Himalaya Bound

by Michael Benanav

Overview

Following his vivid account of traveling with one of the last camel caravans on earth in Men of Salt, Michael Benanav now brings us along on a journey with a tribe of forest-dwelling nomads in India. Welcomed into a family of nomadic water buffalo herders, he joins them on their annual spring migration into the Himalayas. More than a glimpse into an endangered culture, this superb adventure explores the relationship between humankind and wild lands, and the dubious effect of environmental conservation on the people whose lives are inseparably intertwined with the natural world.

Intimate and enthralling, Himalaya Bound paints a sublime picture of a rarely-seen world, revealing the hopes and fears, hardships and joys, of a people who wonder if there is still a place for them on this planet.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643131382
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	05/14/2019
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Michael Benanav writes and photographs for the travel section of The New York Times and other national publications, including Sierra and Lonely Planet. He has also worked as a mountain and desert guide in the American West. He lives in northern New Mexico.

Table of Contents

Family Tree vi

Map of Migration Route ix

1 Into the Forest 1

2 Over and Out of the Hills 30

3 Waiting by the River 49

4 Under Arrest 84

5 The Fork in the Road 115

6 Not the Life of a Fool 137

7 The Forest Gate 150

8 Many Days to Dodi Tal 157

9 The Storm 185

10 The End of the Trail 201

Epilogue 213

Selected References 227

Acknowledgments 229

Editorial Reviews

"The author makes a strong case that the careful use of resources by the nomads actually improves the ecology. The personal relationships the author forms here are what makes Himalaya Bound so enriching, so join this migration yourself. The rewards are there to be harvested."--The Providence Journal

"An involving, often touching story of an admirable people as well as a cautionary tale about the effects of rapid change and counterproductive conservation efforts on traditional societies."--Kirkus Reviews

"At its core the issue is how we conceive of nature: as necessarily separate from humans, or as bound up with those who have shaped it. This debate is playing out as Benanav arrives in the Shivaliks, as it will for much of the journey. At stake is not just the year's migration but the future of the family and the tribe's way of life. A tender and timely portrait."--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"A perceptive account. Evocative and full of drama. Himalaya Bound is an important contribution to mountain narratives, along with being a compelling memoir of understanding between cultures. At heart, this is a story of friendship and trust, told with the kind of integrity and compassion that often seems absent in our world today." --Biblio: A Review of Books

"A deeply personal account and an important testimony to a way of life--and a way of interacting with animals--that is under a lot of pressure not only in India but around the world. Don't miss this unique and immensely readable tale about people that do more for animal welfare than anybody else." --The Hindustan Times

"A rare glimpse into the hidden world of a tribe of vegetarian Muslims who risk their lives for their animals." --The Times of India

"Compassionate, sensitive, and keenly attuned to the challenges confronted by traditional ways of life around the world. Benanav forces us to ask important questions about the relationship between man and nature in India today." --Akash Kapur, author of India Becoming

"Closely observed and sympathetically told, Benanav captures the very best of modern-day travel writing. Benanav serves as the very best of guides on this most unique of journeys." --Oliver Balch, author of India Rising

"Captivating. Poignant. Inspiring. Benanav proffers an extraordinary insight into the lives of an age-old tribal culture and the multifarious challenges it faces in 21st-century India." --Sarina Singh, The Lonely Planet Guidebook to India

"An enchanting read, Himalaya Bound is a great and important book providing insight into a vanishing way of life." --Ilse Köhler-Rollefson, author of Camel Karma: Twenty Years Among India's Camel Nomads

From the Publisher

Benanav deftly weaves scientific and historic context into the story of one family and one migration. As he does, he also shares an American’s perspective of this radically different way of life. The result is a compelling, thoughtful tale that encourages readers to examine their lives and impact upon the earth.

BookPage (Top Nonfiction Pick

Benanav reveals that for the last 1,000 years, the so-called caravan of white gold has plied the desolate sands of the Sahara to hack rock salt.  It's a way of life that has hardly changed in the millennium since the salt caravans began. Fascinating.

Booklist (Praise for Men of Salt)

A
powerful and moving story of travel, mountain culture and human relationships.  His writing is sensitive, insightful, and unsparing and reveals the complex and tenuous lives of migrant people and their deep connection to a forest environment.  In the best tradition of writers like
Bruce Chatwin and Gretel Ehrlich, Himalaya Bound recounts a multi-layered journey into uncertain terrain, where no GPS would dare to wander.

Stephen Alter

For many years, Benanav has found himself irresistibly drawn to nomadic wanders in the hope that traveling in their company might enable him to grasp a set of elusive truths. Here in Himalaya Bound, Benanav chronicles an epic migration and how the Van Gujjar have preserved an intimate, touching, and vital link to the animals that sustain them—and to the land they call home. A vivid portrait and a poignant reminder that long ago, all of humanity was wild, nomadic, and free.

Kevin Fedarko

Reaches to the heart of a sensitive and complex issue. Benanav paints an intimate portrait of his new-found friends, of how they live and play, think and pray.

The Geographical Review

A compelling piece of literary journalism. Benanav celebrates and mourns an ancient way of life.

Santa Fe New Mexican

At its core the issue is how we conceive of nature: as necessarily separate from humans, or as bound up with those who have shaped it. This debate is playing out as Benanav arrives in the Shivaliks, as it will for much of the journey. At stake is not just the year’s migration but the future of the family and the tribe’s way of life. A tender and timely portrait.

Minneapolis Star Tribune