Book excerpt: Silent Eloquence is a book that celebrates the beauty and power of words. It is a collection of reflective essays written over 15 years, as the author moved across multiple countries (from Asia to Africa to Europe) and encountered different cultures and colorful personalities along the way. The stories are personal, but the themes are universal. They question our need to belong and to be different at the same time, the balance between being a global citizen and being loyal to nationalistic identities, the clash of the new and the old and many more. The topics covered are eclectic - from our appreciation of art, the effect of technology on creativity, the need for credibility in negotiations, the increasing impatience of the modern audience, the move away from breadth towards depth and apathy in social life - to name a few. It is written by an adventurer for those who relish adventure - not just in life, but also in the world of books. For after all, you never know what you might read in the next page, and that is just part of the joy of reading such a varied, engaging and honest collection.