About Us
The Himalaya Samiksha Parishad is an academic organisation playing a significant role as a resource centre for disseminating information about the Himalayas. The Parishad was set up in 1976. At present the organisation has a wide base with members from different walks of life.Scholars from varied disciplines like anthropology, geology, geography, botany and zoology besides trekkers and mountaineers take active part in its activities.
The Parishad organises occasional lectures, seminars and brings out its annual journal, the ‘Himalaya Prasanga’ (ISSN: 2231-1076). The Himalaya Samiksha Parishad started its journey in 1976 by a few venerated Himalaya lovers at Kalighat, Kolkata. Its seed, however, was sown in 1973 through publication of the oldest known Bengali journal on mountains,the ‘Himalaya’.Later, the office of the Parishad was shifted to the Department of Geography, University of Calcutta at Ballygunj Science College. In 1982 the journal was renamed as the ‘Himalaya Prasanga’.
The Himalaya is a unique ecological niche which exhibits a rich biodiversity and provides a large base of resource endowment in the form of forest, water, and mineral wealth. Development activities in the Himalaya is leads to two-way effects; firstly, if the development strategies adopted are not in consensus with this fragile mountain ecosystem, it may lead to a rapid devastation; secondly, as a process, development reflects spatial inequality which in the long run manifests into ethnic disharmony and provokes insurgency. Owing to its geographical location, the Himalaya also plays an important role in regional geopolitics.The Himalaya SamikshaParishad feels that a better understanding of the geographical, developmental and geo-political aspects as well as the man-nature relationship would go along way in understanding the present problems ofthe region.The Himalaya Samiksha Parishad started its journey in 1976 as Himalaya Samiksha Sangsad. The seeds of this organisation were however sown in 1972 in the form of a journal named ‘Himalaya’, the oldest known Bengali journal on mountains, brought out by Sri. Mihir Kumar Sengupta and Smt. Kamala Mukhopadhyay. The name of the organisation was changed to Himalaya Samiksha Parishad in 1978 due to technical difficulties arising during its registration. The journal too was renamed as ‘Himalaya Samiksha’ and finally as ‘Himalaya Prashanga’ in 1981. In the same year, it was decided to publish the journal bi-annually due to its increase in popularity and demand. Other activities in the form of coloured photo display and films on various mountain expeditions were organised by the Parishad at the Birla Museum Hall and the Federation Hall. Initially the Parishad’s office was at 126, A.J.C. Bose Road which was later shifted to the Department of Geography, University of Calcutta at Ballygunj Science College, 35, Ballygunj Circular Road, Kolkata- 700019. By 1984 the membership reached 200 and today it has more than 500 members. Further in 1988, the publication was again changed to annual. The Parishad organises occasional lectures, seminars and brings out its annual journal, the ‘Himalaya Prasanga'.
