Himalayan reading

Aishah

Much to my chagrin, I have never read 'Kim' but want to, one day. More recently I have been reading some of his short stories, and I must say, I do enjoy them. As far as the Hindi goes in them, it seems to be fine to me - yes, a romanticised view, but we must remember this is Victorian times, and his stories and language are reflective of this. The one book I really want to get, have failed to find here so far but a friend will bring me in March is 'Plain Tales from the Hills'.

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nyraghu

Aishah, yes, Kipling's Indian stories are perhaps best viewed as period pieces, reflective of the prejudices of his times. (My comment on his "romanticism" was in response to earlier postings about Kim's relevance to appreciating *current* India, etc.) In spite of Kipling's championing the East and all, there is certainly a patronising attitude in his writings. Thus, even though he wrote "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din," he still had to say that Gunga Din,
Raghu.

kullukid

It's next on my list, sat on my bookshelf at home. Love Hopkirk's books "Trespassers on the Roof of the World" was a good read.
I could never get into Kipling's Ye Olde English writing, then i read Kim while i was in Kasol in Parvati valley about 5 yrs ago & couldn't put it down. KK

unclelach

Aishah, if you enjoy 'Plain Tales from the Hills' I urge you to then try 'Plain Tales from the Raj' Ed. Charles Allen, 1975.

Allen's book was compiled from a large number of oral histories of British people once resident in India. The histories were broadcast by BBC radio in the 1970's. The book has been reissued and is easier to find than the audio version. I'm not sure if the audio is from original material.

During my only visit to Shimla in 2003, remarkably I met quite by chance at the former Viceroy's Lodge, a descendant of one of Allen's interviewees. While being guided through the Lodge a lady in our group remarked that her grandmother had attended balls in the room in which we stood. We later had a short conversation about the person in question.

'Plain Tales from the Raj' is well reviewed on the internet, particularly on the Amazon UK site.

nyraghu

Thanks for that. I've been reading about the book on the Web, and it seems very interesting. One more addition to my wishlist :-) If only wishes were horses.

Raghu.

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kmalik

I am sure some of you will be interested in this book. I read this interesting book review in the New York Times yesterday and found it quite interesting.

nyraghu

Thanks for the information. It seems a very interesting book, in spite of the presumptuous title --- I feel these giants should never be thought of as "fallen." The first chapter of the book is freely available (16 MB, PDF) from the publisher.

Raghu.

nyraghu

Bimal Dey, The Last Time I Saw Tibet, Bengali original 1982, Translated by Malobika Chaudhuri, 2007, Penguin Books India.

This book was mentioned earlier in the thread by Prashant, M. I read it a couple of months ago, and found it very interesting. The author ran away from home in Calcutta, and travelled to Tibet in 1956 at the age of 16, as the disciple of a Tibetan monk he'd met in Gaya. China had occupied the country six years before, and Indians were not being allowed in. So, the boy passed himself as a Nepali novitiate under a vow of silence, to hide his lack of knowledge of that language. Crossing into Tibet over the Nathu La pass from Sikkim, he visited Lhasa with his Guru, and then made a solitary pilgrimage to Kailash and Mansarovar, before returning home alone by way of Lipu Lekh in Kumaon.

The work is apparently based on the author's diaries and memories, and was written in 1981, at the age of 41. What struck me first about the account was the intensity of his feelings for the few men who mentored him, devotion with an artless lack of restraint, something possible perhaps only in one's youth. The other image that the book conveys is an innocence of perception, both of people and nature, but especially of the latter. Though awed by the mountains and the lakes, what comes out is the feeling of wonder and surprise at the beauty all around.

The last two chapters stand apart from the rest of the book, being conceived at a mature age, presumably with greater knowledge. They take one down from the unassuming and wondering account of the earlier pages, to passages tinged with pride and a finite amount of pomposity. However, they are not difficult to ignore and forget, making the book an enjoyable read indeed.

Here is a sampler:

Raghu.

bornfree_bars

"Living with the Himlayan Masters" is my all time fav....the book is a wonderful escape into a world of serenity.

xjunkiee

an excellent book
really touching
INTO THIN AIR DEATHON EVEREST

Swapnil

Into Thin Air ....this is already been mentioned by alexvisentin in post no. #81 ....I'm having soft copy of this...Do let me know if anybody wants the same.

xjunkiee

then u read another beautiful book namaed FATAL MOUNTAINEER

Saulteaux_woman

1. Himalaya by Michael Palin
2. Surfing the Himalayas: A Spiritual Adventure by Frederick Lenz
3. Circling the Sacred Mountain: A Spiritual Adventure Through the Himalayas by Robert Thurman
4. My Quest for the Yeti: Confronting the Himalays' Deepest Mystery by Reinhold Messner
5. The Half-Inch Himalayas by Agha Shahid Ali
6. The Journey from Jakarta to Himalaya by Gola Gong
7. Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalaya by Jamaica Kincaid
8. Stones of Silence: Journeys in the Himalaya by George B. Schaller
9. Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas by Surendra Bahadur Shahi, Christian Rätsch, Claudia Müller-Ebeling
10. Virtual Tibet: Searching for Shangri-La from the Himalayas to Hollywood by Orville Schell
11. On Thin Ice: Alpine Climbs in the Americas, Asia and the Himalaya by mick fowler
12. So Close to Heaven: The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas by Barbara Crossette
13. Mountains of the Middle Kingdom: Exploring the High Peaks of China and Tibet by Galen Rowell
14. Being a Buddhist Nun: The Struggle for Enlightenment in the Himalayas by Kim Gutschow
15. In the Shadow of the Himalayas: Tibet - Bhutan - Nepal - Sikkim by Kurt Meyer

I hope some of these books help you guys out, some are books I've read or are sitting on my self waiting to be read, I will get there in this lifetime or the next!!!!

theyyamdancer

Wow, cool list, thanks. I am currently reading your number 7 - Jamaica Kincaid's "Among Flowers" and enjoying it immensely.

shahronakm

Saulteaux woman, thanks for that list.

Ronak.

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