What Happens When Those Things that are Supposed to Comfort You—Don’t?
When Shakuntala Rajagopal lost her husband of forty-seven years in 2010, she was devastated. A devout Hindu, she followed what she had learned since birth. Her family celebrated their beloved father, uncle, and mentor through the many rituals sending him off to his new life. Shakuntala even travelled to India to lovingly give her husband’s ashes to the oceans off the southern coast of India.
As her husband’s last ashes floated away, Shaku felt her will to go on float away with him. At the age of seventy, she decided that she needed to revisit her own devout spirituality and take one of the more grueling but one of the most spiritual of all pilgrimages in India—the Char Dham—where she could bathe in the sacred waters of the River Ganges, Maa Ganga. She knew it would be her chance for a rebirth, a new beginning. But she almost doesn’t make it.
Song of the Mountains: My Pilgrimage to Maa Ganga is a story of survival, changing and challenging any reader in the way he or she approaches major changes in life. Rajagopal’s story is one that will empower the reader to take action and go forward in their own life, whatever the circumstance they are facing.
Title: Song of the Mountains: My Pilgrimage to Maa Ganga
Author: Shakuntala Rajagopal
ISBN: Trade Paperback: 978-1-936449-82-8
ISBN: EBook: 978-1-936449-84-2
LOCCN: 2015936240
Pages: 160
Price: Trade Paperback – $14.95 Price: E-Book – $5.95
Trim: 5×8
Publication date: April, 2015
"Shaku Rajagopal’s memoir, Song of the Mountains, is a heartfelt and truly human tale of love, loss, and ultimately, rebirth. Told in simple yet elegantly poignant prose, it explores the profound ways in which the people we love define us, and how, in their absence, we must redefine ourselves. This is the most spiritual story I have ever read; it resounded in my heart long after the last page.”
Amy Gail Hansen
Author of The Butterfly Sister
“Song of the Mountains takes us on an unforgettable pilgrimage through the majestic Himalayas ... I have never felt so close to heaven in my life. Entwined within this beautiful travelogue is Shakuntala Rajagopal’s own love story, an enduring monument to the only man in her life. At once moving and inspiring, it is a brilliantly written book, a must read for everybody.”
M.P. Ravindra Nathan, M.D.
Editor in Chief, AAPI Journal
Author, Stories frommy Heart
AMAZON REVIEWS
5 out 5 STARS - Breathtakingly amazing adventure that will challenge the reader to do better and live life to the fullest!
By Shanti Sheela Jayagopal on April 23, 2015
This book is an amazing journey of a strong courageous woman who had to find hope and continue her life’s legacy without her loving husband physically by her side. I love that the book starts off by telling you their love story. The amount of love they shared for each other came naturally in the pages and you can tell it was from the heart and soul. Every word of the author was so vivid; it was like a paintbrush stroke in my imagination.
While the author is explaining her daily tasks and her experience through her voyage in the Himalayan Mountains she often has flashbacks of her childhood memories, her married life with her husband and kids. The knowledge that pours out of the authors lips when she describes Indian foods and Hinduism shows grace and wisdom.
This book reminded me of a book/movie “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed. It’s similar that both women authors go on this voyage and have flashbacks of people in their lives. This journey helps them with difficult chapters in their lives, so if you enjoyed that book/movie you will love this book “Song of the Mountains: My pilgrimage to Maa Ganga” by Shakuntala Rajagopal. Leaves you wanting more and gives you the strength to live your life to the fullest.
5 out 5 STARS - An Inspirational Journey
By Nikoon May 6, 2015
Song of the Mountains is a work that comes from the heart. The author’s connection to her dearly departed is keenly felt on nearly every page – not only her loss, but also her love and her cherished memories. Each scene is rendered in beautiful detail, transporting the reader to the mountains to witness their serenity firsthand.
Song of the Mountains is a tale of loss, but it is also a tale of perseverance and rebirth. Even though the author is over 70 years old, her strength is evident from the start: both the outer strength to complete this grueling pilgrimage through the Himalayas, and the inner strength to seal this chapter of her life, bid farewell to her beloved, and begin anew.
This is where the story becomes more than just one woman’s journey; it becomes an incredible source of inspiration. For if the author can overcome the obstacles that she has, and find the will to put one foot in front of the other with a smile on her face, what excuse can the rest of us possibly have?
5 out 5 STARS - Great read!
By S. Hines on May 3, 2015
After her husband's death, the author faces the widow's dilemma: What to do now? Her answer is to actualize a childhood dream of visiting the headwaters of the Ganges. Readers travel with her through India's fascinating natural and cultural landscapes, rejoicing in the renewal of her life and faith.
5 out 5 STARS - A true gem!
By Lekshmi R. Venugopal on April 29, 2015
Amazing woman, incredible experience. This book made me cry, made me laugh. It is a love story and a guide book on how to live life. Words don't do justice to this story. It is a must read! One has to read it to truly appreciate it.
5 out 5 STARS -A BOOK OF LOVE, LIFE, PASSION - must read
By Vinod Venugopal April 22, 2015
For those of you that love poetry and have had a loved one in your life pass, you will be in trenched with the words of love, spirituality and heart felt passion in this book. As an advocate reader - I highly recommend this book for all of your loved ones!
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