Sabse Uncha Pahad

SABSE UNCHA PAHAD (in Hindi) (The Tallest Amongst the Mountain). By Tarun Goel. Pp. 198, 32 colour photos, 2 maps, 2018. (Self-published, Sudarnagar, H.P. India, Rs. 250). Available from www.tarungoel.in

This book is in Hindi, the language spoken in almost the entire Himalaya. You do not come across many books on trekking and mountaineering in Hindi.
Goel grew up near the Himalayan regions of Kullu, Kangra, Lahaul, Spiti and Chamba. His trekking experiences are steeped in local flavor. But Goel’s narrative thrives on his humour in all situations; losing his job when the company he was working for closed, his experiences on a rainy day in a cold Himalayan forest, when he wore wrong shoes that were torn to pieces, his fear of wild animals, trekking without tent and food, turning them all into very endearing episodes. Goel loves the people of the region and being one amongst them, is familiar with their short comings and their large heartedness. He recounts the relationship he built with many of them over time; arriving as an unknown and uninvited guest and staying on for dinner and a night halt. Like any other young man of today, he loves riding motorcycle through the rough terrain.

Goel talks about his ventures to high passes, which are usually frequented by Gaddis, pilgrimage to mountain tops which are worshipped by local villagers and lakes not visited much because of their inaccessible locations. Most of his adventures are long weekend holidays, forcing him to cramp in all the long walks into the limited time available. He also mentions his companions, a few constant ones like Panditji and many other regularly changing ones as well.
As any young man, he dashes through trails, yet he has good knowledge of the area. In comparison to the vast expanse of Himalaya, these treks are relatively small ones that are not even mentioned on the Google maps, and are untouched beautiful places. In the Himalaya, you can never consider any trail or pass as easy, as the difficulty that Nature poses in front of you is always large, and you need all your patience to overcome them and at the end to love them. He lays a lot of emphasis on the mistakes he has made so that the readers do not end up doing the same. His jigs in the local language, turn even the most difficult of situations into hilarious ones.

Chamba Kailash, Kinnaur Kailash, Shrikhand Mahadeo, Kalicho pass, Darati pass, Jotnu pass, many local temples, hidden away trails, small lakes in midst of small passes—all this Goel has walked and cherished.

I was a bit curious about the title of the book – The Tallest Mountain. While narrating all the lovely enjoyable treks, was the author suggesting climbing Everest?

This is the reply the author sent me to an email question that I had posed to him: “I named it so because that’s what I have learnt by being in the mountains that the real mountain that you have to climb or conquer is your own mind and beliefs. That if one could conquer oneself then anything would be possible no matter which sphere of life one chose. “

“For Instance, when I started teaching I wasn’t really sure whether I could muster courage or knowledge to teach but eventually I made my mark. Similarly, with trekking, even after being diagnosed with grade 1 arthritis in my both knees, I managed to complete my 8-day long Dhauladhar Lakes Trek. “
“So the greatest/tallest mountain lies within.”

In all, this book is a delightful read and awakens ones desire to trek to these very places.

GEETA KAPADIA