22 October 2026, New Delhi:
Hachette India is delighted to announce the publication of The Living Himalaya: Rock, Sky Spirit, edited by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal, published under the prestigious John Murray India imprint.
The Himalaya, the world’s tallest mountains, host a living civilization shaped by ancient beliefs, epic traditions, fragile ecosystems and diverse ethnicities that have made these regions their home.
The Living Himalaya, co-written and co-edited by Namita Gokhale and Malashri Lal, is a richly textured exploration of Himalayan culture, spirituality, ecology and ethnography. Bringing together scholarship and research with the intimate voices of those who live, work and journey through these mountains, it reveals a landscape that is at once magnificent, complex and vibrantly alive.
Through essays, stories, reflections and visual narratives, the book journeys across the many worlds of Himalayan life: epic texts and folk legends, music and food, gods and deities, rocks and rivers, environmental crises and human struggles. Among the many treasures of this book is a retelling of the legendary epic of King Gesar, poet Gulzar’s account of his journey through Chamba and Bharmour, Shekhar Pathak’s moving story of the women of Reni whose courage transformed the Chipko movement, and explorations of the ancient animistic faiths whose practices continue to resonate across the mountains.
Completed by Nicholas Roerich’s mystical landscapes, this immersive portrait of a region where nature, culture and the sacred remain inseparably intertwined releases nationwide on 27 October 2026.
THE EDITORS
Namita Gokhale is one of India’s best known and most loved authors. A prominent writer, festival director and literary activist, she is the author of thirty works of fiction and non-fiction. Her debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, has been issued as a Penguin Modern Classic. As the co-founder and co-director (with William Dalrymple) of the iconic Jaipur Literature Festival, she has helped forefront Indian languages and literature on the world stage. Her significant work on different aspects of Himalayan life includes Himalaya (co-edited with Ruskin Bond), Mystics and Sceptics, and two volumes on Himalayan folklore and folktales.
Malashri Lal retired as Professor, English Department, University of Delhi. She is the author of twenty-six books, including Tagore and the Feminine and The Law of the Threshold. She has co-edited and co-authored with Namita Gokhale the ‘goddess trilogy’ on Sita, Radha, Lakshmi, and Betrayed by Hopewhich received the Kalinga Fiction Award. Lal’s poetry collections include Mandalas of Time, shortlisted for the Tagore Literary Prize, and Signing in the Air. Malashri Lal has served as a member of international and national book award juries such as the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, London, the Crossword Book Award, and The Hindu Literary Prize. Honours include the prestigious Maharani Gayatri Devi Award for Women’s Excellence and the SETU Award of Excellence. Currently, Lal is the Convener, English Advisory Board, Sahitya Akademi.
Publisher: Hachette India/John Murray India
ISBN: 9789357317757 | Format: Hardback | Pages: 360 | Price: INR 899