A travel guide version brings alive the breath-taking beauty of the Dalhousie hills : Shukla
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla released a travel guide version of the book titled “DALHOUSIE… through my eyes” written by Dr. Kiran Chadha at Raj Bhavan, today.
While appreciating the efforts of the writer, the Governor said that Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, especially Dalhousie town has a unique identity from tourism aspects. He said that the author has managed to chronicle the changing face for the town and wishes it to develop into an eco-friendly town. Dr. Chadha deserves a hand for this impressive ode to Dalhousie. He added that the book covers the heritage buildings, schools, Churches, hotels, cantonment and places of interest for the tourists and the glimpse of the cottages of Dalhousie takes you into that era.
The Governor said that this impressively produced book with fabulous photographs, brings alive the breath-taking beauty of the Dhauladhar ranges and Dalhousie hills. “This book is a labour of love. This is much more than a Coffee Table Book ”, said Shukla. He added that it has captured the essence of Dalhousie in its pictorial history spanning more than 150 years and talks of the British, who founded this quaint hill town in 1859-60 to escape the oppressive heat of the plains.
He said that books are the mirror of society and through them we get information about the rich history and geographical location of any society or city. “We can know about the rapid changes taking place in small towns over time through books”, he said.
Dr. Kiran Chadha, former Jt Secy, Govt. of India, now an author and a poet hails from Dalhousie. The mesmerizing photographs of Dalhousie in summers and winters have been taken by the internationally known photographer Vicky Roy and the author herself. A Collector’s Book, it is beautifully designed by Anu Mohan Khanna. The book has interesting anecdotes of how European culture was displayed through their lifestyle. The Dalhousie Club replicated the elan of the ‘Bara Sahab’ as the waiters in liveried uniforms catered to the English ladies.
On the occasion, Dr. Chadha apprised, “Dalhousie…through my eyes”, is a slice of pictorial history of almost two centuries. She said that this travel guide features all areas of interest for the tourists with complete information on the history of Dalhousie from 1859-60 onwards. It also includes information on all Institutes, Schools, Cottages etc based in Dalhousie. This pictorial and historical travel guide on Dalhousie would be of immense benefit and use for the tourists and travellers as well as hotels in Himachal Pradesh in its present mini version, she added.
Dr Chadha was associated with UN agencies especially on Women Empowerment. She has written many papers and her exposition on the Second World War was published in 2001. She was awarded the Shresht Putri Award by the Governor of Himachal Pradesh in 2002. She also runs an NGO ‘Swachh Dalhousie’ since 2014. She runs many charities in Dalhousie.
Rajesh Sharma, Secretary to Governor and other prominent people were also present on the occasion.
