UNI - Sunday, February 21, 1999

DEHRA DUN: A massive effort is being made here by the Rural Entrepreneurship for Art and Cultural Heritage (REACH) to protect and preserve the ancient monuments of the Garhwal Himalayan region to keep alive the cultural heritage of these hills.

According to Mr RK Singh, general secretary of REACH and former national chairperson of the SPIC Macay, a ``Himalayan Heritage Centre'' would soon be set up to provide the pre-requisites for the conservation of the traditions that have sustained the communities in this region.

Eminent personalities like Sunderlal Bahuguna, Chandi Prasad Bhatt, Vandana Shiva, Ruskin Bond, Allan Sealy, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan and Dr Komal Kothari have consented to be associated with the `mammoth' effort of setting up the heritage centre, said Mr Singh.

REACH will take all possible measures to protect the tribal culture found in some parts of Garhwal as well as the temple architecture of remote Himalayan areas of the Uttarakhand region, he said.

REACH was initiated as a result of a firm resolve of several like minded people from diverse fields to preserve the unique Garhwali culture including folk art, crafts and monuments.

REACH has undertaken documentation work on the Garhwal School of Painting, rare examples of which can be seen on the walls of the famous Gurudwara of Shri Guru Ram Rai in the Doon valley.

This Gurudwara was built in the latter part of the 17th Century under the orders of Aurangzeb and resembles the tomb of Jahangir in Sikandra (Lahore).

Paintings on the walls of this gurudwara are in the Garhwali style and done by Tusli Ram, the last of the great painters of the Garhwal School of Painting.

Many of these historical paintings have been spoilt by visitors to the darbar over the years. They can be restored to an extent with the help of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), members of the REACH feel.

Another issue taken up by the REACH is that of the George Everest house and estate in Mussoorie.

An extremely important site historically and architecturally, this estate must be declared as a centrally protected monument under the ASI, REACH says.

Preserving these monuments would also go a long way in promoting organised `historical tourism' in the Garhwal region, giving a boost to its tourism based economy.

In fact, if these are brought within the tourist circuit, it would be in the interest of all to conserve them.