XJttarakhand 63
.cloth and other items of hill industry. At Debi-dhura a mock
fight scene was enacted after the best traditions of thok wars.
The most colourful festival of Kumaon is Nanda Devi when
figures of Nanda Devi are taken in procession round the city and
ultimately immersed in some water tank.
Rural economy
Often I am asked by inquistive people about Kumaon econo-
my and their means of subsistence, for which my usual answer
is Veil', I am not a economist but being a Kumaoni who has
extensive travel experience inside and outside Kumaon, I am of
•the opinion that Kumaon economy is based on the princi-
ple of scanty food supply for which every home sends at least
•one male member down to the 'desh' for service who sends
money orders home. Women and remaining male members take
•care of the agriculture and cattle. The result of this balanced
"money order', economy is that today Kumaon throbs with
lower middle class of people who eat well, live well and are con-
tented with their lot.
Road to prosperity
The backbone of Kumaon industry is its forest wealth and
Kumaon had the privilege of producing the timber king of
India—Dan Singh Bisht. Today forests are being exploited to cap-
ture timber markets and furniture industry. In order to further
.augment Kumaon industry, vast resources of hydel power are
.also being tapped in order to give Kumaon economy agro-indus-
trial vent, with the increasing network of roads, the fruit garden-
ing and apple orchards are also flourishing. Disposal of finished
goods now hardly poses any problem, but on the other hand
search for better land, milder climate, easier conditions of living
.and new prospects of advancement is drawing Kumaonese from
their natural habitat to lower areas as a result of which village
after village are becoming deserted in upper part of Kurnaon
,and in turn a new agro-industrial area is fast developing in Tarai
which once used to be a thickly wooded land infested with wild
.animals. Today simple Kumaoni farmer is handling sophisticated
farm machinery alongwith the Panjabis and retired servicemen
.under the guidance of Pant Agricultural University, Rudrapur