The Himalayan saga

Alka Raghuvanshi’s latest book, Garhwal Himalayas — Chorus of solitude, might be the last serious documentation of the region before the havoc in Uttarakhand took place, as the author believes that the place covered in the book may never be the same again.
Launched recently by Dr Aziz Qureshi, governor of Uttarakhand, Dr Karan Singh, president of ICCR and Harish Rawat, Union minister for water resources, the coffee-table book captures some magical moments in the Himalayas through photographs by Sanjay Sharma, complemented by beautiful words by Alka Raghuvanshi.
Talking about the book, Alka said, “From the time I started writing it, I was under a strange and even mysterious spell. Like I was a mere medium of this book’s revelation. As if a higher power was impelling me to write it.”
Alka started writing the book almost six years ago but she says that many of the trips were made well before the book was even conceptualised.
The pictures for the book were taken by ace photographer Sanjay Sharma during his numerous trips to the region, where many a time he had to spend the night out in the cold, under the open skies at an altitude of over 11,000 feet.
“There were times I would get exasperated with him for doing the drill so many times. But he was undeterred and the results are for all to see. And as the reader goes through the maze of legends and reality juxtaposed in wonderful patterns, it would be important to remember that this journey into the unforgiving terrain — one wrong move is all that separates life from life eternal — is truly a passage tempered through fire,” shares Alka.
Talking about the challenges faced while photographing in Himalayas, Sanjay shares, “I am a photographer; I can play with camera and lights, but I cannot play with words. All I can say is that people believe a lot of sacrifices need to be made to achieve something great. But I didn’t make any sacrifices. Yeh toh bas mera junoon tha (It was just my passion).”
The author believes that it was predestined for her to write the book and she is glad to finally realise it, despite considering scrapping it when tragedy struck Uttarakhand.
“It took six years from the moment I put pen to paper to write it and literally a couple of days before it was finally ready to see the light of day, the place was reeling under total destruction. I went through a lot of angst whether I should even release the book. But I am glad I did, for it is the last documentation of the area. Though the region will never be the same again, the myths, legacy and tradition of the region will live on,” concludes Alka.