Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life

by Ruskin Bond (Editor), Namita Gokhale (Editor)

For some, the Himalaya is a frontier against which to test themselves. Others find refuge and tranquility in the mountains, a place where they can seek their selves, perhaps even God. And over millennia, the mountains have cradled civilization itself and nurtured teeming, irrepressible life.
With over fifty essays, this comprehensive volume brings together a dazzling range of voices—among others, Fa-Hsien, Pundit Nain Singh, Heinrich Harrer, Fanny Parkes, Dharamvir Bharati, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Rahul Sankrityayan, Amitav Ghosh, Jawaharlal Nehru, Frank Smythe, Paul Brunton, Edmund Hillary, Mark Twain, Sarat Chandra Das, Dom Moraes, Manjushree Thapa—and the two editors themselves—in an unparalleled panorama.
Here you will find stories of great ascents and descents; The madness of war on the ‘world’s highest battlefield’; Tales of exploratory derring-do in Tibet and elsewhere; A drunken jaunt in Kumaon and even the probable sighting of an 'Abominable Snowman in the Valley of Flowers'. A seeker has an intense spiritual experience on Mount Kailas, another among shamans on a mountaintop in Nepal and looking for the snow leopard in Ladakh, an author finds himself. A resident of a Sherpa village writes a heartfelt account of the aftermath of an avalanche which killed porters and climbers on Everest and residents of Langtang record an oral history of the earthquake which wiped out their village. A matriarch describes her life and family in Almora of a bygone time; A prisoner in Dehra Dun jail draws solace from visits by birds and small animals and the fragrance of lime makes a traveler's night in a remote Garhwal village memorable for all time.
Edited by Ruskin Bond, India’s most-loved writer and acclaimed novelist Namita Gokhale, this anthology spans the entire range, from the foothills to the highest peaks and from its easternmost to its westernmost ends. Himalaya will keep you riveted.

Genres: Travel, Adventure, India, Nature, Nonfiction

444 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2016

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

Reviews

[Raksha Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was as good as living in the mountains up north; each essay is as resplendent as the sun shining over the snow of Himalayas. The task of collating these many writings for the editors must have been a feast. While some of them are inspiring and uplifting, some have captured the daily grind the people of the mountains go through. In my opinion, the idea of such a book is commendable, in times were people from rest of the world are so obsessed with the idea of going to the mountains, more so as a route of escape from life's reality, these essays give a wholesome picture of what the mountains really are and what they really have to tell us-nothing, they are just there.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

While on vacation this week, I have savored each piece in this wonderful non-fiction anthology of writings on the Himalayas. The collection is divided into three section: Adventures, Meditations, and Life. Each section contains about 15 contributions from writers as diverse as this fascinating region of the sub-continent, ranging from mountaineers Mallory, Hillary, and Harrer to poets Twain, Tagore, and Nehru. A spectacular glimpse into the legends, lore, and everyday life of the mythical mountain range.

[Amitbhanu Pandey · Rating 5 out of 5]

HIMALAYA ( Edited by Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale)

What a book to finish the year off!
Some of the most extraordinary accounts brilliantly written or so to say composed. Mesmerising description of some of the most courageous expeditions. So lively, thrilling, bone-chilling. Alpinism with the highest degree of adventure and so beautifully scripted in words by some of them.
Equally brain-storming and deeply meant are some of the spiritual accounts…philosophical travelogue..superb collection of writings.
Feels as if mountains are brought alive and you are living and breathing into that scarce but sacred air.
Divided into three part, namely:
Adventures, Meditations and Life , this book includes writings of Jahangir, Mark Twain, Edmund Hillary(his was the mind blowing account of Everest climbing), Rahul Sankrityayan, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jim Corbet and many others.
Edited by none other than the Ruskin Bond with Namita Gokhale. It’s a fat one but all worthy.
Read it and live it.👍👍

[AB Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few months ago, I came across Ruskin Bond’s name while considering his semi-autobiographical collection of writings (Rain in the Mountains), but decided to read this collection of Bond-edited literary essays prior to jumping into that text.

The stories I most connected with are:

“They Make a Desolation and Call It Peace” by Amitav Ghosh. In it, Ghosh transports us to military installations high atop the Himalayan peaks, and features elements of the grave repercussions of India and Pakistan’s nuclear aspirations;

“The Lopchak Caravan to Lhasa” by Abdul Wahid Radhu, which distils the experience of a long-lost cultural tradition into a narrative replete with the challenges faced while travelling by caravan at the top of the world;

The short essay, “Friends in Prison” by Jawaharlal Nehru, which introduces the reader to one of Nehru’s many experiences of incarceration;

And my favourite literary essay included here, by Vicki Mackenzie: “A Mountain Retreat,” the utterly compelling story of Tenzin Palmo, who lived alone in a cave in the Himalayas for twelve years.

3 stars. Although the division of essays into three sections – featuring adventure, meditations, and life in the Himalayas – is a reasonable organising principle, I unfortunately found my mind wandering a bit too much while reading. This is a clear sign that I’m not completely engaged with what I’m reading. Still, it’s an interesting series of stories; I simply felt that the book would have benefitted from reducing the number of included texts.

[Ramaswamy Raman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of real life adventures, pilgrimage or meditative and life related essays or documents based among the Himalayas.
The adventure chapters give an idea of the difficult conditions in the mountains and how people travelling or trekking find it challenging. The best story here is the one by Edmund Hillary of his reaching the summit of Mount Everest along with Tenzing Norgay.
The 2nd series is meditative stories of how the emotions become godly and the feeling of meditation comes within one on being amongst the mountains. All the stories here take you close to the experience if you have never been there.
The last series is of life of people and how they have made the mountains their home. Their food, cattle, lifestyle, tragedies etc all are shared through various experiences of people.
Overall a new feeling of being thoughtful and the serenity will keep you dreaming of being among these mountains. Maybe some might feel bored or find the stories repetitive, specially towards the initial chapters, please be patient skip some and read ahead.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was worth the read for the excerpt from Sir Edmund Hillary alone! Add in other fascinating essays - a chapter from Peter Matthiessen's poetic The Snow Leopard, a poignant and sad essay about life in a Sherpa village and the 2014 avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall, a rollicking recounting from Mark Twain of an adventure riding in a train cart from Darjeeling, a curious tale about tracks of a possible Yeti - and this collection had some absolute gems. The historic accounts from white men were pretty cringe-worthy (and FYI, Alistair Crowley was a giant asshole), and some of the other essays were a little hard to follow as they talked about different locations without giving much context or background about them. But overall, a lovely read.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Dilip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last few weeks of COVID mandated isolation was more a gift than a curse .it was librating as i untangled the tentacles of life that had wrapped around me and pulled me into the abyss and held me captive.I was no longer expected to work or maintain social obligations.I slept to my hearts content ,prayed ,meditated and read .luckily just before I was diagnosed with COVID I managed to get my hands on a wonderful book which was a collection of Articles on the HIMALAYA.Unaware of the hours passing by ,bent over the yellowing pages in my dim lit room ,My mind was wandering among the foot hills and villages of Himalaya .Sometimes I experienced the seclusion of a hermit in a cave and yet other times I was an ordinary Himalayan villager witnessing birth,marriage ,death and shamans exorcising demons .I learned about timeless and spaceless nature of human soul from the sages in the forests .

[Rajiv Chopra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book. It brought me back to the lands where I spent the better part of my school life. The mountains have always been in my blood, and I feel free when I am there.

The collection of writings in this book inspired me to buy a few of the books from which, the excerpts have been taken.

Apart from that, the writings bring back memories of times gone by; of nature respected, and now ravaged.

Yet, the mystique of the Himalayas remain eternal, and this has been spirit captured in this magnificent book

[Sanchita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories and experiences by several stalwarts from across the world. Ranging from adventures, life experiences, meditation, drama...the book.is a good read... stories contributed by..Ruskin Bond my all time favourite, Amitava Ghosh, Jamling Tenzing Norgay, Edmund Hillary, Sarat Ch. Das, Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore and many more famous personalities....

[Mukesh Prajapati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read for Himalaya lovers. It is collection of essays and stories by various eminent authors and personalities like Ruskin Bond, Amitava Ghosh, Mark Twain, Jim Corbett, Edmund Hillary, Sarat Ch. Das, Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore. Essays are divided in three categories. Adventure, Meditation and Life.

[Shubhra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It’s a collection of writings, across three parts – adventure, meditations and life. From a multitude of authors (some really excellent ones), ancient and modern, but in each case, it’s the mountains which are centerstage. It’s a hugely diverse collection. If the Himalayas call to you and you feel happy when anywhere near them, reading this soothes your soul.

[Suman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of stories or partial stories by various eminent authors. Some are interesting, some are boring. An introduction of the author and the reference right at the beginning of each story would have made the read more interesting.

[Arup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Himalaya is always fascinating in all aspects. This book is a collection of essays by several renowned personalities. It's a journey to all the Himalayan region. Essays are divided in three categories. Adventure, Meditation and Life.

[Paritosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good collection of essays ... Some better than others. I'd say I really only read 80% of the book, while skimming through the rest.

[Maynk Desai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book which has extracts of wonderful travel adventures. Maybe some of the stories get boring at times but 80% of the experiences share in there are worth reading. Loved them.

[Shubham Arya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baadalon ke saaye mein, parvaton ki baahon mein. Raahtein yahin basti hein, Himalaya ki panahon mein

[Charit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took a while to read it as each story was paced differently. But all together, the stories do transport you to a different time and those mountains. A meditative read.

[Book'd Hitu · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent take and all about Himalayas.
The most gripping chapter was Hilary's final lap towards summit - the Everest.

[Bharat Rao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some pieces stronger than others, but nevertheless a gripping collection that spans centuries. The emperor Jahangir reveals himself to be an astute observer and bon vivant.

[Jack Rego · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish. Hilary’s account of his summit was interesting but the other accounts were heavy going and I gave up about a third of the way through.

[Deepanjali B Sarkar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvelous book for all those whose heart soar at a glimpse of the Himalayas. A glorious, eclectic selection of not just travelogues and musings and meditations but dare devil adventures across frozen rivers into the forbidden land (Tibet) and first hand accounts of mountaineers. My favourites were a travelogue by a Bengali spy - Sarat Chandra Das, who went on a secret mission to Tibet in 1879; Jamling Tenzing Norgay's attempt to retrace his legendary father's footsteps and how he nearly lost his life in trying to do so, a Japanese pilgrims solitary journey by foot across the Himalayas all the way to Tibet and a beautifully evocative piece on waiting to catch a glimpse of the Kanchenjunga as it emerges from behind the clouds.
It is a book that has to be savoured, one tale at a time. My deepest admiration for the editors Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale for culling out such an unusual assortment of stories. Their love for the Himalayas shines through in every story.