elephant song
I was in a hurry. The Rajdhani Express was leaving Trivandrum in a few minutes and I wanted to buy a book to survive the nearly 48 hours long journey to New Delhi. Could not locate the Higginbothams on the platform and asked someone. He said it is located outside, on one of the exits. Managed to find it and the first book I saw was 'Elephant Song' by Wilbur Smith. Bought it in double quick time and boarded the train. Till then, had no clue to who the author was or what the book was all about. Somewhat like a blind date. The train started rolling and I started reading. Actually, Elephant Song is a misnomer for this thriller set in the wilds of Africa. The elephants figure only in the opening chapters. Then suddenly it changes track and picks up pace as the main protagonist, Dr Daniel Armstrong, a naturalist famous for his TV shows (shades of Dr David Attenborough, perhaps) finds his friend Johnny Nzou, chief warden of Chiwewe national park in Zimbabwe murdered along with his en