19949 (From left) Patwari Krishan Kumar Sharma and the writer (second) with their family members in Palampur in the 1990s.
J Mark Baker
On January 16, I received the sad news that Krishan Kumar Sharma, retired patwari, residing in Chimbal Har near Palampur, had passed away. He was 88 years old, a dear friend and mentor.
We first met in the autumn of 1990, when I was beginning field research on the kuhl irrigation systems of Kangra valley for my PhD degree. The gravity flow, community-based irrigation system of Kangra valley in Himachal comprises one of the largest locally managed irrigation networks in the world. Known as kuhls, they have endured for centuries despite recurring floods, droughts and earthquakes. Though rapid socio-economic changes challenge their ability to persist today, most kuhl irrigation systems here continue to brim with water during the hot, dry pre-monsoon season, when dependence on kuhl water for irrigation peaks.
Palampur
Himachal-pradesh
India
Kangra
Bindraban
Andaman-and-nicobar-islands
Kangri
Jammu-and-kashmir
United-states
United-kingdom
California
Himachal