Being blessed to wander in some of the most fascinating hills and valleys of nature, I have been endeavoring for long to put these stories together. I offer here the elements that appeal most to me during my wanderings in the jungles, meadows, villages and towns, especially in the abode of gods and goddesses the Himalaya. I pick up one of the tales as a title of the book 'Nanda's Neelkanth'. Neelkanth is one of the several names of the Lord Shiva, the Hindu god. Many snow-clad peaks of the Himalaya are named after the gods and goddesses and Neelkanth is one of the most magnificent peaks. It attracts every human soul not only to its brilliant hues and majestic snowy peak but Neelkanth, as the Mahadev, also remains the source of spirituality for billions. Likewise, His consort, Nanda who is adorned with innumerable names including the Gaura, has been venerated in the form of beautiful mountains of the Himalaya. The quiet and unquiet woods, the elusive and elegant wildlife, the people and their culture and their struggle for living are the other elements in this bouquet of experiences.

Author's travel impressions of Uttar Khand Region and Hindu shrines in the region.

This book provides a detailed description of sustainable tourism development in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Though the Uttarakhand Himalaya is bestowed with numerous locales of tourists/pilgrims’ interests, tourism has not yet been developed substantially. This book describes geographical and cultural components of tourism, major types of tourism and tourist places, tourist/pilgrim circuits, case studies of the important tourists/pilgrims’ routes, trends of tourism, development of homestay tourism, development of infrastructural facilities for tourism development, major constrains and prospects of sustainable tourism development, and conclusions. SWOC analysis of tourism activities has been carried out. The book is based on the author’s observation of tourism development in the Uttarakhand Himalaya. Further, large tourism data was gathered and analyzed, using a qualitative and a quantitative method, and a sustainable tourism model was developed. This book is very useful for students, research scholars, academicians, and policymakers.

धीरे-से दबे पाँव वह सीढ़ियाँ उतर गई और बाथरूम की ओर चल दी। जैसे ही उसने बत्ती जलाने को हाथ बढ़ाया वह सिहर उठी। उसकी दृष्टि द्वार के शीशों से बाग में छिपे सीमेंट की बेंच पर पड़ी। आनंद व संध्या एक-दूसरे के आलिंगन में बंधे थे। छिटकी चाँदनी में दो यौवन मदमातों को यूँ देख बेला को रोमांच हो आया और कुछ ही क्षणों में ज्वाला भड़कने लगी। आखिर दीदी को इतनी स्वतंत्रता क्यों? तो क्या दीदी आनंद से प्रेम करती हैं? और मेरा उसके साथ जाना उनकी स्वतंत्रता में बाधा थी। सबको तो शिक्षा देती हैं किंतु स्वयं तो-' और न जाने यूं ही कितने प्रश्न उसके मस्तिष्क में मंडराने लगे। किंतु प्रत्येक प्रश्न उसके हृदय-पटल पर द्वेष की एक गहरी रेखा अंकित कर गया। जैसे ही आनंद ने संध्या के होंठों को छुआ, बेला के शरीर में फुरेरी सी दौड़ गई और उसने आँखें बंद कर लीं। उसने भी अपने होंठों पर जलते अंगारे अनुभव किए। कुछ समय पश्चात् जब उसने अपनी आँखें खोलीं तो देखा कि वह दोनों बेंच छोड़कर द्वार की ओर बड़े जा रहे थे। बेला दबे पाँव अंधेरे में छिप गई।

Contributed articles.