Deb Mukharji - Kailash and Manasarovar: The Ultimate Pilgrimage

By Dilip -
A fascinating pictorial account of an iconic pilgrimage made 25 years ago. It was put together by Deb Mukharji, a retired civil servant who embodies India's deepest ethical traditions and has never flinched from a call to action. Deb's abiding Hindu faith is in stark contrast to those who promote and espouse hatred and division in the name of Hindutva

The Ultimate Pilgrimage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOsXfTS5o2c&feature=youtu.be

 In his professional career Deb Mukharji was a member of the Indian Foreign Service and retired as ambassador to Nepal in 2001. Mukharji's interests include trekking and photography. He has visited the Kailash Manas region three times, in 1981 (when the route to Kailash across Lipu lekh was reopened after several decades), 1993 and 2002. 
Kailash and Mansarovar: Visions of the Infinite by Deb Mukharji
His book Mount Kailash and Manasarovar: Visions of the Infinite; (2009) is an archive of beautiful photographs and erudite commentary. His other publications include: Magic of Nepal (Rupa: 2005),  and A Quest Beyond the Himalaya (Niyogi: 2013)

Deb Mukharji’s photographs capture the Himalayas over five decades
During his tenure as the Indian ambassador to Nepal from 2000-2001, Deb Mukharji trekked several peaks, but visiting the rugged and culturally-rich region of Dolpo in mid-western Nepal remained an unfulfilled desire. “There was no possibility of getting away for two or three weeks, that a trip to Dolpo required,” says Mukharji. Last year, he finally trekked through the region with a group of friends. “It is beautiful,” he says. The hardest part, at the age of 78, he quips, “was to climb in and out of tents”. Photographs from the recent expedition, along with 74 more photographs clicked by Mukharji in the last six decades, comprise the exhibition “Tall Tales from the Himalaya” that is on at India International Centre in Delhi. The showcase introduces us to the mighty Himalayan peaks right from 1959, when Mukharji first climbed them at 18, when he was a student at St Stephen’s College in Delhi. The view from the Valley of Flowers shows a rocky picturesque terrain and snow peaked mountains. “We got a magnificent view of the Himalayas, and you really can’t forget that. The routes were different back then. We were carrying a discarded tent from the second World War, something we picked up in Chandni Chowk. When it rained, we all got very wet. I remember the bed bugs,” recalls Mukharji of the journey...
https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/a-himalayan-saga-deb-mukharji-indian-ambassador-to-nepal-2000-2001-5577744/

An agnostic in Kailash


 Other posts featuring Deb Mukharji
Deb Mukharji: CAA-NRC: Lessons from the Assam experience  
Books reviewed - Deb Mukharji: 1971, Bangladesh and the Blood Telegram
Deb Mukharji: Bangladesh and the recovery of history
Deb Mukharji - A Himalayan lesson, and about time
Deb Mukharji - Landmark India-Bangladesh border pact is testimony to what spirit of cooperation can achieve
Former Civil Servants Protest Selection of Terror Accused as Lok Sabha candidate by BJP
AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF INDIA by 106 senior retired government officers: INDIA DOES NOT NEED THE CAA-NPR-NRIC

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