Guwahati (PTI)" He is a travel writer who not only chronicles places and people, but revisits after several years to document for his readers what time does to people and places.

Renowned writer Paul Theroux, who has virtually reinvented the travel writing genre beginning with 'The Great Railway Bazaar : By Train Through Asia', travelled to Assam by train to discover new places and people and hopes to return again in the future to chronicle changes.

"Most travel writers have one thing in common -- they only make the journey once and they never go back to the places they have written about. I, however, make a second trip -- the return journey and I find nothing more interesting than this," he said.

"The second journey is a revelation .... Countries open or close, break up or face a change in regime. The world changes, people change, I have changed and truth does not seem to be so simple," said Theroux who regaled readers at a function organised by Assamese literary fortnightly 'Satsori' in collaboration with the American Centre, Kolkata recently.

The author of 'The Imperial Way' said, "India has kept its soul. Her people have remained attached to tradition and history. Indians like looking back on history and analyse it."