Monisha Rajesh
British journalist and travel writer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monisha Rajesh (born 1982)[1] is a British journalist and travel writer.
Monisha Rajesh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1982 (age 43–44) |
| Occupation | Journalist and travel writer |
| Notable works | Around The World in 80 Trains |
| Website | |
| monisharajesh | |
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 Book of the Year.[13].[14][15]
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.[16]
She was one of the judges for the 2021 Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year ,[17] after her Around the World in 80 Trains was shortlisted for the 2020 award.[18]
In December 2025 Rajesh's most recent book Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train, documenting the resurgence in European sleeper trains, was shortlisted for the 2026 Edward Stanford Travel Book of the Year.[19]
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.[20] 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.
- Rajesh, Monisha (2025). Moonlight Express: Around the World by Night Train. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-526644-121.