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Himachal sees record number of tourists A whopping 6.5 million tourists have visited Himachal Pradesh this year, exceeding the population of this scenic north Indian hill state. 'The 6.5 million tourists included some 400,000 foreigners,' said state Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh here Friday. 'This upward swing has taken place despite poor air and rail connectivity in the state. So almost all these arrivals are taking place by road, which has improved considerably in recent years,' he claimed.

'Earlier, tourists came to Himachal largely during summer to escape the intense heat of the plains, but now the trend is to visit Himachal resorts round the year. 'Which is why we have a new slogan for Himachal tourism - 'Himachal for all seasons and for all reasons',' the chief minister added. He said the state was still missing out on high-end tourists due to poor air-connectivity, which needed to be improved. He said efforts were on to improve this sector. 'The Dharamsala and Kullu airports are being expanded so that larger 45-seater passenger aircraft can land there. We are also exploring the possibility of increasing the length of the Shimla airport,' Singh said. State govt. also considering utilising some 60 helipads scattered all over the state by introducing heli-taxi services to connect some of the remotest and off-beat scenic locations to holiday makers,' he said.

'The rally consists of 90 participants and team Guru, Rakesh Mahindra is quite excited. ‘‘Cycling is a game of passion and the more you ride the bike the more you enjoy it,’’ he says. Team Firefox compromises of 5 members. Different bikers have different reasons to ride their bikes. For rider Sandeep Thakur it’s the environment. ‘‘The bicycle has been my transport and it’s fun riding it,’’ he says. The only girl in the team Kulbir Kaur is all set to get on the road. ‘‘I love biking and after winning at the state level, I decided to take it up as a professio,’’ she says. So guys if you have the craze of cycling but don’t know where to go, this is your ticket to jump on and ride on!.

The beautiful HPCA Stadium nestling in the laps of the breathtaking Dhauladhar mountains is all set to become a top cricketing venue aimed at attracting tourists to this hill station.

"We want to promote cricket tourism in the area. From next month, the ATR can land here at the airport. Besides, many hoteliers are showing interest to develop resorts here. So it should be one of the grandest venues in the country," Sanjay Sharma, Public Relations Officer of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, told PTI while unfolding the association's plans.

Saving a dying art
MINIATURE MAGIC: Kangra paintings are famous the world over for their delicacy and detail. The themes range from the mythical to the royal.
Aggressive marketing and training avenues. If you though these were the two key things missing for proper promotion of the Kangra school of paintings, the district administration has chalked out a detailed plan to save the dying art. The three main temples in the district-Chamunda Devi, Brajeshwari Devi and Jwalaji-are imparting training to artistes on the temple premises and their work is being put up for sale at Kangra Museum. To facilitate marketing of the paintings, the administration has tied up with a NRI, Mr Akshey Ranchal, who has offered to sponsor the artistes and take their work to the public. Deputy Commissioner Bharat Khera says some of the

extraordinary paintings have also been scanned and put on the Internet. It has generated interest from art lovers and many orders have been placed on the Net itself. "The temples are now offering a platform to upcoming artistes by putting them on the rolls. While some of the paintings are sold out in the temples itself, the rest are brought to the museum," There is also a proposal to set up workshops of Kangra paintings in the Tourist Information Centre, to be set up in these three temples shortly. "This would bring the paintings in public eye and make up for the lack of marketing. We are bringing out brochures on selected paintings, which would have a picture of the painting and text on the theme on the back," he says. It is believed that during the rule of Sansar Chand (1775-1823) of the great Katoch dynasty, the Kangra School flourished happily. The legend has it that Sansar Chand's love for a gaddi maiden drove him to commission the paintings.