Kumaon is an interesting place in an interesting way. Though situated high on hills itself, offering breathtaking scenery and unforgettable memories to come back with, it primarily offers a loci of vantage points, from where one gets to see the panoramic views of distant located hills and peaks. In other words, Kumaon is a beautiful place that draws your attention towards other beautiful places.
Not in Monsoon though. The views are shrouded by dense clouds that refuse to go away, leaving Kumaon rather introspective, to be enjoyed in its purity and solitude. The long walks, for those who enjoy walking, is blissful, among the peaceful noise of birds and waterfalls. Once you have enough of a place, you move on to another.
Provided the roads are clear. The landslides are lesser scourge in Kumaon than in Garhwal, but frequent enough to play a spoilsport.
Coming to spoilers, for a regular traveler, it doesn't take much (except traveling) to be convinced that natural disasters (including landslides, which are virtually man-made) don't hold a candle to the onslaught of capital. The surplus income of NCR is being pumped into the region in order to spoil develop the area, with a frenzy reminiscent of a Dalal Street afternoon. Consequently, natives are being bought by hook or crook and trees are being sold, only to be felled in order to clear the land for mushrooming resorts and vacation homes. The whole thing, apart from being outrageous, is utterly ridiculous. At the end of the day, in those damned vacation homes, one urban bastard will have another urban bastard as his neighbor. What will remain in what used to be a Kumaon is an extension of NCR. What else could be worse?
No wonder Kumaon is far from what it used to be in the charming stories of Yashpal. The quaintness and the mystery is thing of past. NDTV is trying to "save the hills". Perhaps we want the same. But we have to do more. The next time your friend buys a plot in hills, don't say congrats, say damn you!
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I have no doubt in my mind that 15 August 1947 was the most unfortunate day in the modern history of India.
The last thing I intend to do is to shock anyone. Look around you and you'll see for yourself, unless you want to be blind. Whatever good has happened in last 100 years in India, it happened well before freedom. Whatever we have of any worth today is whatever we had been given by British, from sewage system to railways. After that, it's a story of betrayals and tragedies, beginning with the division of the subcontinent, followed by mass exodus and relentless riots, which many believe could have been avoided or at least contained. Far from avoiding it, we expedited the division in the name of independence.
I can't imagine any other country that celebrates its bifurcation the way we do, in the name of independence. And what independence? I don't think we are very independent, politically, economically or culturally. I don't think we are particularly free either. Yes, perhaps we are free to mock at at our representatives and leaders, but who wanted this type of freedom anyway?
Despite divide and rule policy, which couldn't have been a success without our support anyway, they managed to integrate us into a nation. We could have done better than going back to square one. They gifted us democracy when they left, and we degraded it into Indian Democracy. And this adjective - Indian - has nothing to be proud of. if it's "Made in India", it has to be mediocre.
I have no doubt that a British subject had more access to justice than an Indian citizen. And he had more dignity and much more opportunities. We never deserved independence, or democracy, or even the light bulb. How can we understand democracy if we don't understand the concept of queue, if we don't have basic civic sense! Not yet! No wonder we are where we are!
Today we stand squarely defeated, from Kashmir to Kerala, and we are not even good enough to play for pride. Today, after 65 years of independence, millions of Indians are living outside India for better living and they don't want to come back, unless they can buy a little US for themselves here in India. Thousands are lining up in foreign consulates for visas. And most of those who can't escape feel trapped, imprisoned by borders, and they dream to break away from this prison at first chance that comes by.
And why not? Those who can make choices repeatedly choose West for education and medical needs, including those shameless bastards who have been ruling India for decades. They can't accord minimal respect to the institutions they have built and controlled. What scam can be bigger than this - Mr Gandhi studying in a college in UK or Mrs Gandhi flying to US for her treatment! What breaking news could be more sensational! You won a world cup and your cricketer can't be treated here! It's like getting a designer hairdo while your bottom is bare.
I don't want to lay everything down on the mat. I think I have said enough. Persuasion was not my agenda anyway.
Despite divide and rule policy, which couldn't have been a success without our support anyway, they managed to integrate us into a nation. We could have done better than going back to square one. They gifted us democracy when they left, and we degraded it into Indian Democracy. And this adjective - Indian - has nothing to be proud of. if it's "Made in India", it has to be mediocre.
I have no doubt that a British subject had more access to justice than an Indian citizen. And he had more dignity and much more opportunities. We never deserved independence, or democracy, or even the light bulb. How can we understand democracy if we don't understand the concept of queue, if we don't have basic civic sense! Not yet! No wonder we are where we are!
Today we stand squarely defeated, from Kashmir to Kerala, and we are not even good enough to play for pride. Today, after 65 years of independence, millions of Indians are living outside India for better living and they don't want to come back, unless they can buy a little US for themselves here in India. Thousands are lining up in foreign consulates for visas. And most of those who can't escape feel trapped, imprisoned by borders, and they dream to break away from this prison at first chance that comes by.
And why not? Those who can make choices repeatedly choose West for education and medical needs, including those shameless bastards who have been ruling India for decades. They can't accord minimal respect to the institutions they have built and controlled. What scam can be bigger than this - Mr Gandhi studying in a college in UK or Mrs Gandhi flying to US for her treatment! What breaking news could be more sensational! You won a world cup and your cricketer can't be treated here! It's like getting a designer hairdo while your bottom is bare.
I don't want to lay everything down on the mat. I think I have said enough. Persuasion was not my agenda anyway.
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Teachers day is basically a birthday of a gentleman who was knighted in 1931 and ceased to use his title after independence. If he teaches anything to us, it has to be expediency.
I would imagine this day to be in honor of someone in the league of Buddha, Chanakya, Gandhi, or even Tagore who left a wealth of knowledge to us. But unlike Radhakrishnan, they were not buddies of Nehru, whose birthday is called children's day for reasons only a congress-man could guess. Nehru wanted the Sir be the 1st president of India so that they could do their pseudo-intellectual chit-chat in their colonial palaces. By the way, his choice for party president was Rajgopalachari, another anglicized gentlemen who was perfect for drawing-room chit-chat. Sadly, both these guys were rejected by the party, to the chagrin of Nehru. But that's a different story.
However, this is the only day dedicated to our teachers. Let me use the occasion to express my gratitude to the people who made me what I am today.
1. My parents, who allowed me to disobey them.
2. Master Moinuddin, who said I was a good boy.
3. Vijay Kumar Mathur, who taught me that you got to do what you got to do.
4. Pratyush Singh, who made me believe that ghosts blink when you stare them into their eyes.
5. Rajesh Kumar, who showed me why martial art is an art and not a sport.
