NEW DELHI, Apr 5:
Having spent four decades as a scholar of Hindu philosophical thought, politician-scholar Karan Singh’s first and only work of fiction ‘The Mountain of Shiva’, a lyrical portrayal of the picturesque Kashmir Valley before the onset of militancy, is an occasion to reinvent himself.
A revised edition of the original book, first published some 40 years ago, that was brought out and launched at a function here recently gives the modern generation a glimpse into the fine literary sensibilities of Singh.
The present edition of the novel has been revised by the author with the addition of an epilogue.
“I wrote this novel some 40 years ago when Kashmir was peaceful and charming having overcome the turbulence of the 1949 invasion,” he told the audience at the launch.
Terming the book as a “spiritual journey,” he said his attempt was to capture a man’s effort to seek release from the narrow material world into the divine path. He described Ashok, the main character in the novel, as his “alter ego”.
Looking back on his eventful life as a public figure , Singh, the the 85-year-old Congressman and Rajya Sabha MP said that it was not possible for him to become a full-time writer since he “was born into politics”.
Releasing the book, former diplomat-writer Pavan K Varma, said ‘The Mountain of Shiva’ was competently written as the novel “grasped the essence of everything that the Shankaracharya Temple in Srinagar stood for.”
Varma suggested Singh write more such literary works but the latter ruled out saying “any fictional work on Kashmir written now has to revolve around militancy and destruction. That is not my cup of tea.”
Turning down a request to read out excerpts from his book, Singh instead delighted the audience by reciting some of the poems included in it.
Bhaskar Roy, CEO of Palimpsest, which published the revised edition of the book, said that the novel was “so gripping that one can finish it in a single sitting”.
The book, he said, discovered Singh in a new role.
“Every reader of the book will feel like asking: What if Dr Singh became a full-time writer say 50-60 years ago,” Roy said.
He said the book gave Singh an opportunity to “reinvent” himself and brought to light a facet of his personality not familiar to many.
Palimpsest chairman Yogesh Malik said the publishing house was a meeting place for both well-established writers and also the new voices in contemporary writing. (PTI)
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