Oona

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A portrait of a fascinating 18-year-old who leaves the security of her home to make her way in the world. Oona had the advantages of a good education, professional training for the career of her choice-working in the rural sector and the happy knack of making good friends. Her story is woven largely through the letters she wrote to her friends and to her family. The sketches and photographs, mostly Oona's own work, poignantly enhance the text.

A book for youngsters and those engaged in the field of environment and community development.

Jasjit Mansingh is interested in the rich heritage of the country its art and architecture and its great biodiversity. She has co-authored a biography of one of the best known Generals of the Indian Army-Lt Gen. P.S. Bhagat, besides writing an account of a mountaineering expedition-Nanda Devi 1980 and Oona Mountain Wind. She has also translated a Punjabi collection of stories entitled Time Out. Further more, she scripts and voices programmes for All India Radio.

The year 2002 was the International Year of the Mountains. It is apt that this book about Oona, who lived her life trying to 'save the Himalayas', should come out close to this year.

This book is not a biography of Oona. Rather, it is about some facets of her personality and her chosen field of work; of her concerns, and caring, for the environment, for people, and doing something about those concerns; and, learning from practice how to do better. Do we not all have lessons to draw from her story?

Oona wanted to live in the mountain environment with the local people. She wanted to learn about their lives and aspirations, and work towards improving their lot, as well as restoring the health of the natural environment which sustains their livelihoods. She was a role model for many of her generation, well-educated, who chose to move away from the cities to the rural areas where so much needs to be done.

This book about Oona is particularly welcome as it gives a very good idea of the flowering of not only her personality but also her passion for her chosen work. One does see writ- ings of other young professionals' work of similar nature, but they are usually case studies or articles which seek to share specific experiences and perceptions and to invite comment and debate.

"You are Oona's mother."

Yes, I am Oona's mother. I was, nevertheless, startled to hear these words from a stranger, in the darkened hall of the Max Mueller Bhavan in Delhi, four years after Oona had died. They affected me more than I can say. Oona was no longer in this world physically, yet it seemed that she was the way my iden- tity now would take birth from her.

It was a function to release a new book, Psychology of Love, Wisdom of Indian Mythology, but before the book release a film was being screened an inter- view in the series 'Face to Face' from the archives of the BBC. The subject was Carl Jung, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychology.

In a world completely under the sway of the Western rationalist interpretation of the Universe, Jung had suggested that the world was more than matter, things that can be known through the five senses.