Tourism and culture are said to be the socio-economical backbone of Uttarakhand. Successive state Governments have attempted to capitalise on these aspects to improve the condition of the State and its people with mixed results.

The state’s Tourism, Culture, Irrigation, Indo-Nepal Relations minister Satpal Maharaj has some big ideas, which if implemented effectively could bring about drastic changes in the State.

 In an exclusive interaction with Paritosh Kimothi of The Pioneer, he talked about his ideas from facilitating proper winter tourism in the State and the Char Dham Devsthanam management board to setting up a unique safari experience with wild animals from Africa too not only to boost the State’s economy through tourism but also to further enhance the experience of both tourists and locals who visit these destinations in different parts of the state.

Referring to his idea for a safari he said, “We have conceptualised a safari wherein wild animals including lion, zebra, giraffe and the rhinocerous among others from Africa will be kept in an open enclosure. The visitors in limited numbers will visit the enclosure in a protected vehicle while the animals will roam around freely. This will be a unique experience.

I visited South Africa and studied the various aspects related to this. I also visited Rewa in Madhya Pradesh famous for its white tigers. Can you imagine what having just one white tiger in a safari experience could do here?

Such a facility would not only enhance the experience of visitors while educating them about wildlife but would also boost the state’s tourism and economy considerably. We are working on this concept. We cannot establish the safari in a forest area but there is no problem if we set it up outside the forest area.”

Elaborating on his plans for the State, Maharaj said that he wants to develop Uttarakhand as a destination for winter tourism.

“Look at winter tourism destinations in France, Germany, Switzerland and other such nations. These are places which have scant populace during the summer but bustle with lakhs of visitors during the winters as people throng to ski and enjoy winter tourism. We have such locations in Uttarakhand too but need to develop facilities and the system in order to facilitate proper winter tourism. We are thinking of developing Gorson ahead of Auli so that in case there is dearth of snow in Auli, tourists can always visit Gorson where the snow is guaranteed.

We will start training youngsters in skiing at Auli. There is considerable scope in winter tourism. Take for example a destination like Hemkund Sahib which closes during the winter. However, with a ropeway to this destination, we can enable visitors to view and enjoy the unique beauty of this pristine Himalayan location during the winter too.”

The Minister further states that work is underway on developing various trails for tourists based on the historical, cultural and religious heritage of the State. Many are unaware of the significant religious and historical associations which many places in the State have.

“We will be developing the Mahabharat trail, Adi Shankaracharya trail, Buddha circuit, Modi trail and Navgrah circuit. When it comes to the Mahabharat trail, the history and culture of Uttarakhand has such ancient roots that the Pandavas had come here and one of the remnants of their visit is the practice is polyandry still existing in the Jaunsar region. To atone for the sin of fratricide, they had come to seek pardon from Lord Shiva in Uttarakhand and it is then that he took the form of a bull which disappeared into the ground- his various body parts emerging in different places like Kedarnath, Tungnath and Pashupatinath (in Nepal) among others- where major shrines of lord Shiva are now visited by multitudes. Uttarakhand has other links too with the Mahabharat era.

Adi Shankaracharya had also visited Uttarakhand, established some important shrines, revived the Badrinath shrine after retrieving the idol of the lord from the Taptkund there before he himself merged with the infinite.

When it comes to Buddha, Kalsi in Dehradun district is one of the 14 places in the country where the edicts of Ashoka were placed. Apart form Ashoka’s edicts in Kalsi, we also have Govishan in Kashipur where ancient roots important from the view point of Buddhism and archaeology will interest many.

 Another interesting trail we are planning is the Vivekanand trail. When Vivekananda was trekking and very thirsty while at Karbala in Almora, he sought water from a man who expressed his inability to give him water due to religious factors.

 However, when Vivekanand asked him for help in whichever way possible, the man cut a cucumber and placed it in front of him. The cucumber sustained Vivekanand. It was after this trip that he went to Chicago where he delivered his world famous address in the world parliament of religions. Coming to Almora after that, he addressed a gathering and spoke about the unique natural and spiritual beauty of Uttarakhand.

We will provide information about what Vivekanand said about Uttarakhand to visitors, which will be an enriching experience. Further, we will also develop a trail based on the places visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he featured in the episode of Man versus Wild with Bear Grylls.

A mobile phone application will provide information to visitors who will be able to visit the same sites in authorised vehicles. In addition to these, we have already established the Bhagwati circuit and are also planning to develop a Navgrah circuit linking shrines associated with the astrologically important nine planets.”

In the past, the Culture department had organised a programme involving 1,500 traditional dhol players. This time, the department is planning something bigger.

Maharaj said, “This time we will aim for a world record with a performance by 3,000 dhol players and felicitate them. After establishing the record, we will present a copy of the world record to each of the drummers to honour their role in establishing the record.”

On being asked about some people still protesting against the Char Dham Devsthanam Management Board he said, “The protest is akin to the protests against CAA. People are objecting to it without understanding it. In the last Char Dham season we had 37 lakh pilgrims visiting the state. We need to have proper facilities and management for the pilgrims too. We have ensured that traditional rights of the stakeholders and the ancient customs will not be affected. Our focus is on improving the system to enable better facilities and management.”