Sikkim, Garhwal, Himachal, Zanskar, Kumaon, Gulmarg, Ladakh, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Western Ghats, Kerala are some of the favourite summer holiday destinations in the country.
For some, these may be places to holiday for a few days, but there are also those who find it hard to resist the allure of mountains for the stories that the landscape tells. So what better than to watch films woven around mountains from these mountain maniacs?
The Indian Mountaineering Federation organised its second Mountaineering Film festival in New Delhi in February this year, and is now taking the films all over West Bengal to promote adventure sports in the country like rafting, rock climbing, kayaking, ice-climbing among mountain enthusiasts.
The films are based on Indian Himalayas. Secretary of IMF East Debraj Dutta said, “Around 50 films applied for the screenings, among which 18 were nominated for the festival and awarded.” In West Bengal, the organisation will be hosting special screenings at Krishnanagar of Nadia district on June 3. Earlier, shows were held in Kolkata, Siliguri. The screenings are also being planned at Durgapur and Jalpaiguri.
Some of Bengal’s mountaineers who scaled Mount Everest will be felicitated at Gorky Sadan tomorrow by IMF jointly with Sonarpur Arohi. Dutta said, “Since 1985, many Bengalis tried to scale the Everest but it was in 2010 that Basanta Singha Roy became the first civilian Bengali to achieve the feat.” Around 70 mountaineers have been invited to the programme.
Roy feels that organising such events will attract more people to take up the challenge of adventure sports that will help in increasing their physical and mental endurance.