As you surf around these pages, you will probably realize that the Himalayas have a lot to offer. The Himalaya is not an isolated stretch of rock and snow, but is very much a living and youthful habitat. The primary intention of creating these pages was to get introduced to this fascinating part of the world, myself included.
Besides their profusion of life, the Himalayas offer marvellous scenic beauty. Quite naturally, they are a heritage of the entire mankind. Yet, knowledge of the Himalayas, in general, is scanty and hard to get. Shangri La Home Page hopes to come in handy for quick reference and for pointers.
For those who are curious, Shangri La Home Page has "evaded" bringing ethnicity into light, at least for now, and chosen to remain a little dry, primarily for two reasons. Firstly, as an insider, presenting ethnicity on a personal level such as this hardly escapes subtle prejudices at best. In deference to ethnic sensitivities of the region, I wish to bypass the issue completely. Secondly, observing human culture from a distance, in a pedestal, often reduces them to mere museum species, exerting deeper and more hurtful biases. Besides, the natural aspects of the region, in and of itself, provide copious amounts of information and fascination to engage us.
As a disclaimer, excluding issues of ethnicity is not to suggest that they do not matter or that they are unimportant in any way. People living in the region have been doing so since time immemorial and I quite realize that they are an integral part of the system. While the Himalaya is an impressive habitat, it is a fragile environment nonetheless. Unfortunately in recent days, economic and human pressures are mounting and many locales are succumbing to them. I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage you to take upon these social issues further and contribute to the conservation efforts in the region.
I am indebted to many people in this endeavor and they deserve huge credits.
If you have suggestions/corrections to any information represented here, I request you to e-mail me. Or if you would like me to include any of your own compositions, you are most welcome. Send them to me -- your help will be appreciated.
I wish you a happy visit in Shangri La.