In Namita Gokhale's Mystics and Sceptics, Exploring Sojourns Across The Himalaya

A decade and a half ago, I was chatting with a motivational speaker and life coach, who shared that every year she travelled to the Himalayas for some peace and quiet, and returned invigorated.

She spoke about its calming hush, its unperturbed natural aura, the panoramic views, the treks through breathtaking meadows, the surprises that await you at every turn, and the unexpected revelations that occurred.

Once while meandering through an unfamiliar landscape, she was stopped in her tracks by what she thought was a giant anthill. “I came upon it suddenly. I was terrified, but being curious by nature, I inched closer, and realized that the anthill was a sadhu in deep meditation. His one hand that rested on a wooden handrest had atrophied. Dust, dried leaves and whatever the wind and time could carry had settled on his frail body. But he was alive,” she narrated.

Later, when she spoke to the locals, they revealed that the sadhu had been in deep samadhi for months, and no one had seen him move or eat. Though incredulous, she had no reason to doubt the locals. In fact, after several such awe-inspiring experiences, returning to the Himalaya, she said, became an addiction.

I haven’t been to the Himalayas yet, but backpacking through its trails is a recurrent fantasy. Till I can do that, books and films on them keep me enthralled. Its wildness, majesty and mystery are alluring enough. Add to it solace, spiritual bliss, a wide spectrum of diverse cultures, and the most fascinating stories, and your armchair adventure comes alive.

Mystics and Sceptics

‘It is best, in one’s sojourns across the Himalaya to be cautious during chance encounters, for one could well come across a saint, a siddha, a madman or a charlatan,’ says the very first line in the flap copy of Mystics and Sceptics: In Search of Himalayan Masters edited by Namita Gokhale. The book has an evocative cover image from a tempera on canvas artwork by Russian artist, writer, philosopher and visionary Nicolas Roerich, titled ‘Pearl of Searching’.

Whether you are a seeker, believer or sceptic, you can turn to any chapter and begin your journey. I started with Trance Runners by Tshering Tashi, who writes about people believed to have the skill known as Kang jor to walk long distances in short periods of time. Considered by Tibetans to be a religious ceremony, the secrets are not revealed or discussed in public, but passed on by accomplished Buddhist masters through intellectual discourse.

In Letting Go, Madhu Tandon shares how she and her husband Rajeev took a monumental decision to go and live in the ashram of their guru, Ashishda, for a hands-on experience of what they knew would be a mix of the “wonderful, magical, all-consuming and even terrifying”. They left behind all representations of their selves—work, family, a familiar lifestyle and all the aspirations of the culture they lived in. It culminated in a life lesson in letting go.

In Moving Mountains, Makarand R. Paranjape explores Swami Vivekananda’s “complex, multi-layered and enduring relationship with the Himalaya”, especially because “some of his major life-changing spiritual experiences occurred in the mountainous heights of Uttarakhand and Kashmir”. What interested me the most was the guru-shishya relationship between Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita, which intimate and sacred as it was, was also complex and difficult. A seeker’s journey is fraught with devotion, expectations, and disillusionment.

Bhushita Vasistha’s essay, ‘In Search of the Miraculous’ is a brutally honest account of being captivated by what she thought was utopia, an Osho commune on the outskirts of Kathmandu, and discovering in due course that “Utopia was the place to be/the place that cannot be.” The book has engrossing chapters on the sacred traditions of the dhuni and chimta, the shakti peeths, Khasi rituals of divination and prophesy, reincarnation, disappointments, betrayals, transmigration of the soul and captivating narratives of wanderers and seekers like Guru Milarepa, Neem Karoli Baba and Siddhi Ma, Guru Nanak, Paramhansa Yogananda, Swami Rama and Lal Ded.

Through myths, legends and anecdotes, this insightful, riveting, carefully curated anthology captures the sacred geography of the Himalaya, its enigmatic charm, the intersection of faith and skepticism, and the astounding juxtapositions that characterise the Himalaya. A fitting tribute.

Some of the other books on Himalaya that have held me spellbound are:

• Himalaya: Adventures, Meditations, Life edited by Ruskin Bond and Namita Gokhale
• The Himalayan Arc: Journeys East of South-east by Namita Gokhale
• Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (A Yogi’s Autobiography) by Sri M
• Living with the Himalayan Masters by Swami Rama
• Hollywood to the Himalayas by Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati
• Rain in the Mountains by Ruskin Bond
• The Land of Flying Lamas and Other Real Travel Stories from the Indian Himalaya by Gaurav Punj
  
  On my TBR list:
• Wild Himalaya: A Natural History of the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth by Stephen Alter
• Autumn Passage to the Himalaya: Treks, Travels and History by Harish Kapadia

Archana Pai Kulkarni is the Books Editor at SheThePeople. The views expressed are the author’s own. 

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Suggested Reading: Namita Gokhale’s Mystics and Sceptics Is A Tribute To Himalayan Mysteries