Book Review : Kalimpong - The Ridge Of Lost Names by Debalina Haldar

This book narrates the story of three women spanning two timelines.

Pema and her friend Dama live in Tibet and spend their days amidst the mountains, playing, studying and visiting the monastery every now and then. Their peaceful existence gets shattered when turmoil erupts in Tibet, and their lives change irrevocably, setting the foundations for Oli's life in Kalimpong.

Newly married Oli arrives at Kalimpong with her husband after he gets posted there. Oli searches for a past that she has no memory of - only snippets of information passed on to her from her parents. 

The lives of these women intertwine and at some point, the past meets the present, bringing these three to a full circle. 

The author's description of Kalimpong brings the mystical land to life, with its mountains, perpetual rainfall and misty mornings. I fell in love with this place.

But it was Tibet that broke my heart. Pema and Dama's struggles, their silent resilience and their willpower to keep going come what may makes the narrative an extremely inspiring piece of work. Pema's tryst with grief and loss and  Dama's quiet guilt and loyalty to her friend take up most of the narrative and have been portrayed very poignantly. Grief can be beautiful too, if I may say so, and the author has done a stellar job of proving this by narrating moments of grief with much tenderness, sensitivity and poignancy. Frankly, I teared up at many a scene in the narrative.

Although the story spans two timelines, there is no confusion. The events follow an organized sequence, and the narrative is quite clear and engrossing. The story began at leisure with Oli's narrative but picked up pace with Pema and Dama. Nowhere does the narrative lag. Every chapter, every event keeps the reader engrossed. 

Debalina has a unique poetic style of writing that lends much beauty and soul to the narrative. Reading her work felt like an exercise in mindfulness. Her narrative has a calming effect, even the parts filled with grief. This is one writer to watch out for!

I loved this book for the sheer beauty of its narrative, the poignancy of the tale and the inspiring journey of the women in the story. I highly recommend this book to all those looking for soulful and deep narratives. This is a masterpiece that shouldn't be missed at any cost.