Tribal cuisines presented at snow fest

Our Correspondent

Kullu, February 17

Local cuisines were the centre of attraction on the 24th day of the snow festival at Hull village in the Spiti valley of Lahaul and Spiti district today. Spiti SDM Jeewan Singh Negi, who was the chief guest, lit the lamp to commence the colorful cultural programme. Mahila Mandal of Hull village presented Tashi dance while the Yuvak Mandal performed traditional Gur dance. Pangmo and Kilgon Usang dance by the Mahila Mandal of Pangmo also enthralled the audience. Local artistes presented various cultural items. The chief guest appreciated the structures of red fox and ibex crafted from snow. The pottery exhibition highlighted the traditions and culture of the tribal valley.

The SDM said that the snow festival aims at promoting the tribal culture and associating it with tourism to boost the economy of the region. He added that the festival was being celebrated with fanfare in Lahaul and Spiti. He appealed to the people to conserve their culture and teach their children about it. He added that the evidence of a very old civilization had been found in Spiti and the tribal culture of the Himalayan region was very rich. Later, Negi honoured artistes.

Gotsi was also celebrated in lower Keylong in the Lahaul valley. People offered prayers to Lord Shiva and the local deity. They swayed to the tunes played on traditional instruments.

Meanwhile, the district administration organised a two-day single window clearance special workshop for homestay registration at Keylong today. Lahaul and Spiti Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Rai said that the prospects of tourism in the Lahaul valley had increased a lot with the opening of the Atal Tunnel. He added that the valley has the capacity to accommodate 3,000 tourists at present. In view of the expected tourist influx, local people were being motivated to take advantage of the homestay scheme to generate additional income.

Rai said that the main objective of celebrating the festival was to promote winter tourism and apprise the world about the rich culture of the valley.