Sangla: To the delight of tourists and valley residents the two day Sangla food court festival opened with traditional celebrations where glimpses of traditional Kinnauri men and women in all their woolen attire freely mingled with Indian and foreign tourists.
“The concept being experimented upon incorporates local farming as a service in which the traveler can partake in,†says Lal Singh of the Himalayan Research Group, an NGO.
The community lunch prepared by local women, trained in modern hospitality by the Palampur Agriculture University ,was a hit with the tourists who could be seen queuing for more than the first helping.
We are attempting to promote household tourism,” says Vidya Karan Negi chairman of Sangla Valley Sustainable Development Society. “By holding this festival, we are trying to show the tourist our way of life, which not only helps to preserve our heritage but also provides an alternate means of livelihood,†said Negi.
The two day food festival has been sponsored by Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Switzerland.
Sangla, a high mountain glaciated valley in Kinnaur is one of the most scenic valleys of the state that like Kullu-Manali and Shimla has not been damaged by concrete and mass tourism.
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