When mythology regales

Vikrant Parmar

Tales From the Hills

by Manohar Singh Gill.

Harper Collins.

Pages 206.

Rs 299

Experience is always golden; years on when it combines with nostalgia and emanates in the form of short stories, thirty-two to be precise, delight is all that the reader laps up. Former Chief Election Commissioner Manohar Singh Gill’s collection of short stories titled ‘Tales From The Hills’ are a rich representation of life as he saw and experienced it in the district of Lahaul-Spiti — West of Tibet, South of Ladakh — in the picturesque state of Himachal Pradesh.

The stories narrate fond memories of a person who has widely traversed the Lahaul-Spiti region, interacted with people, served them in official capacity, avidly listened to their mythical tales and stored each in his soul, only to reproduce those years down the line. Geographical details — source of river Chandrabhaga, desolate tracts of Lahaul, the Rohtang Pass, the Kullu Valley, Keylang, Baralacha pass, Chandrataal, Bharmour, Chamba, Mani Mahesh, Kugti Pass, Naggar Castle, Beas Kund, Kunzam Pass, Bharmour, Karding Ridge — evoke images of a land where myth and reality can indeed merge effortlessly.

The lifestyle of ‘gaddis’, hill folk of the Lahaul Spiti region, has been captured well; ‘Lahaulas are as sure-footed as the ibex’, says the author about the robust people of the land, known for its harsh climate. Presiding deities in the hills watch over the humans, who deal with nether-world guests on a regular basis but are virtually unafraid, accepting them as a part of their living reality. The outside world remains on the periphery, as the characters build a microcosm that is surreal. These indigenous tales in the backdrop of snowy peaks, glaciers, rivers; rich flora and enchanting fauna, speak of ancient folklore and an era that is frozen in time. The ibex, snow leopards and chikors create wonderful images; so do fortune-tellers — ‘goor of the local devtas’. Rolance, ‘the rising of corpses’, a myth that is widely believed in Lahaul, finds mention in one of the stories. The locally brewed liquor, Chhang, rich noodle broth, thupka, and sattu, represent the rich platter of a wholesome and self-sustaining culture.

There are rakshas, rakshasinis, yoginis, flying horses, tantric lamas, gold-dropping pigeons, rabbits, lions; all of whom combine to paint a rich tapestry, where supernatural combines with the natural, the real with the unreal, the myth with the mundane. Characters in each story are amiable, while the illustrations afford a rich-visual experience.

The writing is simple and lucid, although the plots of some of the stories could have been weaved with a richer yarn. The author, however, has made it a point to narrate them as he heard and stored them in his memory bank, years ago. Kudos to that!