Folklore from the Roof of India

Mona Verma's The Scent of Himalayas is a luminous collection of 20 stories that traverse the Himalayan arc, blending folklore, ecology, myth and memory into a tapestry that honours the soul of the mountains

- SANJEEV CHOPRA

The repertoire of the 20 stories in Mona Verma’s The Scent of Himalayas ~ Stories from the Mystical Mountains is drawn from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Meghalaya, and the highlands of Assam.

They connect us to creation myths, help us understand the prevalent belief systems, resurrect our faith in the essential triumph of good over evil, acknowledge the strength of the brave women of the hills, the interconnectedness of man and nature, and the realisation that the symphony of life will have its highs and lows.

ECOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS

Many stories in this selection have deep ecological underpinnings. Let's start with Kaafal — the story about the revitalising berry fruit of Kumaon. In this narration, two birds tell the story of a daughter protesting her innocence on being accused by her mother of having eaten the Kaafal, while the berries had actually shrunk on account of the extreme heat.

In the Indian astrological tradition, Ashoka’s etymology stems from A-Shoka (the one that alleviates grief), and the Ashoka Vatika (grove) holds a special place for Hindus as this was the refuge of Sita in Raavan’s Lanka. Now a fruit for mortals, it yearns to return to the land of Lord Indra.