(A version of this article was originally published in Traveller’s India magazine (USA) in 2005.)

Stephen Alter is a second generation Pahadi American just like his first cousin Bollywood actor Tom Alter.

Born in the hot and dusty plains of Uttar Pradesh, Alter grew up in the foothills of Himalayas, where he went to school at Woodstock, in Landour, Uttarakhand. Ask him where his home his, and Alter replies, “Mussoorie in Uttarakhand.”  He confesses that he is happier living in India than anywhere else, and visits his family home in Landour, near Mussoorie, twice a year.

“Pahadi” means someone who comes from the mountain in Hindi.  Although he speaks Hindi, and can read it “slowly,” Alter wants to take a year off and spend time learning Garhwali, the language spoken in the hills of Garhwal.

The Alter family has lived in India for more than 80 years. In 1916, Alter’s grandparents, Emmet and Martin Alter, came as missionaries to Mussoorie, but spent most of their time in Abbotabad and Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan). Alter’s father, Robert, was born in Kashmir, and studied at the American Missionary School Woodstock. Both, his father and grandfather were principal of Woodstock. Chris Anderson of TED is an alumnus of Woodstock.

Alter completing his college in the US, Alter went back to India where he spent the next ten years. In 1987 he moved to Cairo, Egypt to teach writing at the American University.  “Cairo is like India, and reminded me parts of Darya Ganj in Delhi,” says Alter. After spending 7 years in Cairo, Alter moved to Massachusetts where he taught  creative writing and fiction at MIT.

A couple of years ago Alter and his family moved back from Boston to Mussoorie. However their happy time in Mussoorie was marred by a horrid incident. In 2008  Alter and his wife were attacked by 4 unknown people in their own home. You can read about the attack and its aftermath in an essay that Alter wrote. The essay clearly reflects his bewilderment and his resolve to continue to stay in Mussoorie in spite of this incident

This Q&A is about Alter’s book “Sacred Waters” published in 2005. Alter’s book is a welcome addition to the few goods books that exist about this region. The book is a wonderful introduction to understanding the history of this Himalayan region (which has often been ignored) and the central place the River Ganga occupies  in the lives of  many Indians.

“Sacred Waters,” is a beautifully written narrative of Alter’s journey to the sources of River Ganga (also sometimes referred to as Ganges) in the Garhwal Himalayas.

Alter paints a fascinating picture of the changing moods and nature of the river as it bursts from the mountains and courses down to the dusty Gangetic plains, and into the ocean. The book provides a fascinating mix of facts and myths of River Ganga whose source is hidden in the beautiful and rugged mountains of Garhwal, often called as “Dev Bhoomi,” – the land of the gods.

Surprisingly, there exist very few good books on the rich myths, and natural history of the hill districts of Garhwal and Kumaon. Till date probably the best known figure from the region is Jim Corbett of the “Man Eaters of Kumaon” fame followed by Ruskin Bond, who continues to live in Uttaranchal and diligently churns out a delightful stream of essays and short stories.

“Garhwal has been a part of my imagination,…” writes Alter in the book.

KB: How did you come up with the title “Sacred Waters: A pilgrimage up the Ganges River to the source of the Hindu Culture.”

SA: I feel somewhat uncomfortable with the subtitle, largely because I have used the word “Ganga” throughout my book, but the American publishers felt that the anglicized “Ganges” was more recognizable.  The Indian edition is titled, “Sacred Waters: A Pilgrimage to the Many Sources of the Ganga.”

KB: How did you come to choose to write on the Ganga and the char-dham yatra?

SA: Growing up in Garhwal, I was aware of the epics and myths, and had heard about them. I went back to those places, and connected the stories to the physical landscape.  I tried to make a connection between the myths, the natural history and my experience.  I did not set out to debunk or argue any of the myths, but simply to hear the stories and what they meant to me. Some stories resonated within me. There is something in nature that does effect us sometime or the other.

KB: What kind of myths exists in Garhwal region?

SA: There are 3 different myths: epic, colonial and localized. I was at one level working with the Hindu myth but also the colonial myth like the Pahadi Wilson, Jim Corbett. But I could not get much information was the myths of the Garhwalis, especially the gram devattas (village dieties).  Also, the primal myths of the mother goddess have been overlaid by other stories. There is a whole movement in Garhwal to reclaim the myths; with the creation of Uttaranchal the people are re-assessing their identity.

KB: Did you verify these myths?

SA: I did not verify these myths, and made no efforts to verify these myths. There are many versions, and when I re-told them, I tried to blend them as I heard them. Ultimately, when it comes to myths, there is no true myth or false myth.  For instance in Western Garhwal the Kauravas are the heroes, and not the Pandavas. You cannot pin down these myths since they change with each telling.

KB: Describe the Ganga to us.

SA: They myths do a wonderful job of describing the Ganga springing from the matted locks of Shiva. Ganga is made up of different streams coming out of different places, and when you go upstream you see the tributary itself.  The Ganga in the mountain is different; it is volatile, and it is as if the mountains are trying to contain it, restraining it, but it cuts through the Himalayas. It fights its way out of the mountains. And when you see it in the monsoon, it is swollen. The Ganga is physically profound and there is a hypnotic quality to it when you listen to the sound of the river.

KB: How much do people know of these myths when they go on the yatras?

SA: It varies – some know the myths, others go with marginal knowledge. Before the roads, the pandas (priests), often accompanied the pilgrims along the route, so it became a narrative. The myths were told, and the physical landscape was identified. But, now the narrative is broken up but the stories are still told. Technology is disrupting the char-dham yatra. One panda said, “They want to sit in the video coaches, and watch Hindi films. When they reach the destination, they come out and do darshan.”

KB: In the book you lament about motor-roads being laid in the Garhwal region. Why do you think motor road is not a good idea or development?

SA: Wherever motor roads go, destruction follows. Wherever they went, there was environmental destruction.  It brings the culture from the plains, and many of the people who benefit are not the Garhwalis, and it tends to corrupt their culture. And I think if the motor road comes, the temples will accommodate a deity that is known throughout India.

KB: How many trips did you make to India to collect information for the book?

SA: I made 4 trips at different times of the year and used public transportation every time. I walked the route of the char-dham in 4 sections: Rishikesh to Yamunotri during the monsoons; Yamunotri to Gangotri during the winter, Gangotri to Kedarnath in late May, and Kedarnath to Badrinath in late May.

KB: Which leg of the char-dham did you enjoy the most?

SA: The first one, the Rishikesh to Yamunotari was enjoyable. This is because it is a less-traveled route. I was walking through sections of Garhwal that did not have many motor-roads, like Dodital. The winter pilgrimage from Yamuntori to Gangotari was important because I could see many of the places without the clutter of the pilgrimage season. And it has its own charm and power.

KB: How did you take notes for the book?

SA:  I stripped myself of distraction when I went on my travel. There was no computer, no audio cassette, and no camera. I carried a regular notebook that I kept in a zip lock bag to protect from damage. I made notes in the book.

At the time of the interview Alter was already busy working on his next project, which is about elephants in India. “I have always been fascinated by the elephants,” says Alter. That book on elephants titled “Elephas Maximus: A Portrait of the Indian Elephant.” His latest book is titled “Amritsar to Lahore: A Journey Across the India-Pakistan Border.”