Review of LADAKH : ENROUTE TIBETAN TABOOS [ SONALI CHANDA ]

LADAKH: ENROUTE TIBETAN TABOOS
AUTHOR:  SONALI CHANDA
PRICE:  Rs. 350
 PUBLISHERS: VIRASAT ART PUBLICATION, KOLKATA, 2020
PP 84

I have always found travelogues very intriguing, and this travelogue is no less.

Dedicated to her father, this book is as sweet as the apricots and apples so generously offered to the author by the two little sweet girls whom she happens to meet in Turtuk.  The breathtaking photography is a visual treat, and the eyes keep frantically scouring the pages for more such treats.  

This beautiful book gives us a glimpse into the Tibetan culture of Ladakh, and one can get a peek into myriad nuances, the co-mingling of various people, and the author’s own perspective regarding the hospitality, warmth and resilience of the people of Ladakh.

 Through her mesmerizing photography we see the River Sindh, the morning view of the aquamarine and turquoise blue in the Pangong Lake, the multi- layered eye-catching blue over the mountains, crumbling old monasteries, beautiful Ladakhi women, the stunning stupas, the traditional Tibetan architecture, the colorful Stok Palace, the glaciers in Khardungla, the tri- angled Nubra valley in the Karakoram Range, and the Bactrian camels. And yes, we also catch a glimpse of a bunch of the adorable Himalayan mammals, marmotas, retreating into their burrows after having their fill of grass, berries, roots and shoots.

 
Her Ladakh journey has been undoubtedly etched in her memory, but through this pictorial book, the adventurous author, who had all along dreamt of visiting the most difficult terrains to experience life in its varied hues, has ensured that, we, the awe- struck readers, also become part of this magical journey on which she has taken us along.

 In the author’s note, she quotes Ibn Batuta, who had famously said that travelling ‘leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller’. Well, let me mention that her pictorial story- telling has left me speechless.
 Kudos to Sonali Chanda for this spectacular book! Waiting for more travelogues from her pen .