Revision as of 18:42, 20 May 2021

Seclusion

As in 2021

Suresh Sharma, May 17, 2021: The Times of India

Malana village is perched on the far end of Himachal’s Parvati valley
From: Suresh Sharma, May 17, 2021: The Times of India

Malana village has succeeded in keeping the coronavirus out, so far. Secluded naturally, as it is perched on the far end of Parvati valley, the village is one of the largest in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district, with a population of about 2,350. However, it has always guarded its seclusion zealously and opened up to outsiders not too long ago. In these times of the Covid-19 pandemic, the villagers have once again fallen back into the old habit patterns and barred the entry of outsiders since March last year.

Paras Ram, a local, said: “When we heard of coronavirus last year, we were terrified and we started thinking about ways to protect ourselves. The first step we took was to ban the entry of outsiders. We guarded all the entry points to ensure not a single unknown person came in. We also stopped unnecessary movement outside the village. We do not wear masks or maintain physical distance inside the village. We know that if the disease enters Malana, it will wreak havoc.”

Malana has had its own judicial system and all works in the village are still done with the ‘advice’ of Jamlu Devta, the most revered God of the residents. It was only about three decades ago that some officials had succeeded in convincing the residents to follow the national Constitution. The village then became notorious for producing Malana Cream, the world’s most expensive charas. Then a large number of tourists started visiting the village, some to know its culture and others for charas. Today, its economy is dependent on both tourism and charas. A majority of the residents are still illiterate.

“We have kept all guesthouses, homestays and eateries closed since March last year. Tourists have not been allowed to enter Malana for over a year now. Those involved in tourism activities have been warned that they will be solely responsible if they allow in outsiders and bring disease to the village,” said Bhagi Ram, former panchayat president of Malana.

Last year, the village had announced a fine of Rs 51,000 for violation of rules framed by locals to protect themselves from Covid-19.