HT Picks; New Reads
On the reading list this week is an anthology of stories influenced by the life and teachings of Yogi Gorakhnath, a book of essays and poems that reflect on letting go, and a comprehensive account of a fabled city
An anthology of folk tales
Comprising four folktales, Sorthi-Brijbhar, Bharthari-Pingla, Heer-Ranjha and Saranga-Sadabrij, the book is an anthology of stories influenced by the life and teachings of Yogi Gorakhnath, an eleventh-century saint, who propounded an inclusive religious philosophy that laid the foundation of the Sufi and Bhakti movement in India.
Initially, the yogis of the Gorakhnath sect would sing these ballads to the tune of the sarangi and move door to door for alms. Originally, these stories existed in the oral tradition passed down as ballads from generation to generation. The ballads are full of fairies, genies, witches, magic healers, witch doctors and ghosts besides angels in the form of peer babas (hermits) and sages. Over the centuries, these stories have inspired folklorists, theatre artists and nautch parties to perform in melas (community fairs), religious events and marriages.*
Essays on leaving
Every day, we leave something behind; and every day, we return to something we thought we had let go. A love. A loss. A memory. A trauma. A friendship. A relationship. A city or a home. A life, even. A Stone Thrown in a Pond is an intimate, deeply personal collection of essays and poems by 15 critically acclaimed writers, each exploring the many registers of leaving, as well as the paradox that we never truly leave anything behind. These are reflections of uncommon depth and candour: on letting go, moving on, starting over. Because leaving is rarely simple... and sometimes, even impossible. The writers in this volume include Geeta Patel, Jerry pinto, Adania Shibli and Arundhathi Subramaniam, among others.*
A portrait of an entire people
A sweeping, magnificent biography that combines historical research, travel-writing, the discussion of religion and everyday culture, Old Lhasa is the most comprehensive account of the fabled city ever written in English. It is a portrait not only of a city but also an entire people — both those who still live in occupied Tibet, and those who are in exile. Alan Babington-Smith, President of the Royal Asiatic Society, Beijing, has called it a “remarkable history”. “Experts will find that Aldrich has shaken the kaleidoscope of the history and geography of Lhasa and Tibet into new and illuminating patterns. Immersing himself in the place and its past, he unravels the colourful threads that make Lhasa and Tibet so fascinating…” he adds.*
*All copy from book flap.
