Haryana

The small state of Haryana, just over 44000 square kilometres, was founded in 1966 from state of Punjab. It is both the oldest and most modern of places.

Almost every tourist who comes to India passes through Haryana, the state that surrounds the capital of Delhi on three sides, and whose highways lead to Agra, Rajasthan, and the hill resorts of Himachal Pradesh. As they drive through, tourists may admire the neat and abundant green fields, be surprised by the growing number of huge residential complexes and industrial townships, and relax in one of the numerous roadside resorts with which the state government has dotted all the major highways.

Beneath the surface, however, there is much more to discover.

It is here that much of ancient Indian history took place, here that Greek, Turk, Mongol, Persian and Afghan invaders entered India, here that momentous and legendary battles determined much of the course of Indian history. And although there are few grand historical monuments remaining from these times, there are places like Kurukshetra whose sanctity has kept it alive as a living pilgrimage spot and the Yadavindra Gardens at Pinjore, 17^th century Mughal gardens and pleasure palaces which still retain whispers of their former magic.

In the modern Haryana, there are a larger number of small resorts built around highway ret stops, historical sites, lakes and areas of natural beauty. There are golf courses, wildlife sanctuaries, facilities for paragliding and river rafting, new hotels and a museum of the work of India’s most famous contemporary artist, M.F. Husain. It is well worth-while to get off the highway and explore some of the other attractions of this surprising state.

Haryana’s cultural strengths have always resided in folk traditions. From early times, music, painting, dance and drama have been an integral part of Haryana’s village life. Many villages and towns are, in fact, named after musical ragas and raginis (i.e, Sarangpur, Bilawal, Todi, Asavari, Jayashri, Hindol, Madhavi, Kamod). And many Haryana folk art forms have been recognized as exceptionally fine by scholars such as the examples of women’s wall and floor painting form the Gurgaon region, represented in the India Office Library in London.

Performances of the well-known sang folk theatre still take place at festivals and on important occasions, as do performances of the many lively and vigorous folk dances. Folk songs related to the rituals of daily life, festive celebration, or religious rituals are also very much a part of village life.

Since performances of folk music, dance and theatre are generally spontaneous, or related to local rituals and celebrations, chancing upon a performance requires a bit of luck. On any excursion to Haryana, though, it is always worth asking hotel and restaurants staff, or local people, if any performances might be taking place in the area.

A more certain way of seeing folk performances from Haryana (as well as from other parts of India), and at the same time having an opportunity to survey a vast array of Haryana and Indian arts and crafts, is at the annual Surajkund Crafts Mela, held at the Surajkund complex, just outside Delhi, during the first two weeks of February every year. Twenty-three acres of land are transformed for these two weeks into a vibrant, pulsating, all-India festival, with artisans displaying their work, village dancers, acrobats, and musicians offering lively performances and stall of regional food.

The Gurgaon and Faridabad areas to the south of Delhi have undergone immense development in the last few years, both as commercial centres and as increasingly fashionable areas for suburban residences and rural country houses. As a corollary; to this, both areas are beginning to develop some interesting new attraction.

The stretch of the Delhi-Jaipur highway just beyond Gurgaon is one of the most rapidly developing areas, with a number of golf courses, resorts, hotels and restaurants in the works.

Just nine miles south of Gurgaon, on the Delhi-Jaipur highway, a family of Delhi antique and textile dealers have established the Gujarat Haveli. In 1990, they bought the roadside land and began constructing, piece by piece, a huge showroom built around an old haveli (wooden mansion) from the owner’s native Gujarat. In the last five years, Gujarat Haveli has become known as one of Delhi’s best resources for antique furniture from all over India, as well as for fine reproductions.

Now, however, Gujarat Haveli is shifting direction, working to establish itself as a centre for Haryana crafts and craftsperson. They have begun by commissioning traditional furniture artisans to create new furniture by using traditional techniques, traditional materials and slightly modified traditional designs. They have begun similar work with local potters and weavers and have plans to eventually encompass all the traditional crafts of Haryana. The rustic Haryana furniture has already attracted attention – and orders – for major furniture showrooms abroad. “As we have more and more business.” Explains the thoughtful young owner, “there is more work for the craftsmen. Eventually we want to bring the craftsmen right to the Haveli to demonstrate their skills to the visitors. After all, the quality of antique furniture in India is limited. But the skills of our craftsmen can be preserved forever.”

Just five kilometres further along the Delhi-Jaipur highway, at the village of Manesar, is another pioneering effort, the newly-opened Heritage Village resort, belonging to Sita Holiday Resorts. The 84 rooms, restaurant, swimming pool, lounge, bar and health club have all been tucked into a modern version of a magnificent haveli (mansion). Hundreds of skilled artisans are involved in the painstaking construction of Heritage Village and their influence can be seen in the beautiful stone work, wall and cloth paintings, traditional detailing and antique pieces that have been incorporated into the design. Heritage Village plans to bring artists, crafts persons and performers to the hotel and special, cozy amphitheatres have been included for this purpose this unique resort is the culmination of a long-time dream of one the senior members of India’s tourism industry and the care and sensitivity which have been lavished on its design set a standard for others to follow.

And the Faridabad area is not far behind. In the rural areas of Faridabad district, a number of small resorts are being developed to provide a true country escape to city-dwellers. The state government is in the midst of restoring the old Ballabgarh Fort and converting it to a Heritage Hotel. And in a residential area of Faridabad, just off the main Mathura Road, India’s most famous living artist, M.F. Husain, has constructed his Husain ki Sarai, a uniquely personal museum/gallery for works spanning his entire career. On the lawn outside the museum, the artist has ensconced his first automobile on a mound of earth, transforming it into a piece of sculpture. It is a fitting introduction to the work of this artist who looks at the world with wit and sparkling vitality. Delhi residents have long been aware of the several Haryana government resorts that can be reached by car in one or two hours: Surajkund, with its 10^th century Sun Pool and pretty lake; Badkhal and Saras, with their peaceful lakeside facilities; Sohna with its panoramic views and famous antique car rally each February; and Sultanpur with its small but secluded bird sanctuary. Haryana Tourism resorts further a field offer comfortable accommodation for family vacations, especially those in such scenic spots as the Morni Hills.

Haryana is also keeping pace with the burgeoning popularity of golf.

The Haryana government has already opened nine-hole golf courses at Surajkund and at the Aravalli Golf Club in Faridabad. Designed by this noted American golf designer, Stephen Kay, and with comfortable club house and restaurant, Aravalli has quickly become a favourite with Delhi’s diplomatic and foreign community. A number of private golf courses are under development in the Jaipur Highway region.

And there are opportunities for the more adventurous sportsman or sportswoman as well. Haryana Tourism has formed an Adventure Club which organizes white water rafting (rapids I and II intensity) and camping and trekking, has facilities for canoeing and kayaking and has recently begun para-gliding expeditions at Pinjore.

When Haryana became a state in 1966, after division of the old state of Punjab, there was not much to recommend it except for its legendary history. However, some imaginative and enthusiastic government officers backed by some unusually far-sighted politicians were able to bring about amazing progress. Within a decade, almost all villages had been electrified and received piped drinking water, a major lift-irrigation project had revitalized large drought-prone areas of the state, most villages were connected by good roads and the state boasted a sports college, a medical college and an agricultural university. Realizing that Haryana’s proximity to Delhi was a great asset, the state poured resources into improving the major highways and pioneered the concept of creatively-designed and moderately-priced, roadside tourism resorts.

In 1966, Haryana’s total exports amounted to 45 million rupees. Today, they total 17 billion rupees annually (about $ 550) million). The towns of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Panipat and Sonipat have become major industrial hubs. The state beams with pride at the shining new hotels and golf courses, at the upscale housing complexes and at plans for a “Japanese City”. But still, the current Director of Tourism gets more excited when he talks about the project currently underway to restore the old Ballabgarh Fort near Faridabad, a project for which the state has enlisted the services of the Francis Wacziarg/Aman Nath team who were responsible for conversion of Rajasthan’s famous Neemrana Fort. It is a good omen that, as Haryana canons into the future, it has no intentions of forgetting its past.