There Is A General Impression Among Many That Before Its Formation (1948) Himachal Pradesh Had No Social Or Cultural Unity. The Present Work Clears Up These Misconceptions And Examines From Facts Of History The Constant, Rich And Fruitful Socio-Cultural History Of The State.

The Himachal Pradesh Development Report Review`S The State`S Development Experience And Highlights Issues Critical For Its Future Progress. The State`S Latent Potential In Hydel Power, Tourism, Bio-Business And Its Transformation In Social Sectors Is Well Documented In The Report. The Report Is Expected To Serve As A Useful Reference And Stimulate Informed Debate On The Policy Issues Facing A Hill State.

This study reconstructs for the first time the development of society in Spiti and in Upper Kinnaur (Himachal Pradesh, India) over a long historical period on the basis of one of its central structures, that is, socio-economic organisation. The focus of this study is the peasantry of Tabo village in Spiti Valley and the adjacent Tibetan-speaking areas in the northwestern Himalayas. From a methodological perspective this book is primarily the result of a combination of social anthropological fieldwork and the analysis of historical and contemporary written sources (partly from the holdings of the over 1,000-year-old Buddhist monastery of Tabo). The theoretical concepts and perspectives of this work, building at the core on peasant theory models, are considerably developed further by including and integrating findings from social anthropological research on Tibet, in particular the fundamental importance of religious institutions such as Buddhist monasteries and temples for the structuring of the social order. The account of the ethnography of the region forms together with the investigation of the system of land ownership in association with the system of taxes and dues a central component of the analysis of the historical and current relations between the power-holders and the agricultural producers (peasants). It is also in this context that the delineation of the political history of the region which is undertaken here for the first time plays an essential role. Moreover, in altogether 12 excursuses selected key topics (such as administrative and taxation system, corvee labour, regional, supraregional and transnational wool trade, economy of Buddhist monastic communities and monasteries, development of population figures) are studied from a strong comparative perspective.

Located In The Western Himalayas, Chamba District Of Himachal Pradesh Is A Dream World. This Book Provides All The Physical, Cultural, Sociological Details About The Place.

Why do some states provide infrastructure and social services to their citizens, and others do not? In Development in Multiple Dimensions, Alexander Lee examines the origins of success and failure in the public services of developing countries. Comparing states within India, this study examines how elites either control, or are shut out of, policy decisions and how the interests of these elites influence public policy. He shows that social inequalities are not single but multiple, creating groups of competing elites with divergent policy interests. Since the power of these elites varies, states do not necessarily focus on the same priorities: some focus on infrastructure, others on social services, and still others on both or neither. The author develops his ideas through quantitative comparisons and case studies focusing on four northern Indian states: Gujarat, West Bengal, Bihar, and Himachal Pradesh, each of which represents different types of political economy and has a different set of powerful caste groups. The evidence indicates that regional variation in India is a consequence of social differences, and the impact of these differences on carefully considered distributional strategies, rather than differences in ideology, geography, or institutions.

This book is a suspense thriller of a historical event where the reader stays glued to the book to see what comes next. The happenings described in the book are real, events related are real, only a story has been tailored to make the forgoing more interesting. It is story of 50 wealthy families who dare the odds and leave their familiar surroundings after repeated Muslim invasions of their hometown, during 1730-1760 AD period, after the collapse of the Moghul Empire in India. They migrate to the Hills of Punjab, now Himachal Pradesh in search of safety and security. They travel 130 miles to another kingdom with their bag and baggage. Secure in their new surroundings, they prosper again. Within a few years after their arrival they are wealthy but their prosperity became a thorn to the local unsavoury people. They conspired to grab some of their money. The conspiracy they hatch was to rob a returning wedding party fully laden with gold & silver and decamp with the money and jewellery. They succeed in their conspiracy but unfortunately kill the groom in the process. Heartbroken, the bride, only 17 years of age, jumps into her husband's funeral pyre. The book in two parts, covers both their travel while braving the elements as well as danger of wayside marauders and the growing up of a young accomplished girl during these unsettled times. Finally she is married and on her wedding day finds her husband dead, a victim of robbery. The place where all the forgoing happened is a place of worship and pilgrimage to her descendants. The site is marked by a century old stone structure and is visited by the family to remember her supreme sacrifice.