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A beautiful View from my Home
Kaafal |
Ten years ago, when I was visiting my village in Pauri district of Garhwal region, there was a lot of excitement. I was a kid then. I had my uncle’s marriage to attend. Excitement was more because of the various pahadi(ethnic) dishes and fruits I got to eat in the village. Cold water from the roots of Banjh(a high altitude tree), Kaafal and hinsar(kinds of wild fruit), nuts, and many other things that my grandmother used to prepare for us children. It was fun to see various types of house architect, to see my grandmother milking our cow or to see the customs of a garhwali wedding. We had to walk a small distance from road to reach our home in village. Taking all the cows to grasslands for feeding above village with my uncle was another adventure for me. All the family members (I must tell you, we have a very big family with Grandmother, Grandfather, my mother-father, six uncles, some married, around ten small brothers and sisters. At that time, my great grand mother was still alive.) used to sit in the veranda for long hours after dinner. Talking and laughing at various events when they all were children. Grandfather telling the story of how their marriage took place. And many more stories including folk tales of the region.
Me with my Dadi |
But, alas, road now comes just to the gate of my home.!! 😦 Now, we don’t have to walk. Those small streams of cold water are dead. Jungles are burning so no Kaafal, hinsar or anything else. Monkeys have made a permanent home in our village. (There was none ten years ago. They destroy all kind vegetation they can found.) There are only five people living in the village. All my uncles are out for jobs. People are leaving village. Old house structures are ruining. As one of the best known artist of Garhwal, Shri Narendra S. Negi puts it, “houses in villages are being used by lizards and cockroaches”.
My Village (most of it hidden within trees) |
Its good to have development but at what cost!!! Don’t you think, its time to start a sustainable development. We have to save our villages, if we want to grow cities. Self sustained villages are a necessity. I really want to go back in that old village where everybody lives in harmony. May that time comes back again.