Himalayan Vignettes : The Garhwal and Sikkim Treks

Contents: Foreword. Preface. The freedom to trek/Pheroza J. Godrej. The Dosa and Kekoo I know/Kerse Naoroji. Kekoo Naoroji and the Himalayan club/Jagdish Nanavati. Garhwal: 1. Kekoo’s Garhwal trek : September-December 1952/Jagdish Nanavati. 2. Garhwal photographs/Kekoo Naoroji. Sikkim: 1. Kekoo’s Sikkim diary. 2. Sikkim black and white photographs/Kekoo Naoroji. 3. Sikkim colour photographs/Kekoo Naoroji: 1. Approaches to Lachen. 2. Approaches to Green Lake and Zemu Glacier. 3. Around Green Lake and Zemu Glacier. 4. Nepal Gap Glacier and around. 5. Thieu La and beyond to northwest Sikkim. 6. Return via Lhonak Chu. Maps. List of places.

"In the 1950s Himalayan trekking was not as popular as it is now. The network of roads deep into the Himalaya did not exist and the hills were more pristine and undeveloped. The approaches to the high peaks were on foot from the road heads which were then at a comparatively low altitude, and routes to the interior took a considerably longer time than they now do. Even today the extreme northwest area of Sikkim and some hidden valleys and peaks of Garhwal are not frequently travelled or well known. In this context Kekoo Naoroji’s extensive treks in Garhwal and Sikkim are most interesting as he has presented both a written and pictorial record of the era. The spectacular black and white and colour photographs beautifully composed reflect those early days of exploration and the onset of interest in the Himalaya among Indian mountaineers and trekkers." (jacket)