Vanishing greens While crores of rupees are being spent on preserving the built-up heritage of the city, the natural heritage, particularly the forest cover which earned it the title of the “queen of hills” is being allowed to be destroyed. Indiscriminate felling of trees, a pathetic afforestation effort and inadequate law have all combined to cause an irreparable loss to the green cover. The denudation of the hills has not led to loss of environmental quality but also aesthetic degradation of the famous tourist destination. The forest cover has not diminished overnight. While the local Municipal Corporation has been granting permission to fell and lop trees, it has not been making any serious effort on the afforestation front to compensate the loss. DYING DEODAR: Dried up trees tell a sad story outside a new bungalow in Shimla. — Photo by Anil Dayal

CITIZEN FIRST
Hamirpur needs degree college
The Revenue Subdivision of District Hamirpur Barsar-Mehre seems to have fallen a victim to political apathy, bringing all developmental activities to a halt. The general public of the areas comprising parts of Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una, has been demanding a Government degree college with science stream at Barsar-Mehre for the last 25 years. But every successive Government did not pay any heed to the burning demand of the public in this area.

Bye to Vinaya
As family and friends mourned for Vinaya Katoch Manhas at her teherveen in Tikkar (Panchrukhi) near Palampur, on June 4, many recalled how she had left an indelible impact on all she came into contact with.

HIllside view
Frozen minds, walking frames...
Look at those unsteady hands fishing out rotten food items from garbage dumps. That’s their meal. Look at those filthy, tattered clothes uncovering human nakedness—and then please look away. That’s all they possess today. And listen to their non-stop muttering—if you can make sense out of incoherence, you may even get a glimpse into an unhinged labyrinth of the mind. We call them “paagal log” (mad people), proclaiming indirectly our own “sanity”.

The last pillar of Pahari art Dhanu Ram, 65, is no ordinary wooden sculpture artist. He is, in fact, the last pillar of what today is a rare and dying Pahari wooden art. Apart from creating the wooden sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess of learning Saraswati, he has created rare wooden sculptures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapayee and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, which now adorn their drawing rooms. Dhanu Ram, last pillar of the dying Pahari art, showcases his wooden idols of gods. — Photo by Writer

SHIMLA Diary Hangama hai kyon barpa It was after several years that some big names from the ghazal and film world performed at the summer festival here, restoring some amount of glory to the once famous festival, where the likes of Mukesh, Jagjit Singh and Hema Malini have regaled audiences. Ghulam Ali. Photo: Anil Dayal

Pleasant Kinnaur beckons tourists
If you wish to escape the heat of plains, head straight for the valleys of Sutlej, amid the lofty mountains of Kinnaur, to enjoy the pleasant weather conditions prevailing here these days.

Rocking idols
Fifteen forgotten rock temples in Kangra are catching the fancy of foreign tourists, says Ashok Raina

BRAVE BIKER: Sports teacher Naresh Kumar displays his skills at the sport’s day in St. Mary’s Convent at Kasauli. Photo: Madan Mehra

Paragliding event mainly a foreigners’ affair
Saddled against heavy odds, the paragliding site in Bir-Billing continues to draw world-class pilots from India and abroad.

Designs on hometown
All set to make a mark in the world of fashion, Rupali Ahuja may have set up her own studio and brand label in Delhi but being from this hill town, the young designer would want the beautiful people of this town to be chic and elegantly dressed.

Neglected beauty
Though the HPTDC runs a hotel Mandav in the town and at Riwalsar, but the department of tourism’s plans to develop the high scenic spots of Prashar lake at over 2300 ft. and Jatingri in Jogindernagar remain on paper only, lament the local hoteliers. They add that only a few hotels that have come in the town, remain unoccupied most of the year as tourists have no information on the tourist spots in the Mandi district.

Flood-ravaged trout gets new lease of life
Kuldeep Chauhan

After a year of gloom, the Tirthan river, the anglers’ paradise and home to rare Himalayan fresh water brown trout, is set for revival in Hamani, Kulu. The Department of Fisheries has released over 11,000 trout fingerlings in the deluged-scarred river, setting a stage to set up the Rs 2-crore trout farm, about 2 km beyond the Nagni trout farm, which was wiped out of existence by the flashflood last year in the Tirthan at Banjar subdivision of Kulu district.

From the Larji at the mouth of the river through Sai Ropa, Nagni, Banjar and Gushaini to Mashiar, the last village along the Tirthan, the flood had destroyed fish farm, washed way hundreds of bighas of cultivable lands, dozens of gharats, a senior secondary school at Gushaini, a dozen private shops and had also almost wiped out the rare brown trout from the river.

Even today, the scars of the flood look fresh in the Tirthan valley as the inundated riverbanks are littered with heaps of giant boulders and logs. The trout farmers said that they have to buy trout from Patalikuhal fish farm near Manali to cater to the needs of tourists and local consumption. “After the flood, the brown trout has become a rare sight in the river. The department has released the trout, but we have yet to see its results in the river”, said Mr Budhi Singh, a trout farmer from Nagni.

The trout angling is a major attraction for the tourists visiting the Great Himalayan National Park. 

The fishery officials said the fingerlings were bred at the Barot trout farm in Mandi district and then released into the Tirthan. A Rs 36-lakh water supply scheme is now providing 250 liter/second to speed up seed production at the Barot farm, they added.

The Director, Fisheries, Dr B.D. Sharma, said they have released over 12,000 fingerlings of trout into the river this season to revive the fresh water trout in the river. “We have got 8 bighas of land on lease at Hamani, a safer site from the villagers to set up trout farm. The farm will produce seed worth 2 lakh fingerlings every year. The farm will come up within few months, he added.

Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Harsh Mahajan, who had taken stock of the Nagni farm last year, says the government has banned the construction of hydro-power project on the Tirthan river, which is being promoted exclusively as a trout paradise to boost trout farming and tourism in the Tirthan valley. “We will hold angling competitions to attract tourists in the valley,” he added.

Vanishing greens
Rakesh Lohumi

While crores of rupees are being spent on preserving the built-up heritage of the city, the natural heritage, particularly the forest cover which earned it the title of the “queen of hills” is being allowed to be destroyed. Indiscriminate felling of trees, a pathetic afforestation effort and inadequate law have all combined to cause an irreparable loss to the green cover. The denudation of the hills has not led to loss of environmental quality but also aesthetic degradation of the famous tourist destination.

The forest cover has not diminished overnight. While the local Municipal Corporation has been granting permission to fell and lop trees, it has not been making any serious effort on the afforestation front to compensate the loss. On average about 1,500 trees are felled, including dried and those felled illegally, but hardly any new plantation is raised. The corporation has been all these years merely performing the ritual of planting trees.

This is evident from the fact that the survival rate of the tree planted by the corporation is a dismal 8 to 10 per cent. Over the past three years 19,986 trees have been planted as per the records. However, when one takes into account the survival rate and the annual removals, there is a net loss of about 3,000 trees. Over the past two years, permission was sought for felling 1,658 trees and already sanction has been received for axing 1,005 trees.

The corporation authorities insist that the survival rate cannot be any better as saplings are not planted in an enclosed area but to fill gaps in the existing forests. As such there could be no effective protection, which is essential to ensure their survival.

While a good number of trees is felled illegally, hundreds dry up mysteriously. In some greenbelts like the Jakhoo hills, particularly the Housing Board Colony, dry deodar trees close to multi-storeyed buildings is a common sight. It is common knowledge that the plot owners use ingenious methods to get rid of the trees either to increase the built up area or to have enough sunshine.

The roots are exposed by cutting the hills almost vertically and applying acid. The result is either the tree dries up or becomes dangerous making it easy to get permission for felling.

Whenever a tree is illegally felled a damage report is issued mostly against the owner of the private plot and in case of government land against unidentified offenders. In cases are mostly compounded by imposing a meagre fine of Rs 500 and at times recovering the cost for damage caused to forest. Over the years thousands of trees have been felled but no accused has bee put behind the bars till date even though the municipal act provides for three months imprisonment for such offences.

The main reason for this, the officers assert, is that there is not enough evidence to prove the guilt. People do not come forward to give evidence and in absence of witness there is no point in pursuing 
the cases.

Mr Ashwini Sharma, Assistant Commissioner, agrees that the existing municipal law needs more teeth to save the shrinking tree cover. A deterrent fine could go a long way in improving the situation. He said that the corporation had already stopped compounding the cases involving precious species like the deodar and oak.

The Town and Country Planning Department has proposed that the minimum fine fore felling of precious species should be Rs 50,000. It has also proposed that it should be mandatory for the plot owners to maintain a minimum specified number of trees on their land.

However, environmentalists suggests that a provision should also be made fro automatic withdrawal of the approval granted for building plans if trees were felled during the course of construction. They also want the government to focus more on the natural heritage if the city was to be preserved as a tourist destination. Merely protecting the old buildings would not help if it loses its scenic splendour and cool climes.

CITIZEN FIRST
Hamirpur needs degree college

The Revenue Subdivision of District Hamirpur Barsar-Mehre seems to have fallen a victim to political apathy, bringing all developmental activities to a halt. The general public of the areas comprising parts of Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una, has been demanding a Government degree college with science stream at Barsar-Mehre for the last 25 years. But every successive Government did not pay any heed to the burning demand of the public in this area.

Resultantly the talented students with poor financial background of the area are deprived of chances to pursue higher education. Also, the Barsar Civil Hospital is waiting for its turn to come up for its up gradation to that of Sub-Divisional hospital for providing better health facilities and making it atleast a fifty bedded hospital.

The major parts of this sub-division are surrounded with Pine forests and with the takeover of the forest area of erstwhile Raj Mohinder Paul, there’s a necessity to create a new forest division with its headquarters at Barsar by incorporating Bangana, Barsar and Bhijri forest ranges in order to save the forests from destruction and deforestation.

Also there’s a need for having fire-fighting office for saving the precious forest wealth from fire. Almost the whole sub-division faces shortage of portable water supply throughout the year. So the Government needs to wake up to all these problems and take action.

ML Pandit, Hamirpur

Bye to Vinaya

As family and friends mourned for Vinaya Katoch Manhas at her teherveen in Tikkar (Panchrukhi) near Palampur, on June 4, many recalled how she had left an indelible impact on all she came into contact with.

This soft-spoken and sensitive girl from Kangra had carved out a niche for herself not only as a columnist but also as a warm and compassionate human being. Only 35, Vinaya passed away on May 23 as a result of multiple organ failure after struggling for her life for two months at the Army hospital in Delhi where she was rushed from Jhansi after a drug reaction. For more than six years, Vinaya wrote the column Dream Analysis (later Dream Theme) for the Magazine section of The Tribune.

Vinaya’s gentle temperament and empathy touched many lives, be it in the course of her work as a clinical psychologist at the Neurology Department, PGI, or as a counsellor at the Deaddiction Centre at Lajpat Rai Bhavan, Chandigarh. As an Army wife, she moved all over the country with her husband but sustained her column and diligently arranged to collect the numerous queries of readers and respond to them with unfailing regularity

Besides her career as a psychologist, Vinaya freelanced for local papers and ardently wrote on socio-cultural and geographical aspects of areas she travelled to. At Jhansi, Vinaya was the Principal of Asha, a school for special children.

It was Himachal that remained her first love and she passionately wrote about local customs and sites. She often spent months in Palampur whenever her husband was posted to a non-family station.

Besides her husband Major Manhas and her two children, many others too will miss Vinaya and her gentle ways and feel the void her death leaves. — TNS

HIllside view
Frozen minds, walking frames...
by Vepa Rao

Look at those unsteady hands fishing out rotten food items from garbage dumps. That’s their meal. Look at those filthy, tattered clothes uncovering human nakedness—and then please look away. That’s all they possess today. And listen to their non-stop muttering—if you can make sense out of incoherence, you may even get a glimpse into an unhinged labyrinth of the mind. We call them “paagal log” (mad people), proclaiming indirectly our own “sanity”.

These human figures, male and female, are found at many major bus stands, market places and temple areas of our “dev bhoomi”. Most of them have slipped away from homes to wander loosely, while a few others have been abandoned. Children find them amusing, pelt stones at them, sometimes chase them. They sleep somewhere, move about from nowhere to nowhere—but mercifully die one day into freedom from such unparalleled indignity. We watch it all, with civilised noises of sympathy, but manage as usual to do nothing more.

Tales about each one’s past abound. A decent life twisted suddenly by a shock in life. Blamed first on “grah”(stars & planets) and finally God. Peoples’ faith in the unknown has also fed the coiffeurs of astrologers, quacks, fake sadhus and tantriks.

What about the government, and other social welfare agencies? No particular policy, or plan of action for these destitutes competing with stray dogs and cattle for food in wayside dustbins. Where are the Human Rights groups? Even the right of ordinary citizens is involved. Is it good for their children to be exposed to such sights and encounters? Is human sensitivity offended only by kissing scenes, streaking in public and beauty contests? Is obscenity limited to words, pictures and porn CDs?

Somehow, their situation does not match Himachal’s serene and humane environs. The only saving grace is that family bonds are so strong in the state that in many cases relatives brave social stigma and scanty resources to look after such people. And a lot many are either nursed at home or put in asylums.

Whenever they become too aggressive in a locality, police take them away, at times tie them up in the thana, and try to identify them through their mutterings. If their families can’t be located, they are moved to mental hospitals temporarily—to be found again on the roads – till the cycle is broken by a speeding vehicle one day.

The other day, I saw two such pathetic males and a female in the same area, and wrote the following lines:

The cracked mind floats

and flutters …

it’s  a kite cut off .

A sharp wind tools

the frame

to a screeching tyre,

an orphaned pyre.

When a lantern falls—

the glass goes first,

soot follows.

The light? You don’t live

by a burning life …

Model, not role model

The last pillar of Pahari art
Kuldeep Chauhan

Dhanu Ram, 65, is no ordinary wooden sculpture artist. He is, in fact, the last pillar of what today is a rare and dying Pahari wooden art. Apart from creating the wooden sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess of learning Saraswati, he has created rare wooden sculptures of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapayee and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, which now adorn their drawing rooms.

But Dhanu Ram has not even got a penny for his hard ingenious labour, leave alone recognition for his art. He is today struggling to eke out his living at his native village. Despite this, his only worry is: Nobody is learning his art from him!

His son rejects his “outdated philosophy of life”, and says that h cannot pursue an art, which brings nothing but misery and starvation. Dhanu is not literate. Neither the Art, Language and Culture Department nor the political masters have cared to appreciate his rare creations and his artistry in woodwork.

Dhanu sits quietly and showcases his creations at the stall during the Kulu Dasehra exhibition in Dhalpur Maidan at Kulu town every year. He disappears into anonymity of his remote village after that.

His creations stand out not because these are sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Laxmi, but because they exude a rare artistry and woodwork that are unmatched in wooden sculpture.

Dhanu hails from Srikot, a nondescript village in Banjar, Kulu district. He excels as a woodwork carpenter. He got a divine inspiration in 1996 when he created wooden idols of Lord Shiva and other gods after he saw their photos. To create these pieces of art is no small task. “I feel there is some power when I make the sculptures of gods. I enjoy my work even if it takes 20-25 days to create a single sculpture,” he says.  

He has priced gods sculpture for Rs 1000 apiece even as it takes a month to make a wooden idol. He was approached by some local admirers of MrAtal Bihari Vajpyee, who comes to Prini near Manali for his summer sojourn along with his family members in June every year to make his wooden image.  

These wooden sculptures are not rare because they represent Himachal’s rare and dying wooden art, but because they are objects that once adorned temples of the Pahari architecture, which are fading from the hills under the modernization spree represented by the concrete and mortar strictures.

Even the wood used in the art is a rare wood of wild nuts and shamghar, a local wood found in the remote forest areas.  

The wood art is dying as there is nobody to learn it from him. “My son has refused to know this as it gives no money to feed the family,” rues Dhanu, but he hopes someday god would inspire him to do this work to keep this art alive.

SHIMLA Diary
Hangama hai kyon barpa
Pratibha Chauhan

It was after several years that some big names from the ghazal and film world performed at the summer festival here, restoring some amount of glory to the once famous festival, where the likes of Mukesh, Jagjit Singh and Hema Malini have regaled audiences.

The ghazal aficionados couldn’t have asked for more as the cultural ambassador from across the border, Ghulam Ali, once again presented his popular ghazals. Having performed at the summer festival on a number of earlier occasions, he said he loved coming here as the place was very beautiful and the people very warm.

Another familiar face in the world of ghazals, Penaz Mesani, too said that she loved singing here in Shimla as the audience was very appreciative.

Among the ghazals that Ghulam Ali sang were “Chupke-Chupke”, “Hum tere shahar mein aye hain ek musafir ke tarah” and “hangama hai kyon barpa , thodi si jo pi li hai”.  

Other prominent artistes who gave a performance along with the ghazal king on the inaugural day of the summer festival included Talat Aziz, Penaz Mesani and Meetali Mukherjee.

All four artists also presented a combined item with the message of universal love, brotherhood and communal harmony.

The only regret that the audience had was that they got to hear barely five ghazals, which was certainly not enough for those who are his ardent fans. Owing to the Supreme Court ruling, the cultural evening has to be wound up by 12. However the audiences felt that the organisers could have started the show early or given more time for the ghazal maestro’s renditions.

Seafood delicacies

For all the sea food lovers, the Kerala food festival being organized Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) here is a rare opportunity to savour delicacies from the coastal region, which are a rarity in this land locked state.

A team of chefs led by Mr Narender Kumar Menon from Kochi is dishing out delicacies for locals as well as tourists at Hotel Holiday Home. Finding a large variety of fish or even coconut milk, readily available in Kerala is definitely a problem but then they are managing with the fish available here.

With ready availability of crabs and lobsters being difficult, the cuisine basically comprises of prawn, fish, mutton and chicken. “I too am surprised at the response we have got from the people, who are wiling to wait for hours to be able to enjoy Kerala food,” says Mr Yogesh Behl, Deputy General Manager, Hotel Holiday Home.

The chefs from Kerala are offering a wide variety of food ranging from salads including coastal chicken salad, Kerala veg salad, cabbage and green capsicum salad and minced cucumber salad to soups like prawn soup. Amongst the most liked dishes is prawn curry, mutton masala, southern fish fry and trusserry (pumpkin with coconut).

Amongst the desserts, it is ‘pattlippam’ made from egg, milk, sugar and coconut milk which is being liked by people. The Kerala food festival will continue till June, 13. This is to be followed by food festivals from Hyderabad, Goa, Gujarat, Bengal and Punjab at different tourist destinations like Manali, Dalhousie and Dharamshala during the tourist season.

Topper talk

Being the state topper with a score of 97 per cent too dose not satisfy Mayank Maria, who would have wanted to be first in the country in the tenth class CBSE examinations.

A student of Dayanand Public School here, he has brought honours to the school by being the highest scorer in Himachal. He has also broken the school record of highest score of 96.4 per cent. He scored 485 out of a total of 500 marks.

“I believe if one is regular with his studies there is no problem in getting a good score,” says Mayank, who believes in self-study and says there is no need for tuitions. Putting in four hours of study every day, during the preparatory holidays he put in some more effort.

“I want to make it to the best IIT of the country and have taken up admission in Dyanand Public School in the non-medical stream,” he says. He has keen interest in computers and loves watching football, which is favourite sport.

Hailing from the first heritage village of the state, Pragpur, in district Kangra, Mayank’s grand father feels he has brought honour to the entire family. “Choosing a profession is completely his own choice, we will give him full support and guidance,” he says. He gives credit to his parents and teachers for his success.

Mayank’s father is an engineer in the HP State Electricity Board, while his mother also works in the same office.

Pleasant Kinnaur beckons tourists
Kulwinder Sandhu

If you wish to escape the heat of plains, head straight for the valleys of Sutlej, amid the lofty mountains of Kinnaur, to enjoy the pleasant weather conditions prevailing here these days.

The average maximum temperature so far recorded during the past couple of weeks in Reckong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur, has been below 26 degrees and the minimum temperature between 12 to 15 degrees. Weather experts say that the average maximum temperature in Kinnaur is likely to remain below 30 degrees even in the days to come during the current summer season.

Keeping in view the topographical location of Kinnaur in the Himalayas, the climatic conditions may vary and a person may experience every change- from the bright sunny days to almost frozen nights- within a distance of 15 to 20 km. The difference of temperature on higher areas could vary from 10 to 15 degrees.

During these days, the lofty peaks of Kinnaur, which form a pretty regular belt in the sky, often attract clouds passing over the himalayas. The lower areas are often efreshed by partial light showers further dipping the mercury level while the of higher areas witness snow.The transparency of the air on lofty spots at mid-day is remarkably beautiful; it is of the deepest azure, and blacker than the darkest night at places. The sun appears to be like a radiant orb of fire without having much impact on temperature as the cold breeze coming from the snowy higher reaches in the afternoon time makes weather conditions pleasant. And if the streaked clouds hang around for few hours, the grandeur of nature is at its best in the countryside.

The best places to hang around for enjoying the nature these days are Sangla valley, Kalpa and Reckong Peo where there is a lot of greenery after the end of autumn that adds to pleasurable moments in your life.However, you may witness some ominous experiences of your life while 
traveling on the Hindustan Tibet road and the inner roads of Kinnaur. You may be surprised by the falling of rocks that frequently happens on the rough roads that consist of narrow footpaths and skirting precipices with rocks that would seem to come down with a puff of wind.

After entering Kinnaur, one should keep in mind that where the rocks are constantly hurled from above, there is not a slightest trace of a path. Therefore, cairns of stones are erected within the sight of each other to guide a traveler. For the adventure lovers, it is a lifetime experience to travel and trek in Kinnaur.

Rocking idols

MONOLITHIC SHRINE: A temple at Masrur village in Kangra.

Fifteen forgotten rock temples in Kangra are catching the fancy of foreign tourists, says Ashok Raina

Fifteen richly carved monolithic rock temples sculpted in the splendid style of the Kailash temple at Ellora dating to the 8th century AD and situated in a remote village of Masrur in this district have become a major attraction for the foreign tourists.

The 15 rock cut temples stand summit of sand stone range of hills in this valley had remained isolated and forgotten for thousands of years before Mr H.L. Shuttleworth discovered it in the year 1913. Mr. H. Hergreaves later on surveyed it.

Being located in a remote area has kept this splendid, richly carved and partly ruined monument of art hidden from the world and the art lovers for thousands of years. The sparkling snow clad Dhauladar Mountain range overlooking the lush green Kangra valley witnesses low range of hills opposite to it. These rock temples, situated on the link road between village Lunj with Nagrota Surian, are of the Shikhara style and profusely decorated with sculpture ornament.

 Images of lord Ram, Sita and Laxman are depicted in the sanctum of the main temple, popularly known as Thakurdvar, a name of the Vishnu temples. These stone images, according to the archeologists, were installed in the temple much later.

The strong presumption that the main temple of this rock monument was dedicated to Lord Shiva is supported by the view that an image of Lord Shiva was in the center of the lintel of the main temple. The entrance of the sanctum lies in a recess.

The Lord Shiva’s figure in the center of the lintel of the main temple has head flying ‘ ganas’ hold a jeweled crown . The carved lintel of this shrine shows nine seated divine figures with attendants. The images of Lord Vishnu, Indra, Ganesha, Skand and Goddess  Durga are also carved in the Masrur temple.

On the north porch of the lintel there are ruins of the five female deities among them Goddess Lakshmi hold the position of honour where as on the eastern porch of the lintel there are seven deities and Lord Shiva hold the position of honour  along with five seated gods.

Though the archeologists, on the basis of style, assign it to the 8th century, yet the local people on the basis of the local legends attribute it to the Pandava period. These rock cut temples are of sand stone with varying strength and fineness. Some portions of these temples are so hard  and well preserved  while the adjoining portions have withered and only faintest out lines were preserved. 
  Quite plain are the walls of the mandapa  and the roof shows graceful ornamentation resembling that of the columns supporting it which is evident from the preserved fragments of the art.

The Masrus temples, suffered damages during April 4, 1905 earth quake which shook the Kangra valley damaging the property and killing thousands, are remarkable rock cut temples so common in West and South India. Himalayas are devoid of such architectures.

As the Musrur rock temple has striking resemblance with the famous Kailash  temple of Ellora, so it is also called as Himalayan Ellora.

This historical ancient monument has become the major attraction for the foreign tourists but there was ample scope for its improvement. The ASI constructed a café and a toilet for the visitors at an ill located hill lock leaving the visitors to a lurch. Both the café and the toilet remained un-used by the visitors till date because of its ill location. The ASI or the district administration should plan to construct a café on the road side  with toilet facilities.

The beautiful big water tank in front of the single rock temple is facing human apathy with dirty water with foul smell. The lovers of such monuments suggested that a system should be evolved to change the water of the tank frequently or some source of water should be connected to keep water running through this tank.

Paragliding event mainly a foreigners’ affair
Vibhor Mohan

Paragliding in Bir-Billing, near Palampur. draws world-class pilots.

Designs on hometown
Pratibha Chauhan

Neglected beauty
Kuldeep Chauhan

Though the HPTDC runs a hotel Mandav in the town and at Riwalsar, but the department of tourism’s plans to develop the high scenic spots of Prashar lake at over 2300 ft. and Jatingri in Jogindernagar remain on paper only, lament the local hoteliers. They add that only a few hotels that have come in the town, remain unoccupied most of the year as tourists have no information on the tourist spots in the Mandi district.

The tourists who come to visit Manali-Lahual-Leh Ladakh can be lured to make Mandi as the night halt destination. But neither the department nor the local MLAs and Mandi ministers ever tried to promote tourism in the district.

There is not even a single signboard in the town to guide the tourists  about the nearby tourist-spots like Riwalsar, lake-Lomas Rishi, Pandav caves located in Sarkidhar, the historic Tarna temple and Panvakhtar temple, leave alone remote destinations which rarely figure in tourist’s itinerary.

The natural salt mines of Drang and Guma, the only of their kind in the country, that could have been developed as the new hot spot for the health tourism in the country, have remained as good as waste, although the Salt India Ltd. has floated a plan to develop a salt factory and a tourist resort there.  

Even in Mandi town over 84 temples, which could have been major attraction for the tourists, are in a dilapidated condition, thanks to the apathy of HP Art Language and Culture Department.

The Town and Country Planning Department has sent proposals to develop and preserve Mandi town as a heritage town and its old art and temples. But the proposal remains a paperwork.

The President of Progressive Writers Association, Mandi, Mr Dinu Kashyap, said the work of arts of Chandramani museum are in the dilapidated condition in a private room of its collector as the government could not provide a space to them.

”The Barot, amid glens of deodars complete with its trout fish farm and cool environs that can be a favourite haunt for the anglers, has remained as good as unknown for the tourists as there is no publicity. So is the case with the Prashar Lake, dotted with an ancient rocket-shaped temple, located about 35 kms from Mandi town,” says Mr Jasvinder Singh, a local hotelier.

The tourism officials say that the Prashar Lake is being developed under the Special Area Development Authority (SADA).