Seven years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer
The author along with his friend, the resourceful Peter Aufschnaiter, takes you on a journey of 1000s of miles over hostile territories at a time of limited resources during the mid 20th century. The first part of the book deals with the author’s numerous escapes and hardships that were overshadowed by his tenacity to get to the Tibetan capital, Lhasa◊We’ll sync on this next week internally for any options.
.Seven years in Tibet the tale of Austrian Mountaineer Heinrich Harrer’s trek through Tibet and his relationship with the 14th Dalai Lama. The Tibetan culture described before the Chinese invasion points to a simplistic life driven by a feudalistic society. I found the read immersive and had to pause many times to reflect back to a time that people today can never experience. The captivating descriptions of monks being carried on palanquins in Lhasa and the resplendent Potala Palace which was the home of the Dalai Lama leave a lasting impression.
The Dalai Lama , forbidden to mingle with the locals, would gaze from the Potala’s roof at Lhasa street life through a telescope and found a willing companion in the author who eventually rose to become the tutor regaling the young boy with his worldy experience. There are vivid descriptions on Tibetan rituals and the rustic but charming Tibetan way of life before the proceedings were rudely interrupted in 1950 by Mao Zedong’s invading army. The Dalai Lama’s flight to India from a chasing army was marked by the consecration of every building he stayed in during the journey as a holy place. That amazing journey is documented here.
The story ends at the foothills of the himalayas where the Dalai Lama still resides at the upper reaches of North India’s Kangra Valley in Dharamsala.
Harrer seems to be one hell of a renaissance man being a mountaineer, teacher, gardener, architect, civil servant and photographer besides being the part of the team that made the first ascent of the North Face of the Eiger in Switzerland. More importantly, he captures the times with his simplistic writing and takes the reader on a breathtaking journey. I found my self riveted by the journey more than the destination.
“One of the best characteristics of the Tibetan people is their complete tolerance of other creeds. Their monastic theocracy has never sought the conversion of infidels.”
Heinrich Harrer