Beijing, April 10 Indian author and journalist Pallavi Aiyar launched her latest book, "Travels in the Other Place: Pursuing the Self in Eight Acts," at a gathering here.
"Travels in the Other Place" is a blend of her memoirs, philosophy, and travel writing.
In her words, the book is an original and introspective collection of eight essays that explore identity and belonging across shifting geographies—both physical and emotional.
Spanning a life from a bookish childhood in 1980s India to a cancer diagnosis in Spain in 2022, the book offers readers a kaleidoscopic view of the self in motion, she said.
She turned the lens of a foreign correspondent inward, offering insights that are both personal and universal, while interacting with journalists and literary personalities in Beijing on Thursday.
Each essay in the book captures her life at a different stage and in a different part of the world, she said.
Over a career spanning more than two decades, Aiyar has reported from China, Belgium, Japan, Indonesia, and Spain, in addition to India.
She is the author of seven books, including "Smoke and Mirrors," a memoir of China that won the Vodafone-Crossword Book Award, as well as "Chinese Whiskers," "Jakarta Tales," "Punjabi Parmesan," and "Orienting: An Indian in Japan."
She previously worked as a foreign correspondent based in Beijing for several Indian newspapers, including The Hindu, from 2002 to 2009.
She was the recipient of the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award, as well as the China-India Friendship Award presented by then Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Reflecting on her work, Aiyar noted that Beijing remains central to her intellectual and professional journey. "It is a place that shaped how I think about the world and myself," she said.
"Being a foreign correspondent helped me learn a great deal about myself. Launching this book here feels like closing a circle. It's like a homecoming, in a way. This was the geography where I first found my voice," she said.