Speaker: Shueyb Gandapur

This is a book discussion on Coming Back – the Odessey of a Pakistani through India by a British-Pakistani travel writer Shueyb Gandapur. At a time when conflict has dulled people-to-people dialogue between the two South Asian neighbours and travelling across borders has turned hard to imagine, it has become even more important to explore the cultural and societal similarities that ought to be cherished and differences that cannot be ignored.

The book is a captivating travelogue exploring the shared heritage of South Asia. In a world marked by political divisions and religious tensions, this unique travel memoir offers a fresh perspective on the enduring connection between Pakistan and India. As a Pakistani visitor to India, the author delves into the motivations behind his journey, the shared similarities and intriguing differences between the two nations and talks about emotional reunions with long-lost compatriots who migrated across borders.

Gandapur takes us on a colourful guided tour of mosques, monuments, shrines, and temples, from the Taj Mahal to the ghats of Benares. While identifying similarities and differences between Pakistan and India, he makes very interesting forays also to locate and contact the Derawal community in Delhi as well as the distinctive and largely forgotten Hindu Pashtuns. The book also makes a nuanced foray into the space of neighbourly relations. The narrative is simple but neither lacks profundity nor wisdom. 

About the speaker

Shueyb Gandapur is a world traveller who has visited 110 countries. Originally from Dera Ismail Khan, he lives between Dubai and London. A chartered accountant by profession, he is an ardent travel writer. “Coming Back” are his travel memoires of India published in 2025. 

Chair

Dr Ayesha Siddiqa is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, from where she got her doctorate degree. She is an author of two books on military, politics and defence economics. Earlier, she was a research fellow at the SOAS South Asia Institute and St. Antony’s College, Oxford.