There are days when you walk into a bookstore knowing exactly which book you want. And then there are days when the book you are looking for isnt available,and you either walk out or browse around looking for a worthy substitute. Then,there are also days where you walk into a bookstore just because you feel like treating yourself to a good book without any preset notion as to what kind of book are you looking for.It was on one such day as the last that I was browsing through titles in one of the older bookstores in the city that I came across From Heavens Lake by Vikram Seth. The old gentleman who owns the bookstore knows me well by now,I have been in here in his small but well stocked shop too many times.
The books arent arranged in any particular order nor are they categorised by author or titles or genre,making it very possible that you might find a James Hadley Chase leaning jauntily against a Leo Tolstoy or a Khalil Gibran.The bookstore owner is somebody straight out of a storybook,who runs the store only because he likes reading himself. I take his recommendations seriously,and he has made me read some brilliant books in the past. But today,he has no suggestion to offer-he brings down a few books,but after I run a cursory glance through them and show no further interest,he simply gives up.
I return to browsing by myself, at the same trying to figure out a possible order in this apparently random arrangement of hundreds of books. Now and then,a title jumps out at me and I smile to myself in recognition of a book previously read and enjoyed,although the "enjoyed" part may not have been true every single time.From Heavens Lake is a small book-and wedged tightly between Ruskin Bond's Omnibus for Children on one side and a huge book of translations of Urdu poetry on the other,it looked absurdly out of place. The fact that it was by Vikram Seth interested me enough to pull it out.
Vikram Seth is one of the few Indian writers writing in English whose work I have enjoyed on more than one occasion. His comfort with the language is clearly evident in his vibrant prose and effortless use of verses. So much so that The Golden Gate is a novel told entirely in verse, a quality that to me,was creatively awe inspiring when I read it way back fresh out of school. The Suitable Boy is inarguably his best known work,although whether it is his own creative best remains a matter of endless debate.
Travelling has been more of a habit with me than anything else given the frequent transfers that were a part and parcel of my fathers job. But its always the desire to visit lesser known nichés, comparatively unexplored places that I wistfully nurture-and I have my own Bucket List of such places I'd like to visit.Seth's book echoes and captures this desire beautifully. The book is based on a trip he took in 1981,so if you are looking to know more about China or Tibet's present travel,political or economical conditions,this book is obviously out of context.
As an exchange student from Stanford studying in Nanjing University in China, Seth decides to take a route through China to Lhasa and then on to Nepal to eventually reach New Delhi in time for his vacation.The book starts out by describing how the confines of travelling in a University sponsored guided tour makes Seth realise the restrictions of group travel...and how by a stroke of luck and thanks to a well received performance of the Raj Kapoor song "Awaara hoon" actually manages to get him an entry pass to Lhasa..a beauracratic hurdle which is otherwise quite difficult to overcome. With the necessary documents in place,Seth parts company with his travel group and decides to go on to Lhasa by road on his own.
Seth's journey brings with it all the excitement and hiccups that any unplanned journey is bound to be dotted with. His passion to visit Tibet is intriguing,as he chooses to hitch-hike the way. Almost two thirds of his journey is in a battered old truck with a Han Chinese named Sui, his nephew Xiao San and another Tibetan called Gyanseng. From floods to mud logged valleys to spending the harsh cold nights huddled in the truck, half frozen and fully bored,they run into almost every obstacle possible.And thats what makes From Heavens Lake such an absolute delight to read. Its far from a tourist guide to Lhasa, its infact the experiences of a man driven by a fervent desire to visit a relatively unexplored destination...and yet,the actual journey and his experiences when he makes that journey to get there is what this book is all about.
Seth travels through harsh conditions, sparsely populated areas and possibly one of the worlds least known regions to get to Lhasa. The fact that he speaks fluent Chinese is obviously a great help during the trip,without which the heartwarming interactions he has with people he meets on the road wouldnt have been possible. The warmth and kindness of the Chinese does seem ironical,but thats essentially the core of what Seth wants to convey-the fact that inspite of the Chinese obsession with authority,they are nonetheless kind and helpful people.
Seth makes friends easily, and his account is sprinkled with reflections of the common man,both Chinese and Tibetan about the political and social framework of their country.Seth himself isnt by any means no less analytical or profound. One of my favourite parts in the book is where he sets out to compare his own country with China,and the obvious polar opposites both the countries are with regards to administration of a large country with a huge population.Of course,once he finally gets there, Seth beautifully describes Tibet and the city of Lhasa,the Potala,the monasteries and the obvious other things that would be of any interest to a foreigner. But then again,his friendship with a Tibetan family and his description of certain Buddhist rites that he witnesses stand out in comparision.
From Heavens Lake is more about human interactions than anything else really. Its an amazing account of how a young university student sets out to visit a somewhat prohibited area in a Foreign country- and how on the way,he makes unexpected friends,accepts the generous kindness of the common man, shares tales of his own country or regaling them with Hindi movie songs, eating simplest of food that comes by and sleeping in Transport Yards or even in the truck. Its a quaint little book,and makes for refreshing reading. The following few lines that Seth pens down captures the essence of the book,and I consider it apt to close my thoughts on this with these very lines:
"Here we three,cooped,alone Tibetan,Indian, Han
Against a common dawn
Catch what poor sleep we can,
And sleeping drag the same
Sparse air into our lungs,
And dreaming each of home
Sleeptalk in different tongues."
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