Uttarakhand Mountains Weep and Cry .!!The Gods Are Angry.

 Calamities and pilgrim spots seem to be inextricably woven into a heady mix of tragedy .We have seen it happen over and over again –be it at Kumbh Melas ,or religious festivals in some temple town .I have myself had one of the most frightening experiences of my life while I was trapped in a multitude of millions in a small space at the temple town of Tirupati.The three of us(Sangeeta ,Pratique and me ) felt we would be flattened  thin as pages, with the pressure of people being exerted on us –and we could not move a inch  .It still remains a nightmare .The unpredictability of a disaster in a pilgrim town is no less frightening than a bomb blast by the terrorists anywhere in India .

At Hemkund Sahab.1984.

However what has happened in Uttarakhand is perhaps the saddest ,for people like me .It happened in my home state and in areas where I have trekked extensively .The names are so familiar –Ram Bada ,Govindghat ,Gaurikund ,Hemkunt Sahab ,Kedarnath ,Yamnotri ,Chopta ,Chamoli …..I remember trekking all the way from Govindghat to Hemkunt Sahab ,via Govinddham and the beautiful Valley of Flowers ,I remember travelling from Rishikesh through the “Panch Pryag “-places where major tributaries join the Ganga –Nandprayg ,Karnaprayag,Devprayag ,Rudraprayag ,Visnuprayag.I even remember spending a night at the beautiful guest house at Nandprayag becoz it had got too dark to travel .We were served lovely mutton curry by a very amiable Garhwali and I had even spoken to him in my stuttering Garhwali .!! And I also remember stopping at a dhabha at Pipalkoti and having “kadi –chawal”.It was the most tasty kadi chawal I have had in my life (and mind you ,I come from a family which has kadi chawal once a week at least ).I also remember being served the same by a very beautiful lass with brownish hair and light eyes .She had the most beautiful smile –very innocent and very captivating .I have always wanted to go back to Pipalkoti –as much for the kadi chawal as for the beautiful smile –though it is  nearly 30 years down the line now .!!Today   as Uttarakhand  tries to lurch out of the worst-ever disaster to have hit the region, with hundreds already dead and thousands other missing, heated debates have erupted over the actual cause of what the Uttarakhand chief minister dubbed ‘the Himalayan Tsunami’.

Just Short of Rudraprayag -1984!!

The administration insists that it was a natural calamity, environmentalists hold that this was a man-made disaster waiting to happen.
Torrential and unrelenting downpour, landslides and floods saw the raging waters sweep away more than 180 people and hundreds of livestock to death. More than 70,000 pilgrims have been stranded even as the Army and Air Force try to rescue them in a hostile terrain.More than 70,000  are still untraceable .
Of all the affected areas, Kedarnath is  the worst hit.This beautiful and serene temple town has been flattened  because of the  crumbling of the Kedar Dome, a glacier-like body of  rock and ice. This breaking of this enormous ‘glacier’ following the cloudburst and the eventual landslides caused a major rupture in the Charbari Lake that is situated just over 5 km from the holy temple of Kedarnath, situated at an altitude of 3600 mt.

Devprayag -confluence of the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda.

Kedarnath temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and situated near the Mandakini River in a valley of the Garhwal Himalayas, was constructed in the 8th century and folklore has it that Adi Shankaracharya oversaw the building of the shrine.I remember reaching it along with  with some boys with whom i was trekking  in the evening .It was “aarti”,time as we walked into the temple – and like soldiers who had fought a war on all fronts –we were exhausted ,we were limping and we wanted to sleep .But the “aarti’’ was uplifting .It completely washed away all the tiredness .For a young Marxist and a agnostic the question arose “Do Gods reside here?”.And for the first time –the answer was “Yes”.In the middle of the chiming of the bells and sounds of the “shanks”,I felt near God .

But today ,Kedarnath lies submerged under silt and mud .The God are angry .

Karnaprayag -confluence of Alaknanda and Pindar 

Heavy  rains have wreaked havoc and opened up its bosom to offload its fury  in the region, resulting in killer landslides.The  environmentalists,( like  Sunita Narain, and Pachauri) claim that man-made factors have added to the tragedy. The widespread and almost unregulated expansion of giant hyder-electric projects in the region, the incessant construction of roads to serve the burgeoning tourist population, and the adverse effect on the fragile ecosystem in the region due to growing human presence and pollution are the major causes for the devastation that Uttarakhand has been subjected to.It crude terms -it has been raped .

However, according to eyewitnesses huge rocks broke away from Kedar Dome after the flash floods caused by the cloudburst. These rocks, however, got stuck some distance away from the Kedarnath temple, possibly saving the holy shrine’s main structure from being demolished.

I watched with numbness on T.V ,entire stretches of motorable road just dissappear .Huge multistoried buildings collapsed like a pack of cards and unlike the ones in Mumbai –no one needs to do any cleaning up .The gushing  waters  carried away the debris leaving no signs that anything existed there .And along with the concrete ,it must have swept away the unsuspecting human beings 

Its time to spare a thought for the people of the hills who are caught in all this .Or even the pilgrims who went there from different parts of the country .I got two phone calls from friends in Jaipur who were crying because their relatives are untraceable now for a week .Dead?Swept away ?Alive ?Or living dead?The looters are also there –ripping of gold and ornaments from the dead bodies .The good people are also there –the armed forces as always are doing yeoman service .

What can we do ?At least create awareness on the social media .And though some of us may not be in physical shape to help extricate and transport the injured ,our time will come .In reconstruction .In sending financial and moral support to the people who as it is are living on the edge for most of their life .And I hope and pray that the man and his family who served us perhaps the best “kadi” –“chawal”, in Pipalkoti are safe .People with those smiles should never  frown or be in distress .Becuase those are the smiles one cant buy .At the moment –I am praying for them .And waiting to go back to my Uttarakhand which wept and cried so much -that we finally are looking at her .I am sure we will bring back the smiles .We owe it to the people there .

Remembering Gokul .!!

He was the first peon I had as a Principal .I really don’t know who selected him ,but he was there at the Railway  Guest House at Bhopal when I reached it on a hot May day in 1993 .He introduced himself as “Gokul”,and he bent and  touched my feet .I could see that he had a lot of grey in his hair and his face was terribly weather beaten .Dark furrows were evident on his cheeks and he had eyes that appeared sunk in for a man of his age .

“Kya umer hai aapkee”?(what is your age ),i asked of him .

“25 saal ka hun Sir .”

I did not ask him further questions –some people look years older than their age .The reverse is also true .Over the years ,I learnt that Gokul came from a place called Harda a District and Municipality town .It is relatively unknown but boasts of a good drainage system (developed by the British),and Lokmanya Tilak and Gandhiji had graced the town during the freedom struggle . ,It lies beyond Itarsi and  Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh .All trains on that line pass through Harda .I travelled through it a couple of times as well .
Gokul was orphaned at a very young age and managed to get into a orphanage school in Hoshangabad .He gradually moved up to become a daily wage earner and then hook onto a job in our newly opened school in the premises of the Coach Repair Workshop which was opened up by the  late Madhav Rao Scindia when he was the Railway Minister .He was married and had 2 daughters .His wife Maya Devi was a bit of a eccentric ,but tremendously hard working.

Our school did not pay the peons and the support staff well .I soon realized that the management expected us to manage from the finances that we generated ,which was really peanuts because since the  Railways  had provided us the building ,they expected us to subsidize the fees and the result was a very meager amount of revenue income .

Gokul was the hardest working man I have ever met in my life .And i have never seen a man laugh or smile so less .Whenever he smiled ,it seemed he was making a huge effort to do so .And he never ever lost his temper .He was what what Greek philosophers would term a "Stoic".The school was new ,we had lots of work to do ,there were no cars or scooters for our peons and support staff .Gokul would cycle all the way to the bank in Bazaria to deposit cheques or all the way to Lily Talkies to deliver our mail to the courier server .He would go to the market to get samosas or barfee ,as and when the staff and me demanded .He came in first and left after me when we shut the  school .Sometimes I would reach home at 8 pm and Gokul would cycle back to his home at that time .His salary in 1993 was about 700 rupees and he was hard pressed to make his two ends meet .I offered Maya Devi  a job in the school with the hope of  supplementing his income .However as I wrote –she was not very normal and one day she sat down on my chair and refused to budge insisting that she was the Principal of the school .She never returned back to work the next day .

Years passed .One day he told me he was buying a scooter rickshaw so that he could supplement his income .All he wanted was permission to leave school at 4 ,so that he could ply his scooter rickshaw  for 4 hours or so .Though my work would have suffered –I agreed .There was great fanfare as he brought his scooter rickshaw to my home and sought  my blessings .After a few months –I left Bhopal .

The new Principal ran into problems with Gokul .It is quite sad ,but this happens more often than not –the first casualities of a change  are the Principals peons ,Secretary or Driver .To that extent Principals are very small and insecure minds .Gokul was not allowed to leave school at 4 ,he was loaded with work deliberately till late hours ,and this hit his economic interests as it depended on him plying a scooter after school hours  .He was asked to leave and even accused of “politicking” with me .!!He started plying his scooter rickshaw .He phoned me up ,and even came to Jagdishpur and Jaipur to meet me .He said that he was making enough money and certainly more than what he was getting as a a meagre pay .Maya Devi had recovered and was doing a course to become a teacher .Things were looking up he told me .

He never forgot to wish me on any of  my birthdays .These days the Facebook reminds us of the birthday of our “Facebook Friends”.But how Gokul managed  to remember my birthday ,beats me .And whether i expect a call from other people or not -I expect a call from him on every birthday .I take it for granted that he will ring me up .!!

On 4^th of June ,at about 10 am my phone rang .The number blinked on it “Gokul Bhopal”.

“Sir Janmedin mubbarak”,he said .I thanked him profusely and also told him tha I expect a call from him every birthday .

“Sir aapko kaise bhool saktaah hun”.(how can I forget you).He spoke at length as to how he held me responsible for propelling him to buy a scooter rickshaw (I had given him a few thousand rupees as loan )and as to how he had reached where he had .I asked him how was he doing

“Bahut acchaa chal rahaa Sir .Ab doosra  scooter rickshaw lene ki shoach raha huh .Aur usko toh  maih “bhaadeih”,pe doonga ”.(he was thinking of buying another scooter rickshaw which he would sublet)he said with a tinge of confidence and happiness ."Aur Sir ,maineh ek chota sa ghar bhi banaa liyaa haih(he had also built a small house )Bhopal Hospital ke paas .Chola mandir se aagey "!!

“Aur Maya Devi Kaisee haih”,I enquired ,with a touch of apprehension .

“Sir who baalvadi school meih teacher  haih”!!Ha Ha !So finally Maya Devi did not have to forcibly sit on a Principals seat to become a Principal .Now she could  rightfully aspire to be one on her own! .I reminded him of the day and the incident many years back .Both of us had a hearty laugh .!!

He asked me as to when I was visiting Bhopal .I told him that whenever  I would do so ,I would get in touch with him.

“Mujhe scooter meih leneh aana Gokul”, I told him .(Come and pick me up in a scooter)

“Kahaan Sir aap to taxi  ya dostoh ki gadi meih ghoomeingeh.”(You will move around  in your friends car or a taxi ).

“Nahi –mujhe tere scooter meih bathnaah haih –taxi meih nahi. Bhopal ghomeingeh -Pir Gate ,Lal Ghati,Misrod ,TT Nagar ..........purani yaadeih .......”,I said .There was a pause from his side and then he answered

“Sir ,kab  aa raheh ho”.I could sense he was choking .I told him I would do so very soon .I also told him to try to buy a taxi next !! .I told him to move on to bigger things  .I told him that we live only once .And we should not be satisfied with our successes .He agreed ."Aaap aiyeh .Phir baat karengey"!!,he said 

Very soon ,I plan to visit Bhopal and meet Gokul who owns 2 scooter rickshaws, and his wife Maya Devi .They are no less successful than Narayan Murthy or Sacchin Tendulkar  in my eyes .Infact in many ways more successful because they have  risen from the pits .And will hopefully continue to rise .And i am looking forward to a ride in the vehicle of a man who was my first Jeeves .!! The sweaty , toiling orphan with a weather beaten face and now white hair .A man who epitomizes the spirit of "never say die".Someone who knows that surviving is the biggest challenge of living -because giving up is not a option .A bit like me !!

96.8 Per Cent -Is She Normal ?!!

She looks like the kid next door .Not too tall ,with specs and fair .She wore a white short kurta and a pair of faded jeans .She reminded me more of a girl from Miranda House (of my times –don’t know how the crowd is nowadays ),Delhi University ,than let us say from a college from a smaller town .She spoke effortless English and was amazingly up front and confident .Yes ,she is Aditi Gupta ,the girl from our school ,who topped the 12^th Board Exams with 96.8 percent marks in Humanities .She scored 100 in Psychology,99 in Political Science ,and 95 each in History ,Economics and English .

“Well done Aditi.You must be feeling really good .Thank God the hard work paid off”,I said as I greeted her into my room ,the other day .

“Actually Sir ,I never really worked that hard and I did not expect to do so well”,she replied .Thats the catch .Brilliant kids don’t work all that hard and they don’t expect to do so well because if you like something ,you don’t really feel you labored for it .How many of you feel you have worked really hard after you come out seeing a movie ?Or after you come back from a vacation ?Or after you have gone out for a 6 hour date ?None I think .Because you enjoy what you are doing .I remember  a teacher of our school in Balbharti School ,Bhopal,(where I was the Principal)  Meenakshi Maggan .We met her at a movie hall .We were entering a 3-6 , and she was exiting a 12-3 show .I still remember the movie –it was “Dilwale Dulhanian  Le Jayenge”!!.

“How is the movie Meenakshi?”,I asked .

“Sir ,I want to go back again into the hall and see it again .Aise laga ke sirf 5 minute ki hai!!”.

Yes when you do something you like doing ,then hours seem like minutes .Ramu Damodaran ,the legendary Doordarshan newsreader and one time good friend of mine hardly attended classes .We were both doing History at Delhi University .He was brilliant and could grasp the intricacies of History without putting any effort .He topped the Indian Foreign Service and is now a senior diplomat with the UN in New York .When Aditi told me that she did not put in much work and that she was not expecting good marks –she reminded me of Ramu and Meenakshi .She hardly felt the pressure of the effort and she is obviously brilliant .

“So where do you go from here”,I asked her .

“Sir I want to do law from Mumbai Law School.Though I have got into Gujerat National  Law University as well”.she replied .

“But why would you like to study in Mumbai .After all ,Ahmedabad is your hometown and GNLU is a good law school .You will have all the protection here”, quipped .

“But I want to be independent .I know I am going to  have to be on my own ,so  sooner –the better”,she said .

“Is money important for you?”.I was asking the obvious question .

“Of course it is.I want a Rolls Royce and I want Gucci bags”, she said with a smile .

“You don’t want to become a teacher”? I asked .

“No Sir”

“But why not .Is it because you wont be able to buy a Rolls Royce and Gucci bags”,I said with a smile

“No Sir ,its not about Rolls Royce or Gucci bags .I don’t like the way students behave with a teacher these days .They are very critical about them and don’t appreciate the hard work they (the teachers )put in for the students .”,she said .

“But Aditi ,let me put it this way .Maybe all teachers are not good .Some teachers will face the flak because they are not up there .And in any case everyone gets criticized –even Sachhin and Amitabh Bacchan .You cant NOT do something because it will entail criticism.”.

She smiled and said “Yes Sir ,even you were criticized when you reduced the unit tests and  held them in the afternoons.!!But Sir ,being criticized for inefficiency is different .Even the very good teachers get criticized”,she said . “And that generates negativity”.

“Do you see a future without teachers ?The computer taking over and no live teaching –only on the board with voice overs.Somebody from Harvard teaching through computers!!”,I asked .

“No Sir .The human element can and should never go out of the classrooms .The care ,the motivation ,the emotion bonding –all these are very important components of teachings .No teaching that is impersonal can ever be successful.That will not be education .That will be information”.Brilliant young girl .!!

She wants to do International law .She does not seem interested in Corporate Law or litigation .She said she enjoyed her life as a schoolgirl and she was effusive in her praise about teachers .She remembered each of the teachers who taught her from the Primary Class to Grade 12 .She thought that DPS Bopal was a great school and would never trade it for any other school in the world .

I asked her about her views on marriage .I nudged her a bit and said that life is going to be so predictable –get a good job ,marry a good and wealthy man ,have kids and go through with the 4 stages  as envisaged in the Hindu System   of life .!But she did not nod her head in agreement .

“My views on marriage obviously haven’t crystallized .I need to grow up much more to have definitive views on it .But marrying someone to give legitimacy and surname to a child is obviously not the purpose of marriage”,I let the thing pass ,though I think the society of the future will have a lot more live in relationshiops rather than relationshiops based on marriage .Good or bad is not something I am going to debate upon here ,but as a student of History and Sociology ,I feel the changes in technology and professions have made it necessary to align social systems accordingly .

I had talked with her for a long time .It was time to bid her goodbye .Before leaving my room ,I told her

“Aditi ,getting good marks and making lots of money is different from being happy .In many ways its far far easier to get marks and make lots of  money than get  happiness .I wish you happiness”. I shook hands with her .In many ways ,I was shaking hands with the future of the world .

I attended her  celebration party in a prominent hotel yesterday night in Ahmedabad .The master of ceremonies asked me to speak a few words .I spoke .But I forgot to quote what Iqbal wrote so tellingly and beautifully .I quote him

Tu Shaheen hai parwaaz hai kaam tera
Tere saamne aasmaan aur bhi hai.

(Shaheen is the mythical bird which once it takes off never comes back to the earth bcoz of its desire to search the heavens )

Keep soaring ,keep conquering ,but Aditi ,do keep coming back to your roots and friends.God bless .