Wanna witness beautiful art? Visit Andretta in Himachal's Kangra valley

New Delhi: Are you an artist or an art admirer? Then Andretta is the place you should visit at least once in your life. The name Andretta sounds Italian, but it is a quiet and sleepy village nestled in the Kangra valley of Himachal Pradesh. It is a tiny village 14 km south of Palampur. Andretta nuzzles amongst the undulating plains of Kangra Valley, with a wide panorama of hoary mountains and Kangra valley has always been an attraction for artists because of in the amazing milieu of the mighty Dhauladhar- the milky mountains.What Kangra was to art some 200 years ago; Andretta is to artists in the present century. Andretta has attracted artists of many hues and was brought to fame by Ms. Norah Richards, the famous writer and dramatist whose writings exhibited deep sensibility to life and people around her.Norah Richards was an Irish theatre activist and playwright , she came to Andretta sometime in the mid-1930s.Once in Andretta, Norah Richards built a traditional Kangra-style mud house, set up a makeshift proscenium, and invited Punjabi theatre amateurs and professionals to perform plays.Andretta was also home to Freda Bedi, mother of actor Kabir Bedi, and a friend of Richards. During her years at Andretta, the idea of turning the small Kangra Valley hamlet into an artists' village came to obsess Richards, and to realise her dream she extended invitations to several artistes to come to Andretta.Richards died in 1971 and Andretta slowly drifted into oblivion. But looking at Andretta even today, it is not difficult to understand why Richards chose this place. The valley forms a perfect bowl surrounded by thick forests and bamboo groves of the Shivalik Hills on one side and the looming Dhauladhar on the other. Standing in its fields, you feel you are in the womb of creation — where nature itself conspires to create a gamut of colours and perspective that baffle and thrill. Famous writer Khushwant Singh has described this place as “This is where drama, painting, pottery and writing marry.”Major attractions here are:1. Sobha Singh Art GalleryLocated right near the main intersection of town. A famous painter of Sikh gurus, Sobha Singh lived in Andretta for 3 decades. Admission is free. 2. Norah Richard's House Norah Richards was a dramatist and environmentalist. She was a formidable and resourceful Irish woman, who built an adobe house in English style. She taught students from Punjab how to perform plays in her small outdoor theatre in front of her house. Her adobe house has recently been renovated by the Punjabi university Patiala, using the skills of local masons. The little theatre is still in use by the Punjabi university students. They perform plays every year on Norah's birthday October 29th. 3. Norah Centre for the Arts Higher up towards the Shivalik hills is the Norah Centre for the Arts. This is a recently built attractive centre designed by an architect from Kerala, the son-in-law of the famous artist B.C. Sanyal. 4. Andretta Pottery and Craft Society This is a working art pottery making attractive earthenware with rangoli style slip designs. The pottery offers 3 month classes for students. Also attached to the pottery is the Terracotta Museum. The main collection in this museum is the work of local village potters from the regions. But there is also sample pottery from around the globe.