Shimla, Feb. 18 -- In a remarkable display of community-driven development, the youth and residents of Chiyog village, located near Shimla, have transformed a serene meadow into a thriving natural ice skating rink, achieving what successive governments had promised for years but failed to deliver.

While sports infrastructure in Himachal Pradesh has largely stagnated, and state-backed projects like the proposed all-weather rink in Shimla remain mired in bureaucratic delays, the people of Chiyog chose a different path.

Undeterred by the lack of state support, local apple growers, farmers, and young volunteers pooled their resources, creating a world-class (30x60 metre) natural ice rink nestled amidst dense deodar forests.

The initiative wa...