Scottish-born Indian travel writer Bill Aitken passes away

Noted Scottish-born travel writer Bill Aitken, known for his writings on Indian mountains, rivers, and railways, died here at a hospital on Wednesday at the age of 90.

According to a friend, Aitken was brought to Dehradun a few days ago for treatment after having a fall at his home in Mussoorie, but he made little improvement.

Born in Scotland in 1934, Aitken travelled across India following his arrival in the late 1950s, especially in and around Himalayan ashrams of Kausani and Mirtola.

He lived between Delhi and Mussoorie since the 1970s. However, his travels took him to lesser-known parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Haryana and through the diverse landscapes of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.

In over two dozen travel books, Aitken explored India's religious and natural landscapes, wrote intimately about its people and their beliefs. He also had a keen interest in Indian railways and was the president of the Friends of the National Rail Museum in New Delhi.

Some of his noted works are "Seven Sacred Rivers", "Divining the Deccan — A Motorbike to the Heart of India", "Footloose in the Himalaya", "The Nanda Devi Affair", "Exploring Indian Railways", "Mountain Delight", "Travels By a Lesser Line", "Zanskar" and "1,000 Himalayan Quiz".

One of his most celebrated works, "Seven Sacred Rivers", documents Aitken's unorthodox pilgrimage spanning 30 years along seven of India's sacred rivers. In "The Nanda Devi Affair", a sequel to "Seven Sacred Rivers", Aitken talks of his great obsession with Nanda Devi, patron goddess of Kumaon and Garhwal.

In his own words in the book, it is "neither a book about Himalayan climbing nor a treatise on hill theology but a diary of mountain relish".

Veteran author Ramachandra Guha paid tribute to the writer on X. "Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of the wonderful Scottish-born Indian writer Bill Aitken. He knew his adopted country, its cultures and its landscapes intimately. His books 'Seven Sacred Rivers' and 'Footloose in the Himalaya' are classics," he wrote.

Artist Tikulli Dogra wrote on X: "Farewell dear Bill. Travel writer, trekker, lover of the mountains. Funny, kind, generous and a seeker he came to India at age 25 and stayed back. You will be dearly missed. Rest in Peace."