Monisha Rajesh
British journalist and travel writer

Monisha Rajesh
Born1982 (age 43–44)
Norfolk, United Kingdom
OccupationJournalist and travel writer
Notable worksAround The World in 80 Trains
Website
monisharajesh.com

Monisha Rajesh (born 1982)[1] is a British journalist and travel writer.

Early life

Rajesh was born in Norfolk, England, the child of two Indian doctors[1] with origins in Tamil Nadu and Hyderabad.[2] The family moved from Sheffield to Madras, India, in 1991. After two years they returned to England[3] and she made only occasional visits to India over the next twenty years: "little more than the occasional family wedding had succeeded in tempting me back".[4]: xiii  She attended King Edward VI High School for Girls in Birmingham, studied French at the University of Leeds, and has a postgraduate diploma in magazine journalism from the Department of Journalism, City University.[5][6]

Career

Rajesh has worked for The Week and written for The Guardian, The Times, The New York Times and Time.[7]

In 2010, she embarked on a four-month journey around India by train, using 80 train journeys to reach the furthest points of the Indian rail network, described in her 2012 book Around India in 80 Trains.[8][3][9] The book was named as one of The Independent's "Top ten books about India".[10]

She subsequently travelled around the world in another 80 train journeys, writing Around the World in 80 Trains (2019),[11][1] which The Independent listed in 2020 as one of "10 best travel books to satisfy your wanderlust in lockdown".[12] This book won the 2019 National Geographic Traveller Reader Award in the "Book worm (travel books)" category.[13][14]

Rajesh won the 2020 National Consumer Feature of the Year award of the Travel Media Awards for a piece in The Guardian about the Trans-Siberian Railway.[15]

She was one of the judges for the 2021 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year ,[16] after her Around the World in 80 Trains was shortlisted for the 2020 award.[17]

In mid-2021 Rajesh received racist abuse on social media as a result of her criticism of depictions of autism and of students of colour in Kate Clanchy's book Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me.[18] In November 2025, she appeared on a BBC podcast documentary speaking about the incident.

Selected publications

  • Rajesh, Monisha (2012). Around India in 80 Trains. Nicholas Brealey. ISBN 978-1-85788-595-8.
  • Rajesh, Monisha (2019). Around the World in 80 Trains. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1408869758.
  • Rajesh, Monisha (2022). Epic Train Journeys. Gestalten. ISBN 978-3967040203.

References

  1. ^ a b c Kerr, Michael (30 January 2019). "Around the World in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh, review: a triumphant ode to long distance train travel". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  2. ^ Rajesh, Monisha (29 September 2022). "Around India in 80 trains: Why the country's railways are vital to understanding local life". Flash Pack. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Go trotting around India in 80 trains, says book by Monisha Rajesh". The Hindu Business Line. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. ^ Rajesh, Monisha (2012). Around India in 80 trains. Nicholas Brealy. ISBN 978-1-85788-595-8.
  5. ^ "Monisha Rajesh". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Monisha Rajesh". Roli. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Monisha Rajesh". Hodder & Stoughton. Retrieved 13 March 2019.[dead link]
  8. ^ Duff, Andrew (7 December 2012). "Around India in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  9. ^ Walia, Nora. "Around India in 80 Trains (interview)". Times of India. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Monisha Rajesh". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  11. ^ Smith, P. D. (26 January 2019). "Around the World in 80 Trains by Monisha Rajesh review – the romance of rail travel". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  12. ^ Smith, Stacey (3 June 2020). "10 best travel books to satisfy your wanderlust in lockdown". The Independent. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  13. ^ "Winners of the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Reader Awards 2019, in association with Audley Travel, announced". aplmedia.co.uk. APL Media. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Monisha Rajesh wins National Geographic Traveller Reader Award". DGA. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Monisha Rajesh on travel writing, trains and the Travel Media Awards". Travel Media Awards 2021. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
    Rajesh, Monisha (12 January 2020). "'The Godfather of trains': the Trans-Mongolian from Moscow to Beijing". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year in Association with the Authors' Club 2021". edwardstanfordawards. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award". edwardstanfordawards. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  18. ^ Campbell, Lucy (10 August 2021). "Kate Clanchy to rewrite memoir amid criticism of 'racist and ableist tropes'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  • Official website
  • Around the world in 80 trains website
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