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Increase in liquor consumption in state ‘worrisome’
Lieut-Gen Kanwar, another hero from Kangra valley
Corruption ‘rampant’ in Palampur
Vignettes
Himachal diary
Roads in BBN industrial area cry for repairs
Chamba forest circle staff plant deodar saplings
Cement shortage hits Irrigation and Public Health Department works
Delay in starting new streams in polytechnic resented
Move to close Nurpur RTO office irks transporters
Body urges CM to end ordeal of NGO leaders
Troupes showcase folk culture
‘Govt committed to follow its poll manifesto’
Philatelic cover on Chandrashekhar temple of Saho
Campaign against malnutrition
SBoP branch opens at Naggar
Surprise checking in schools
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Government fails to promote Masrur temples as tourist site
Dharamsala, April 2 However, after that no event has been organised to promote the site despite the fact that tourist season is about to start. The Masrur temples are among the four monolithic rock-cut temples in the country. Some experts are of the opinion that they have similarity with the Angokor temples of Cambodia. According to some, these can be registered as a world heritage site if proper research regarding their origin is carried out. Rock-cut temples located in small and remote hamlet Masrur in Kangra district have been an enigma for historians and archeologists. Even Archeological Survey of India (ASI) officials, who are maintaining the site, are not sure about the history of temples. However, Prof NK Singh’s book, “Coronation of Shiva Rediscovering Masrur Temples” has tried to resolve the mystery of the Masrur temples. The Masrur temples are one of the four monolithic rock-cut temples in the country. Two of these, Kailash at Ellora and Mamlapuram in Deccan, are famous across the world. The third is Dhamnar located in Rajasthan and the fourth are the Masrur temples located in Kangra district of Himachal. While the other three temples are in a pit or on the ground, the Masrur temples are unique due to the fact that these are located on a hill top at a height of about 2,500 ft from the sea level. Some are of the view that the temples have a similarity in design with the Angokar temples found in Cambodia. As per the local mythology, just like many temples in the region, the Masrur temples were also built by the Pandavas. However, Prof NK Singh in his book has opined that the temples were built between the 6th to 8th century AD. He has based his opinion on the fact that before this period there was no evidence of rock-cut temples in the country. Most of the rock-cut temples in the country were built during this period. After the 8th century there was chaos in the region and rulers did not have resources or time to take up such huge projects. He has studied various kings who ruled the area during the 6th-8th century AD, including Harshvardhan who ruled Jalandhar state in the 6th century, Yashovardhan, Lalitaditya ruler of Kashmir, Jayapal and Prithvi Chand. By deliberating on the fact that the king who built the temple was Lord Shiva’s devotee and had huge resources, NK Singh has concluded that most likely it was Yashovardhan who got the Masrur temples built. He has, however, said the issue is still open for research by historians and archeologists. The Masrur temples are believed to have been cut out of a single rock measuring 160 ft in length and 105 ft in width. Shuttleworth was the first British civil servant who mentioned about rock-cut structure of the Masrur temples. The large water tank facing the main temple is also cut out of rock and has a perineal water source from some sub-terrainan spring. The temples were dedicated to Lord Shiva as is indicated by his image on the doorway. The entire theme of carvings revolves around festivity and coronation of Lord Shiva who is at the centre of all gods and goddesses.
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Increase in liquor consumption in state ‘worrisome’
Palampur, April 2 These social bodies along with business community, students and intellectuals have decided to celebrate the World Health Day this week and their focus will be to save youth from this menace. They have announced to raise a war against the consumption of liquor in the state and will educate people about its side effects. Rallies and workshops will also be organised across the state in this regard on April 7. Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that there had been a manifold increase in the consumption of liquor in the state in the past 10 years. It has doubled in the past 10 years. Though the increase in the population in the past 10 years is only 12.8 per cent, the consumption of liquor has touched a new high. Official sources said in 1991-92, liquor consumption in the state was only 1.58 crore bottles, in 2001-02 its consumption went up to 5 crore bottles and in 2011-12 it touched 10 crore bottles, surpassing all previous records. A senior police officer while talking to The Tribune admitted that high rate of liquor consumption had become a challenge for the police as it had resulted in deteriorating law and order situation, domestic violence, rising number of suicides, murders, road accidents and incidents like thefts and robbery. The government must redress this issue immediately. Despite the fact that the state is well conversant with the situation, it has announced to open 200 more liquor vends and ahatas in the state in the current financial year and has fixed a target of Rs 1,700 crore as revenue from the sale of liquor in the state. The recent orders of the Himachal Pradesh High Court imposing a complete ban on the opening of liquor vends on national highways, state highways and other important roads of the state provided relief to people of the state. Besides, no liquor vend should be visible from the highways, the order said. The high court has also directed the state government not to open liquor vends within 60 meters of radius of schools and religious institutions. It is surprising that despite the orders of the high court, a number of vends are still functioning in prohibited areas and the Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police concerned have so far failed to implement the orders of the high court.
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Lieut-Gen Kanwar, another hero from Kangra valley
Kangra, April 2 Lieutenant-General Kanwar became the first Himachali to get the prestigious appointment of the Director-General of Remount Veterinary Services in the Indian Army. The first veterinary pathologist in India, Kanwar reached the rank of
Lt-General. Remount Veterinary Corps (RVC), now being headed by Lt Gen Kanwar, is one of the most dedicated services of the Indian Army with a glorious history spanning over 233 years and a scintillating present. The Corps had an enviable track record of relentless service in animal- based logistics and operational support to combat forces. Lt-Gen Kanwar hails from Shyam
Nagar, Dharamsala, had graduated from Veterinary College, PAU, Ludhiana, and did master’s in veterinary pathology from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute,
Izatnagar, Bareilly (UP). He was commissioned in 1977 and had excelled in his 37 years of service to the nation. During his illustrious career in the Army, Lt-Gen Kanwar had gained rich professional experience by holding several prestigious Regimental, Staff and Command appointments. By virtue of his Command tenures in three major RVC establishments, he was widely acclaimed for his man- management skills and expertise in farming operations. He also specialises in breeding, training and management of Equines. Lt-Gen Kanwar had also served with DRDO at Leh where he had contributed immensely in developing research and technology with an aim to improve the economics of poor people of
Ladakh. As Commandant of Advance Field Veterinary Hospital in the thick of insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir, Lt-Gen Kanwar had been appreciated by both the Army and the Jammu and Kashmir Government for the welfare of insurgency- affected people by organising a large number of veterinary-aid camps in the remote and militancy-prone areas and to help bring the misguided elements to the national mainstream under Operation
Sadbhawna. Lt-General Kanwar had been awarded the prestigious fellowships of the Indian Association for Advancement of Veterinary Research, the National Academy of Veterinary Sciences and the Indian Association of Veterinary Pathologists. He had also published more than 45 research articles in Indian and international journals. Married to Kamla
Kanwar, a scientist of repute who had worked as Professor and Senior Scientist (Soil) in Himachal Pradesh Agrilcultural
University, Palampur (HP).
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Corruption ‘rampant’ in Palampur
Palampur, April 2 The departments like, health, revenue, excise and taxation, forest, block development and Irrigation and public health are worst affected. Likewise, in registration of sale deeds of land and buildings, there is a fixed rate of bribe and a mafia is working as a conduit between officers and public. If the bribe is not paid, the documents are retained and superfluous objections are raised. In the Revenue Department, the poor people move from to pillar to post to get their copies of land records passed, for which they are forced to give bribe to the officials in the department . In Health and Family Welfare Department, the situation has moved from bad to worse. The doctors, working in various government hospitals, are openly receiving commission from the pharma companies every month in lieu of prescribing their sub-standard drugs to poor patients. In the past five years, the Vigilance Department has nabbed only patwaris and other lower-level staff of the Revenue Department but failed to catch big fishes, who had been illegally earning lakhs every month. Even, the vigilance agencies have not bothered to check their assets and bank deposits. Despite the fact that the state government has time and again announced that there will be “zero tolerance” towards corruption in public life, till date no action has been initiated against the corrupt officers, rather they have been given key postings in different departments. A senior police officer said most of the corrupt officer had strong links with politicians and when vigilance agencies initiate action against them, politicians come for their rescue. He said the number of officers, who figured in the “doubtful list” of Vigilance Department, had been occupying the key posts on the recommendations of MLAs and ministers. The police officer said the Vigilance Department could not be blamed for the mess. “In many cases, registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the department gets prosecution sanction from the state government. Until prosecution sanction is accorded, a chargesheet in court of law cannot be filed. In all such cases, investigation has been completed long time back,” he said.
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The hands that chisel and paint
by Shriniwas Joshi
When I went to the camp, I found each artist praising and eulogising Shimla. Quite a few from the eastern states confessed that they had never felt so cold in their lives and, unfortunately, the western disturbances added to their woes through sleeting and hailing. Krishna Kaljayi, observer of LKA, told the gathering that he had been observing the artists since the first stroke on the canvas or the lump of wood up to the point the painting or sculpture attaining finality and the creations started speaking. He could even ‘feel their breath.’ A few artists gathered for a photograph and nobody could guess that these were the faces that had forgone sleep to meet the deadline. (see photo).
The nine lintel relief panels on the ceiling of Devi Kothi temple in Chamba are so exquisite that one whistles in pure awe after seeing those. The shrine door is flanked by two monumental dwarpalas -- identified by Hermann Goetz as Bhima and Arjun. I quote from ‘The Temple of Devi-Kothi’ by Fisher, Ohri and Sharma: “Compared to the ceiling reliefs, the dwarpalas, the lintel figures, and relief ornaments at the entrance to the cella, are somewhat stiff, with deep-cut chisel (and partly drill) work, missing the lively and painterly realism of the ceiling reliefs entirely. They are possessed of characteristics belonging to an older tradition, incorporating ancient Pahari and early Mughal features. This is said, however, not to take anything away from the artistic merit of the work.” So I happen to toe the line of the experts when I see the ceiling reliefs and get stuck there admiring and admiring the artists who did create these nine panels. Similar was my admiration for the artists who did an extremely wonderful job in the camp in a span of four and a half days, of which two were almost lost in rough and tough weather. The environment, especially of hills, and the woman had the major influence on the works of the artists. A wooden sculpture was carved out to depict the aftereffects of Delhi gang-rape of December 16. It was a successful camp and LKA deserves kudos for it, but I suggest that the artists coming from outside the state should also be taken to places where Pahari Chitrakala is still conserved as wall-paintings and to the temples and shrines where woodwork is at its best. That would add to the dimensions of such camps.
Tailpiece
“Sculpture is a three-dimensional object with a message and painting is an object with a three-dimensional message.”
— Bob Bendel
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‘Artist in Residence’ programme great experience for students
The “Artist in Residence” programme sponsored by the Lalit Kala Academy provided a rare opportunity to students of the Visual Arts Department of Himachal Pradesh University to learn the finer nuances of portrait painting from the renowned artist, S Pranam Sing, during his week-long sojourn in Shimla. A master in the figurative art form, he not only presented slide shows to provide in-depth knowledge about painting techniques but also gave a live demonstration on the canvas to produce some exquisite works which will adorn the university’s upcoming art gallery. “Himachal University is the first academic institution to take advantage of the scheme introduced by the national academy to create awareness among people about visual arts. It has been a great experience for the students and for the faculty,” said an elated Him Chatterji, head of the department, who was instrumental in bringing Pranam Singh to Shimla. Universities have not been organising such programmes and he hopes to organise more such programmes in future as learning from the masters is all together a different experience for the students from the normal teaching in the university. Further, the works of arts produced during such programmes enrich the art treasure of the university. An art gallery was being set up in the building which earlier housed the cafeteria to display the works. The university had decided to name it as “Amrita Shergil Vichika” to honour the great artist who lived in Summer Hill, the seat of the university, for a long time. It would be a fitting tribute to her, Chatterji said. Mock
JEE
APG Shimla University conducted a mock Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) for non-medical students and general aptitude test for medical, arts and management students. It was a grand success as 586 students seeking admission in engineering, arts and management courses took the test. They had come from Solan,
Mandi, Shimla, Kullu and Bilaspur districts. Free transportation was provided by APG Shimla University to all students who appeared for the test. After evaluation of the test, prizes will be given to the toppers and scholarship will be given to students securing more than 70% marks and who seek admission in APG Shimla University.
Sewerage
project
The Rs 126-crore project for upgrade of sewerage system continues to hang fire due to difference of opinion between the government and the Shimla Municipal Corporation over the mode of execution. The government has been keen on awarding the project on the public- private partnership mode while the municipal body maintains that privatisation will not be in the interest of the residents and the corporation. Instead it wants the project be executed in the EPC (engineering procurement and construction) mode so that the corporation had full control over it and it could manage it properly after completion. The previous BJP regime had decided to award the project on the PPP mode and tenders had been invited twice for the purpose. However, the project could not be awarded as only one bid was received. However, so far there has been no consensus and time is fast running out and the Centre has already sent a letter to the Urban Development Department for starting work on the project without any further delay. The project needs to be implemented at the earliest to save the residents from recurring problems like outbreak of jaundice and other water-borne diseases.
Students excel in GATE
Two students of MIT Institute of Engineering and Technology at Bani have brought laurels to the institute and Hamirpur district by securing a good ranking in GATE
(Gradute Aptitude Test in Engineering) -- 2013, held recently. Chairman of the MIT Institute of Engineering and Technology Vinod Thakur said two students, Saman Kumar Sharma of the Electronics and Communication Engineering Department and Akashay Kumar Sharma of the Civil Engineering Department had secured positions in the GATE exams held this year in which 67,472 students appeared. Congratulating the students, the institute management also lauded the efforts of members of the teaching faculty in preparing them for the exam. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and DP Gupta)
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Roads in BBN industrial area cry for repairs
Solan, April 2 The
HPSIDC, that looks after interior roads between Baddi and Barotiwala, allegedly often waits for potholes to become big enough so that it can call tenders to get the work done. The roads in the Export Promotion Industrial Park at Jharmajri are among the worst maintained. Though the PWD has undertaken some repair work on the road leading to the Industries Department in
Baddi, its other roads are suffering. The condition of the Pinjore-Nalagarh national highway, which is looked after the PWD’s National Highways wing, has also worsened. Though some repair work has begun, it will take some time before the road is fully repaired. Members of the Vintage and Classic Car Club of Chandigarh had an awful experience driving down the potholed national highway yesterday, while coming to Nalagarh for a rally, confided Jaswant Singh in his 1928 Ford. In a bid to generate some funds, the Deputy Commissioner had floated a proposal to levy external development charges at the rate of Rs 4 per sq m per annum by the BBN Development Authority in 2011. But it could not be implemented due to opposition from investors. This proposal was specially worked out to cover investors who fall outside the BBNDA area. This fund was floated before the 2003 Central industrial package had been announced and it covers barely 10 to 15 per cent of the investors. Deputy Director, Industries, Tilak Raj Sharma said they were preparing project reports for seeking Central funds after Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri was assured of being extended liberal support by Union Minister of Commerce Anand Sharma for upgrading infrastructure, including roads, power augmentation and waste treatment plants in various industrial areas. Deepak
Bhandari, Advisor, BBNDA, said the association would soon take up the issue of timely repair and maintenance of roads in the BBN with various authorities, including the Industries Department, HPSIDC etc. He added that they would enquire about the availability of budget for the maintenance of roads.
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Chamba forest circle staff plant deodar saplings
Chamba, April 2 The Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF), Chamba, ARM Reddy, accompanied by Dr Kirupa Sankar, DFO, Chamba,while planting the saplings of deodar, ban and oak trees, said the whole world was worried about degrading environment and global warming. The CCF has also appealed to the people of Chamba region to plant maximum saplings of deodar plants wherever feasible as they last for two generations at least and trap free carbon from the atmosphere. He said,“since the millennium town of Chamba is located at an altitude of about 1,000 metres, deodar trees can come up as it is evident from many deodar trees standing in and around the town. He said the department had taken up the plantation task in an area of four hectares on an experimental basis on the right bank of the Ravi just opposite Chamba town. Looking at the performance of the area, more and more area on the left bank would be taken up for afforestation in the years to come”. During the year, he stated that the department had so far brought about 2,500 hectares of area under various afforestation schemes and so far more than 26 lakh saplings of different species had been planted in the district. Out of this, approximately 10 lakh saplings were of medicinal use and were planted under the centrally sponsored scheme of the National Medicinal Plants Board.
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Cement shortage hits Irrigation and Public Health Department works
Nurpur, April 2 Their payments have also been stalled due to the non-completion of construction works as cement has not been supplied to them by the department. A number of IPH contractors said they had visited IPH Department offices repeatedly over the issue. They have urged the authorities to ensure cement supply to them so that construction works could be completed on time. They have also sought a high-level probe in this regard to fix the responsibility of the officials concerned. RK Chowdhary, Superintending Engineer, IPH circle, Nurpur, said it was the responsibility of executive engineers of IPH divisions to supply cement to
contractors and they were supposed to procure cement from the Civil Supplies Corporation. Executive Engineer, IPH division, Nurpur, SK Dhiman, said he had just joined yesterday and would enquire into the
reason behind the delay in supplying cement, adding that he would ensure the supply shortly.
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Delay in starting new streams in polytechnic resented
Chamba, April 2 At present, there are only two streams - computer sciences and electronics - being taught in the college. In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh recently, RK Mahajan, president of the association, said the streams of civil, electrical and mechanical for Government Millennium Polytechnic College stands sanctioned by the previous BJP government in 2011 but continued to linger on since then. In the wake of the prevailing situation, the poor youth of the backward Chamba district were compelled to seek admission elsewhere, thereby putting more financial burden on their parents or guardians, Mahajan said. In the memorandum, the association president urged the Chief Minister to get necessary orders issued by the competent authority so that these three streams could be started from the current session, that is, 2013-14 and the faculty with other allied staff for the efficient functioning of these trades be deployed forthwith. Mahajan added that the administrative block of the polytechnic college campus had sufficient space to accommodate many more technical streams in the near future to fulfil the aspirations of local youth.
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Move to close Nurpur RTO office irks transporters
Nurpur, April 2 It had also issued a notification and sanctioned requisite office staff but it could not be posted here in the wake of model code of conduct enforced before the Assembly poll in the state. The new government in spite of posting sanctioned staff in the RTO office reversed the previous government’s decision. Private bus operators of the area said they want to have the facilities like depositing of special road tax and renewal of route permits and time tables for plying buses at Nurpur, which was beneficial for operators of far-flung areas. “But now they have to travel a long way to reach the RTO office at the district headquarters of Dharamsala that is cumbersome and time consuming,” they rued. The operators have urged the Chief Minister to review this decision in larger public interest. Former legislator from the area Rakesh Pathania while taking strong exception against the government decision alleged that the Congress government had always liked closing new offices opened during the BJP regime. “In 2003, the Congress government after coming to power had closed the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner at Nurpur,” he rued. However, local MLA Ajay Mahajan said he would take up the issue with the Chief Minister and the Transport Minister.
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Body urges CM to end ordeal of NGO leaders
Bilaspur, April 2 A deputation of the federation, led by its state president Ram Singh, met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh here recently and presented him a memorandum, urging that these the leaders have suffered too much during the past few years and their victimisation should be ended and they should be given their all pending dues as employees of the state government. The federation has requested that as top office-bearers of state federation, the leaders had to become the target of top bureaucrates and politicians in course of performing their responsibilities towards their organisations. The federation said, in these two cases, an unreasonable attitude of the top officials had been responsible for keeping them under suspension and their victamisation continued for several years. The federation has urged the Chief Minister that such a situation required bold decisions and these leaders must now be saved from any further harassment and be reinstated in service in the interest of good and cordial relations between the government and its employees in
the state.
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Troupes showcase folk culture
Hamirpur, April 2 The team of Kusam Kala Manch and Kanchan Kala
Manch, Ladror, won the first and second prizes, respectively, in the competition. The third prize of the competition was won by the team of Industrial Training Institute,
Bhoranj. Telling about the objective of organising this competition, District Language Officer Trilok Surayavanshi said, “Such competitions are being organised to promote our folk tradition and entertain people.” “The department has been organising such programmes to provide a forum to budding artists and inspire them to participate in cultural programmes organised at the national and international level besides giving an opportunity to the young generation to get acquainted with our cultural tradition,” he added. The winning team of this competition will also get an opportunity to participate in cultural competitions organised at national level. Col
(retd) Dogra, who was chief guest in this competition, in his address said that this competition had provided a forum to budding artists to display their skills and appreciated the effort of the department for organising such a
programme. Twelve teams participated in this competition which included Kaka Kala
Manch, Hamirpur, Mast Ram Tamak team, Anu, Mahil Mandal, Ladror, Bhoranj cultural troupe and Poonam Kala
Manch. District Public Relations Officer Vinay Sharma among others was also present on this occasion.
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‘Govt committed to follow its poll manifesto’
Bilaspur, April 2 This was said by Ram Lal Thakur, Chairman, State Planning Development and 20-Point Implementation Committee, at Niharkhan Basla, 40 km from here, recently after hearing the grievances of a large number of villagers gathered there under the “meet the people” programme. He said the government was committed to follow its election manifesto within five years and each and every item in it was getting full attention of the government. He said this was also essential for the faster economic amelioration of all sections of society, particularly farmers. Ram Lal urged villagers to prepare a detailed “working plan” and then they should present themselves in large numbers at the quarterly Gram Sabha and get this plan approved there. He added that a drinking water scheme was being finalised for nine scarcity-hit villages of this area and its implementation would also begin soon. Later, the Chairman also listened to the grievances and issues of residents at Jukhala and most of these were solved on the spot.
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Philatelic cover on Chandrashekhar temple of Saho
Chamba, April 2 At the outset, RS Rana, Superintendent of Post Offices, Chamba, greeted the chief guest and presented him a shawl and a Himachali cap. Rana also highlighted the chronology of philately in India. On this occasion, a special cover on the famous Chandrashekhar temple of Saho in Chamba district was launched by the Deputy Commissioner. In his speech, Padma Shri Vijay Sharma also laid emphasis on the archaeological importance of the temple.
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39,000 schoolchilden to be covered in Bilaspur
Our Correspondent
Bilaspur, April 2 He said schoolchildren, mostly from villages, had been the victims of malnutrition, therefore, supplements of iron and folic acid were essential to end malnutrition. He said supplements of iron and folic acid would be given to all children, in 10-19 age group, every week . He said 39,000 schoolchildren of 252 schools in the district would be given these supplements under the National Rural Health Mission. Dharmani said the state government was worried for the good health of children and launching this health programme throughout the state. He said the government would assure that all children were fit and mentally alert to go ahead in the battle of life.
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SBoP branch opens at Naggar
Kullu, April 2 Two water purifiers were gifted to two schools on the occasion. A blood donation camp was also organised where 15 persons donated blood. Vijay Kumar honoured the most elderly person of the area. Rajesh K Arya, Assistant General Manager, Mandi region, highlighted various schemes of the bank. Gurnam Singh, General Manager, was also present.
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Surprise checking in schools
Mandi, April 2 Addressing an efficiency meeting here recently, the DC said the RTE Act applied to the government as well as private schools. He also directed mining officials to check illegal mining and monitor the progress of different works in the district.
— TNS
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The Kangra valley has produced many valiant soldiers which include Major Soom Nath Sharma, PVC, from
Dard, Kargil hero Capt Vikram Batra, PVC, and Captain Saurabh Kalia, both from
Palampur, winner of Olympic Medallion in shooting, Sub Maj Sushil Kumar from
Hamirpur, and now Lt-Gen NS Kanwar, who has assumed the prestigious appointment of the Director-General of Remount Veterinary Services on March 28 this year.
The “Artist in Residence” programme sponsored by the Lalit Kala Academy provided a rare opportunity to students of the Visual Arts Department of Himachal Pradesh University to learn the finer nuances of portrait painting from the renowned artist, S Pranam Sing, during his week-long sojourn in Shimla.
A master in the figurative art form, he not only presented slide shows to provide in-depth knowledge about painting techniques but also gave a live demonstration on the canvas to produce some exquisite works which will adorn the university’s upcoming art gallery.
Bilaspur, April 2
There are two housing complexes in Shimla starting with the name Craig; the one in the north is Craig Dhu and the other in the south is Craig’s Garden. The government had transferred two houses having six suites each at Craig’s Garden to the Language and Culture Department to provide cozy and comfortable accommodation to the artists coming from outside Shimla. Lalit Kala Academy (LKA), New Delhi, has done real good sprucing up of the buildings. This is where the LKA had organised a residential camp that started on the 25th and concluded on the 29th of March. Though there were 27 artists - 15 painters and 12 wood-carvers - from seven states and union territories, yet there was none from Himachal Pradesh. The organisers, however, proclaimed that they had called one from the state but due to his other preoccupations, he could not participate.
I found the paintings in the camp a real treat but was thoroughly impressed by the creations in wood. One of the two works published on this page shows Himachal Pradesh represented by a conifer tree and trunk and the other a woman of the east wearing a gown with floral folk design (see photo). Every region of India has developed its own style in sculpturing. These styles are influenced by the local traditions there. In Himachal Pradesh, exquisite wood-craft can be seen in the Shiv-Shakti temple of Chhatrari in Chamba, Mrikula Devi temple in Udaipur, Lahaul and Spiti district and countless others shrines. But I was also impressed by the modern woodwork at Mahakali-Lambodar temple at Kelodhar and Sheshnag chiselled on the door of the temple at Janjheli in Mandi district. The art is still very much alive in the villages here.
