accounts of Beuria throwing light on interesting anecdotes of his visits to various countries during his tenure in the Indian Foreign Service. “Most incidents that have found a place in the book occurred around 30 to 40 years ago. They have nothing do with administration policies. I have included stories about ordinary people who had extraordinary tales. After I retired and shifted to Bhubaneswar, my friends here constantly encouraged me to write a book. To be honest, in a way, I wrote this book to get rid of their persuasion. I am currently working on my autobiography, which will be in English,” said Beuria. Mahapatra said: “This is a unique book in Odia and I wish many more travellers from Odisha attempt to write such accounts. Abasar’s book took me back in time and I went on a trip down memory lane when I had come across the same places and met many of the characters in the book.” Nandita said: “It is a wonderful feeling to be launching this book written by someone I have known since childhood.” Text: Namita Panda, Picture: Sanjib Mukherjee