In Greece, Himalayan Sounds

Interestingly, in a profile recently carried by the weekly Annapurna Express (June 23-29), Prof. Ram Kumar Panday rued: “We lap up what foreigners say about Nepal and seldom draw our own conclusions through rigorous study.” The noted altitude geographer tossed up the pertinent point just about the time this scribe had begun turning the pages of an engrossing publication focusing on particularly language linkages between Nepal and other parts of the world, via Greece in particular.

How the West hosted the East with alacrity in the remote past is sought to be brought forth by noted commentator and author Saurav R. Satyal in his latest book, Himalayan Greece, wrapped up in nearly 300 pages and published by A. Satyal. The author symbolises a penchant for digging and piecing together intriguing issues for insightful conclusions — a pattern the author’s earlier works set for a creditable tradition.  He has been in the writing and commenting business on a regular basis for four full decades, belonging as he does to the pioneering Bachelor’s batch of Journalism and Mass Communication course introduced by Tribhuvan University.

Influence carrier

Known for dwelling upon off-beat issues, Satyal narrates how the language and culture from Nepal’s Himalayan region influenced other parts of the world. Greece remains a source of great admiration and inspiration for the Western elite. An intellectual rebel, Saurav brings up niche topics either in newspaper articles or books. His latest publication’s title itself fuels curiosity. Amply endowed with an array of facts and engaging logic, the line-up of suggestions cannot be ignored. In the process, an amazing pattern of familiarity and similarity emerges.

  Ancient India’s Bharat Muni, lauded as the father of theatrical and art forms, is best known for Natyashastra, i.e., more than 17 centuries before the English playwright William Shakespeare was born. Kautilya’s Arthasastra, too, dwells upon various aspects of economy and statecraft, spelt out some 18 centuries before the Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli became the master of statecraft’s dark art in Europe. However, the two ancient scholars from South Asia are rarely ever mentioned in Western discussions. Bharat Muni’s rasa theory covering stage play and detailed prescriptions for stage decorations are mindboggling, though hardly acknowledged by the Western intellectual mainstream. Inhibited complex compounds complexities in the understanding of things.

The appeal of the Himalayan sounds and practices had beholden the Greeks, as also underscored by the many names and facets of the highly revered Hindu deity Shiva. Their stamp of adoption and admiration are scattered all over Greek mythologies, names and cultural practices. For long, the Hindus had basically an oral tradition that shied away from committing thoughts and literature to written texts. 

With the Himalayan region as the centrality for at least the works of sages like Vyas, Balmiki and a host of others, the Himwatkhand leaves a trail of footprints on Greek art and culture. The ambience offered by the Himalayan region and its periphery created a congenial sphere for introspection, meditation and literary compositions. And the ripple effects impacted the dialects and languages, literature and cultural interpretations in different parts of Asia, Europe and Africa. 

Saurav draws cascades of convincing inferences. Greek tales and culture serve as an anchor for the mainstream West for its legacy of accomplishment during the centuries when Europe had little to offer by way of recorded history. After all, archaeologists think that, by 10,000 BCE, parts of Asia and North America became the first to domesticate animals, of which dogs were the first. Domestication of cows began in West Asia and India some 3,000 years later. 

Decoding the past entails exacting efforts. The pagoda style of architecture was a concept entirely Nepali in origin and pioneering in practice. Europeans reached China and Far East Asia earlier and in greater numbers than they did in Nepal. On seeing the pagoda style in China, they drew premature conclusions regarding its origin until they arrived in Nepal. For that matter, earlier Chinese records lustily laud the Nepali architect Arniko’s works, including a brilliant demonstration of Beijing’s pagoda-styled White Stupa. 

Too many to ignore

Satyal writes: “I have focused my eyes only on Greece, simply because it has been an icon of whole of Europe for millennia for its ideals and achievements. ... I did not even bother to work more after drawing 300 Greek names derived from Samskrit.” 

He notes Calais is the offspring of Boreas, which meant Mt. Kailash in Tibet, traditionally recognised as the abode of Zatesh (Shiva). Mt. Kailash (or Calais of the Greeks) lies in the north of Nepal. The English word fang is derivative of Sanskrit word phani (hood), always carried by a cobra, associated with Shiva and found only in the lower plains of Himalayan foothills, not Greece or Europe. 

Just like Shiva, the Greek god Zeus is three-eyed and, also like Shiva, rides on a bull. An array of interesting linkages rings in Jewish mythology. Bramha and Ishwar for Hindus; Abraham and Isaac for Jews; Ishwar rhymes with Israel just as Aaron chimes with Arya — an epithet for Shiva. Homer would not have been Homer had he not replicated the craftsmanship Byas exhibited in Mahabharata. And Byas would not have been Bays, had he not revitalised the characters Balmiki presented in Ramayan.   A man of ideas and initiatives, Saurav does not get carried away by promising incidents that end up being a flash in the pan. Incidents, not accidents, follow consistent patterns of similarity and familiarity that make a compelling read. His scholarly citations and perceptive deductions make a sumptuous food for thought — and further research. 

Himalayan sounds and faces of Greece generate ample appeal and echo too frequently to be overlooked. The many names and facets of the highly revered Hindu deity Shiva in the Greek landscape leave a stamp of admiration all over that island’s mythologies.  Saurav is known for taking up issues that few venture to touch upon.  His latest publication linking Nepal and the Himalayan region, and the showcase of ancient European pride that Greece represents is meritorious.

(Professor Kharel specialises in political communication.)