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Cloud Messenger: Love and Loss in the Indian Himalayas
As a Canadian medical student, Karen Trollope-Kumar went to India to study social and preventive medicine and met a young pediatrician named Pradeep. His dream of working in the Himalayan foothills captured her imagination, and the man captured her heart. They married in a Hindu wedding ceremony and pledged to share a life of service and spiritual growth.
In this poignant, heartwarming, and gently humorous memoir, Karen recounts an eleven-year chapter of their unusual lives. She and Pradeep worked as medical doctors in the Himalayas, first in a rural hospital and later in remote mountain villages. When disaster struck - an assassination, an earthquake, a political crisis - their ideals, their safety, and their relationship are put at risk.
The Cloud Messenger is a story of adventure and idealism, culture and medicine, faith and love, and it raises enduring How can we cross religious and cultural boundaries? What happens to our dreams in the face of danger and disillusionment? And when dreams diverge, when one spouse can no longer continue on a certain path, what path do we choose?
In this poignant, heartwarming, and gently humorous memoir, Karen recounts an eleven-year chapter of their unusual lives. She and Pradeep worked as medical doctors in the Himalayas, first in a rural hospital and later in remote mountain villages. When disaster struck - an assassination, an earthquake, a political crisis - their ideals, their safety, and their relationship are put at risk.
The Cloud Messenger is a story of adventure and idealism, culture and medicine, faith and love, and it raises enduring How can we cross religious and cultural boundaries? What happens to our dreams in the face of danger and disillusionment? And when dreams diverge, when one spouse can no longer continue on a certain path, what path do we choose?
348 pages, Hardcover
Published October 11, 2016
87 people want to read
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May 18, 2017
via my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
Pradeep began to sing a haunting melody.
“Phool kitabon mein milen… What does it mean?” I whispered, not wanting to break the spell of the music.
“It means, ‘Now we will be seperated. And perhaps we shall only meet in dreams. Our love will be like a flower pressed between the pages of a book.”
Pradeep’s ghazal (lyric poem) sang with feeling was right, they would meet in dreams, but dreams they made a reality. When Canadian medical student Karen Trollope-Kumar went to India to study medicine, little did she know she would meet and fall in love with a pediatrician named Pradeep, as well as his dream of living in the Indian Himalayas. Though they parted, they couldn’t deny their destiny, to be together as husband and wife. With courage as strong as leaping off a mountain, Karen does indeed return to India to work in the foothills as Pradeep’s wife. She soon learns ‘how profoundly communication is shaped by culture’. Never in her wildest dreams did she know she would marry into a culture immersed in religion and tradition, having come from the Western world it is an eye opening experience. As a doctor, the shock is life altering, going from rural to remote villages the practices are vastly different. Amid such sometimes appalling conditions, the ceremonies and festivals sprinkled throughout their time in India are beautiful, moving. The descriptions within the book transport the reader to the villages, feeling much like a spiritual eye in the sky.
Idealistic in our dreams, we don’t imagine the obstacles we will face. Politics, superstitions, religious beliefs, poverty of people and their village, nature itself (earthquakes) and lack of trust in medicine are just a few complications that appeared. Soon learning how to come together with your beloved with such different upbringings, surely it’s a challenge for the newly weds, but can seem like a mountain of hardship. Accepted by Pradeep’s family, depsite not being Indian herself, the beauty of their love is evident in the ceremony early on when placed on the shrine, beside the God Ganesha sits a cruxifix, to honor their grandson’s bride. In time, she learns through stories the hardships his family had faced, the fears they had for the children based on so much suffering but too she sees the turn of fortune they have later.
Desperate to bring proper care to pregnant women and new mothers, the reader is given insight into the harsh conditions such women face. At the beginning, confident with her knowledge of medicine, the arrogance that she can better their world- the reality of things is a humbling. When Pradeep confides he longs more for spiritual enlightenment than medical practices, it’s hard for Karen to understand, having come from a home that wasn’t overly religious. Her calling seems to be bringing medical care to the furthest reaches, to those most in need of life saving techniques, training dais (midwives) proper care. Even if superstitions get in the way, she won’t give up, but there are disheartening encounters as much as beautiful ones. Deep lasting friendships are formed as much as a love for the places she travels to, and lives in. She learns that she must look into herself, “Your work now is to look into the nature of your own discontent.” A message any of us can take to heart in dealing with our problems, our loved ones… Our expectations often make it so hard to flow, to accept that which is real. It isn’t always someone else that is to blame, it’s our own difficulty owning what is compared to what we thought would be.
Any sort of traveler can be in for culture shock, I certainly have been myself, but India is said to be a place of contradictions. Beauty amidst poverty, physical illness and yet superior spiritual health, as much open love and acceptance as close minded rejection. We Westerners have a instinct of wanting to fix what we think is wrong, and that’s both a strength and a flaw. It’s the happy medium that’s so hard to find. Within this memoir, it’s obvious that Karen persevered through things so many of us may not be able to do half as well. People romanticize such journeys in their minds, but the reality can be a slap in the face. She learned to accept her changing dreams and the husband she loved, tied to her destiny but also his own spiritual being. Along came children, and with it so much advice from Indian women. I thought about that, and imagined the eye-rolling of others, but in truth- we think we’re advanced here in the western world where you have a baby and often go home, sometimes without generations of women (family) around to help you, and as much as magazines and the internet can guide, who knows more about mothering than other mothers? It has its charm, this unity of motherhood. As with any place on earth, there is happiness, there is suffering, there is love, there is loss, there is change and there is acceptance of things that never change, or will- but at their own pace, not yours.
A wonderful story about a young doctor who takes a big risk to create a beautiful life for herself.
Available Now
FriesenPress
Pradeep began to sing a haunting melody.
“Phool kitabon mein milen… What does it mean?” I whispered, not wanting to break the spell of the music.
“It means, ‘Now we will be seperated. And perhaps we shall only meet in dreams. Our love will be like a flower pressed between the pages of a book.”
Pradeep’s ghazal (lyric poem) sang with feeling was right, they would meet in dreams, but dreams they made a reality. When Canadian medical student Karen Trollope-Kumar went to India to study medicine, little did she know she would meet and fall in love with a pediatrician named Pradeep, as well as his dream of living in the Indian Himalayas. Though they parted, they couldn’t deny their destiny, to be together as husband and wife. With courage as strong as leaping off a mountain, Karen does indeed return to India to work in the foothills as Pradeep’s wife. She soon learns ‘how profoundly communication is shaped by culture’. Never in her wildest dreams did she know she would marry into a culture immersed in religion and tradition, having come from the Western world it is an eye opening experience. As a doctor, the shock is life altering, going from rural to remote villages the practices are vastly different. Amid such sometimes appalling conditions, the ceremonies and festivals sprinkled throughout their time in India are beautiful, moving. The descriptions within the book transport the reader to the villages, feeling much like a spiritual eye in the sky.
Idealistic in our dreams, we don’t imagine the obstacles we will face. Politics, superstitions, religious beliefs, poverty of people and their village, nature itself (earthquakes) and lack of trust in medicine are just a few complications that appeared. Soon learning how to come together with your beloved with such different upbringings, surely it’s a challenge for the newly weds, but can seem like a mountain of hardship. Accepted by Pradeep’s family, depsite not being Indian herself, the beauty of their love is evident in the ceremony early on when placed on the shrine, beside the God Ganesha sits a cruxifix, to honor their grandson’s bride. In time, she learns through stories the hardships his family had faced, the fears they had for the children based on so much suffering but too she sees the turn of fortune they have later.
Desperate to bring proper care to pregnant women and new mothers, the reader is given insight into the harsh conditions such women face. At the beginning, confident with her knowledge of medicine, the arrogance that she can better their world- the reality of things is a humbling. When Pradeep confides he longs more for spiritual enlightenment than medical practices, it’s hard for Karen to understand, having come from a home that wasn’t overly religious. Her calling seems to be bringing medical care to the furthest reaches, to those most in need of life saving techniques, training dais (midwives) proper care. Even if superstitions get in the way, she won’t give up, but there are disheartening encounters as much as beautiful ones. Deep lasting friendships are formed as much as a love for the places she travels to, and lives in. She learns that she must look into herself, “Your work now is to look into the nature of your own discontent.” A message any of us can take to heart in dealing with our problems, our loved ones… Our expectations often make it so hard to flow, to accept that which is real. It isn’t always someone else that is to blame, it’s our own difficulty owning what is compared to what we thought would be.
Any sort of traveler can be in for culture shock, I certainly have been myself, but India is said to be a place of contradictions. Beauty amidst poverty, physical illness and yet superior spiritual health, as much open love and acceptance as close minded rejection. We Westerners have a instinct of wanting to fix what we think is wrong, and that’s both a strength and a flaw. It’s the happy medium that’s so hard to find. Within this memoir, it’s obvious that Karen persevered through things so many of us may not be able to do half as well. People romanticize such journeys in their minds, but the reality can be a slap in the face. She learned to accept her changing dreams and the husband she loved, tied to her destiny but also his own spiritual being. Along came children, and with it so much advice from Indian women. I thought about that, and imagined the eye-rolling of others, but in truth- we think we’re advanced here in the western world where you have a baby and often go home, sometimes without generations of women (family) around to help you, and as much as magazines and the internet can guide, who knows more about mothering than other mothers? It has its charm, this unity of motherhood. As with any place on earth, there is happiness, there is suffering, there is love, there is loss, there is change and there is acceptance of things that never change, or will- but at their own pace, not yours.
A wonderful story about a young doctor who takes a big risk to create a beautiful life for herself.
Available Now
FriesenPress
Want to read
January 20, 2017Need to read this book. I remember when I saw Dr. Trollope. My family doctor was on maternity leave and Dr. Trollope was covering. She was very kind.
July 6, 2017
Cloud Messenger is a story of two doctors, one from Canada and one from India, who marry and practice medicine in the Himalayan mountains of India. It is a story about finding their spiritual selves and having a lifelong career of helping the women of India.
I was most interested in the author's story versus her husband's. While he was on a quest to achieve spiritual enlightenment, she wanted to assist the women of the small mountainous community with their healthcare. Throughout her personal story, the author discussed the many struggles and challenges she confronted in her marriage and career with detail and honesty. Her writing is almost lyrical at times as she describes the beauty of the Himalayas and her home in India.
A very well written story about a cross cultural couple who want to make the world a better place by doing good for others. I enjoyed it very much.
I was most interested in the author's story versus her husband's. While he was on a quest to achieve spiritual enlightenment, she wanted to assist the women of the small mountainous community with their healthcare. Throughout her personal story, the author discussed the many struggles and challenges she confronted in her marriage and career with detail and honesty. Her writing is almost lyrical at times as she describes the beauty of the Himalayas and her home in India.
A very well written story about a cross cultural couple who want to make the world a better place by doing good for others. I enjoyed it very much.
December 18, 2016
This was a very enjoyable read....A Canadian med student meets her future husband in India.., she returns to Canada, and 4 years later, they are married in India....they are both doctors....this is about her Journey...physically, emotionally and spiritually. ...very well written, her passion for helping women shines through .....A must read....I was blessed to have met the author at a book launch, in Hamilton, On..! Perhaps I shall visit the Himalayan mountains, one day. .....
April 25, 2017
Cloud Messenger: Love and Loss in the India Himalayas by Karen Trollope-Kumar
Book sounded interesting and I know I will learn a lot from it, especially about the Himalayas.
Memoir about the authors life.
Starts out with Karen and she's in the medical field and has a stint in India where she meets Pradeep and they like one another. Love the tours he takes her on while she's there.
They write continually getting to know each other much better-he visits her in Canada after her time has ended and she surprises him with a visit to India where she agrees to marry him. Love that the words spoken in foreign language are stated in English.
Over the years they continue on with their medical help to the people who live far away from hospitals. She finds his is more interested in spirits then medical and she gets help from other Canadians in the area and attends services to help her understand.
Through harsh medical conditions and outbreaks their lives are often in danger and they are separated as Pradeep tries to save the BNA.
Interesting to learn how and what the children must learn once they attend school.
So many challenges, struggles to make a difference in the women's lifes.
Received this copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
Book sounded interesting and I know I will learn a lot from it, especially about the Himalayas.
Memoir about the authors life.
Starts out with Karen and she's in the medical field and has a stint in India where she meets Pradeep and they like one another. Love the tours he takes her on while she's there.
They write continually getting to know each other much better-he visits her in Canada after her time has ended and she surprises him with a visit to India where she agrees to marry him. Love that the words spoken in foreign language are stated in English.
Over the years they continue on with their medical help to the people who live far away from hospitals. She finds his is more interested in spirits then medical and she gets help from other Canadians in the area and attends services to help her understand.
Through harsh medical conditions and outbreaks their lives are often in danger and they are separated as Pradeep tries to save the BNA.
Interesting to learn how and what the children must learn once they attend school.
So many challenges, struggles to make a difference in the women's lifes.
Received this copy from the author in exchange for my honest review.
March 26, 2017
A well-written memoir, with much to say about India, cross-cultural medical anthropology, spiritual growth, relationships and finding one's true path. Living in Hamilton, I have met Karen and her husband Pradeep over the years, and am excited that Karen will be coming to our book club to discuss this book with us.
June 29, 2017
Took this book with me on holiday in Mexico and was totally immersed in it for three days. The author transported me to India, a country I've never visited, and offered vivid insights into life in the rural countryside with its many challenges and its wondrous beauty. I loved the love story between the author and her husband, and was fascinated by their struggles as they bridge their Canadian and Indian cultures and how they worked together to make a difference in the lives of the poor and sick. Cloud Messenger is filled with a surprising amount of intrigue and drama -- from earthquakes to visits from lions and even a too-close-to-home murder. But it is most memorable for the author's ability to share her joy -- and her heartbreaking despair — that results from choosing an unconventional life. A true and honest book that will leave its mark on you long after you read the final page.
June 21, 2017
I've got to say, this book was absolutely amazing. The author's life journey sounds absolutely brilliant and so very inspiring. It was so amazing to read about all the brilliant things Karen and Pradeep did within their journey but it was also thought provoking to read about all the struggles and negative things they had to go through to reach the point whey the are currently. I truly and deeply loved this book and I have and I will recommend it to everybody that I meet. An absolutely brilliant book!
July 7, 2017
Very interesting memoir written by a Canadian doctor who went to India on a student trip and fell in love with the country and her future husband, whom she married in India a few years later. Cloud Messenger is the story of their time in India working in the Himalayas in a rural hospital and then remote mountain villages as well as raising a family over a span of about 15 years. This was a fascinating read that was well-written. I won a copy of this book from the author as part of the Goodreads Giveaways program.
February 28, 2017
When a young Canadian doctor travelled to India she fell in love with the Himalayan foothills and with a handsome Indian counterpart. They married and Karen dreamed of contributing to the region's social development, not least in improving midwifery practices. At first confident of the superiority of Western technology gradually she understood that she had as much to learn from the local women as she had to teach them, not least in how they viewed their bodies and well-being. The idyll became soured as she became more uncertain and her husband struggled to to reconcile his professional vocation with a desire to achieve spiritual enlightenment, leading to crisis in their relationship as well as in the author's engagement with India. There are thus several interwoven strands in this book, from lyrical descriptions of the landscape to the anguish of culture clash and reflections on the anthropological aspects of health and well-being. I found much of it fascinating, though I suspect some readers will be more attracted to the love story than to the everyday problems of coming to terms with a different social environment and the writer's growing disillusionment.
March 5, 2017
An engaging and sometimes difficult read
Karen Trollope-Kumar has written an honest and vivid account of her life and work in India in the 1980s and 90s. She very cleverly takes the reader along with her as she slowly reveals her own self-discovery. The emotional, physical, spiritual and political challenges of her adventure are not glossed over, and they along with her descriptions of the beauty of the Himalaya region and the resilience of its people linger long after finishing the book. Highly recommended.
Karen Trollope-Kumar has written an honest and vivid account of her life and work in India in the 1980s and 90s. She very cleverly takes the reader along with her as she slowly reveals her own self-discovery. The emotional, physical, spiritual and political challenges of her adventure are not glossed over, and they along with her descriptions of the beauty of the Himalaya region and the resilience of its people linger long after finishing the book. Highly recommended.
December 22, 2016
This is a beautifully written, touching memoir. It's full of adventure and fascinating perspectives on Indian culture. Karen's writing is deeply honest and introspective...often looking at things from many different angles. Really loved this read and I highly recommend it!
February 1, 2017
What a wonderful book. Descriptions of India, specifically the Himalayas, are beautifully done.
Dr. Trollope's life journey is inspiring, and what she has accomplished for health care in the remote areas of India is well worth reading about. Ten star book!
Dr. Trollope's life journey is inspiring, and what she has accomplished for health care in the remote areas of India is well worth reading about. Ten star book!
January 9, 2017
I loved the richness of this story an the depth of which she described her life in India. Would highly recommend this book.
Read
December 10, 2016Cloud Messenger by Karen Trollope-Kumar is a multi-layered novel that is both complex and highly accessible. It is first and foremost a compelling personal journey, outlining an intimate, romantic memoir of two individuals from totally different cultures who seem destined from ‘first glance’ to live out their lives together. That, in itself, is enough to make it a page turner. However, this book has many more layers. It’s also a documentary on life in India described by an outsider who sees both the beauty and the challenges of life in this complicated country. The wonder of the Himalayan vistas and the resilience and beauty of the people of India resonate throughout the book; however, the author also acknowledges from her personal experience in setting up medical clinics in India, the cultural, political and historic barriers that diminish the potential for effecting significant change for those most affected by these barriers. It is also a naturalist’s view of this part of India…the author never misses an opportunity to describe the flora and fauna, as well as the birdsong, that is such a delight throughout this memoir. Perhaps even more importantly, it provides a fascinating contrast between Western, scientific views of medicine and Eastern practices that seem to acknowledge more directly the impact of the psychological and spiritual aspects of human nature that affect our physical and mental health. The author’s honest portrayal of her own struggle with depression provide deep insights into the modern psyche that are both enlightening and healing for anyone who has struggled with mental health issues. The ongoing search for spiritual meaning, contrasting various views of religious and spiritual experience, is perhaps the most profound part of this highly readable and meaningful book.
April 15, 2017
This book appealed initially because of its themes - a health-professional's memoir, travel and particularly India. I wasn't disappointed. I love a book that is informative as well as entertaining, so that I come away feeling that I've learnt something. The insights into eastern philosophies and religious practices were fascinating, but probably most gripping was the way that Karen struggled to overcome her own cultural and scientific bias in order to be of the greatest possible assistance to her patients. Such is the conflict that it played out within her own relationships and reached crescendos echoed by electrical storms and earthquakes. There is a richness in the writing and an honesty that keeps the reader enthralled; I so wanted everything to work out perfectly. (This, it turns out, might be the most common error of all.) It was a pleasure to follow Karen through her journey from young and naive traveller to wiser and accomplished professional, with all the bends in the road and pleasant pitstops along the way. A deeply satisfying book; I found myself hoping that there is a volume two...
On a personal note, my aunt travelled to Karen's native country, Canada, to provide medical assistance to the first nations peoples there at about the same time as Karen left the country to help the people of India - this made me smile!
On a personal note, my aunt travelled to Karen's native country, Canada, to provide medical assistance to the first nations peoples there at about the same time as Karen left the country to help the people of India - this made me smile!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews