Friday, December 03, 2004

Seven Years In Tibet - Heinrich Harrer

A really stimulating saga of the travels through the snow covered Himalayan passes and the grueling experiences of two European mountaineers. The book follows their escape from a British imprisonment camp during World War II into Tibet. The author describes, with amazing simplicity, the flora and fauna of the region, the people, their clothes, houses, food, traditions and beliefs.

During the last quarter of the book he and his companion finally get to Lhasa, the Forbidden City, and there begins the most interesting part of the story. Initially the visitors are looked upon with the usual Tibetan skepticism for all foreign things but slowly and gradually they end up making friends with the local officials and start contributing to the community by tending gardens, setting up dikes and constructing canals.

The excitement starts to build up as we're provided more and more highlights of the life of the fourteen year old Dalai Lama. The personal encounters of Harr with His Holiness are so live and vivid that it feels almost real. The book ends with the Chinese invasion of Tibet and a heartfelt lament for the lacerations inflicted on the Tibetan culture by the occupants.

An amazing insight into the Tibetan world! A must read!

First Post

I just finished reading a really incredible book and I have this irresistable urge to pen down some thoughts. So I've decided to start this blog to record my readings and amateur reviews.