This book tells the story of one man's adventures with an elephant. There is no better way to see India than on the back of an elephant, which is exactly what Mark Shand discovered as he set out on a 1000 kilometre journey on Tara, a 30-year old female elephant. Their destination was the Sonepur Mela, the world's oldest elephant market. What began as an adventurous whim soon developed into an unlikely romance. Tara, a scrawny and ill-treated begging elephant which Shand had acquired, was transformed through tender loving care on the journey into a star attraction. This book provides an account of the trials and tribulations of their journey.