The volume uses field investigations to shed light on the inhabitants of
Kinnaur's socioeconomic and cultural lives, including a study of their customs and architectural legacy. It describes the indigenous deities ('Shu' on rathang or the
Shu Republic) who rule and run the ethnic communities' administration, as well as the development administration and democratic set-up, from
Panchayat upwards.
It is based on actual field research of the public activities of the Shu Republic in 15 deshang
or villages of Kinnaur, as well as the U-Khyang and Dhang-U-Khyang, i.e. In some deshang, there is a flower festival and a Dakhrain festival. It describes numerous architectural patterns of native residential buildings and provides more than a glance into their administrative set-up, customary rules, and customs with regard to the deshang
P.S. Negi Loktus, IAS (retd), is a Himachal Pradesh native who grew up in the Trans-Himalayan District of Kinnaur. He served as Principal Secretary to the
Government of Himachal Pradesh in areas such as Culture and Language and Education during his time in the lAS.
She is the author of a book that was released in 2015.
