Norah Richards House Andretta

"Such an eye soothing place to visit. You can sit here and enjoy the vibes. Good place to chill for around 2 hours. Less people visit it so it is perfect for art lover tourists.
No ticket required."

vimal mishra

"Such a pretty mix of Indian way of building and english structure. Well maintained and the views are just amazing. Would visit again"

jyoti kaushal

"Peaceful place
Religion

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NORAH RICHARDS AND HER RETREAT AT
ANDRETTA                            By K .L. Vaidya

The village of Andretta would not have shot into prominence, had Norah Richards not favored it as her choice of abode. Andretta. with a close sylvan background, nestles like an oasis of beauty in the open Kangra Valley with snow-capped ranges of the Dhauladhar around it. The village may be said to be gifted in so far as its solitude is concerned but the solitude does not bear the brunt of doomed silence; it is a lively manifestation of a Yogi in meditation. The surroundings are mystic. succinctly captivating the mood of the visitor in such a steadfast way that the imprint left on his mind is permanent. The reminiscences whenever these strike one's mind are vitalizing; when one is off the land, he is not off its maidenly beauty. An artist or a man, who is sensitive to things of beauty will take no longer to come under the solemn spell of this land -quiet and dreamy.

The moods of the Himalayas are worth studying in all weathers and its Dhauladhar ranges-a close sight in Kangra Valley have so much to reveal.

Born n British, Norah Richards came to India in 1911 with her husband Mr. Philip Ernest Richards, the latter taking an appointment as Professor of English in the Dyal Singh College of Lahore. Having widowed in 1920, Mrs. Richards five years later settled in Kangra Valley first at Banuri and later at Andretta. It was now that Mrs. Richards became the nucleus and people with taste and talent began to gather around her .

Tolstoyan in spirit, Norah Richards was nursed by the ideas of Dr. L. P. Jacks on cultural regeneration which she felt India was destined to inaugurate. Actively associated with theatre in England, first as an amateur and then as professional, she later developed the idea of Rural Theatre to which she looked upon as a powerful means to educate the rural masses in the art of life. Herself a truly ruralite woman, her own life was a lesson in simplicity, cleanliness and beauty.

Her Woodlands Retreat in Andretta is a sanctum  which she had shaped after her ideas on rural culture. Her open-air rural theatre is still there on her estate. Besides her dramatic shows, she had for years held training courses in play-writing, play-acting and play-producing.

It was only at the age of eighty that she practically retired from the stage and turned recluse going nowbere and seeing no outsider if she could help it; but she was at home twice a year on Wisteria Day and christmas Day. In 1970 the 'Wisteria Arbour served as a lovely 'Convocation Hall' on the 29th October when tbe honorary degree of D. Litt. was conferred on her by the Punjabi University. She was enrobed in scarlet and gold under a ceiling of white Wisteria tbat hung in profusion. Prof. B.C.Sanyal, former Secretary of the Lalit Kala Academi, bad painted a symbolic portrait of Mrs. Richards in which she held a Wisteria bloom in one band and khurpa in the other symbols of beauty and work that, with her, went band-in-band.

Norah Richards passed away on March 3, 1971. It was not all of a sudden that death came to the great lady. She completed most of her projects before the end came. In a letter dated 29th December , 1964 she wrote to me; "I do not like being written about as it leads to correspondence from unknown persons, but I do want it known that there is such a place of creative activity as Woodlands -in the interest of the future when I am not here. It is difficult, of course, to separate me from Woodlands, and Woodlands from me but some day this will happen and there should be some preparation for that time. I hope to live until 1970 at least.""

Jaspal singh