A Return To Self

A Return to Self: Excursions in Exile by Aatish Taseer is a blend of travelogue and memoir shaped by questions of identity, belonging, culture, and exile. Following the revocation of his Indian citizenship in 2019, Taseer revisits places connected to his sense of self and uses travel to examine the historical and cultural forces that shape how people relate to nations and communities.

Moving through places including Istanbul, Uzbekistan, and India, Taseer brings encounters with the ancient world into conversation with contemporary life. His reflections consider migration, changing food cultures, the effects of the pandemic, cultural conflict, and the ways different histories overlap and influence the people who inherit them.

About This Book

The loss of his Indian citizenship becomes the starting point for a wider exploration of home and identity. Rather than treating belonging as a simple connection to one country, Taseer looks at the layers of history, migration, culture, memory, and personal experience that contribute to a sense of nationality and place.

In Istanbul, he reflects on the ambitions and expectations of his earlier self. In Uzbekistan, he considers the transformation of historic Silk Road spaces into contemporary tourist destinations. In India, he examines the contrast between Buddhism's origins in the country and its limited contemporary practice there.

A Return to Self moves between personal reflection and observations of societies undergoing change. Its travels become a way of considering how cultures develop through centuries of interaction and conflict, and how migration and overlapping identities contribute to the multicultural world of the present.

What You'll Discover

• Taseer's reflections on exile, identity, nationality, and belonging
• Travel experiences across Istanbul, Uzbekistan, India, and other regions
• The historical and contemporary character of Silk Road cultures
• Reflections on Buddhism's origins in India and its present practice
• The relationship between ancient cultures and contemporary social change
• Ideas about migration and the formation of multicultural identities
• How personal journeys can reveal broader questions about culture and nationality

Perfect For

• Readers interested in travel writing and memoir
• Those exploring identity, exile, migration, and belonging
• Readers interested in culture, history, and changing societies
• Those drawn to reflective writing about nationality and place
• Readers interested in journeys across interconnected cultural landscapes

Why You'll Love This Book

A Return to Self: Excursions in Exile combines travel and personal reflection to examine how history, culture, migration, and memory influence the meaning of home. Through encounters across different regions, Aatish Taseer turns a personal experience of exile into a broader meditation on identity and belonging.