Save Himachal Darshan Gallery, urges founder
Mandi, June 23
The founder of the Himachal Darshan Gallery in Mandi district, Birbal Sharma, has urged the Deputy Commissioner Arindam Chaudhary to do the needful to save the gallery. It is set to be demolished for the construction of the Pathankot-Mandi four-lane highway.
staring at demolition again
- The gallery was first set up in 1997, but the NHAI demolished it for the construction of the Kiratpur-Manali highway in 2018
- Birbal Sharma, founder of the gallery, again set it up after five years of its demolition
- Photographs of various remote places in the state, local festivals and traditions are displayed in the gallery
Sharma, who is a photojournalist, says, “The gallery contains rare pictures from all corners of Himachal Pradesh.” He says visitors can get a glimpse of the entire state under one roof in this gallery. He further says the gallery was set up in 1997, but the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) demolished it in 2018 for the construction of the Kiratpur-Manali highway.
“I have again set up the gallery, with a museum and a library inside it, after five years of its demolition. Also, people can visit the Himachal Darshan Gallery for free. Over 5 lakh foreign and domestic visitors have visited the gallery since 1997,” he adds.
He says it had come to his notice that the NHAI will again demolish the gallery for the construction of the Pathankot-Mandi highway. It will be linked to the Chandigarh-Manali highway near the gallery at Bindravani in Mandi.
He says he has urged the Mandi Deputy Commissioner to take up the matter with the NHAI and ask them to not demolish this structure. “It was very difficult for me to construct this gallery once again. These rare pictures are a collection from my work in the last 40 years as a photojournalist,” he added.
