Author: Paul Brunton
Publishers: Rider Books
Pages: 188
This book is in continuation with earlier book from Paul Brunton – ‘A Search in Secret India’, where Brunton travels around the country looking for a spiritual master. Having found one and learned from him, he sets off to isolation, now to practice.
‘A Hermit in the Himalayas’ describes Brunton’s days living in a secluded place in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, away from rest of the world trying to meditate and learn to calm the mind. The book is mostly written like journal of his days of living in the mountains besides his reflection and attempts to meditate. He is not completely isolated from the world though, but has a servant to help him in his everyday activities, receives his letters regularly and responds to them and has some uninvited visitors, in all of which he finds things to write about, besides focusing on keeping his mind calm.
It would be difficult for the reader to perceive how one could write much sitting in a place isolated, but as one starts reading, it is evident that Brunton has enough to catch the attention. Read this as a continuation to ‘A Search in Secret India’
Author: Paul Brunton
Publishers: Rider Books
Pages: 312
Brunton’s book is a narration of his journeys across India with an important quest. He started from London to Bombay in spiritual quest, looking for a Guru. And he did this much before the Beetles came to Rishikesh or the flower children travelled to the east in big numbers looking for something they did not know what; the book is set in the pre-independence period.
‘A Search in Secret India’ takes the reader through the time he arrives in Bombay, travels south to plains of Deccan and again up north towards Benaras. On his way he meets many holy men, some genuine and some obviously fake. He also sees people who can perform actions that can’t be explained by physics, like turning a seed into a plant in a minute and people who are not affected by poison. Of the former he discovers to be a mere magical trick while the later remains unexplained, attributed to Yogic power. He goes on to explain much more about the wise men whom he meets who are no mere showmen but are uplifted souls at a higher spiritual plane, and sometimes he ponders on accepting them for his Guru. His long journeys lead him through many fascinating experiences but he finally finds his destination in a place where he began his search – in the abode of Ramana Maharshi in Thiruvannamalai.
Brunton’s descriptions are as fascinating as the people he meets and his narration holds the reader to go on. The book is mixed with his awe for the spiritual gurus but also portrays his English arrogance of the colonial period. It is a completely different travel book showing its reader of an India that is hardly known or written about.
Author: Bill Aitken
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 194
Those who are new to Bill Aitken might find his language of writing complicated, and at least initially, find it not very readable. But those who stick to him are the ones who are rewarded. Nanda Devi Affair is probably the finest book from Aitken portraying his love and passion for the mountains of Uttaranchal and is full of reverence to the goddess of the mountain in every page.
The book starts with Aitkens rambles about his love for mountains, and soon you will find him unable to stop raving about the beauty of Nanda Devi. As he explains the geography of the region, he walks the reader through his treks, sharing its beauty and talking about its lore mixed with little bit of history. His experiences of watching bharals(blue sheep) walk free, beauty of the high mountains and his ordeals of having to go through some difficult terrains and painful weather are all mixed with his greatest respect to what the mountain goddess has for him to offer. He also has plenty to talk about the mountain people of garhwal. An excellent book, and a must read for the mountain lovers.