Stephen Alter trekked the Himalayas to overcome the trauma that he went through in 2008, in the process he chanced upon mythological and historical stories and decided to write a book on them. He shared details with S Mallik
The Audience listened with rapt attention as Stephen Alter recounted the terrible attack that he and his wife encountered in 2008. “We were stabbed and wounded,” he said. The incident had left him traumatised and as a writer he knew that only writing about it could give him peace. “But writing only about the incident would have been boring so I decided to undertake a series of treks in the Himalayas because I wanted to physically recover and heal,” he shared while chatting with us at the Taj Palace.
In his quest of ways to overcome the trauma, he travelled to Nanda Devi, Mt Kailash and Bandarpunch in Garhwal. “Nanda Devi is called the bliss giving Goddess and Mt Kailash helps you look beyond yourself and leads you to the threshold of transcendence,” said Stephen, who had undertaken the entire journey on foot. The result of the journey, which lasted four years, is his latest book Becoming a Mountain.
Through the book he has tried to understand and make sense of the mountains that he grew up with. He explained, “In the book I explore the mythology, the villager’s lore, the stories of goddess Nanda Devi to understand the history of the place better. In the book, I retell these stories to help the people know myth and facts related to these mountains.”
Stephen believes that once a trekker or an adventure lover is familiar with the geology and the natural landscape of the route they are travelling, the journey becomes meaningful. Through the book, he has done exactly that. “When you go to the mountains and you hear the mythology of Nanda Devi and you hear about the Raj yatra that happens every 12 years where the Goddess is taken in her doli to Shiva as his bride. You listen to those stories and relate them to the place,” he said.
To bring the essence of adventure and thrill he always writes the first chapter of his books during his trek. In the book he has dedicated an entire chapter to the importance of writing while travelling. “The chapter is titled Writing with My Foot and there is a certain thrill in noting down experiences and observations as and when you come across them,” he said.Even though he is a successful writer, Stephen loves to walk and he prefers to trek alone. “Walking is a very important exercise because it not only keeps us fit but is also a form of meditation. It’s something that is very peaceful and it gets me away from the monotony of daily life,” he shared.
His other book, Sacred Waters, is about Char Dham yatra through Garhwal. He said, “I followed the traditional pilgrimage route from Rhishikesh to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. Becoming a Mountain is a follow up to Sacred Waters but it goes a little further because I go into Tibet to Mt Kailash where I did the parikrama. To get there I had to go all the way through Kathmandu and travel for two weeks to get up to Kailash.”