ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thanks to Akhil Gupta in Mumbai and his assistant Prasad CG, without whom the journey would not have been possible.

And then to everyone who made a donation to the Nano Diaries project: Mum and Dad, Steve and Hannah Shellswell, Jon Meldrum, Dom Goodman, Olly Lambert, AOMAC, Charles Strasser, Robb Ellender, Ljilja Lainovic, Dijana and Dobrica Vukcevic, Mike and Jean Barnes, Dorothea Evans, Chris Gothard, Sacha Lainovic, Jason Sanchez, Can Esenbel, Balamurugan Manoharan, Jan Pearse, Richard Norman and Vamsi Mohun.

Another big shout-out to my agent Sherna Khambatta and the team at Nicholas Brealey, as well as the very talented Hiromi Suzuki Asakura who drew that lovely map on the front cover.

Thank you to the friends who softened the blows of long-distance travel and who provided support and advice, or allowed me to share their homes and the delights of creature comforts. Special big-ups to the Korgaonkar family, as well as Reuben, Petra, Hénoc, Marion, Hadleigh and Paul.

I’m grateful to Ratan Tata and to the folks at Tata Motors who have shown encouragement and cooperation, and who have refrained from filing any legal action against me.

Thanks to my parents and my husband Thor for all their support and patience in the face of my refusal to get a proper job.

Thanks to everyone in India. You truly deserve your title as the most hospitable nation on earth, as well as the mantle of the country of the craziest drivers. Yes, you lot who drive like your pants are on fire: just take care and watch how you go.