Hemis : A Novel

By Madhu Tandan

About the book

Swati believes Akanksha, Ajay’s colleague, hovers as a ‘third’ between them. Ajay is certain his faithfulness is beyond question, yet it has upended his relationship with Swati.With his marriage at risk, Ajay decides to go for a trek in Ladakh, only to be stranded, as the region experiences the worst floods ever to consume it. Forced to seek shelter in a remote monastery in the Hemis Sanctuary, he meets its charismatic abbot, a man unlike any other, and Anna, a young scholar, who is in search of a lost manuscript on the ‘missing’ years of Jesus. Gradually, the uncertainty over Ajay’s marriage turns into an exploration of love and sexuality, against an unusual backdrop of spiritual practices as he realizes that passionate restraint can sometimes produce greater fulfilment than consummation. Evocative, soulful and reflective all at once, Hemis is a powerful reminder that nothing else defines us more than our capacity to love.