Chasing the Mountain of Light: Across India on the Trail of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, by Kevin Rushby
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Chasing the Mountain of Light: Across India on the Trail of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, by Kevin Rushby
Best Ebook Chasing the Mountain of Light: Across India on the Trail of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, by Kevin Rushby
The Koh-i-Noor diamond known as the Mountain of Light, the world's largest diamond, was found in India, traveled from Golconda to the Mughal palaces in the north. Fought over, cursed at and occasionally lost, it finally reached the Sikhs in the Punjab, only to be seized by British agents eager to please young Queen Victoria. It now lies in the Tower of London where some say its curse controls the fate of the Windsor family. In Chasing the Mountain of Light, Kevin Rushby pursues the dramatic career of the Koh-i-Noor on a journey to the heart of Indian culture meeting dealers, smugglers, and petty crooks along the way. It's another adventure from Rushby whom the Washington Post recently compared to William S. Burroughs and Arthur Rimbaud.
Chasing the Mountain of Light: Across India on the Trail of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond, by Kevin Rushby- Amazon Sales Rank: #2062950 in eBooks
- Published on: 2015-09-22
- Released on: 2015-09-22
- Format: Kindle eBook
Amazon.com Review A shiny piece of carbon is what ensnares writer Kevin Rushby, luring him into a strange world of hidden towns with no names, a land of charms, chakras, cardamom, and missing gem mines. But it's not just any chunk of glittering jewel with which Rushby is obsessed: he's pursuing the history of the Koh-I-Noor diamond, a 106-karat piece of crystalline perfection now part of England's Crown Jewels. Research pulls him across India and into a diverse culture that is so exotic--and simultaneously so mystical, esoteric, and often criminal--that he may as well have fallen into Middle-earth.
The diamond now sits in the Tower of London, but the magnificent gem's past proves elusive, its light flickering in a maze of mirrors, cloaked in myth, lies, and mystery. The truth about whence it came and which palms it crossed may ultimately never be uncovered. Nevertheless, Rushby artfully uses the pretext to uncover rich stories: of the excesses of wealthy jewelers, of impoverished farmers who discover gleaming wealth in the fields, and of clandestine diamond markets, where cloth-wrapped baubles are sold on the streets like peddled crack.
Names of Indian places and people do get confusing--and there are more characters spinning around in this book than a Russian novel--but that doesn't matter. Rushby weaves Chasing the Mountain of Light with lush detail, creating a tale as compelling, multifaceted, and breathtaking as the diamond itself. --Melissa Rossi
From Publishers Weekly Rushby's interest in the ancient diamond trade was piqued after a chance meeting with a diamond smuggler in Ethiopia. Driven to unearth the history-drenched underbelly of the diamond trade, Rushby (Eating the Flowers of Paradise: A Journey Through the Drug Fields of Ethiopia and Yemen) treks across India in search of old gemstone mines and ancient accounts. Rushby isn't quite sure what he's looking for, but he narrows his focus to the fate of Koh-i-Noor, the world's largest diamond, from its origins circa 1000 B.C., when it was believed to be a gift from the Sun God, to its present home in the Tower of London. He seeks out unorthodox storytellers, be they miners, peasants, gem dealers, diplomats, gurus or Jesuit priests. Unfortunately, Rushby is limited to the stories told by those who speak English; he very eloquently describes the frustration of watching someone gesture and talk excitedly, only to receive a two-word translation from a jaded interpreter. However, Rushby's keen sense of humor and sharp eye more than compensate for this handicap. Acutely written, this meandering adventure will appeal equally to mystics, gemologists, historians and travelers. (Feb.) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal In some circles, gems--like the Koh-i-Noor diamond--are believed to influence people for good or ill. Now in the possession of the British Crown, that legendary Indian diamond has been coveted and fought over through the centuries. Here, Rushby (Eating the Flowers of Paradise) tours the subcontinent in order to trace the diamond's blood-splattered history. He visits diamond mines in Andhra Pradesh, Bombay and Gujarat, and Delhi and the Punjab; stops at roach-infested hotels; travels by bus and train; and gets robbed by diamond smugglers. Whether you agree with Rushby that the accursed diamond should not be returned to its lawful owners (India) is beside the point. This travelog--as spellbinding as any thriller--contains some brilliant portrayals of ex-princes, scholars, cranks, and other sundry characters whose hospitality Rushby enjoys. Highly recommended for public libraries.-Ravi Shenoy, Hinsdale P.L., IL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Travel Writing at its Very Best By A Lover of Good Books This is not a book about diamonds. Instead it is the chronicle of a wonderful offbeat trip through India tracing the path that the Koh-i-noor diamond may have followed.The author is that rarest and most estimable kind of travel writer who acts as the reader's eyes and ears. When Rushby describes a scene you see it, hear it, smell it and feel it. When he describes a conversation he captures the person's speech patterns, their personal idiosyncrasies, and makes them come alive. Unlike many other current travel writers, Rushby does not waste your time with pages about himself and his personal problems or his reactions to the people and places he visits. Instead, he gives you enough data so that you can make up your own mind about the poeple and places he describes.And what fascinating places they are! Southern Indian haunts of small time diamond smugglers, the ruined palaces of Mughal emperors, the studies of eccentric professors, the shabby apartments of claiments to the wealth of deposed rajas. All these are there and more, as the author moves through a series of cheap hotels via questionable transport of the sort that the reader loves to hear about but is glad not to have to actually use.This book reminded me a lot of Eric Hansen's Motoring with Mohammed, another of my favorite travel books. It's a definite "must read" for any serious armchair traveller!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Rambles in A Faceted Land By John W. McCarthy Rushby follows the legend(s) of the Koh-i-Noor diamond (the title's "Mountain of Light") as well as the history of Indian and Middle Eastern gem trading in this entertaining book. Like all good travel books, a unifying theme, once found, is seldom respected slavishly, so someone expecting a diligent history of the diamond itself and its travels would be better served by the Encyclopedia Brittanica. For others who wish to see an unusual side of the Indian subcontinent and its history, Rushby's an affable and able guide.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Unexpected Dividend By A Customer I bought this book to learn about more about the Koh-i-Noor and I found a much more interesting story in the despcriptions of India before partition and the gardens and architecture of the Mughals. At the start it's a bit on the 'ho hum, another traveling around India on the cheap' but once Rushby gets to Gujarat and beyond it's teriffic.
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