Question

1. Read the passage given below.
I got posted in Srinagar in the 1980s. Its rugged mountains, gushing rivers and vast
meadows reminded me of the landscapes of my native place the Jibhi Valley in
Himachal Pradesh. Unlike Srinagar that saw numerous tourists, Jibhi Valley remained
clouded in anonymity. That's when the seed of starting tourism in Jibhi was planted. I
decided to leave my service in the Indian Army and follow the urge to return home.
We had two houses - a family house and a traditional house, which we often rented out. I
pleaded with my father to ask the tenant to vacate the house so that I could convert it into a
guesthouse. When my family finally relented, I renovated the house keeping its originality
intact, just adding windows for sunlight.
TIL
I still remember the summer of 1992 when I put a signboard outside my first guesthouse in
Jibhi Valley! The village residents, however, were sceptical about my success. My business
kept growing but it took years for tourism to take off in Jibhi Valley. Things changed
significantly after 2008 when the government launched a homestay scheme. People built
homestays and with rapid tourism growth, the region changed rapidly. Villages turned into
towns with many concrete buildings. Local businesses and tourists continued putting a
burden on nature.
IV.
Then, with the 2020-21 pandemic and lockdown, tourism came to a complete standstill in
Jibhi Valley. Local people, who were employed at over a hundred homestays and
guesthouses, returned to their villages. Some went back to farming, some took up pottery
and some got involved in government work schemes. Now, all ardently hope that normalcy
and tourism will return to the valley soon. In a way, the pandemic has given us an
opportunity to introspect, go back to our roots and look for sustainable solutions.
V
For me, tourism has been my greatest teacher. It brought people from many countries and
all states of India to my guesthouse. It gave me exposure to different cultures and
countless opportunities to learn new things. Most people who stayed at my guesthouse
became my repeat clients and good friends. When I look back, I feel proud, yet humbled at
the thought that I was not only able to fulfill my dream despite all the challenges, but also
1​

Answer 1

A brief and comprehensive paragraph is given below.

Explanation:

• The author was an army soldier in the 1980s but soon after getting posted in Srinagar he decide to pursue his dream.
• After resigning from his post, he returned back to his village named Jibhi valley and opened a guesthouse.
• When tourism flourished in the late 20th century, his guesthouse became the center point for many tourists.
• However, due to the pandemic, tourism vanished and the author still hopes that when the pandemic is over the tourists will return back to this beautiful place.