Colours Red, Green and Everything in-between

by Geeta Canpadee

This book is a memoir stitched from the author’s journeys across India, China and Southeast Asia. It carries the reader from the Bay of Bengal to Yangtze River to the straits of Malacca. It explores quest and The giant wild goose pagoda in Xian to the grottoes of Longmen, the temples of Shaolin to the shrines of Bali. Along the way appear house helpers and local markets, lion and tiger dancers, ancestor worship and ghost appeasement, masks and kites, pets and puppets.

Some stories move between grief and laughter as the author encounters food and language issues which she sorts out over a period, thus making the everyday life luminous. Her visits to various museums across Asia not only provides a sincere source of information about a country’s cultural past, it ferments the tapestry of history in it’s true sense while a personal loss propels her to embark on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash which teaches her a few life lessons.
Living in India and China and discovering the two countries in Malaysia emerge as the memoir’s beating heart. Shanghai’s riverfront glitters with neon, yet alleyways still carry the smell of steamed buns and whisper of karma chants. In Kuala Lumpur, red lanterns hang beside flower rangoli and the rhythm of Indian and Chinese festivals pulse through local streets and malls. For the author, these are not just images of travel but layered encounters-fragments of history, migration and celebration that speak to the ways cultures echo and entwine.

At its heart, Colours Red, Green and Everything In-between is about migration and adaptation, about carrying pieces of India into China and Malaysia, and recognising the essence of home in unfamiliar places.

180 pages, Paperback

Published October 3, 2025

Reviews

[Avani ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colours Red, Green, and Everything In Between by Geeta Canpadee is a beautiful journey through the author’s travels across India, China, and Southeast Asia. The story keeps you engaged from the very beginning as it explores a wide spectrum of emotions—from grief to laughter—along with plenty of meaningful lessons in between.

The book is about migration and adapting to new cultures, new places, and eventually making them feel like home. It offers rich insights into different landscapes, lifestyles, and living beings, all seen through the author’s unique perspective.

Her visits to various museums and cultural heritage sites provide a wealth of information and references, each narrated with a personal touch. The author has truly penned down her experiences and journey wonderfully, and while reading it, I felt as though I was living every moment alongside her. Definitely recommend.

[Mugdha Mahajan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colours Red, Green and Everything In-between is a warm and honest memoir where the author takes us through her life across India, China and Southeast Asia. The plot is simple but heartfelt-new places, cultural surprises, personal memories, and the quiet courage it takes to start over in a new country.

What stood out to me is how real the writing feels. Some parts read like travel stories, some like emotional reflections, and some like those late-night conversations where someone shares their life without filters. It’s gentle, nostalgic, and very human.

If you enjoy calm, reflective books about culture, identity and finding “home” in unfamiliar places, this one stays with you.

[Sakshi Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colours Red, Green and Everything In-between is one of those memoirs that feels like a slow, gentle walk through different countries, cultures, and versions of the self.
The author takes you from the Bay of Bengal to the Yangtze River, from the temples of Shaolin to the shrines of Bali, and somehow makes every landscape feel intimate and personal.
What I loved most is how her stories flow between humour and heartbreak. One moment she’s navigating food and language mishaps, and the next she’s reflecting on grief, spirituality, or the quiet lessons life hands out during unexpected journeys.
These aren’t just travel snippets they’re layered encounters that show how cultures blend, echo, and reshape us.
At its core, this memoir is about belonging. About carrying home with you, even when you’re thousands of kilometres away. About finding connection in unfamiliar places and recognising that adaptation is its own kind of strength.
I also had the opportunity to meet the author in person, which made this book even more special. She shared warm anecdotes, spoke about the inspirations behind these journeys, and even read a beautiful piece from the book. Hearing her voice bring those experiences to life added a whole new layer of meaning.
This memoir is a lovely, meaningful ,reflective, culture-rich, along with heart-aware writing.

[Falguni Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Colours Red, Green and Everything In-between” is a warm memoir that captures the author’s life across India, China, and Southeast Asia. It’s less of a travelogue and more of a collection of lived moments stitched with curiosity and emotion.

Geeta Canpadee writes with lyrical ease; her prose feels intimate and reflective. She blends humour, cultural insight, and vulnerability, letting even small inconveniences glow with meaning.

From Shanghai’s neon-lit riverfront to the hushed shrines of Bali, her descriptions are vivid without being ornamental. Markets, festivals, pagodas, and alleyways burst with colour, scent, and texture, making each place feel alive and deeply inhabited.

Readers who love cultural memoirs, gentle introspection, and immersive, sensory-rich storytelling will find this book especially rewarding.