Mystic aura of the Himalayas

ACROSS PEAKS AND PASSES IN GARHWAL HIMALAYA: Harish Kapadia; Indus Publishing Company, FS-5, Tagore Garden, New Delhi-110027. Rs. 500.

THE MYSTIC aura of the Himalayan range has been given spiritual dimension by the sages and they are getting gradually revealed by the trekkers who often relate their experience in books. For instance, Harish Kapadia, has taken on hand the task to picturise the Garhwal Himalayas, which he says is partly known to many pilgrims visiting the temples like Kedarnath in the area, but where still many valleys remain unexplored. In his words the pilgrim centres are good bases to map out the other areas.

It is in this way he narrates his exploratory effort. Among the places well known are the Valley of Flowers, the Gangotri Glaciers, Shivling. He acknowledges how the organisation of trekking groups by him had given him pleasant memories. In this context, he says that one reputed landmark in the region is Kamet, which stands over the Saraswati Valley and gives the information that it is from here that Sankaracharya crossed to Mana Pass.

The account covers Alaknanda-Saraswati Valley near Badrinath, Central Garhwal, a trek to Kumaon, Valley of Flowers and places near Badrinath, Gangotri region, and under each head he has pinpointed important landmarks. As in the case of recording of every mountaineer, Harish Kapadia too has a word of praise to the local inhabitants and also garnishes his report with mythological and scriptural anecdotes. He also expresses his gratitude to earlier foreign trekkers, whose passion for the Himalayas is well recognised by every climber. Whoever the explorer, the Indian psyche of spiritual tranquillity, associated with the mountain range, always casts a spell. A book of this nature would not be complete without an account of the trials and tribulations a trekker has to undergo in his mountaineering passion taking him to the snow-world. The several stages of the climb with details of base camps are useful hints to future young aspirants to meet the Himalayan range face to face. At the end of the explorative adventure a trekker would stave the observation of Harish Kapadia: ``This is certainly a holy ground, but then which part of the Himalaya is not.''

The book carries many black and white and colour photographs to whet the interest of the readers. Understandably, the author has, in the appendices, quotes from the Skanda Purana: ``He who thinks of Himachal, though he should not behold him, is greater than he who performs all worship in Kashi.''

SVK

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