Krishan Ralleigh, Editor of India Link reviews Aline's latest book

Aline Dobbie’s love and enthusiasm for India despite her frequent visits and completion of her Trilogy of her Indian Travels shows no sign of cooling down.  The evidence is her e-Book Quicklook at India published by Quicklook Books. This book is now in a conventional form as well.  The book is a succinct treatise meant for businessmen and diplomats and politicians travelling to India as well as serious travellers and educationalists, but it is not a travelogue. As I expected, this short e-book is an eye-opener for the novice, a pleasant surprise for the connoisseurs of India and a boon for the first time visitor to India who, after reading the book thoroughly will not feel lost when his/her hosts in India chatter about their ancient civilization and culture and the great progress that modern India has made in the first decade of the 21st century.

Let me explain the three main attributes of the book. For the novice, the book is well-planned and organized covering the five thousand years of India in fifty pages. This ‘capsule’ needs to be taken for a couple of weekends before one embarks on a journey to India for any reason; be it business, or search for adventure. Going through the book while having a cup of Assam tea will provide extra flavour to the novice!

For the connoisseur, the book is surprisingly faultless as there are no prejudices expressed as is often the case with western writers. Even controversial information has been explained in short simple sentences from different angles to ensure that no one feels ignored and gets hurt. Strangely, the brevity in expression does not diminish the importance of the events explained. The three hundred years of the great Mughal Empire is abridged into thirty lines. This breath-taking speed of events makes a person dizzy especially the one who has read a lot about these turbulent centuries. 

Aline Dobbie, as a concession to the people of the British Isles is obviously more generous to the British Empire and the Scottish connections.  Lastly, the e-book is a boon to the first time visitor who can taste the flavour of India in one hour and cheaply. A small teaspoon-full is enough to know the full delight of a dish of curry!