How
many of us leave home and embark upon a life altering journey only to find home
again at the end of it? How many of us find spiritual salvation on the way of
escaping from an internment camp? Moreover, how many of us end up being a part of
history in the process?
Only one in a million perhaps.
Heinrich
Harrer was one of those lucky few people. As a young mountaineer, he caught an incurable malady that overwhelmed millions and millions of mountaineers,
adventurers, travelers for centuries. A burning desire to explore the Himalayas
and decipher its countless mysteries. Once you fall in love with the Himalayas,
there is no way to escape. For the rest of your life the unrequited love will
keep growing inside you and it will rouse an unquenchable yearning of going
back to the lap of the Himalayas over and over again. The danger and the
mystical beauty of the Himalayas have attracted adventurers from all over the
globe like moth to a flame and they happily sacrificed all comfort and safety
at the feet of the most beautiful and vastest mountain range in the world. What
brought young Harrer to India was a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas.
It was a turbulent time and the world was on the brink of a war. Very soon the Second
World War broke out and Harrer and his companions found themselves confined in
the British camps as POWs. Their movements were restricted but they used to be
treated with respect and comfort in there. However, what does comfort mean to a
born adventurer whose salvation lies within freedom? Heinrich Harrer wanted to
be free. His deepest desire was to travel far north and reach Tibet. And it is
quite evident from the title of the book that he succeeded in doing so.
Seven
Years in Tibet is the story of Heinrich Harrer and his journey. It is the story
of a penniless fugitive Austrian and his companion, Peter Aufschnaiter and how
they escaped from the prisoner of war camps in India, and how they eventually
found home in a far away mystical country that was hitherto a mystery to the
rest of the world. It depicts the story of an independent and peaceful country
before it was invaded and ravaged by the Chinese. Seven Years is Tibet is a
fascinating tale of a country whose Dharma is love and love only. A country
whose King is considered to be the reincarnation of Lord Buddha. A country
where crucial government decisions were taken with the help of the oracle. A
country where people’s lives revolved around the wills of gods and different
omens. A country whose people were simple, friendly, virtuous and happy. Tibet
was absolutely and unequivocally happy back then. Seven Years in Tibet also
tells the story of a teenager who would eventually become the symbol of world
peace and a Nobel laureate and would be known to the world as His Holiness The
Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
The
book ends just after the Red army of China invaded Tibet. He had to leave his
second home and go back to Europe with a heavy heart. Nevertheless, Harrer’s
story did not end there. For the rest of his life he worked for the rights of
Tibetan people. His relentless campaign to free Tibet from the claws of China
has attracted global attention, much to the dismay of China. His book earned
more recognition when it was made into a movie in 1997, starring Brad Pitt in the role of Harrer.
Seven
Years in Tibet is no fiction. It is the true story of a life altering adventure
that the author embarked upon years ago.
The hardship that Harrer and his companion faced in order to reach Tibet
is truly remarkable. It says, true love endures greatest of all troubles.
Undoubtedly, it was the true love for the Himalayas and for Tibet that
motivated them to brook all the pains that tried to hinder them. Their story
will leave you mesmerized and before you know it, you will start rooting for
them to finish their journey safely. Harrer and Aufschnaiter entered Tibet in
1944 and the author left the country in 1951 just after the Chinese invasion. This
book is an incredible memoir of the experience that the author had gathered
during those seven years. He first met Dalai Lama when His Holiness was just a
fourteen years old boy. During his final years in Lhasa, Harrer was appointed
as the tutor of His Holiness. They remained close friends until Harrer’s death
in 2006. Here is a trivia about Harrer. He had joined the Nazi party long
before he came to India. The very same person later became lifelong friend with
a person whose name and title are synonymous with peace and non-violence. And had
it not been for Harrer and his book, the world might not have known what a
beautiful country Tibet is and how rich its culture and tradition. I reckon it
will not be an exaggeration if I say that Harrer’s story proves us again that
no matter what, love and peace will always find their way to triumph over
violence.
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Harrer with His Holiness The Fourteenth Dalai Lama |
Seven Years in Tibet was published back in 1952 and yet it seems so contemporary. It is perhaps
owing to the inexhaustible allure of Tibet and its culture. It will take the
reader to the farthest nooks and corners of Tibet that no outsider has ever set
foot in. It is a great pity that a country as peaceful and as great as Tibet
has been destroyed in order to serve the selfish propaganda of the Chinese.
Millions of people have been killed; millions lost their homes; hundreds and
thousands of monasteries were looted and ruined. Although the great Potala
palace has been declared a UNESCO heritage site, its true owner is far away,
exiled from his true home. Tibet deserves to be an independent nation and I
sincerely hope that someday she rises up against the oppression and wins her
freedom back.
Image courtesy: google image
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