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 Vignettes
The Sleeping Beauty
Ignored by man, endowed by nature, the sleepy
Bharari Bazaar
brims with old-world charm
Bharari is a spur of Elysium Hill and most tourist guidebooks use the adjective ‘ignored’ to qualify it. The bazaar of Bharari was and still is a sleepy conglomeration of a couple of shops.
Photo by S. Chandan
No feel for folk theatre
Promoters are clueless when it comes to providing the right platform to folk theatres
Himachal’s rich folk theatres—Mandi’s Banthara, Shimla’ Karyala, Kangra’s Bhagat, Kullu’s Haran and Chamba’s Harantar—are barely alive as the state art, language and cultural department, which is responsible for the promotion folk arts, seems clueless.
Solan sets a record
Loans worth Rs 511.77 cr disbursed
Solan district created a record of sorts by disbursing loans worth Rs 511.77 crore in the past fiscal against the target of Rs 414.44 cr.
 Shimla
Diary
Mankotia set to join BSP
With former minister Vijay Singh Mankotia all set to desert the Congress and join the BSP, the wheel appears to be turning a full cycle. He has been in a rebellious mood for the past two years and attacking the government, particularly chief minister Virbhadra Singh, by raising the issue of discrimination against the Kangra region and corruption.
Bearing the Brunt
Overexploitation of flora by local herdsmen is depleting Chamba’s biodiversity, threatening the endangered brown bear
 Overgrazing by livestock and unscientific extraction of various species of flora by locals and migrants in and around the Kugti Wildlife Sanctuary in Chamba district has left biologists worried. The sanctuary is home to a large number of endangered species, including the Himalayan ibex, the Himalayan
thar, the leopard, the wild goat and the brown bear. Particularly, the small population of the brown bear has made environmentalists think about its conservation.
How green is your power?
Himachal Pradesh, like Uttarakhand and other North-Eastern hill states for the past decade, now has been viewed as the ‘power state’ with hydro power potential to the tune of approximately 21,000 MW.
Mission Possible
Vimla Bahuguna, on the uplift of women, dignity of labour and Tehri dam
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Spell of silhouettes |
SHADOWY TALE: As the sky above casts its shadow on forms below,
a drama enacts on the Ridge. — Photo by S. Chandan |
Mucky Mess
The rains this season spelt doom for scores of villagers residing in the precincts of a cement plant at Baga in Arki tehsil. Tonnes of muck from the plant inundated the houses, fields, water sources as well as the common paths of the villagers.
The principles of Buddhism are getting diluted in the melee of tribal culture
Divine dilemma
The principles and values of Buddhism seem to be only surface deep as far as the tribal people of Kinnaur are concerned, despite the fact that this religion had strong roots in an otherwise Hindu-dominated society since centuries.
Act of Insolence
RTI needs effective execution in state
Partners for life
CII focus on private-public partnership for industrial development
In its endeavour to strengthen the industrial activities, the CII HP State Council has proposed to constitute a state steering committee for the empowerment of the Institute Management Committees.
Palampur Peg
After wines, it’s time for tea-wines, at least in Palampur. Situated in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh amidst the majestic Dhauladhar ranges of Himalayan ecosystem, Palampur is a natural habitat of tea plants. However, the beautiful valley is all set for the production of red herbal wine named as Palam Queen from ripe berries of Berberis
lycium.
CITIZEN FIRST
Shimla must grow, but systematically
Apropos to the write-up ‘Misssion Restoration’, I would like to add that mere holding of meetings and conferences is not enough to restore the past and the rich heritage of Shimla. It is necessary to comprehend the rootcause of all the problems being faced by the residents of the town and to make and execute plans accordingly.
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Mission 2020