Jhelum is a river that flows through Miani, a little town in Punjab - now in Pakistan. This is where Lala Kirparam Ramchand, the author's mother's grandfather, was born. His ashes were released into the Tana - a river in Kenya, which flows out into the Indian Ocean. India was where he was born; Kenya was where he spent the better half of his life. It was where he experienced Kenya's wilderness - hunting zebras and dodging lions during the building of the railway;  and the enchantment of Kenya's old coastal towns - Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa. He founded a thriving business; gave rise to many generations; endured the Second World War and the end of colonialism; and survived outbreaks of cholera and malaria. The book is a personal account of Kapur's family history from 1898 - the year in which her great-grandfather sailed from India to Kenya in a dhow; it is more, though, than just a personal family story being passed down.

She traveled to different continents, explored libraries, old towns, and archives -  and read numerous books - to produce both a family story and a historical documentary, where the twists and turns of family life are intertwined with African and Indian legends and the relevant political events, both local and global. Her thorough research is evident. Kapur's pieces together each family member's individual personality, re-living their lives a century ago: her vibrant imagination, and careful conversations with her mother, extended family, and friends are of enormous help here.  This family story is interwoven with a history of many nations and races - Kenya, India, Europe and their ethnic communities. In this rich and informative book, Kapur re-tells history as seen from the point of view of an ordinary citizen, while paying due attention to race, culture, values and politics.The author's characterisation of her ancestors is a success: she shows empathy, while painstakingly raising infrequently-asked questions about infidelity, family politics, traditions and home truths. Kapur manages to expose intimate family stories - and in the Asian community, where people like to keep certain things secretive and private, this is a very daring thing to do - without losing the reader's sympathy.

The book quenches curious minds, answers complex questions and raises just as many. It leaves the readers with a different mindset and it serves as the perfect platform to rediscover one's own family roots, or your country's roots. This book is particularly important for Kenyans and South East Asians, but also for migrants and diasporas everywhere: it opens eyes, and provides an insight into many cultures and traditions. It has facts, figures and priceless information about cultures and periods of history hardly known to even our descendants. The variety of topics and mass of information may hinder the story's continuity somewhat - the reader might feel slightly lost with all the relations, which is especially possible when it involves large Asian families - making the book seem patchy. It is the type of book that one must read a second time to get a full grasp of.

In the realm of African-Indian writing, Moyez Vassanji takes the lead, and after the acclaim he has received, it is difficult to surpass him. Kapur-Dromson cannot be too far behind.

From Jhelum To Tana by Neera Kapur-Dromson. Published April 2007 by Penguin Books India. Available online.