A trip to the best of Mysore and back

The magic of Mysore is unending; none can unspool it all. That said in the preface, a new coffee table book Best of Mysore attempts to present the familiar sights of Mysore to the uninitiated and to those looking for a comprehensive guide to the city. Revisiting familiar spots of the tourist circuit and lesser known “ordinary” places of this sleepy city, the book, brought out by Pavostrings Consulting Services, manages to cover the best of the best it has to offer.

So the chapters are simply and unambiguously titled Best places to see, Best places to stay, Best places to shop, Best places to enjoy. “After flipping through the book, it feels like I have gone all around Mysore in a few minutes,” said actor Tara at the book release event in the city on Wednesday. Despite the deluge of books on Mysore, such a heavy book, physically and content wise, is always welcome, said filmmaker Nagabharana at the launch. “This is a way of honouring ourselves and lightening our own burden of responsibilities that we have towards the cities we inhabit and are attached to,” he said.

Mysore gets its due and more here. Big, bright photographs with interesting detailing offer a panoramic view of the cultural, educational, spiritual and science hub that it is. It even includes a chapter on the living legends of the city. Heaping praise on the team behind this project, Tara suggested that a similar title be brought out on Bangalore considering how rapidly the face of the city is changing.

“One never knows where a building falls down and where one stands up. We better hurry and document its beauty,” she said. Nagabharana too pointed out that a few lines in Kannada could have been included. Also, a Kannada version of the same is more than necessary, he added.