My First Mountain Guru
I first came to know about Bill Aitken when I chanced upon a book called Nanda Devi Affair authored by him. The book is based on his attempts to climb the revered Nanda Devi mountain in Uttaranchal. It was this book which converted me into a "hill person".
Here the travel writer and author gives list of five must-reads on the Himalayas....
When Men and Mountains Meet
by John Kaye
It is an academic book, but Kaye is a wonderful yarn spinner and he talks of explorers, administrators, eccentrics and some other outstanding characters in this book.
Man Eaters of Kumaon
by Jim Corbett
He was a local man, so he knew his ground. He wrote of the culture and people of Kumaon with authority, and the characters in his books are as interesting as the tigers he shot.
Nanda Devi
by Eric Shipton
One of the most romantic books on the Himalayas. Nanda Devi is a very inaccessible peak and Shipton was among the first who found a way to the Nanda Devi sanctuary.
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer
This is probably the best book ever on Mount Everest. He was part of a commercial expedition to the Everest, during which 13 of his teammates died because of some bad decisions. It is an extraordinary account of the climb.
Black Narcissus
by Rumer Godden
This is the only work of fiction in my list. It is about how difficult it is to comprehend the soul of the Himalayas. A bunch of nuns trying to set up a centre near the Kanchenjunga find that they don’t have the inner stamina to take on the Himalayas.
Malini Nair
by John Kaye
It is an academic book, but Kaye is a wonderful yarn spinner and he talks of explorers, administrators, eccentrics and some other outstanding characters in this book.
Man Eaters of Kumaon
by Jim Corbett
He was a local man, so he knew his ground. He wrote of the culture and people of Kumaon with authority, and the characters in his books are as interesting as the tigers he shot.
Nanda Devi
by Eric Shipton
One of the most romantic books on the Himalayas. Nanda Devi is a very inaccessible peak and Shipton was among the first who found a way to the Nanda Devi sanctuary.
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer
This is probably the best book ever on Mount Everest. He was part of a commercial expedition to the Everest, during which 13 of his teammates died because of some bad decisions. It is an extraordinary account of the climb.
Black Narcissus
by Rumer Godden
This is the only work of fiction in my list. It is about how difficult it is to comprehend the soul of the Himalayas. A bunch of nuns trying to set up a centre near the Kanchenjunga find that they don’t have the inner stamina to take on the Himalayas.
Malini Nair
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