Leaves in the Sky, prescribed reading for the Generic Elective Course in English (Choice Based Credit System) of the Himachal Pradesh University, aims to introduce students to literature embedded in the subsoil of Himachal Pradesh and to kindle interest in the further exploration of its yield. An anthology of oral literature, short stories and poems from Himachal Pradesh, this textbook offers a bird’s-eye view of the traditional and contemporary literary and cultural expressions of the State. The texts have been selected for their appeal and relevance to the present times and cover a diverse range of intersecting issues and themes, ranging from life in the hills, to ritual practices and beliefs, folk genres, masculinities and women’s issues, livelihoods and the environment, and the unassailable human spirit. In this sense, the textbook may be viewed as a gateway to many pleasurable and insightful journeys into the
experiential vistas of Himachal.