Mihir Vatsa

Tales of Hazaribagh an Intimate Exploration of Chhotanagpur Plateau Mihir Vatsa

Description

In January 2017, Mihir Vatsa, a young poet, gives up his life in the big city and

moves back home to Hazaribagh, a small town on Jharkhand's Chhotanagpur

Plateau. Battling depression and uncertainty, he is seeking a 'sanatorium'

amidst the sal trees and the temperate climes of home-just like the British

soldiers and Bengali settlers and visitors before him.

Rejuvenated by the fresh air and lush landscape of his childhood, he spends the

next three years exploring local landmarks and their fascinating history, and the

deep, wondrous escarpments, the secret waterfalls and serpentine rivers of the

plateau. Travelling partly on foot and partly in his trusted Alto, he encounters

trees destined for death and waterfalls ravaged by mining; passes through

Surajkund-the country's hottest geological wonder-and Karanpura Valley-

home to prehistoric humans ten millennia ago; and takes selfies with emus.

In between, he wonders what makes a landscape beautiful and how language

shapes such notions; muses on the arbitrary boundaries of administration

and government which, try as they might, cannot tame rivers and hills; and

plumbs the archives of previous residents of the plateau and his own memory

to understand his love of home. With empathy and in unhurried prose, Tales of

Hazaribagh combines the best of nature, life, history and travel writing into an

unforgettable portrait of a place and a journey back to one's self.