A Writer and Radio

Harish Kapadia
What you write is dependent on where you write? Or vice versa? Most writers have a favourite place to write. Only a good professional will produce an article, may be a book, quickly and to use the metaphor, on a railway platform. The continuity is a required ingredient. While sleeping under influence of opium, author Samuel Taylor Coleridge dreamt the epic poem ‘Kubla Khan’. In the morning he wrote much of the poem until a ‘person from Porlock’ rang the bell and the poem was never finished. Inspiration is ‘drug’ which makes an author create the best, if not interrupted.

I am person from city of Mumbai. Whatever one may say about its traffic, pollution and ills, the city has an energy that one can feel, if your DNA is of a Mumbaiwala. The hustle-bustle, availability of several avenues like music programme, a lecture and watching a great movie lets your creative juices flow. I have a habit of noting down what I should be writing, with a loose deadline in mind. It germinates in mind, I let it churn and finally comes the output. I sit on my desk, and start punching keys on the computer board. But an important support is, a radio! I put on this age old invention in front of me and it drowns all noises outside and inspires. It is not that I put on music or some stimulating programme. That will distract me and I will listen to it, more than words that I have to write. What I need on the radio, is BBC World news! What the world is doing, good or bad, is irrelevant and you focus on what is relevant to the subject you are writing. The All India Radio will be blurting out what politic is played in the country. You heave a sigh of relief, thank god there are people to run the show so that you can write peacefully!

I write mostly about my travels, treks and climbs in the Himalaya. I have tried different places to write. In peace of the Himalaya at good resort facing peaks and amidst pine , thoughts turn too serious to write about my past experiences in mountains. Imagine sitting at green forested Kumaun to write about barren Ladakh mountains. Moreover I start dreaming of hills and go for a long walk. Sometimes I went to write at Goa, at my brother-in law’s beautiful home. The pure air and nearby sea is invigorating. But in front of a restless sea to write about high steady mountains proved complicated. Ah, and there is always fish to eat, wine to drink in wonderful company.

But all such out of Mumbai experiences are not useless. It clears the thought process and gives new input and ideas. A casual remark by a friend can launch a new project of writing. In fact the idea of my writing first book way back in 1977 was mentioned in a local train. We were on way to a day-trek. I mentioned that now a days many, in fact too many, persons call me to ask for directions for a trek. ‘Why don’t you write guide book to the range?’ said Dr Rodhan Shroff. That led to writing of my book “Trek The Sahyadris”. The first edition sold out in just a month. Today it is much improved 5th edition is still in market. I mentioned in the preface of the first edition, in poor Indian English, ‘Dr Shroff gave me the idea. Then he left me to do all the hard work’ and some thought that Dr Shroff had climbed to the heaven leaving me here!

While on a trek I maintain a detailed diary of daily events. That covers distances covered, heights and about the trail. This habit was inculcated in me from my school days. Hence I have diaries from 1964 till today. These details led to my latest book ‘Routes in the Himalaya’ (to be published shortly) giving details of each stage of trekking in a different style. In these personal diaries I have two sections in the end. ‘Ideas’ is the page where I jot down what I may be inspired to write about. After returning to hectic life in Mumbai these ideas are otherwise forgotten. Recently a friend while on a trek, listening to all my experiences asked, ‘why you are not mentioning anything about spiritual feelings in mountains?’ It went in to the Ideas section of the diary (and heart). Let’s see when I wear saffron and write of those inner experiences.

The other page in my diaries mention ‘To Do’, where all action plans are noted for near future. In these dotted ideas what writing is to be done is prominently mentioned. What to research for a forthcoming article, book or next trekking trip- all find mention in this section. Also mentioned are long forgotten events, recalling some happenings that needs to be corrected. When you climb a steep long slope in mountains you are left alone with your thoughts for a long time. Once you are in a walking rhythm you recall many events of the past and look to the future. Once you are in your tent in the evening, put on the transistor (yes here too!) and these churning of the day leads to writing ideas and they go into noting in the diary for action. Local porter or horseman may give you an insight and information which explains many legends about the area. Once complaining to our porter sirdar about lack of younger boys from his village joining us for trek, he said ‘Pahad ka Pani or Pahad ki Jawani, kabhi pahad ke kam nahin aati’ (Water in mountains or the young of mountain villages are never useful to mountains- both flow down to the plains). This remark was good enough to excite me to write about life in the Kuman hills.

What as an author I write is the first draft. It has to be read and re-read. Finally a good editor may put it right. In the library of the Royal Geographical Society are many diaries by great explorer-writers. You see many pencil marks in their notes and what the author has revised, both ideas and language. Thus I keep looking at the written word several times. Most of the time one has to correct or change something. New inspiration or ideas may creep in. Many times an inspirational writing be more perfect than labour of pouring out words. I will never understand how writer can produce a weekly column. I could never inculcate that discipline. For me a writer’s mood or block is a reality. I was to write an Obituary of my guru Jagdish Nanavati who had passed away few months ago. Whenever I sat down to write it did not read like a heartfelt tribute. But it was within my internal self all along. And one evening , just before attending an wedding reception, it poured out on the computer is just an hour. My inner deadline had expired!

With these I am off to another trek to the Himalaya. I will fill in my diary with dotted points. Come home, research and sit in front of an laptop on my desk. Then let the words flow with BBC World Service giving me company.