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  Old Lhasa: A Biography  M A Aldrich   Speaking Tiger New Delhi Lawyer and author M.A. Aldrich's Old Lhasa is considered the most thorough account of Lhasa available in English, as it skillfully merges extensive historical research, travel narratives, religious inquiry, and perspectives on daily culture, vividly bringing the city to life for its readers. The book encompasses a wide range of topics, from ancient traditions and everyday practices—such as the spinning of prayer wheels and the offering of juniper incense—to significant landmarks like the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and prominent monasteries. It chronicles the city's development, its festivals, and its evolving role in both Tibetan and global history. Aldrich weaves together legends, historical stories, and personal reflections, shedding light on both major occurrences and the importance of seemingly minor details—right down to the narrow streets and shrines that many visitors tend to overlook. Says the...

  BOOK REVIEW Journeys to Nirvana: Travel Opens the Path to Liberation Vivek Bammi   Aleph Books New Delhi ‘Journeys to Nirvana: Travel Opens the Path to Liberation’ presents a captivating exploration of the world, featuring countries as diverse and far-flung as Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, India, China, Japan, Laos, Spain, the United States, Italy, Taiwan, France, Denmark, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, and Cambodia. In elegantly crafted prose accompanied by stunning photographs, traveler and educator Vivek Bammi discusses the impact of travel on the human spirit. The book takes us through the six stages of existence that travel enables: awe and humility, wonder and catharsis, endurance and efflorescence, solitude and resilience, fluidity and transience, and ultimately, emptiness and release. Each stage is influenced by the emotional and psychological impacts that travel has on a person, serving not merely as an escape but as a means of discovery and enlightenment. ...