27 January 2006

Grace Cottage

Grace heritage hotel is a 200 year old country manor house of Late Mehr Chand Mahajan who was the frist chief justice of india. He was also the prime minister of Kashmir during the reign of Maharaja Hari Singh and played a key role in the accession of Kashmir to India. The Manor house is built in the traditional hill style achitecture to the turn of the century.

The present owner is his son Yogeshwar Mahajan who has restored the ancestral home into the heritage hotel.

26 January 2006

Manali Ice skiing

19 January 2006

Jeff Salz's Trek to GHNP

Dr. Jeff Salz is leading an invitation only 12 people trek to Himachal's Great Himalayan National Park in beautiful Kullu valley in Sept.,2006. Here is more from him website, if you want to join in:

A Way of Adventure Exclusive

You are personally invited for a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity! Join me on an 'Invitation Only' Trek.

Be a 'Special Guest' in the Great Himalayan National Park.

Help preserve the Earth's wildest mountain ecosystem and support Himalayan villagers.

I gave up guiding in the Himalayas ten years ago, but when the people of Kullu asked me to help them by bringing some friends over next year.... these people, these mountains.were simply too beautiful for me to say no. By participating in this expedition you will be supporting the efforts of the locals to sustain both the pristine national park and their way of life. And in doing so, create a model for cultural and wilderness preservation in Third World countries world wide.

Read on ...

No commercial trekking company offers trips to this region ... and you cannot go on your own.

What: A unique 'benefit trek' organized at the invitation of local villagers and the Director of the Great Himalayan National Park.

Where: The least-visited, most unspoiled mountain wilderness in the western Himalayas ... arguably the world!

Who: 12 people like you - like-minded 'adventurers' supported by a team of experienced guides, cooks and porters.

When: Early September 2006, right after monsoon when the meadows are most vibrant with grass and flowers. The entire trip will be 2 weeks from start to finish (you may want to extend this time frame to experience either the Tibetan plateau and monasteries or the Taj Majal).

Why: A chance to climb, photograph, paint, write or just explore, while supporting local villagers. You will take a pilgrimage trek up the holy Tirthan River, sacred to the locals, to our high base camp in alpine meadows (13,500'). You will experience Blue sheep and purple flowers (the sheep aren't really 'blue' but that is their name) - crystalline rivers and snowy summits.

How much? A very reasonable $2,500 - All Inclusive!!

INCLUDED: 5 star hotel in New Delhi ... flights and ground transportation within India ... all meals, guides, porters, equipment, etc.

NOT INCLUDED: Airfare from North America, personal expenses and tips.

***Non-stop air travel Chicago-New Delhi now available on American Airlines!

What do YOU need to do? Just click here and tell me that you are interested - space is extremely limited so you'll want to connect with me asap.

Adventure On! Jeff

Yeshe Peak

Named by Jeff Aug 20/05

Location

11 January 2006

Sardar Shoba Singh

Sardar Shoba Singh lived in Andretta, a small village almost 10 miles from Palampur town.His beautiful cottage still is there with a display of his paintings. Andretta is now artist's village. While visiting my maternal home I always was thrilled as soon as the bus reached Andretta, once, for it was home to Sardar Shoba Singh and such a beautiful town and other, because the bus would start the most difficult yet thrilling drive to my maternal home.

Here are few paintings in which Sardar Shoba Singh captured the Himachali beauty!

Ananda Project

Through SEHYOG Website I came to know about the Ananda Project. What a wonderful name, Ananda in Hindi means, happiness, I am sure this project is bringing happiness accross Kullu Valley, in people as well as in environment.

Below is a small profile about ANANDA PROJECT from their website.

Also I would like to mention three wonderful persons, who are running Ananda:

Veena

Veena is secretary of Ananda Society, yoga teacher, therapist and in charge of organising women's savings and credit groups.

Manju, sister of Veena and Pappu, is teacher in the computer education centre and runs the environmental work-exchange programme.

Pappu

Pappu, President of the Ananda Society, also pujari (priest) at the Krishna Temple, looks after the nurseries and runs the ecotourism side of the project.

The Ananda project, based at the Krishna Temple above Naggar, aims to help local communities regain their self-reliance and return to a sustainable way of life. Working with local villagers, Ananda is developing a number of different projects aimed at restoring the environment, raising awareness of ecological issues, encouraging co-operation and providing sustainable sources of income in the local community (see the projects).

The Ananda project is also an ecotourism project and offers various voluntary work opportunities to help with the projects we are working on. This may include planting trees, collecting seeds, helping to maintain the nurseries and cultivating medicinal plants.

Guests staying at the Krishna Temple also have the opportunity to learn Yoga, hand-loom weaving, indian classical singing, vegetarian cooking or go trekking in the surrounding mountains. It is even possible to arrange a yoga-trek, or a yoga-eco-trek! This may include collection of medicinal plant seeds or cuttings, documenting plant species or collecting samples for research.

Please Visit their website and do visit HIMACHAL and stay at Ananda's guesthouse, I am sure the divine natural beauty of the hills would bring ANANDA in your life!

05 January 2006

Jagson Airlines

Recently I came across Jagson Airlines website.

Jagson flies to Shimla, Dharamshala(Guggal Airport of kangra) and Kullu Manali.

Actually Jagson is main flier in HP.

Here is their website and more info:

Delhi Jagson Airlines ltd.
3rd Floor,Vandana Building,
11-Tolstoy Marg, New Delhi-110001
23721593, 23721594, 23328579,23328580,
23323949,23730685

Delhi airport Jagson Airlines ltd.
191 Airport,Terminal - 1B, Palam Airport,
ph.# 55469925,55515132

Fare and time schedule is also published on the website.

Rahul Bose

It was nice to know the appriciative words of Rahul Bose about the hills, yet another person who loves the Hills. In this interview he did with Rediff I came to know he grew up in Kasauli.

Rahul's Rediff i/v about Bhutan experience!

Little more about Rahul's family's connection to Kasauli. Rahul's maternal Grandfather Lt. General Thorat was one of the first to settle in Kasauli and his parents still stays there.

03 January 2006

Action plan to save Rewalsar wetlands

A view of the Rewalsar wetlands in Mandi district. — Tribune photo by Karam Singh

Arpana in Himachal

Arpana Trust is a registered spiritual cum charitable organisation dedicated to the service of Society.

Arpana’s innovative experiment, built around the dynamic personality of Param Pujya Ma, proves that ordinary people from different walks of life, faiths, professions and backgrounds can live together in harmony and peace, contributing to the well-being of society through selfless service, as they imbibe and practice the eternal values contained in the Scriptures of all religions.

Arpana trust is doing some wonderful work in HP, visit their website so as to learn about the great projects they have back in HP. http://www.arpana.org/service/himachal.asp