‘You may break; you may shatter the vase, if you will But the scent of the roses will cling to it still.’

The recently published title Wandering through The Garhwal Himalaya is a delightful collection of introspective essays on the Garhwal Himalaya and life around it. The author, Ganesh Saili, draws from his memories of being brought up in the mountains, pictures that linger like a waft of sweet perfume on a breezy afternoon. With affection, the author writes of his many journeys through these valleys wrapped in the mist, travelogues that evoke details of natural history interwoven into the delicate social fabric of mountain life. The book is a living tribute to the large-hearted sons of the soil, who, down the ages, have yoked the hills together, through thick and thin, good times and bad, have laughed at the thunder and mocked the skies, have left for the plains only to return, again and again, to the call of the mountains.

The Garhwal Himalaya have always been much more than lofty heights of rock and ice—an enigma, a constant companion for travellers and explorers. Wanderings Through the Garhwal Himalaya is a gripping study of this incredible part of the Himalaya, which will make you want to be out there in the mountains amid sleet, snow, rain and wind.

This book also goes to the root causes of a hundred years of migration, the so-called Male Exodus from the hills which has left behind hundreds of abandoned villages. It is not that the males have gone missing, they are off to the Great Plains of India trying to earn a living and bring home some money. Without sentimentality, Ganesh Saili traces three generations of his family and their struggle to survive. No rocket science is needed to reverse this emptying of villages. Better infrastructure, medical facilities, school and jobs will bring back life as it were, in these sensitive border areas.

This book is an initiative by the author and the publisher to protect our beloved Himalayas.

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