The Sherpa Trail: Stories from Darjeeling and Beyond

Nandini Purandare is editor of the internationally renowned Himalayan Journal (THJ) and President of the Himalayan Club. Purandare is a writer and editor for the Avehi-Abacus Project, which develops educational materials for schools across India. An economist by training, Purandare has worked as a consultant with several organizations and research centers. She is a devout reader of mountain literature and avid trekker and traveller in the Himalaya.

Deepa Balsavar has written and illustrated more than thirty books for children. As a consultant with UNICEF on the Meena Project in South Asia, Balsavar wrote scripts and trained animation houses in Bangladesh. She has also developed communication material on HIV/AIDS, sexuality and gender education, mental health, and women’s studies. Balsavar teaches communication design at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, and was a core team member of the Avehi-Abacus Project for two decades.

Purandare and Balsavar founded The Sherpa Project to record oral histories through in-depth interviews with the climbing Sherpa community, friends, associates, and contemporary climbers in Darjeeling, as well as in other Indian cities and abroad. The project has nearly 150 audiovisual recordings and a rich bank of research material, including material from the archives of project sponsor The Himalayan Club. Purandare and Balsavar have uncovered a wealth of untold stories that offer a unique perspective on this important but unsung community. Their advisors include eminent Darjeeling Sherpa Dorjee Lhatoo, noted Himalayan explorer and Royal Geographic Society member Harish Kapadia, and before his death, legendary British mountaineer Doug Scott.

Purandare and Balsavar both reside in Mumbai.