Home of the Himalayas’ Initiative: Catapulting Uttarakhand’s Tourism
“I discovered peace by keeping quiet and gazing at the majestic Himalayas”—Anonymous
By Colonel Satish Singh Lalotra
One of the northernmost states having come into existence in the year 2000, Uttarakhand has always defined the pristine of environments, the holiest of shrines of various religions and the simplest of folks. As a trend setter of this country in matters concerning tourism, pilgrimage to the holiest of sites and adventure sports , the state as part of UP before coming into existence as a separate hilly state had previously too defined the sublime qualities of human and nature in their performing best. The state has been endowed with physical and spiritual assets that can be the envy of many of the states of India. Primarily dependent heavily upon tourism to include the newly coined term—‘Spiritual tourism’ being home to the famous ‘Char Dhams’ as also on way to the world famous Kailash Mansarovar, Adi Kailash yatra and some of the most towering peaks to include Nanda Devi this hilly and border entity has been cynosure of pilgrims as well mountaineers alike.
The sudden explosion of media houses, internet highway along with a plethora of TV channels and social media apps in the recent past have further refined the tastes of the visitors who have become more discerning in their choice of places of visit. To further accentuate the roaming palate of a pilgrim who can act as an ambassador for the state’s tourism potential, the Uttarakhand Tourism development board (UTDB) has now decided to come on board with the world famous ‘Prime focus technologies’ (PFT) to enhance the global appeal of the scenic ‘Adi Kailash’ and ‘Om Parvat’ regions by launching the unique programme called as ‘Home of the Himalayas’. This strategic move is executed in collaboration as mentioned above with PFT to position Uttarakhand as a premium destination by leveraging high quality content and innovative branding.
Having just returned back from the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand last month and seen a visible change in its infra ranging from plethora of homestays, good and smooth roads, a surfeit of hotels et al I can vouch for the simple fact that the hilly state is just now on the cusp of an appreciable change that has the potential of taking its people to the next higher level of their existence. Coupled with the above developments, now with this latest coming together of UTDB & PFT and forging an alliance of people cum pilgrim friendly ‘Himalayan initiative’ a transformative milestone in Uttarakhand’s Journey towards global tourism and recognition as a hub has been unveiled.
As per the CEO of UTDB through innovation and collaborative efforts by way of the above initiative unleashed by PFT, a company that is renowned for its prowess in artificial intelligence, and exceptional media services in end to end creative services, innovative branding strategies and content creation a spiritually resonant image for Uttarakhand has been unleashed on the pilgrims and visitors alike. Since the pubic and human perception of a place is more entrenched in their psyches due to visual imagery and videos, PFT has striven to unmask the mystique of this majestic landscape through a series of visually stunning videos. These videos have been orchestrating shoots with top-tier equipment in challenging high altitude terrains where earlier only the army or the Bhutia tribe men used to venture.
On top of the chart of such places is the ancient Hindu pilgrimage center of ‘Adi Kailash and ‘Om Parvat’ region that would be show cased to the entire world in their new avatars. Both of these places fall enroute to the famous KM Yatra (Kailash Mansarovar yatra) that has been in limbo for the last four years in a row owing to Geo-political as well as post corona pandemic effects. Perched in the picturesque Kumaon region, Adi Kailash Mountain is an ideal and much awed destination for the adventurers and enthusiasts alike. A high light of this ‘Home of the Himalayas initiative’ has been the involvement of renowned singer Shubha Mudgal, who has created an evocative lyrical journey set against the serene backdrop of Adi Kailash. Her voice weaves a tapestry of spiritual and natural grandeur, bringing to life the very soul of this sacred landscape.
The rendition of mellifluous verses from the renowned singer is just not music but a heartfelt homage to truth, godliness and beauty articulated though Mudgal’s enchanting vocal alchemy. I have had the unique opportunity of catching the glimpses of ‘OM Parvat’ twice in my life while on my way to the famous ‘Tri junction point’( India, Nepal & Tibet) as part of one of the army patrols way back in 1991 and then again in 1993 starting off from Dharchula. In fact right after crossing the ITBP checkpoint of Gunji, the mammoth feature of ‘Om Parvat’ slowly rises into your vision that comes to its full grandeur at Kalapani. The inscription of the word ‘OM’ with its characteristic Hindi alphabet seems to be surreal on the mountain top. The engraving of such a large Hindi alphabet ‘OM’ cannot be a human’s endeavour. The fact that it appears on a mountain top that lies enroute to the world famous Kailash Mountain in occupied Tibet forces a human mind to think beyond the realm of rationality bordering on the supernatural.
In fact the founder and CEO of PFT has been instrumental in captivating the attention of potential of the local youth of Uttarakhand who have an abundance of hidden talent that lay dormant for so many years. He has kick started a plethora of training programmes encapsulating issues like ‘content writing’ and ‘content generation’ (being locals of the area), &‘story telling’ that will show case Uttarakhand’s beauty and heritage to the world thereby ensuring a sustainable and inclusive future for tourism in the state.
Coming close on the heels of the world famous KM Yatra getting stalled for fourth year in a row for the Indian pilgrims with the Indian government pushing hard to get it back on its feet, the initiatives like ‘Home of the Himalayas’ undertaken by the UTDB In conjunction with PFT is like a whiff of fresh air for those who want to partake into the Himalayan beauty and its mesmerizing effect on the masses. At its core, the ‘Home of the Himalayas’ initiative is a changed narrative from that of the decades old storyline peddled by the state government –‘Land of the Gods’ which nowadays is slightly staid and required a shot in its arm which has been very ably injected by the duo of UTDB & PFT coming together in a symbiotic association. With the entire package of ‘Home of the Himalayas’ bringing in its wake issues like showcasing the USP of Uttarakhand, employment generation of the local youth, rooting the locals in their cultural heritage, stymieing the tide of exodus of able bodied youth of the border state to the cities of India for better job opportunities, waking up the world at large to the hidden treasures of natural bounties in the form of mountains, lakes, rivers, pristine environment and such like things; the state never had it so good on its table to hedge against its inherent disadvantage in the form of physical remoteness.
As the collaboration of UTDB & PFT unfolds, the intrigue of ‘Adi Kailash’ and ‘Om Parvat gets the broader beauty of Uttarakhand captivating, inspiring in the bargain global audiences inviting them to experience the unparalleled charm of the Himalayas. One of the biggest takeaways from such an inspiring collaborative effort by UTDB & PFT has been that it has acted as a pathfinder to other such Himalayan states of India that are equally dotted with stunning locales waiting to be showcased and emulated on the lines of Uttarakhand thereby reinventing their inherent USPs. It is never too late for these Himalayan states leaving aside Uttarakhand to emulate the best of practices that may come from an even small endeavor of the like of UTDB & PFT whose real worth may be realized only in a future time frame.
(The writer is a regular scribe of RK and can be approached on his email: slalotra4729@gmail.com)
