Himalaya

Himalaya is a large anthology of more than forty essays that look at the mountains from many angles and through many voices. Its pages hold stories of great ascents and descents, tales of exploration and daring, and even a mutiny on a mountain. They also show the madness of war on what is called the world's highest battlefield, and the personal costs soldiers pay for it.

Some pieces are deeply personal. One seeker has an intense spiritual experience on Mount Kailas, and another finds himself among shamans on a mountaintop in Nepal. An author searching for the snow leopard in Ladakh discovers something about himself along the way. A resident of a Sherpa village describes the aftermath of an avalanche on Everest that killed porters and climbers, and the people of Langtang record an oral history of the earthquake that wiped out their village.

Other voices bring quieter moments. A matriarch recalls her family and life in a bygone Almora, a prisoner in Dehra Dun jail finds comfort in visits from birds and small animals, and the scent of lime makes a night in a remote Garhwal village unforgettable for one traveller.

Edited by Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale, the collection ranges from the foothills to the highest peaks and from the easternmost to the westernmost ends of the range. This paperback edition adds two new essays.