A JOURNEY WITH ELSA CLOUD By Leila Hadley, Rupa, ? 2.95 Numerous books have been written on India by writers from the West. Some have been malicious, some condescending, some praising the great Indian empire of the past. A Journey with Elsa Cloud is a refreshing change ? it is a real life account of a mother?s journey through India in the Seventies accompanied by a daughter who had been estranged, Veronica. But why A Journey with Elsa Cloud if the daughter is named Veronica? The answer is a pointer to the content of the book. When Veronica was 16 she had said she would like to be the sea, the jungle, or else a cloud. Therefore the homonymic endearment ? Elsa Cloud. The readability of the book owes itself to the fact it is written at two levels ? as a travelogue and as a soul searching journey. The soul searching centres round Veronica to whom her mother has not spoken for two years and who studies Tibetan grammar in a lama?s college in Dehra Dun. The quest begins with a telephone call in New York and ends with a brief darshan with the dalai lama in Mcleod Ganj. In between, the reader is treated to vignettes of India and a background to the clash of the personalities. The family is blue blooded and Leila?s mother and grandmother had inculcated in her a sense of ?us? and ?others?. Leila?s life was constricted during childhood. She was loved from a distance by her mother, married at 17 and divorced at 19. She grew up to be a tormented individual. Not surprisingly, Leila fails to understand her daughter, born of her second marriage which too was disastrous. Veronica is very much a product of a disturbed life. She cohabited with hippies as a show of rebellion and ultimately ended up in sub-Himalayan India in her search for serenity. Veronica calls Leila to India saying she has arranged for an audience with ?His Holiness?. Leila wonders what the pope is doing in Dharamsala. She has not given much thought to the dalai lama or to Buddhism. Leila?s arrival at New Delhi alleviates her heartache partially. It becomes apparent that in India and in Buddhism Veronica has found the freedom she has been desperately seeking. After having settled down in the capital, the two go shopping. Leila is impressed with Indian art and craft, haggling is an enjoyable experience and they drop in on old friend Mulk Raj Anand who explains Holi rituals and early Christian festivals. Away from the rather mechanical Western culture, Leila tries to lavish her love on Veronica who is not ready to accept such heavy doses of affection. Veronica?s alienation is too acute to succumb to her mother?s overtures. But the enchantment of India does have an effect on mother and daughter. Their close proximity and Veronica?s knowledge of India help to break the ice and eventually Leila can reach out to her. But before this does happen, Leila has to absorb what India has to offer ? Holi in Delhi, Gangaur in Rajasthan, British settlers in Ooty and peace in Dharamsala. All aspects of Indian life are portrayed in wonderfully evocative prose. Leila is a Presbytarian and finds it difficult to understand the Buddhist creed , yet she feels ?enveloped in an aura of peaceful contentment? when she meets the lama, Trijung Rimpoche. Leila admits to her daughter she has felt a state of grace. It is at this point that the two inch closer. The travelogue part of the book is full of imagery. The writer has a matter of fact attitude, but the one thing she cannot come to terms with is public urinals for ladies. By the time Leila and Veronica find themselves in Dharamsala, Leila has acquired a greater understanding of Veronica. Self-analysis descends on Leila through a series of incidents drawn from the recesses of her mind. She begins to understand the values of tolerance. When ?His Holiness? tells her compassion and love are precious and simple but difficult to practice, Leila feels free. Her journey with Elsa Cloud is over.