Book Review: Lure of Karakorams by A. Sayeed Khan Qamar

Lure of Karakorams is written by a journalist who was also a member of the staff of the Pakistan Press International (PPI). He visited Northern Areas of Pakistan a number of times due to his professional duties and hobbies of hunting.

In this book the author writes about the travel restrictions and relaxations imposed by the government of Pakistan on international tourists. The preface to the book is written by the author dated in 1973. The author states that since independence of Pakistan had more than 150 well-equipped  expeditions, from Europe and Japan mostly (p. 2). Qamar argues that Desideri of Pistoia from Italy was the first European to enter the Karakoram (p. 4). Qamar states that Hunza and Balti porters earned admiration during some of the expeditions. The author covers  topics such as the Sino-Pakistan boundary commission, 1967 trade agreement between Pakistan and China, trade via Misgar and administration of Gilgit. Qamar states that Brigadier Ghansara Singh was sent to Gilgit in August as the first Kashmiri Governor to rule the Agency (p. 17).

Further themes included in the book are Indus Valley road, insignia of Northern Scouts and expansion of road networks. By 1965, 467 miles of jeepable road was constructed (p. 33). Rest of the book covers stories about various expeditions, list of expeditions, list of explorations, list of glaciers, list of peaks and list of passes. Various officers of Pakistan military who were involved in different expeditions as liaison officers are also mentioned. No detailed accounts of the local porters and high altitude porters are provided in the book.

The book does not have any list of references, footnotes or intext citations. Qamar writes about history of the region without any list of references. This book has been written with the intent of attracting tourists to the region. The Resident and Commissioner for Northern Areas Ijlal Hussain has written foreword for the book dated 20 July, 1973. I believe a better researched book would have served the purpose well.

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Book Review: The Closed Valley: With Fierce Friends in the Pakistani Himalayas by Jurgen Wasim Frembgen

 

Jurgen Wasim Frembgen is an anthropologist, who is one of the first to venture into the Harban valley. This book is an outcome of the authors several stays in the valley between 1989 to 1997. Frembgen explores the life of the mountain people in Kohistan region of Pakistan. The Indus Kohistan district was created in 1976.

In the first chapter he mentions that the Indus River is locally known as Aba Sin (Father of Rivers). In ancient Indian Sanskrit it is called Sindhu from which the terms Indus and India were derived. The author also mentions about the flora and fauna of the area. He writes about the presence of rhesus monkeys in the area. The forest trees include spruce, pine, cedars, juniper and holm oak trees.

Frembgen states that the reason why he was so interested in the people of Kohistan was the romantic ideal of freedom from any kind of authority. Before his visit he read the novel, The Pakistani Bride, which was based on a true story in Kohistan. Frembgen writes about how he went to Chilas and met the district court judge Mahmud Ghaznawi who had origins from Kohistan. He wrote a recommendation letter for Frembgen so that he could have an easy passage to Kohistan. Frembgen was warned by Bilal (the postmaster’s son) that the women in Harban were especially beautiful and a wrong glance could be fatal.

The local culture in Harban is that one of the members from the host family massages the guest. This is a kind gesture for a tired traveler who has walked great distance. There are four caste-like groups which consist of Shin, Yeshkun, Kamin and Dom. In Harban, no Kamin men or women are allowed to take part in funeral rites. One perspective noted by the author is that the Yeshkun and the Kamin were already living in Harban before the arrival of the Shin people.

Frembgen states that in the past it was important to be a warrior, so handling of a gun was important. Today diplomacy and Islamic religiosity were crucial for success in life. People in Harban, heavily depend on logging and because of this deforestation has accelerated. Satellite images show that there are regions in Southern Indus Kohistan which have lost one third of their tree population in just one decade.

The author stays at Sher Ghazi’s (local Jashtero in Harban) house as a guest.  He discovers that the house does not have a bathroom and the whole village uses the slopes to defecate. The area has a lot of Tablighi influence. The old meeting place for women in the village was abandoned in 1960s, because the Tablighi Movement disapproved it. They drove musicians out of the valley and also banned dancing.

The story of the carpenter named Qalanadar Shah, from Hindi village in Hunza is a very interesting one. Shah fled from his house because he had arguments with his parents and works as a carpenter in Harban. Another interesting story is of the Majzub Baba who lives in Chilas. Frembgen also sees fortified towers. The height of the towers demonstrates a family’s political power. They serve as protection from attacks. The author says that ‘In many cases these conflicts go back to affairs of jealousy and broken marriage promises, but also to their matters of honor and disagreements over land ownership’. He further stresses that accusations of forbidden love affairs are rampant.

The author admits that the ethnographic work in the field never unbiased. He also makes it clear that he could not complete his original aim- which was to write a monograph of field anthropology of Harban culture.

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Book Review: That Untraveled World by Eric Shipton

 

The Untraveled World is the autobiography of a famous mountaineer and explorer named Eric Shipton. Shipton was born in 1907 in Ceylon, where his father was a tea planter. The author shares his experience from East Africa. In Kenya he arrives in 1928, where his first job was an apprenticeship on a large coffee farm at Nyeri. Further in the book he discusses his visit to Himalaya and Karakoram mountains. It was during the rule of Muhammad Nazim Khan that Shipton visited Hunza.

In 1940 Government of India offered the post of British consul-general in Kashgar to Shipton. Shipton says that Kashgar post was founded in 1888 by Younghusband. The first incumbent George MacCartney held the appointment for twenty-five years.  Personally for me, the chapter on Kashgar is very interesting as it gives insight to the political and social environment prevalent at that time. Shipton accepted another position of consul-general at Kunming in Yunna. Shipton also shares his experience of treks to Everest. In the concluding chapters the author discusses competition in the mountaineering field and wildlife. He believes that Karakoram, Kuen Lun, Alaska, Southern Andes are the field of fresh endeavor even for the traditional mountaineer.

Shipton says: “The springs of enchantment lie within ourselves: they arise from our sense of wonder, that most precious of gifts, the birthright of every child. Lose it and life becomes flat and colorless...”

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Book Review: Ice Mummy- The Discovery of a 5000-year-old man by Mark Dubowski and Cathy East Dubowski

This is a short interesting read about a mummy. The special thing about this mummy is its discovery by two hikers. In Sept 1991 two German hikers hike in the Alps, the border region where Austria meets Italy. Reinhold Messner, a famous mountaineer later looks at the body. He believes that the body is not hundred years old but it may be thousands of years old.

Dr. Rainer Henn comes to examine the body. Dr. Henn and his helpers put the mummy in a bag. They take it for examination. The mummy is kept inside a room where the temperature is 21.2 degrees Fahrenheit. This is to prevent the mummy from rotting. Dr. Konrad Spindler later examines the mummy and believes that it is at least 4000 years old. An axe, jacket, pants and animal boots made of animal skins are under study. Carbon-14 dating shows that the mummy is more than 5000 years old. The reason for the man’s death is freezing. In Bolzano Italy a museum has been built for the Ice mummy so that people could see it with their own eyes.

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Book Review: Fire on the Mountain by Anita Desai

Nanda Kaul an old lady wants to be left alone for the last years of her life. She lives in a quite house at Carignano in Kasauli.

This relatively short book is divided into three parts. The first part discusses Nanda Kaul’s life at Carignano. The arrival of her great granddaughter Raka is covered in the second part. The third and last part of the book is about Ila Das’s departure from Carignano. Nanda Kaul’s daughter is Asha. Asha is mother of Tara and Tara is Raka’s mother.

When Raka comes to live with Nanda Kaul she is not received with an open heart. Instead Raka is initially very reserved and seldom does she talk. Raka would disappear all day in the forest and come back in the evening. She loves walking and hiking in the evening. She seems to enjoy her life as she has no responsibility and is free from worry.

In the last chapters of the book the author writes about the changes in Ila Das and Nanda Kaul’s lives. When Ila Das heads home she is murdered by Preet Singh. Nanda Kaul receives a phone call. This is when the news of her friend’s death is announced to her.

This novel has characters which are really close to reality. The description of the setting and characters is really amazing. Yet the language used by Desai is simple and enjoyable for the reader.

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Book Review: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into the wild is based on Christopher Johnson McCandless’s real story. After completing his university degree he decided to live in the wild. He gave $25,000 of his savings to a charity. In April 1992 he hitchhiked to Alaska and moved north of Mt. Kinley. During this journey he had to abandon his car, burn his wallet cash and experience a new way of living. He chose this life.

Many writers/commentators believe McCandless to be mentally unstable whereas others consider his strange behavior to be nonconformist in many ways. As the maverick grew up he came to know about his father’s earlier marriage which disturbed him to a great degree. Moving on to hostel life he became more detached from home. He did not write letters that often. He seemed disenchanted. But he always remained close to his sister and cared for her.

Moreover McCandless did not want his family to know about his whereabouts. That was the reason he changed his named. During the trip Chris read Tolstoy, Jack London and Henry David Thoreau. He did part time jobs to gather funds for his last Alaskan expedition. McCandless ended up in in an abandoned bus. He hunted with his rifle but game was short in number. He ate roots of different plants. Some of these roots are believed to have caused his death as they turned out to be toxic.

Four months after his death, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter. His sad demise caused great sorrow for his family. Later his parents visited the bus where he had died. The writer of this book initially wrote an article on his death and later developed a book which we now know as Into the Wild.

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Book Review: Imperial Gazetteer Provincial Series Kashmir and Jammu by Sir Walter Lawrence

The articles in this volume are written by Sir Walter Lawrence, Bart., G.C.I.E. Physical environment, history, archaeology, population, agriculture, forests, minerals, arts, commerce, political relations, administration, education and means of communication are discussed in great detail with relevant statistical data.

Back then covering long distances was a troublesome task for any traveller. The distance from Gilgit to Srinagar was 228 miles, Srinagar to Leh was 243 miles, and from Leh to Yarkand was 482 miles.

In this book languages, population and castes of Kashmir and Jammu have been briefly discussed. Dogras, Gujars, Gaddis,Pathans, Galwan and Dum presence is mentioned.  Dogra is defined as a territorial name. In the Hunza -Nagar campaign of 1891 these Dogra Rajputs rendered their services for the Kashmir government.

In Kashmir cherry is known as gilas. Other produce includes buck wheat, rice and tobacco. The minerals found are gypsum, limestone and gold. Kashmiri arts and embroidery are also appreciated and its export to the west is encouraged. Srinagar which means “Godess of God” has been described in significant detail.

In addition to that topics relating to women of Ladakh, history of Baltistan, end of polyandry among Baltis, importance of cow in Astore and mountain passes in Kashmir territory have also been taken into account.

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Book Review: My Khyber Marriage by Morag Murray Abdullah

My Khyber Marriage brings out the experience of a Scotswoman who marries a pathan chieftain’s son. Morag meets Abdullah in Britain. Before marrying him she converts to Islam. Abdullah is the son of a tribal chieftain on the Indian Frontier.

 The first chapter starts with the very first meeting of Morag and Abdullah. Initially Morag’s father is apprehensive about her marriage to an easterner, but later he agrees to the proposal. Despite caution from friends and family Morag marries the easterner. Syed Abdullah takes his wife to his tribal country in the East where a marriage ceremony takes place. Before the marriage, his wife takes a bath in ass’s milk for beautification. Some of the observations of the writer stress that all highland folks around the world believe in luck and many of the blood feuds trace their origin to water issues.

Furthermore the author describes her life inside the fort and the roles assigned to each gender. Adding on to that the writer discusses various legends of the area. One of such legends is known as the white lady’s hill. One day Morag flees from the fort and travels to the white lady on the hill. She takes this risk to prevent a bloody fight. Later her husband discovers this and thanks God for her safety, as she might have got killed by gunfire.

Moreover the author mentions about the time when the women defended the fort resisting an attack. At another instance she describes her journey into the snake valley. This adventure is triggered by the frequent mention of snake valley in different local stories. Morag helps in her sister-in-law’s marriage. Furthermore Morag explains the strict moral codes of the tribal society and the limited choices available to women.

Later Morag and her husband travel to India. They are invited by an Indian Raja. Moray and her family leave for India. She writes a separate chapter on her journey through ninety-nine tunnels. Their visits to Simla and Dehli are also highlighted in later part of the book. In her final chapter Moray compares East and West. On hearing about her mother’s illness, she travels to Scotland along with her daughter Margaret. There she compares her life in the Freeland and that in Scotland. Morag intends to go back home in the Freeland where life is simple and the honor one one’s clan comes before anything else.

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Book Review: Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh by John Biddulph

Tribes of the Hindoo Koosh written by British colonial officer John Biddulph, spans over fourteen chapters which include themes related to topography, habits, customs, festivals, history, ruling families of the region and local languages. It can be considered as an account of Biddulph’s travel to the regions which we now know as Gilgit-Baltistan, Chitral, Kohistan and Xinjiang. The writer makes frequent mention of the Chinese traveller named Fah Hian, who is also known to have travelled through these mountainous territories. Mentioning about Kohistan, the writer is of the view that Kohistan is also called Shinkari, ‘the country of the Shins’, by the Kohistani people themselves. Moreover the valleys of Tangir and Darel are discussed in great detail. The prevalent languages, ethnic composition and traditions of small states are also explained. Conflicts, political relations and issues of grazing rights between Tangir and Yasin are highlighted. Moving north towards Gilgit town, Biddulph estimates the population of Gilgit to be of 4500 inhabitants.

About Hunza state, the writer mentions the raids in Yarkand by the Hunza people and also says that animal slaughter in Hunza is not according to the Mohammedan law. Ghazan Khan the ruler of Hunza is known for organizing orgies. Pointing towards the various ethnicities of that time Biddulph believes that Shins could be considered Hindus from the South and Kashmiris residing in Gilgit are basically weavers and carpenters. Various official positions of administration are debated. Some of these include Yerfah (Steward), Charboo (Assistant to the Trangfa), Trangfa (Village Head), Ataliks in Chitral (Military commander and Revenue officer) and Charwelo (In charge of a group of villages). The Chitrali ruler receives an annual tribute of children of both sexes from the Siah Posh community. The punishments for elopement, adultery and extra marital affairs in these tribal regions are also mentioned. The importance of foster relations, especially with the ruling families has been brought to notice.

In the second half of the book the writer compares Shin and Yeshkun names. He considers Shin names as having a suffix of ‘sing’ in them. While explaining the presence of old religious influence in the region, Biddulph opines that the old towers in Wakhan represent Zoroaster religion’s cradle.  Adding on to that, he further narrates that the practice of suttee (common among the Hindus) was practiced in Gilgit, Gor, Hunza and Nager. The author even claims the presence of Hindus in Darel valley till 1877. In addition to that the appendices portion of the book includes languages such as Brooshiski, Shina, Chiliss, Torwalak, Bushkarik, Gowro, Narisati, Khowar , Bushgali and Yidghah. Here the author makes a very valuable anthropological contribution by listing vocabulary, numerals, verbs, nouns and pronouns in the local languages of the region.

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Book Review: Holiday in Hunza By Jewel Hatcher Henrickson

Holiday in Hunza is a travel piece by a group of Americans who live and work in Karachi. When Muhammad Jamal Khan, the last ruler of Hunza visits Karachi he meets Dr. Nelson. Dr. Nelson the medical director of Karachi hospital invites Jamal to visit his hospital. Jamal Khan gets impressed by the hospital management and invites Nelson and his staff to visit Hunza. The following year the Americans with help from Iskander Mirza’s son travel to Hunza. All of them arrive in a train at Rawalpindi. Later on they move to Gilgit in a Dakota plane with a fight which gets delayed. From Gilgit Jamal Khan arranges a jeep and himself excuses the guests, as he has to attend a meeting with the political agent at Gilgit. Jamal promises to join them later in Hunza. The jeep ride to Hunza has a chapter in the book. Rest at Nomal, Nagar and the arrangements made by the Mir of Hunza have also been mentioned. Furthermore a chapter regarding the Mir’s wife is separately given in the book. Her way of life, children, fashion sense and even minute details such as her smoking cigarette have also been stated. Rani gave birth to eleven children and four of them died. The author mentions that it is suspected that they were poisoned as the circumstances were the same in all the cases. In addition to that those tourists who were doctors setup temporary clinic to facilitate the population. The wife of Jamal requests them to open a temporary clinic especially for the Hunza women. These missionary tourists also perform their religious practices and also frequently setup their Sabbath school. Sightseeing in Hunza is facilitated by Master Sultan Ali especially the trek to Ultar glacier. Other than that the tourists also observe a funeral ceremony. Jamal Khan on his return from Gilgit to Hunza requests the tourists for the construction of a hospital in Hunza. Later on before departure from Hunza gifts are exchanged between the tourists and Jamal Khan’s family.

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Book Review: The Luminous Life of Dalai Lama Edited by Shyam Dua

 This illustrated biography of Dalai Lama is a small book of less than a hundred pages. Dalai Lama born in Tibet in 1935 and was enthroned at the age five. He started his education at a monastery in Tibet. In this book the list of awards and honorary degrees conferred on him has been enlisted. Dalai Lama believes that Tibet is still under the Chinese oppression. He is of the view that there is an imminent threat to Tibetan religion, culture and environment. The key themes in his various published books are also shortly discussed in this book. Dalai Lama’s lecture on the occasion of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize is also mentioned. Dalai Lama is of the view that people in Tibet are being turned into an insignificant minority by the influx of Chinese immigrants. Prostitution and gambling have been introduced intentionally in the Tibetan society to marginalize the indigenous population. Furthermore he stresses on the need for moral awakening in the world. Both spiritual and material world should go side by side. In addition to that Dalai Lama champions for human rights, democracy and wants Tibet to become a free peaceful zone where Tibet enjoys genuine autonomy within the framework of the People’s Republic of China.

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Book Review: Nisso By Pavel Luknitsky

This historic novel revolves around a girl named Nisso who lives in the mountains of Central Asia. She loses her parents at an early age. Her maternal aunt gives her to Aziz Khon in marriage. Aziz Khon pays her the price. One day Nisso decides to run away from Aziz Khon. She runs away and reaches a valley named Siatang. At Siatang she is under the protection of Sho-pir an ex-red army soldier. Mededev is a comrade and works in Siatang to improvise the life of the local population. Nisso is in love with him, but she does not express her feelings until later. Aziz Khon gets to know about the presence of Nisso at Siatang valley. He prepares a force of basmachi people. One day Aziz Khon attacks on Siatang in Sho-pir’s absence. Aziz Khon’s forces loot, plunder and kill people in Siatang. Khon wants to torture and then brutally kill Nisso. Sho-pir while returning to Siatang hears about the attack of Aziz Khon. He gets enraged and fights against the basmachi. During this fight he gets severely injured. To his rescue the red army men enter Siatang and capture the basmachi along with Aziz Khon. Sho-pir is badly hurt and is in bed. Gulriz’s son Bakhtior had been killed by the basmachi. Gulriz is devastated to see the dead body of her son. Sho-pir later recovers and goes to Volost with Nisso. This novel displays the oppression of the Khans in Central Asia; and shows how the populace was liberated by the soviets and soviet way of life.

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Book Review: Between the Oxus and the Indus by Colonel R.C.F Schomberg

Between the Indus and the Oxus was written in the earlier half of the twentieth by a British traveller known as R.C.F Schomberg. In the introductory chapter the writer briefly explains the Gilgit Agency, including themes such as the geography, people, languages and political administration of the area. Thereon he gives accounts of the places he visited and the observation he made while travelling.

The writer’s team consists of Abdullah Beg and Daulat Shah belonging from Hunza; his cooks Abdullah Rathar and Aziza Rathar were both from Kashmir. Later on another man named Hasil Shah from Hunza joined the group.Starting from Punyal he informs the reader about the adventures he came across there.  One of the observations made by Schomberg while travelling through Punyal was that the Raja of Punyal lived on the opposite side of the river. This raja would cross the river on a narrow rope bridge and meet the passengers on the road. This act of his saved him from spending on his guests as he would meet them on the road. Schomberg adds on that the chiefs of Punyal are largely of Chitrali descent. Shah Kutor and Shah Burush being the grandsons of Shah Khushwaqt. Moreover he compares the people of Hunza and Punyal. He is of the view that the men of Hunza are better climbers and fighters. Punyalis on the other hand hate agriculture.

Schomberg also briefs his reader about his travels through Kuh and Ghizr.  Kuh and Ghizer had one governor. This governor was appointed by the British government as the other governors of Yasin and Ghizer too were appointed by them. At various places he mentions the issue of food security in the region. He believes that the staple food in Hunza was apricot unlike Kuh and Ghizer where things are differet. Furthermore Schomberg confirms the presence of English trout in the Ghizer River. Moving on, in his account the author refers to the murder of George Hayward, a British traveller, in the nineteenth. This mysterious murder took place in Yasin where Schomberg was travelling now. Yasin exported wheat and Barley as it had these crops in abundance, but there was a shortage of pastureland in the territory. Schomberg categorizes the people in the Gilgit agency in terms of strength and intelligence. He refers to the people of Hunza as superior among all the people in the whole expanse. Being a keen observer he writes that in the upper Yasin valley, women did not work as they did in Hunza and Punyal. He praises the Yak, a domesticated mountain animal at Ishkoman and describes its role in detail. According to him the wakhis fully use the yak for their different tasks. Other than this the author has mentioned details about Ali Mardan Shah, an old wakhi chief from Wakhan who used to live in Imit. With that on page ninety the pirs of Chatorkhand have also been discussed. Throughout his account various comparisons of Hunza and Nagir have been made by Schomberg. The Mir of Hunza at that time was Mir Nazim Khan who was from a peasant mother. Nazim hated to see his people leave his valley. Furthermore in the book local folklores, festivals and superstitions have been highlighted in great detail. The practice of fratricide was very common in those days. For instance in Hunza Mir Ghazan Khan had murdered his father Ghazunfur Khan. He also murdered his uncle Abdulla Khan.  The roles and responsibilities of various functionaries have been outlined by Schomberg. Under the Mir worked the Wazir, Trangpa, Uyum, Chirbu,  Yarpa and Elchi . These were the elements of his power and influence in the area.

In chapter twelve different castes/ races in Gilgit region have been identified by the author.  Schomberg believes that Yeshkun, Ronos and Shins are not necessarily different races. Some of them are castes and the categorization of races in the region is false. Doms consist of muscians, blacksmiths and cobblers while wakhi to him are a race of an old ‘Persian stock’. According to him Ishkoman had been colonized many times by Gilgit and Bagrot. Before that it belonged to Yasin. In this book the major events of the Hunza-Nagir war of 1891 have also been discussed. The foster relationship of the ruling family with the locals has been reflected. Schomberg says that the locals of Hunza, Nagir and Punyal had to pay money to their respective rulers. This money was used by the rulers for the marriage of their offspring. Schomberg’s account also includes his th local tales and stories. He mentions stories of witch and wizards in Hunza. He considers that the apples of Passu are famous. On his tour to Chupursan he wrote that there were 60 families in Reshit, a small village in Chupursan Valley. He narrates that the body of Baba Ghundi is not buried at the shrine in Chupursan. In the last chapter of the book Darel and Tangir are discussed in great detail. The various attempts by rulers to rule the area have been mentioned. Schomberg considers Pakhtun Wali, son of Mir Wali from Yasin to have ruled this area for 12 years.  He stands to be the only one to do so under an autocratic rule.

R.C.F Schomberg while travelling through the region has in some of the cases included minute details and in other instances just overlooked many important details which if included would have given a comprehensive outlook to his account.

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Book Review: Three Cups of Deceit by Jon Krakauer

Three Cups of Deceit written by Jon Krakauer is basically a reply to Greg Mortenson’s book Three Cups of Tea. Published in 2011, this book has been divided into three parts. 

The first part named the creation myth addresses the creation of Greg’s story in Baltistan, which according to Krakauer is a fake one. Krakauer simply refutes the narration of Greg Mortenson. At various places in his book Greg has mentions that after returning from a failed attempt of K2 in 1993 he lived in a small village called Korphe. But Krakauer contests this narration on page 8 of his book. He is of the view that Greg along with two others had walked down to Askole and from thereon they hired a jeep which took them to Skardu, the district capital. The author Jon Krakauer refers to Darsney, Greg’s fellow who returned with him after the failed attempt of K-2, who says that according to him he and Greg had stayed at Skardu for several days after the failed attempt. After that they hired a jeep and went to Khane, a village in the Hushe Valley. It is there where Greg proposed the construction of a school, as the village did not have one. Furthermore Mortenson mentions in his account that he had met Niamat Gul Mehsud for the first time in Peshawer, whereas Mahsud remembers meeting Mortenson in Rawalpindi, in front of the latter’s hotel. Greg shows in his book that he was kept hostage in South Wazairistan by the Taliban back in1996.  However the author of Three Cups of Deceit makes it clear that the kidnapping story of Greg is entirely fabricated. He gives references of various credible people who surely believe that the story was fabricated. Naimat Gul one of his accomplices also believes that Greg had invented a false story.

The second section of the book is titled accountable to no one. For the funding of his schools Greg believes that it does not matter where the money comes from, as it is in the service of God. Known for not returning phone calls and emails Mortenson also does not arrive on time for his engagements. Karakauer has repeatedly referred to various instances when Mortenson maintained this careless attitude. Mortenson said he had a salary of $28000 in 1995, but in reality he was drawing a salary of about $75000. This means Mortenson was not honest about his salary. Further on page 30 the author mentions that an article on Greg suggested that the schools constructed by Greg helped in countering the influence of fundamentalist Madrassas. This question further complicates and creates doubts about the authenticity of Greg’s story. Mortenson in his first book narrates the story of a long conversation with King Zahir Shah in 2003, in a PIA flight. Krakauer on inquiring from Zahir Shah’s grandson made it clear that no such meeting had taken place. In fact his grandson said that King Zahir Shah had never travelled on any PIA flight from 1973 to 2007. Hence Mortenson’s story seems to be made up. Not only that but Mortenson used CAI’s credit cards and never produced any receipts for them. Mortenson used chartered jets, received royalties from his books and also purchased thousands of copies of his book for the attendees of his events. Along with that Mortenson charges hefty amount of money when he speaks at events. He charges $30,000 plus per event and travel expenses too.

The final part of the book is regarding the school constructed by the Central Asian Institute headed by Greg Mortenson. Many of the schools constructed by Greg, according to Krakauer, have turned into ghost schools. Going on further Greg has referred in one of his books that Wahabbi influence present in the region where he works is strong. But in all those areas where his projects have been established there is no presence of Wahhabi elements. The working mechanisms of CAI are dubious. In 2010 when an auditor was asked to audit CAI finances, a fraudulent document was produced by the CAI staffers. Adding on to that Parvi from Baltistan, who resigned from CAI confessed to embezzle $50,000 from CAI. Further in the Three Cups of Deceit, the gallstone attack on Safaraz Khan, the then program director northern Afghanistan is covered in detail. Greg is alleged to have produced a tampered account of the incident in his book. In 2007 with respect to an incident, Mortenson in one of his email’s to Sarfaraz believed that, AKDN an international NGO, was planting false rumors against CAI. According to the author of Three Cups of Deceit the school in Boazai Gumbaz Wakhan district, was built primarily for the sake of Greg’s book.

Jon Krakauer believes that Greg lied about his first visit to Korphe, lied about eight day armed kidnapping by the Taliban and also bluffed about the building of schools in areas which were on the frontline of war against terror. In the concluding remarks the author has rightly made a remark considering Greg as a murderer of his ‘own creation through his duplicity’. 

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Book Review: The Cossacks by Leo Tolstoy

Written in 1863 by Leo Tolstoy, this novel is believed to be based on Tolstoy's experiences in Caucasus,the remote Russian country side, during the last stages of the Caucasian War. Olenin a nobleman joins the army as a cadet because he is disenchanted with his privileged life in the Russian society. Olenin befriends an old man named Eroshka. They hunt and drink together.

There at the remote post Olenin falls in love with a young Cossack woman who already has been promised to another man,a Cossack warrior. While spending his life in the Cossack land Olenin learns many lessons about his own life and about the nature of human psychology.

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Book Review: The Gilgit Game by John Keay

The Gilgit game is a book about the exploration of Dardistan and of its virgin lands, by the hands of the British Empire. 

Dards were neither Indians, nor Tibetan nor of Turkish stock of Central Asia. Dardistan had various regions governed by different rulers. Strategically it had and still has an importance as many routes through this land are conducive for trade, business and military purposes. The British saw this area as a vacuum. For them this vacuum could either be a threat and in that case defense was the priority. 

The British and Russians wanted Dardistan to be part of their empires and for both of them it was a bone of contention now. John Keay, author of the book at many instances presents the reader with the exact text which the old travelers had recorded during their stay in the region. 

This gives one an insight to the geographical discoveries which were treated as top secret by the British Empire. Military expeditions were bluffed as geographical expeditions; the great game was being played in this part of the world as geographers and travelers visited this region.

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Book Review: World Wide Fund - Environmental Guide Book

While going through this 64 page handbook, I noticed that it is a very basic guide book, featuring environment related topics. The reader may be any one, starting from a school going child to a grown up of any age. 

Basically the book has been divided into 5 themes. Environmental problems have been highlighted and explained with examples, with special focus to Pakistan. 

The repercussion of these environmental problems on our surroundings is an eye opener for the common man. The “I can do it” attitude has been greatly appreciated in this regard. 

The importance of our environment has been stressed upon, meaning that a threat to our environment means a threat to the human race.

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Book Review: Ancient Futures by Helena Norberg-Hodge

The author Helena Norbeg-Hodge, a foreigner spent many of her years in Ladakh studying the ladakhi people, their culture, religion and their activities. She points out the difficulties which Ladakh is facing due to the increase in developmental activities. 

Furthermore she compares the past and the present conditions, mentioning the change in attitude, clothing and lifestyle of the youth. In addition to that she is very apprehensive about the ladakhi youth and stresses on the need to not forget one’s traditional customs especially in this particular case of Ladakh.

Importance has been placed on the family value system and the sense of togetherness in these remote communities of Ladakh. Environment related activities are highlighted and the use of alternate renewable energy resources is focused upon. For instance, the author shares her experiment of solar technology in the villages of Ladakh. Various rituals and customs are mentioned, which take place all year round. At last she stresses on the need to prevent the adulteration of Ladakhi culture, which shall be prevented in any case as it has its own uniqueness.

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