Rajat Ubhaykar Author • Travel Writer
Rajat Ubhaykar portrait
Trucking, travel, and the lived reality of India on the road

Truck De India: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hindustan

Rajat Ubhaykar is a writer and former business journalist whose work sits at the intersection of travel, infrastructure, labour, and everyday India. Best known for hitchhiking over 10,000 km with truck drivers across the country, he writes from the cab of India’s freight economy—where highways meet livelihoods, risk, humour, and resilience.

Life on the road (trucking)

About Rajat Ubhaykar

Author bio, background, and online presence

Profile

Traveller and writer; formerly a business journalist. Bio details and the official publisher profile are on Simon & Schuster.

Official pages

Personal site: rajatu.wordpress.com
Publisher page: Simon & Schuster author profile

Social

X (Twitter): @rajatub

Book introduction

What the book covers, and why it matters

Overview

Truck De India follows a 10,000 km hitchhiking journey with truck drivers across India, documenting unexpected friendships, hazards of overloading, regional truck art traditions, encounters with corruption, and the generosity of strangers.

Recommended starting points

Publisher synopsis and details: Simon & Schuster
Long-form author interview on the writing process: Scroll.in

Reviews, features & press

Major reviews, features, excerpts, and critical commentary on Truck De India

The Hindu

A perceptive and grounded travelogue that captures the lives powering India’s highways.

India Today

An immersive account of highways, hazards, and humanity.

Open Magazine

Joy rides across India’s arterial roads, told with curiosity and restraint.

Borderless Journal

An epiphanic ride through India’s trucking culture.

Firstpost

A compassionate look at the complex lives of Indian truckers.

Forbes India

Stories of sex, drugs, and the highway economy.

The Diplomat

A rare look at the drivers of India’s growth.

Scroll.in

A hitchhiker’s account of adventures and mishaps across India.

Deccan Herald

A hitchhiker’s guide to Hindustan.

Mint Lounge

A journey to India’s four corners by truck.

Podcasts, interviews & broadcasts

Audio, video, and broadcast appearances by Rajat Ubhaykar

Podcasts

Indian Express Podcast
Forbes – From the Bookshelves
Brown Pundits Podcast
The Musafir Stories
All Things Policy

Video & TV

TED Talk – Life on the Road
BBC Interview
Hindustan Times – Video Interview
HT Video
Bound Podcast (Video)

Press & Media Kit

For journalists, festival curators, and media professionals

Author bio (short)

Rajat Ubhaykar is a writer and former business journalist. His debut travelogue, Truck De India: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hindustan, chronicles a 10,000 km journey hitchhiking with truck drivers across India, exploring highways, logistics, labour, and life on the road.

Author bio (long)

Rajat Ubhaykar is a writer and former business journalist whose work focuses on travel, infrastructure, labour, and everyday India. His book Truck De India: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hindustan is based on an unplanned 10,000 km journey hitchhiking with truck drivers across the country. Blending reportage with travel writing, the book examines trucking culture, highway economies, truck art, migration, and the social realities that power India’s supply chains. The book has been widely reviewed and featured across national and international media.

Book information

Title: Truck De India: A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Hindustan
Publisher: Simon & Schuster India
Publication year: 2019
Genre: Travel writing / Narrative nonfiction

Selected reviews & features (expanded list)
Mid-Day — Truck by chance
Fountain Ink — The Hitchhiker’s Ride
Hindustan Times — Truck tales
Nat Geo Traveller India — Road trip lessons
Podcasts & audio (full list)
Indian Express Podcast — Listen
Forbes – From the Bookshelves — Listen
Brown Pundits — Listen
Musafir Stories — Listen
All Things Policy — Watch

Writing

Selected author pages and published writing directories

Author site

Posts and updates: rajatu.wordpress.com

Clips / bylines

Article listing directory: Muck Rack profile

Contact

Media, speaking engagements, and general inquiries

Replace this with the author’s preferred contact channel(s): email, agent/publicist, or a contact form.

Email: rajatu@gmail.com