“The mountains are calling and I must go…” John Muir
There is something mysterious about the mountains, something magnetic that keeps pulling K. B. Prasannakumar back to its folds regularly. And he simply surrenders to the call. They quicken his sense of wonder that is so easily leached away by our modern existence. It urges him to apply that wonder to his everyday life.
Bowled over
This fascination for the mountains began almost 20 years back. An officer with State Bank of Travancore, Prasannakumar took a casual vacation to the hills. “With a group of friends we decided to travel to Badrinath and Kedarnath. It was my first visit to lovely Uttarakhand. I was simply bowled over. I knew this was not going to be my last visit to this place,” recounts Prasannakumar, who now has to his credit some of the most popular Malayalam travel books on the Himalayas.
Travellers call Uttarakhand the ‘Land of Gods.' It is not just the soul-stirring views of the mighty Himalayas but the culture, colours, food, people, of the place that draw people to this state. Prasannakumar has travelled around this state, trekked the far reaches of the Himalayas here more than 13 times. “And every time I have been here it has been a different experience. The first time we were there the Sree Shankaracharya Marg that leads to Badrinath was so narrow, used to get blocked with landslides that were quite usual. Sometimes it used to be traumatising. Once we were held up on the road for three days. Now things have changed. The roads are better maintained, it becomes easier to reach Badrinath.”
Prasannakumar never intended to write about his travels. He used to contribute articles on travel to vernacular dailies and magazines, the response of which was ‘encouraging, inspiring.' “Perhaps, it was these travel articles that prompted DC Books to commission me to edit a book on travels - ‘Himalayam: Kazcha, Darsanam' was my first work. This is into its fourth edition.”
His writing also invited a lot of criticism. There were some who found his fascination of the mountains a bit too stretched. “I really do not take them to heart. For I know that most of them had not seen the Himalayas at all. Here you look up, turn and find yourself surrounded by tall peaks, majestic craggy peaks. Anyone who has seen them once was sure to feel the way I did – keep going back.”
Prasannakumar's important travel books include ‘Uttarakhand: Himalaya Devabhoomi,' an anthology of poems on travel titled ‘Sanchi,' and ‘Malakalile Kattu Parayaunnathu.' These works are not just chronicles of climbs and travels. Prasannakumar interweaves accounts of his own adventurous ascents with subtle details of the place, flora and fauna, some interesting people. He takes you with him to the mountains, glaciers, summits, unknown ranges.
“I do not jot down anything during the course of the travel. Thoughts turn into words only after I return home. The Himalayas, and most of Uttarakhand are sacred destinations. Like the Chardhams - Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnth and Badrinath; the Panch Kedar (Kedarnath, Madhmaheswar, Tungnath, Rudranath, Kalpeshwar) or Tapovan. They have always had this very strong religious association. I have felt that these places have been mystified. My attempt is to demystify and put things in their true perspective.”
Prasannakumar has followed the Himalayas from Uttarakhand to Himachal, watched it tower over Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim, seen it in all its grandeur and awe-inspiring power. During his treks he has gone through some nerve-wracking moments too. “I have seen a lorry plunge into the Alakananda, a group of Pahadis carrying the corpse of a foreigner who had an accidental fall just as we were getting ready to make the ascent to Tapovan, and exposed to a sudden, heavy snowfall at Rohtang Pass when our vehicle packed up.”
More trips
Apart from the mountains Prasannakumar has made an extensive journey to the famous temples of South India that stand out for their sculpture and exquisite architecture. “I plan to write a book on these temples, like Belur, Halebid and the grand edifices in Tamil Nadu. Also on the anvil is one on the sea, which is based on a trip to the Andamans.”
And now Prasannakumar has packed his bags and is all set for a two-week rigorous trek to Adi Kailas. “I have seen the Mount Kailas and Mansarovar on an earlier trip. This time it will be to see the glory of this mountain from the Indian territory; close to the Tibetan border.”
The mountains are a link, a live presence that consciously or otherwise, keeps drawing Prasannakumar towards it.
