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| Sunday, January 4, 2004 |
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| Sunday, January 4, 2004 |
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Guide To Trekking in Himachal Himachal Pradesh has immense tourism potential and can cater to disparate tastes. For the pious there are any number of temples,
gurdwaras, churches, monasteries and shrines. For students of sociology and anthropology varied dialects and ethnic clusters offer interesting possibilities for research. For nature lovers, of course, the entire state, with majestic snow-clad peaks, forests, meadows, canyons and valleys, provides a polychromatic panorama. The state presents opportunities in the form of adventure tourism to trekkers, hikers, skiers, rafters, climbers and mountaineers. This book gives useful information on when, where and how to go trekking in different parts of the state. Chaudhry, after dwelling a bit on Himachal’s history, location, economy and culture, has provided separate chapters on treks to Kangra–Chamba, Chamba–Lahaul, Shimla–Kinnaur, Kullu–Spiti, Mandi and Pangi regions. Moreover, she gives useful tips on how to prepare for the treks, and information regarding the general terrain, climate and related factors. Illustrations and photographs add to the volume’s utility. A must read for adventure tourists. Getting Started In Communication by Michael Norton & Purba Dutt. Sage, N. Delhi. Pages 176. Rs 290. Non Government Organisations, or NGOs, today find it increasingly difficult to reach out to the people in general and the powerful in particular without media support. Therefore, interacting with various media houses for the purpose of disseminating socially relevant information has become an essential activity. This book purports to cater to the needs of such NGOs as are “involved in development programs or which are undertaking advocacy and campaigns”. The volume targets NGOs in the Third World, particularly India and South Asia. The authors point out that most NGOs do not understand the importance of communication. Many do not have even printed brochures that could throw light on these organisations’ aims, activities and achievements. It is essential that their members, including the board members, the director and senior staff, understand the significance of communication. For this, responsibility for coordination in PR must be assigned to capable persons. Indeed, collection of funds and their optimum utilisation for fulfilling the objective of spreading information are essential activities. The next step is to identify key audiences. While reaching out to them the NGO must be very clear about the form and purpose of communication. The form can range from rudimentary leaflets, to well produced and printed brochures, to ads, articles and programs on the print and electronic media. This book is well illustrated and the language lucid. The structure of the book helps one understand the communications-related concepts quite comfortably. NGOs and even those related to mass media might like to keep a copy of this work for reference. Blossoms by Chand Chopra. S.M. Chopra, Amritsar. Pages 42. Price not mentioned. In order to make a composition attractive, poets often attempt to be unpredictable and exceptional. Of course, this does not work out always, but the efforts continue nevertheless. This is precisely what I was hoping to see in this book, but in vain. The subjects and their treatment are predictable. Friends, friendship, sadness and other relationships and emotions are the usual topics that teenagers revel in. But the poetess is still young and does have the potential. She will be rewarded if she takes up poetry more seriously, if not in her educational curriculum then at least as extra-curricular activity, and reads good poets from India and abroad in English, Punjabi and Hindi, even other languages, if possible. This will give her perceptions maturity, range and depth. Interaction with today’s poets who are more accomplished will enable her to keep in touch with the latest in poetry writing. Last but not the least, Chand Chopra must learn to be patient. Before getting them published, she must revise her poems and diligently craft them till they become her voice. Then and only then will she be able to become a poetess of substance. |
This is the fabled abode of gods, devabhoomi. Here mythology, history, tradition and topography have woven a culture that is at once unique and alluring. Here fairs are held in their pristine form even when technology has made its presence felt in no uncertain manner.
Communication has always been a vital factor in determining or forging various relationships and equations. This is all the more true in the case of organisations. In order to coordinate functions of different segments of a set-up it becomes imperative to have clear channels of communication.
When compared to fiction, poetry is an intense and concentrated form of expression, wherein with fewer words much is sought to be expressed. This expression can take different forms, depending upon the imagination, mood and erudition of the poet as well as the poem’s subject and contents. This is the reason why poetry has so many forms, and fresh innovations continue to unfold to suit new trends. Yet one fact remains – poetry is mainly a figurative expression where every word, every sound and every image is carefully crafted to create a specific effect.