Shimla: Ms Manju Seth, a Canada based entrepreneur is all set to open a Himachali Haat on the analogy of Delhi Haat right in the foot hills of Himalayas, near Kandaghat, on the famous Kalka-Shimla highway.
“We are going to set up a village full of mud and thatch houses having different shades of hill culture right at the base of our five star property – The Destinationâ€, said Seth.
The government department of Tourism has failed so far to work on this project of portraying Himachali culture under one roof to the Indian and foreign tourists thronging the hill State in a large number in summers.
The promoters of this lush green property amidst Oak and Pine forests are hopeful of receiving more than 3 lakh tourists during the summers this year, said Vishwanath Mishra, manager of the resort.
The mud village would enhance the craftsmanship of local Pahari (hilly) people and would give them a platform to show their skills in handicrafts and culinary. They could provide a kaleidoscopic view of the richness and diversity of Himachali artefacts and cuisine, said Seth, who would be providing free stalls to these artisans.
Spread over an area of 70 bighas with beautiful landscaping the traditional hilly village architectural style is going to produce a perfect ambience for a rural haat or market place. Handicrafts intrinsic to different hill and tribal regions would be made available in the haat along with drift wood collections, wood carvings, footwear and headgears from Kullu and Chamba and a variety of hill fabric.
The food court in the middle of the market would offer live cooking demonstrations and enable the visitors to have the flavours of ethnic mountainous delights from different regions of the hill State. The children would get free horse and camel rides while the elders would bargain for their collection of handlooms and handiworks, said Seth. The haat is to be inaugurated with in two weeks from now, she added.
KY Singh is a political observer and a senior journalist with an interest in a diverse set of issues related to Himachal Pradesh and other mountain states. He lives in Shimla.
Quite an ambitious project. Hope it taken off well and ends well. Looking forward to it.