Monpas

Vinay Sheel Oberoi was a former civil servant who served as Secretary, Higher Education, in the Government of India and as Ambassador and Permanent Representative to UNESCO in Paris. Educated at The Doon School, Dehradun, he graduated from St. Stephen's College and then obtained a postgraduate degree from the Delhi School of Economics. Soon after, in 1979, he joined the Indian Administrative Service and was assigned to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. His field postings in Assam were in proximity to the Manas National Park and the Brahmaputra river; and in Meghalaya, in the verdant Khasi hills. In the late nineties, he made several visits to Siang valley in Arunachal Pradesh, and produced In The Forest Hangs A Bridge (1999), a film about the Adi tribe working together to build a traditional cane-and-bamboo bridge. The film went on to win the National Award for the best documentary film of the year. His affinity for the North-East of India and its people remained undiminished throughout his life. He passed away in April 2020 after signing off on Monpas, a tribute to the people of the region.

A meditative travelogue in images that transforms into a thoughtful exploration, the book captures the lives of the people and the region. The author's personal stories, interspersed throughout the book, tell of the Monpas' hospitality and warmth, providing insight into the everyday lives of a spiritual community.