A Mountain, A Lake and a Song

by Manav Kaul, Vaibhav Sharma (Translator)

161 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 21, 2026

About the author

कश्मीर के बारामूला में पैदा हुए मानव कौल, होशंगाबाद (म.प्र.) में परवरिश के रास्ते पिछले 20 सालों से मुंबई में फ़िल्मी दुनिया, अभिनय, नाट्य-निर्देशन और लेखन का अभिन्न हिस्सा बने हुए हैं। अपने हर नए नाटक से हिंदी रंगमंच की दुनिया को चौंकाने वाले मानव ने अपने ख़ास गद्य के लिए साहित्य-पाठकों के बीच भी उतनी ही विशेष जगह बनाई है। इनकी पिछली दोनों किताबें ‘ठीक तुम्हारे पीछे’ और ‘प्रेम कबूतर’ दैनिक जागरण नीलसन बेस्टसेलर में शामिल हो चुकी हैं।

Reviews

[Sandeep]

Is it possible to read a book in two languages at the exact same moment? It happens to me when I read an English translation of a book written in a language that I can either read, write or comprehend. It is like I feel every sentence twice as deeply, my mind translating and reading at the same time. This is how i felt reading Manav Kaul's book, originally called " Bahut Door Kitna Door Hota Hai" in Hindi which translates to " How far is far away".

A travelogue of sorts that blends travel writing with deep philosophical reflections on solitude, memory, and art. The writing is simple and straightforward, peppered with profound reflections. This book felt personal in many ways because it reflected my own way of thinking about travel and writing in general. The writer's constant need to make everything they see into a story, dissecting their self worth and the worth of their sentences, all felt eerily familiar.

A breezy read that reminded me of people I met, gained and eventually lost.

[Sridatta Gupta]

There are some books that you read, and then there are books that you seem to travel through. Manav Kaul’s A Mountain, a Lake and a Song was that kind of book for me.
Honest, meditative and deeply lyrical, this is a travelogue that slowly becomes a journey into the landscape of a writer’s mind. As I read, I often felt that I was travelling alongside Kaul — seeing what he saw, sharing his experiences, his joys, his frustrations, the complexities of his relationships and, most importantly, listening to that persistent inner voice of a writer who is still searching.
What stayed with me was the honesty with which he writes about the journey of a writer — the doubts, struggles, restlessness and the constant search for that elusive creative expression. The mountains, lakes, people and silences become part of this larger inward journey.
As someone who has followed Kaul’s work closely — his theatre, films and his journey as a writer — the book felt particularly intimate. I felt less like a reader and more like a co-companion, quietly witnessing the artist behind the work.
And a special applause for Vaibhav Sharma, whose translation carries Kaul’s voice into English with such sensitivity. I never felt I was reading a translated voice. I felt I was listening to Manav Kaul.
A Mountain, a Lake and a Song is a quiet book, but its quietness stays with you. Like a song heard somewhere along a journey, it continues to echo long after you have turned the last page. 📖✨
Read the full review on the blog — visit https://srisays.in/book-review-a-moun...

[Aishwarya Biswas]

It has never happened to me that I picked up a book by Manav Kaul and didnt get drowned in the myriad of emotions slowly, only to find a teardrop fall on the pages that pulls me out of the maze. My mind keeps wandering around somewhere else. I can't figure out whether it's a tear of joy, the void, or the eeriness of seeing yourself completely unfold in his work. Because I can't help but find traces of myself in all of his work.

A Mountain, A Lake and a song is the English translated version of his super popular work, Bohot Dur Kitna Dur Hota Hai. I've heard a lot about this one and I really wanted to read it. So glad that the translated version is out. This travel memoir is so deeply intimate that I literally felt like I'd accidentally started reading someone's very personal diary. And then I don't know whether I should keep reading or close it, because you're constantly in this dilemma of wanting to stay by someone's side, while also seeing someone recount the same waves of emotions that you're dealing with yourself. I've given it 5 stars, but I'm in no position to rate his work. His books are beyond all these things.

[Nashrah]

(will write a review soon)

[Vaibhav]

I translated this book from the Hindi original Bahut Door Kitna Door Hota Hai. You can find both the paperback and Kindle versions on amazon. Happy reading.