Cultural heritage of the Himalayas
- New Delhi National Publishing House 1977
- 183p.
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.