The Language, Art and Culture Department in Himachal Pradesh has stepped in to save a rare pictorial journey of natural and cultural bounty of the hill state from slipping into history.

Showcased at ‘Himachal Darshan’ photo gallery for free access to tourists and researchers by a Mandi based photographer, Birbal Sharma under the banner ‘Puratatva Chetna Sangh’ for 20 years, the pictorial treasure was set to become victim of development.

The gallery is situated at Bindrabani, four kilometres from Mandi towards Manali, on the left bank of river Beas.

It will be razed to pave the way for four-laning of National Highway-21 from Nagchala to Manali 2017, for which a notice (to vacate it in 60 days) has been served on 1 April.

And although, Sharma, 60, who has clicked pictures trekking to the toughest and inaccessible areas over four decades, is being given some compensation in lieu, he would have had no option but to dump the precious photographs in one corner.  

“The compensation doesn’t match the real cost for relocation. Otherwise also, it is difficult to re-establish the gallery, given the hassle involved in handling the massive material we have for display. It took me 15 years to develop it fully,” Sharma told The Statesman.

Sharma tried to save the gallery at the original place, representing to authorities against faulty procedures being followed to carve out four lane till Manali, but to no avail.

For him, however, the silver lining has come in the form of a letter dated 17 April by the Director, Language Art and Culture that offers to preserve his pictures in state museum and later display them at upcoming museum in Bantony Castle in Shimla.

“We will keep his photographs and display them by rotation in museums in Himachal Pradesh,” said Museum Curator at Shimla museum, Hari Chauhan.

Sharma has a collection of over one lakh photographs clicked over the last four decades from every nook and corner of HP.

‘Himachal Darshan’ gallery’ has over 350 of them on display, along with some antique tools and olden books.

His photographs on nature and life from inaccessible belts like Bara Banghal and Dodra Kwar (it now has a road), Chandernahan (origin of Pabbar River), Beas kund (origin of Beas River) and Kibber (the last village on Indo-Tibetan border in Spiti) trace and conserve the history and heritage of Himachal Pradesh. Many of these pictures are not found even in the state museums.

The gallery was recognised as a research centre by ‘Monument and Antique’ organisation under Human Resource Development ministry of the Centre in 2010.

“I gave my blood and sweat for this treasure. I am losing it.  But, the LAC department has given me some relief,” said Sharma.