Cultural heritage of the Himalayas

The book is primarily intended,
in a neat and modest framework,
to contribute to the general under
standing of the cultural heritage of
the Himalayas - India's perennial
source of life and inspiration, and
more particularly of Himachal Pra.
desh--the state to which the author
himself belongs. It is an anthology
of essays focussed on different
aspects of the colourful life of the
sturdy hillfolk with an aura of gran-
deur and solemnity around them.
While making his survey the author
has deliberately avoided his involve-
ment in the futile academic discus-
sions and baffling details wherein
the very beauty of the subject
is likely to be lost or blemished.
It is again neither the feudal gla-
mour nor the history overwhelming
with names and dates that interest
the author ; what he takes into his
purview is a brief account of the
art and culture of the simple
common folk having a down-to-
earth life, full of sacred associa-
tions and imbued with a glow, that
is virtually their own. What he
further endeavours is to make this
glow of the popular genius into
contact with his own time with a
keenness to see some of the forms
and vitalities of his region joining
the mainstream of world art and
culture without losing their own
peculiarities in the process.
The present work, it is hoped,
will not only meet a long felt need
but will also inspire further study
and research into the hitherto little
explored realm of highly distinctive
cultural traits which have somehow
survived the vicissitudes of time.