Of military and horse rides…..
Neelam Mathews July 5, 2011 Looking at the background of this very beautiful picture taken by Sitanshu Kar, a man of many mights, I was taken into the world of the P.J O’Rourke, known for his hilarious travelogues and one who rarely has any issues finding the right word. Kyrgyzstan makes P.J. O’Rourke “run out of adjectives” in ‘Horse Lattitudes’ when stuck on a hillside on a half-crazed palomino somewhere beyond the Hindu Kush, with vodka supplies on the wrong side of a landslide! “Even by the standards of outer space, Kyrgyzstan is remote. If something happened to my horse it would be shot. For me, the medical treatment wouldn't be that sophisticated,” he wrote. The sentiment he finally manages is evocative: “I wasn’t dead. And I wasn’t dead in a magnificent place.” I love the landscape and people of Central Asia, so my writing is out of affection. Oh yes! India has offered its assistance to Kyrghyzstan in a wide range of areas to strengthen its defense and security...