Paul presented 80-yr-old book on Nainital

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5

A copy of the new edition of a rare and classic book, ‘Naini Tal: A Historical and Descriptive Account’ by JM Clay, was presented to Governor Dr KK Paul at Raj Bhawan on Saturday.

The book has been published by Natraj Publishers.

The book was first published in 1927 and has now been reprinted after more than 80 years. It provides the little known historical and descriptive account of the quintessential lake town of Nainital in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, surrounded by seven hills. From an uninhabited landscape of the Himalayan mountain range to a peaceful hilly hamlet for the English, Nainital metamorphosed into a thriving hill station in a very short span of time.

Much of the history of this quaint hill station is interwined around the chronicles of several developmental activities, undertaken during the Victorian and the Edwardian period. The book provides a lesson or two in history, with details of the fauna and flora of the region, in addition to rare insights into the sociological, geographical and architectural background of the place. Author JM Clay is a former Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Nainital.

The publishers have made the book available again with beautiful illustrations for the new generation of readers. The Governor appreciated the same.

Dr BK Joshi, Director, Doon Library & Research Centre, has written the foreword for the book. He lamented the unplanned construction being undertaken in this “fairy land-lookalike” beautiful hill station and has gone on to describe the magic of Nainital in his own style. The book will prove very informative for all Nainital lovers and visitors.

Upendra Arora, owner of Natraj Publishers, discussed the reading trends in the valley with the Governor and apprised him of the new books that were climbing the bestseller charts.

The Governor, himself a voracious reader and a great book lover, accepted Arora’s invitation to visit his bookshop. Paul said bookshops should be seen and promoted as venues for education, knowledge empowerment and entertainment.