HUMAN NATURE
By Thomas Bell
Viking, Rs 799
When writing about Nepal, it is rather easy — understandable even — to fall into the trap of focussing on the serenity of its snow-capped mountains, the mysticism of the stupas, and the drama of snow-storms or earthquakes that have come to define that country in popular culture. But in Human Nature, Thomas Bell moves beyond such constructs to stitch together history, culture, memory and mythology in a journalistic narrative enriched with the author’s astute observations formed during his decades-long stint covering news in Nepal as a freelance journalist.
Bell divides the book into four parts, each recording his experience of travelling across the Himalayan country during a different season. The first chapter, “Migration”, takes the readers through Panchthar-Solu in eastern Nepal in summer; the second, “Agriculture”, covers Chautara to the central hills in the monsoons; the third, “Architecture”, sees Bell walking all the way to upper Dolpo during autumn; and, finally, the last chapter, “Conservation”, cuts across Jumla to Rara Lake in winter. However, Bell’s tales go back and forth in time, making it difficult to follow the chronology at times.
Stories of human and animal migration, unemployment and debt, agriculture and economy, architecture and folklore bring out how the land shapes the lives of the people. Myth plays an important role in this travelogue — Bell is receptive to the folkloric tales of Nepali lives and does not treat them with scepticism. What makes Bell’s work a particularly successful anthropological treatise is his unique, liminal position. He is neither an outsider nor an insider: at times, he is overtly welcomed to and accepted in a Nepali household — one of his acquaintances declares him to be her son — and, at other times, he is warned against his travels and treated like a tourist.
Travelling and research go hand in hand for Bell. Parts of the book thus tend to be encumbered by Bell’s lengthy reviews of trans-Himalayan architectures and visual art. However, the addition of hand-drawn maps, photos and other catalogued titbits personalise the text, making it appear like a diary.
Bell’s photography is an added asset. Monochromatic and jarring, Bell’s photographs do not seem staged; they capture the land and the people in their natural element. Bell’s wry, British humour also adds to the appeal of his narrative. The author evokes empathy for his subjects just as he had done in his much-feted previous book, Kathmandu, which probed the complex political machinations that dominated the capital city of Nepal. Politics plays an important role in Human Nature too — but here it is international politics that bleeds Nepal dry and leaves its people smarting.