Trans-Himalayan travel, however it might have been portrayed, was not the exclusive pastime of Western adventurers. But geographies are created according to the needs of the day.
In a
The Himalayan hinterland, for all its isolation, has never been far from the economic forces at play in the rest of the subcontinent and the world. Change in bazaar towns
While the influx of pilgrims and tourists may have changed some parts of Himachal Pradesh, other parts have resisted the destabilising influences of highways. But will this still hold true
Philosophers say that change is inevitable and inexorable; that "old order changeth yielding place to new". The Himalaya and its people know well what they mean. The process
Setting up mountain rescue in the Himalya is a little like the chicken or the egg story. Do you set tip expensive rescue facilities to attract climbers, or allow the
Ancient Futures is an intriguing title for a book about development and, indeed, this is an unusual book. Norberg-Hodge raises the possibility of learning from indigenous sustainable cultures by
In anthropological studies, certain people and places become associated with particular themes of research. The best example of such gatekeeping concepts is perhaps that of caste in India. Such concepts
Before the field workers came the foreign travellers and writers. Among the latter were British administrators and travellers cum -writers, such as William Kirkpatrick. Francis Buchanan Hamilton, Brian Hodgson and
Himalayan publishing in European languages spells big money, but the market is dominated by books about idyllic mountains and touristic pursuits. While serious publishers in the region face hardships, some
