Book: Kailas Manas
Author: Dr. Avinash Biniwale
Publisher: Continental Publishing (First Edition: 2012)
Pages: 378
Reviewer: Prof. (Dr.) Vridhagiri Ganeshan
In an increasingly global world where convenient modes of travel have opened the door to international and intraregional religious journeying, a pilgrimage in India in many cases still continues to be an ordeal.
In the novel ‘Kailasa-Manas’, Avinash Biniwale, Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for his Hindi novel ‘Jai Kailash’ in 2014, takes the reader on an evocative journey to two most revered pilgrimage sites for Hindus, Mount Kailasa, and Lake Manasarovar. The novel, divided into twenty-one chapters, offers an intimate account of the pilgrimage undertaken by a group of twenty Indians, capturing the physical challenges faced by them, thereby blending personal reflections, cultural insight, and spiritual exploration, that come with visiting sacred destinations. The novel also provides an engaging narrative which is quite entertaining.
In the ‘The Pretext’ the author explains why he wrote this novel. Avinash Biniwale who had returned in 1982, hale and hearty, from a pilgrimage to Kailasa-Manas, a mesmeric experience as he calls it, felt disturbed by the news of the death of several pilgrims who had gone there and consequently decided to share his experience with the world. Dr. Avinash Biniwale lets a third-person omniscient narrator who is separate from the characters and knows everything about the story and the characters’ minds tells the readers the entire story.
The central figure Mihir Sachdev from New Delhi goes on an incredible and fascinating holy pilgrimage to Kailasa mountain and Mansarovar lake. It is a group tour, a collective journey, organized by Maharani Travels, Delhi, owned by Rannchoddas Patel. The twenty people taking part in this pilgrimage, namely, Aga, Anna Laghate, Armugaman, Ashok Gangopadhyay, Balkrishna, Dada Moshoi Ghosh, Jaya Dave, Krushnamurthy, Multani, Mihir Sachdev, Mohan Jadeja, Mukhopadhyay, Prabhulal Mishra, Shashikumar, Shekharan, Suchitra Sen, Swami Akhandanand, Vanitadevi, Varadrajan and Verma hail from the various states and regions of India ranging from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, but are bonded by the common thread that is Indian culture. Each one of them speaks fluently his/her own language and his/her unique variety of Indian English absolutely without any inhibitions.
There are two drivers, Rehman and Mangal Singh who drive the pilgrims around in a yellow minibus and are assisted by Laxmansingh and Bhola to take care of all the passengers throughout the journey. The journey starts in Delhi and passes through different towns like Rudrapur, Gadhmukteshwar, Rampur, Tanakpur, Pithorgarh, Dharchula, Champavat, Tawaghat, Sirka, Jipti, Malpa, Buddhi, Garbyaan, Naplachu, Gunji, Nabidang, Taklakot and Lipulekh. The picturesque towns like Champavat, and the sight of beautiful flora and fauna surrounding them which is so exhilarating leaving the group completely smitten, the captivating mountains like the steep hills of Pithorgarh in Kumaon range, Panchshool Mountains, the dense plateau spread across the hill road near Garbyaan village which is breathtaking as well as the diverse enchanting temples they visit on their way to Kailasa-Manasa are vividly described by the narrator.
Most of the authors who pen books and novels on a pilgrimage restrict themselves to giving mostly only geographical information along with ethnographic reflections. This book is really an exception because it offers so many other interesting things. With a keen eye for detail, the narrator delves into various aspects of the pilgrimage, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the significance of such a pilgrimage.
During the journey, the passengers exchange their views on God, religion, Vedas, Puranas, and Upanishads, have spiritual discussions, and sing devotional songs. They also have dinner table talks sometimes appreciating and sometimes criticizing the food. Some of them enjoy their secretive drinking sessions. They pass comments about the other people in their absence. They also come across landslides and human casualties on the way and see how the soldiers of the Indian army carry out rescue operations.
What stands out most in the book is the author’s ability to highlight how the pilgrimage becomes not just an external travel experience but an internal odyssey of self-discovery and enlightenment for several people in the group. The narrative flows effortlessly, blending travel descriptions with inner reflections of the members of the group. He convincingly paints a vivid picture of the inner transformation of several pilgrims making the narrative an interesting travelogue. The conversations between different people bring out their views on society and life in general as well as their prejudices about people who are not like them, thereby highlighting the fact that all said and done India is a multilingual and multicultural country where people do their best to co-exist with others as far as possible peacefully.
In the second part of the journey, all the pilgrims are carried by the mules, while their baggage is carried by the coolies on their shoulders and backs. We also get detailed information about the rigorous life of the coolies and the hardships they face every day but still try to be always cheerful. Most of the pilgrims have chosen the onerous journey of Kailasa-Manas with the awareness that the heavenly journey might literally take them to heaven itself. The journey on the mules on the Indian side and the Yaks on the Chinese side is quite problematic and strenuous due to the pathetic conditions of the roads which are treacherous as they are very narrow and filled with many ascends and descends. The narrator also gives a detailed account of all that the pilgrims experience in their interaction with the Tibetans under the vigilant eyes of the Chinese authorities, once they cross the border and go into Tibet, which is now part of China.
Every person in the group is depicted as a unique personality with strengths, weaknesses, idiosyncratic notions, and distinct attitudes. Mihir is the central character of the novel. His self-reflection about his life, the time he had spent in Kashmir as well as in other parts of India and his visit to Berlin make him a transparent personality to the readers. Mihir’s close watching of the suspicious activities of Shekharan and Varadarajan and his thoughts about them as mysterious people wondering what they were up to gives the book yet another character as a crime thriller. I found Gopal with his endless talks, his never-ending desire of yapping continuously providing infotainment to Mihir and making the journey not monotonous but joyous as the book’s most interesting character.
The narrator also points out the deforestation that had taken its toll on the ecology of certain areas on the way. The narrator is critical enough to question the manner in which the ecology is being thus destroyed and brings out his concern through the perspective of Mihir.
The novel presents differing perspectives of different people who are all on this journey. This helps the readers develop empathy by immersing them in various characters’ experiences and emotions. The book serves as both a travelogue and a travel guide, while simultaneously and indirectly offering practical advice for anyone planning their own pilgrimage to Kailasa and Manasarovar. This novel is a must-read for those interested in undertaking a similar pilgrimage full of action and adventure in a group.
About the Book Reviewer 
Prof. (Dr.) Vridhagiri Ganeshan, Professor of German (1975-2007) & Vice-Chancellor (1996-1997 and 2004-2005) Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages Hyderabad, India, is the Emeritus Professor, IIS University, Jaipur, India; Academic Advisor, Roseland Academy, USA & Roseland English Medium High School, Jalgaon, India. He has also been the ‘Visiting Lecturer’ at Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA (2009-2010) (2011-2013); ‘Adjunct Lecturer’ at Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA, USA (2012-2013); ‘Visiting Professor’ at Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA (2008-2009) (2010-2011); and ‘Teacher’ at Goethe-Center, Atlanta, GA, USA (2008-2013).
