The Himalayas with their lush green forests, the fresh scent of pine and cedars, the Himalayas with their snow-capped magnificent mountains, the Himalayas with their meandering roads and unfrequented valleys, the Himalayas, the locus origins of yoga itself, have often attracted curious travellers, adventurers, nature-enthusiasts and most of all, the spiritually inclined souls.

“I have not seen God and have no proof. When and if I do, I won’t have to believe anymore. Facts don’t need belief.” 

Born on 6^th November, 1949 in an affluent Muslim family in Trivandrum, Mumtaz Ali Khan (Madhukarnath) left home at 19 on a quest for self-realization. His exhausting search began in Kerala and ended in the Himalayas where he was finally united with his master, Sri Maheshwarnath Babaji.

This book is an autobiographical account, a travelogue of a boy who evolved into a yogi. The Himalayas   have always held some mystery that very few have really explored. Sri M takes us on a journey unfolding these secrets throughout the book. His vivid descriptions of the marvels he has seen, doesn’t fail to perplex us. His restlessness and desire to reach his destination is explained with fine detailing.

The many terms that he uses can be unfamiliar to a reader who is not accustomed to the spiritual realm and might require additional reading in order to not lose track. However, Sri M does a fairly good job in putting it across as simply as he can with his direct and lucid language and hence the book in whole is not beyond perception.

What makes the book so convincing is the fact that he leaves it to you, to either believe the authenticity of his experiences or question it.

It is our innate human nature to rule out anything that we don’t understand as irrational or impossible.

Even though each one is free to draw their own conclusions, nobody who reads this book will do so without feeling a bit spellbound by the end of it. It definitely stirs the still waters of the mind and brings us to a realization of how little we actually know about ourselves and how much is yet to be explored. It is not a book seeking praise, but just an account of a humble seeker’s experiences during his mystical journey into the consciousness, the very consciousness that exists in all of us irrespective of caste, creed or religion and to become aware of the only purpose of life that is to come to a simple understanding that we are not limited, but truly infinite beings.

 “Begin with perfecting your daily life. That’s the way to perfection.” 

My rating for this book – 3.5/5