Mamta Kalia

enterprising elements with more capital
organisation and political patronage at
their disposal. They suddenly began to
feel like strangers in their native land.
Not only this, a large section of
Uttarakhand’s population, children,
youth and adults, found itself being drawn
to large and medium towns outside. While
the common people began seeking
domestic jobs and work as coolies, peons,
watchmen etc.; the educated section
sought clerical and similar other work.
Only a few persons with higher education
could be absorbed in high government
jobs and other professions with high
income.
In this way, in the decades after
independence, processes of disruption
of Uttarakhand’s traditional economic
and social system, which had started
during the British rule, gathered
momentum. But the process of
reconstruction of the economic structure
and the society which should have gone
on side by side in the post-independence
period was palpably slow. Because of
corruption and red-tapism it also lacked
popular support and also was wanting
in its concern for the people. In other
words, the security the common people,
particularly the women were assured of
in the traditional system because of their
collective rights and integrated and
cohesive community life, got destroyed
with this disruption of the old pattern.
The community rights were snatched
away by heartless government
departments on the one hand, and by
the newly rich class emerging strongly
out of road building, forest based
enterprises, hotels, horticulture etc. on
the other.
These negative developments through
their disruptive effect on the peoples’
life have given rise to this anger,
discontent, sense of insecurity and dissent
that has made local sentiment and
consciousness so explosive.
When we talk of basic changes in
the traditional structure we should
remember that because of its geographical
position, Uttarakhand’s economic, social
and cultural relations with neighbouring
hill countries like Nepal, Tibet, etc. were
closer than with the plains within the
country. Not only that, the entire Terai
area provided work to its working people
during the winter months when economic
activities in the hills were at a low ebb.
Tibet’s incorporation into China and
deterioration in India-China relations,
increased vigilance and restrictions on
traditional exchanges on India-Nepal
border coupled with resettlement of the
Punjab refugees in the Terai area leading
to decline in the job opportunities for
the hill people; all these negative factors
had their ill effect on their lives. The
prosperous Bhotia community was pushed
into a state of penury because of this
disruption. Similarly, the transport of
goods by trucks from one place to another
rendered unemployed thousands of
traders and porters who had been engaged
in hauling of goods on mules or on their
heads.
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