By Colonel Prem Bahadur Thapa (Retd)
The late General Bipin Rawat, the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) belonged to Pauri town in Pauri Garhwal… and that is where he had decided to live after retirement. But that was not to be. A brave son of the soil perished before his dreams could be realised. It was perhaps not only his love for his ancestral homeland but greater desire to work for its development and that was lost too.
Today, our hill destinations are a scene of fast development, especially along the main arteries of communications brought about by modernisation in all walks of life. But times were when extremely difficult conditions drove many from their lands (which unfortunately continues unabated from lesser developed regions) … and tales of ‘desires and destiny’ abound aplenty. An old friend who resides in Old Dalanwala, today, went visiting his ancestral home in Pithoragarh and came back with some loosely collected mud in a small plastic jar. This was some years since his last visit but, sadly, this time around the ancestral house with living rooms and attics above was no more there and the land around it too had gone to some new owners. I chided him in jest but despite his nobler intent to remain connected somehow, that is all he could do. He had dug that mud from the very ground where his home had once stood and on, where he was born sometime in the late 1940s.
A fascinating chapter in history is invariably related with migration in search of new pastures. The lure of better opportunities elsewhere have always transcended regional and ethnic ties that were cultivated to bind a clan and families to their roots for generations through many centuries. India is no exception and our history is replete with interesting markers as to where one’s ancestors came from. I had a classmate named Persi Kerewala from then Bombay and he was a Parsi. So when I asked him if his ancestors still lived in Iran, he countered by telling me to go looking for mine in the Himalayas somewhere …and we have many Jews also living us with no such intent of going back to their promised land. These are only a few reminders and our country is a mix of many races including when invading Mughals and the British colonial rulers (with some other European nationals also) decided to stay put and gave it more colour.
Yet another town’s tale in neighboring Nepal may be no more different and occasionally one takes to visiting those ancestral haunts, also, more so to learn and look than sentiments alone. Though most of the people whom one knew are no more alive or moved elsewhere to improve their chances, many of them had stayed forced by circumstances. The changing times fortunately brought about the long awaited connectivity, which appears to have improved their prospects as never before. The village scene today is a surprising package where new ventures have given an impetus to life and living in such far-off places … and it’s a comfort that one is still welcomed, though I, too, like my friend in Dalanwala, had taken the same route to Dehradun …and a little more about it might sound interesting.
It is known as Bandipur, like any other simple but largely undeveloped village, tucked away in the remote hilly jungle of Tanahu district about 200 km west of Kathmandu with nothing but dusty foot tracks that took many days to reach. But today some simple motorable roads connect it to the outside world and the increasing footfalls of the touring generation have added luxury hotels and such like amenities, giving it a new dimension al-together. The place in fact was better known as one of the original strongholds of the Ale (Thapa) Gorkha Magars, who performed priestly duties also of the Magar Clan. Their persuasive communal ties, still regulated by their voluntary welfare committees, have perhaps helped them to find their feet, encouraging and supporting each other to stay put and rebuild their homes rather than seek uncertain futures elsewhere.
And the star attraction of that nondescript place today (besides some ancient cultural/historic sights) is the ‘Newari Bazaar’, a mall kind of shopping and eating boulevard, right in the centre of the town. The Newars are basically traders and the bazaar is no longer than 150 yards deep. It looks like a small oasis of charming old-style Newari hotel-cum-houses alongside, whose seating arrangements extend onto the lazy pathway, looking as inviting as it does in some rural Italian or Mexican front-yards perhaps with overhanging flowery vines all along. Vehicles are a no-no and it is all for walking or sitting and gossiping with whatever food or drink that takes one’s fancy … and time is not to be counted. Its added attraction is Bandipur’s Tundikhel. A table top like piece of open ground, it’s a much loved spot, not only by its inhabitants but more so by visitors. Only a bit larger than a football field, it is a heavenly ground of shrub like grass cover, kept exclusively for loitering in its quiet atmosphere and viewing the great Himalayan peaks … floating on cloud nine literally.
It may be like asking for the impossible, but the resurrection of our country-homes lies in the hands of those perhaps with greater foresight, ready to take the country-roads again; more so because…with fast changing developments the opportunities far outweigh the challenges … and General Bipin Rawat’s dream might yet be realised.
