Climbing Chamundi Hill : Ariel Glucklich
Climbing Chamundi Hill : 1001 Steps with a Storyteller and a Reluctant Pilgrim by Ariel Glucklich
Indian mythology is very central to religious understanding.. and Ariel Glucklich brings together some stories, which are in other stories to highlight aspects of Indian philosophy.
The stories are told by an old librarian, walking with an American university researcher up Chamundi Hill. The researcher is frustrated because his interpretation of the stories are different from what the librarian tells him.. and so one story leads to another to another until they reach the top of the hill.. and then the researcher realises that the goal of his liberation was not the top of the hill, but rather the bottom , where he started.
Nice read..
I not too sure what the cover picture of a woman in Mughal costume got to do with the Climbing of the hill, but I guess it is to highlight the 'Indian' exotic thing.
Indian mythology is very central to religious understanding.. and Ariel Glucklich brings together some stories, which are in other stories to highlight aspects of Indian philosophy.
The stories are told by an old librarian, walking with an American university researcher up Chamundi Hill. The researcher is frustrated because his interpretation of the stories are different from what the librarian tells him.. and so one story leads to another to another until they reach the top of the hill.. and then the researcher realises that the goal of his liberation was not the top of the hill, but rather the bottom , where he started.
Nice read..
I not too sure what the cover picture of a woman in Mughal costume got to do with the Climbing of the hill, but I guess it is to highlight the 'Indian' exotic thing.
I like your no-nonsense summary of the book. It tells the reader precisely what to expect in the book. Keep posting.
ReplyDeleteThe cover picture is a detail from the portrait of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592-1666)
Thanks!
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