Imagine waking up to a sunrise over ice-clad mountains, hearing calls of a deer, and the melodious song of a Himalayan bulbul: that’s where nature author Stephen Alter was born and raised. It’s no wonder Alter penned over 15 both fiction and non-fiction books, most of which focus on the Himalayan region.
Having lived in Musoorie most of his life, Alter’s writing is heavily influenced by his surrounding natural landscapes. “I’ve been writing for 40 years now, and it’s instinctive for me to go back to subjects like the natural history of India, the sacred Ganga, elephants, and of course, the Himalayas. These are subjects I feel most comfortable with,” says Alter.
Today, he will interact with Mumbaikars on his passion for the outdoors, his personal approach towards nature writing, and how nature has been used as a metaphor for stories and myths for centuries.
As part of Nature Month, the Godrej India Culture Lab, in association with Sanctuary Magazine and the Himalayan Club, will be hosting the talk with the author, who boasts of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Program, the East West Centre in Hawaii, and the Banff Centre for Mountain Culture. Alter was also writer-in-residence at MIT for 10 years. Among the various honours he has received, Alter is this year’s recipient of the Kekoo Naoroji Book Award for Himalayan Literature.
His book, Becoming a Mountain: Himalayan Journeysin Search of the Sacred and the Sublime , is an awe-inspiring journey of how he had to come to terms with a life-threatening attack on him and his family in the mountains of Musoorie, where he was born and raised. The soul-stirring book taps into the struggles he faces to find closure as his attackers go unidentified.
“I think the most powerful experience I had, was while I wrote this novel. My journey took me across various mountainscapes, and it was the parikrama I performed at Mount Kailash that has stayed with me through these years. Being in the presence of that mountain is a feeling I still carry with me,” says Alter.
Though he has experienced a wide-range of adventures, including being chased by a tiger while he rode an elephant, Alter believes it’s the little things that are memorable. “When I step out of my office to a group of grosbeaks singing, that to me is as exciting and as inspiring. It’s these stories of nature that I’d rather tell.”
In his latest novel for children, The Secret Sanctuary , the author combines natural history of the Jabarkhet Nature Reserve in Mussoorie with magical elements that appeal to younger readers. The short novel combines fiction with an existing location in an attempt to encourage the younger generation to appreciate nature. “The nature reserve covers 100 acres of land close to home, and I was closely involved with its formation. My story speaks of three children who wander into the reserve where magical things happen. They’re introduced to mammals, birds, and other wildlife which the young readers will hopefully connect with,” says Alter.
His greatest advice to young nature writers is to go outdoors, observe, and do a significant amount of research. “You don’t always have to go to a far-off nature reserve to be one with the outdoors. In a city like Mumbai, you can even visit the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and convey what you’re seeing through a poet’s eye.”
The author believes he writes best in his study that overlooks the mountains. “While I do face away from the window to avoid being distracted, it’s peaceful to know that when I turn around, the mountains will still be waiting.”
Natures’s Narratives: writing outdoors in India will take place at the Godrej India Culture Lab, Vikhroli at 5pm today. The talk is free and open to all. For details, email indiaculturelab@godrejinds.com
The author is a freelance writer
