What is the Hindu Kush? | Chris Woolf
Author Chris Woolf here, blogging about Afghanistan, trauma, and my book: "Bumbling Through the Hindu Kush: A Memoir of Fear & Kindness in Afghanistan", coming October 2021.
I’m here to answer your questions. Today’s question is from Gill who lives near London, England. She wants to know; what’s the meaning of “Hindu Kush” - which you mention in the title?
The Hindu Kush is a massive range of rugged, frozen mountains in Afghanistan. They dominate the country. So much so, that in literature, the Hindu Kush is often a metaphor for Afghanistan; it means you’re talking about the same thing.
The name Hindu Kush literally translates as “Killer of Indians”. Legend has it that any Indians who come this way will freeze to death. It’s not true, but it gives you a sense of how these mountains are respected and feared.
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I am a seeker after truth. I was a broadcast journalist with the BBC World Service for 34 years. I worked in London, Afghanistan, Malawi, Mozambique, but mostly in the US, where I became News Editor for public radio’s international news show, “The World.” I was on-air for many years as the “History Guy,” trying to explain complex global issues in accessible language. “Bumbling Through the Hindu Kush: A Memoir of Fear and Kindness in Afghanistan” is my first book. It’s the story of what happens when a regular person (me!) accidentally finds themselves lost in the middle of a war!