Over the High Passes: Year in the Himalayas

by Christina Noble

Christina Noble was fascinated by the self-sufficient migratory lives of the Gaddi, a shepherding people of Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayas. For a year she travelled with them, following the flocks on their traditional route and camping with them at their grazing grounds. Her journey took her through some of the most dramatic terrain in the from the plains of the Punjab up and over the high, snowy passes into Lahoul; through the forested Kulu valley to the broad, well-watered terraces of Kangra, in the shadow of mountains towering 13,000 feet above. It took her from spring through to winter, through all the seasonal changes to landscape and lifestyle. And it took her into the midst of the people who had so irresistibly captured her imagination. As she travelled she began to realise why the Gaddi have survived; how their sense of themselves has developed and adapted through the centuries to meet the pressures of today. She came to understand the cultural structure underlying their lives; their history, myths and customs. She made friends with individual characters, and hospitable Deori in Gadderan became her village home. With unsentimental affection, Christina Noble describes the people and places that have become part of her own personal mythology. Illustrated with her evocative photographs, "Over the High Passes" is warmly written, beautifully an intensely vivid and detailed insight into a way of life that is at once harsh and romantic - and unique.

Genres: Asia

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 1987

About the author

Christina Noble is an Irish children's rights campaigner, charity worker, and founder of the Christina Noble Children's Foundation.

Born into the slums of Dublin, Christina was sent into an orphanage at the age of 10 when her mother died. She spent the rest of her childhood and adolescence either in institutions or living rough on the streets of Dublin. In 1971, during her abusive first marriage, she had a dream where she saw the children of Vietnam implore her for help. However, it was 1989 before she could finally travel to Ho Chi Minh City and set up her foundation to help these children. She later expanded her charity work into Mongolia.

Noble describes her early life in Bridge Across My Sorrows and her continuing work with neglected children in Mama Tina.

Reviews

[Jrobertus]

an english lady spends a year hiking with indian shepard's to their various grazing spots in the himalayas. it is interesting to see the story through feminine eyes as she communes with these friendly people.

[Ellen Falls]

A travelogue in the best sense. Felt as though I was there, and had made friends with all.

[Masa Kurihara]

Book with great detail of the hospitality of the gaddi people. A generous and welcoming group of people with stories of their own.

[Steve Hayden]

Good book. Interesting story of a woman's year in the Himalayas where there are no roads.