Book Review: Sacred Waters by Stephen Alter
Author: Stephen Alter
Publishers: Penguin Books
Pages: 347
Every summer, many people head to Uttaranchal in the Indian Himalayas for a pilgrimage called char dham yatra(translated – four stops pilgrimage). It is pilgrimage to the four places where the feeder rivers to Ganga originate – Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. People now hop through these places in buses and jeeps but there was a time when it was done by foot.
In this book, Stephen Alter writes about his journey to the four points by foot, trying to retrace the traditional route and his amazing experiences on the way. The route to char-dham yatra is not easy, and involves travelling in extreme weathers, and distances are very long. Alter writes –
“My objective was to retrace traditional pilgrim trails, many of which have fallen into disuse or disappeared altogether… the total distance covered was roughly six hundred kilometers and altitudes ranged from four thousand to fourteen thousand feet…”
His experiences of the journey are amazing and varied. He meets friendly villagers who are more than eager to help him. He also meets weary poachers who try to stay away from him, and unfriendly swindlers who eyed on his money. He visited the most beautiful vistas, peaks and lakes in the Himalayas, making his journey worthwhile. He also gets to see the way of life in the villages of the mountains where he interacts with them in plenty and enjoys their hospitality. There are times he lost his way, only to encounter most beautiful landscapes that he would ever get to see.
He has every kind of story to tell is the book. He explains about the transcendent bliss he experienced in some places on his way, about the beauty of the Himalayan peaks all along his path and the variety of flora and fauna he sights in his journey. But it was no path filled with roses. There was a time when he was stuck in the fiercest thunderstorm with strongest winds and lightning he had ever experienced, and the fear that filled his body. He muses on the destruction inflicted on the fragile Himalayan environment, whether in the form of deforestation or by constructions like the infamous Tehri Dam.
Alter is not just a writer who travelled the Gharwal Himalayas and narrated his story. He is a naturalist who is well aware of the fauna and the vegetation of the region and is sensitive about the environment. He also is conversant of the local language and people’s way of life, and takes the role of an anthropologist in parts of his book. His knowledge, combined with his experiences of the journey makes this book complete, and is an excellent read from cover to cover. A must read book for anyone who is in love with the Himalayas, its beauty and its people.