Mamta Kalia

considerable “reverse flow”, that is, a
tendency to utilize their earnings made
and skills acquired outside for the benefit
of the home State. But in Uttarakhand
in the absence of any infrastructure,
that is, professional institutions and other
facilities required for a civilized existence,
there is no such tendency discernible
among its emigrants. Of official or other
institutional encouragement and support
in seeking avenues for progress within
the region, there is, of course, practically
nil.
I myself feel very much ashamed
in admitting that although I have worked
to the best of my ability in the field
of social sciences in Calcutta and Delhi
and also got recognition nationally and
abroad, I have made no contribution
in research work relating to
reconstruction and development of
Uttarakhand. I also feel ashamed that
Digoli village where I was born and which
has produced a number of talented
personalities who have earned fame in
education, administration and other fields
has not received anything by way of
contribution in its development from
these people. I had once been made
aware of this bitter truth by an economist
in Georgia. He had said that he had
grown with his village and its entire
community. On his asking I had to admit
that my growth is no index of the progress
of my village and my area, but has perhaps
been at its expense. No national progress
at the cost of local progress can ever
be stable. Howsoever great be the
contribution of Uttarakhand’s
intelligentsia in the national progress,
its staying aloof from Uttarakhand’s
problems and its indifference to
development of the region not only
testifies to its incompleteness, and
deficiency of achievement but is also
a great tragedy at the national level.
It will be a mistake to believe that
the source of all hurdles in building
up and development of Uttarakhand is
outside and consists in the region’s
exploitation by the selfish external
elements only. The truth is that the
hill society’s internal hurdles also are
so formidable that they have prevented
it from benefiting from the facilities and
opportunities offered in the wake of
independence and specially by the Five
Year Plans. Uttarakhand’s high caste and
class educated community has always
sought security and respectability in
government service and not in technical
education and new enterprises and
professions which help in economic
development. Its sense of status
superiority, kulinta, and caste
consciousness have not been confined
to social relations and categories.
Professions and employment have also
been affected by them. The talented
educated class has always been averse
to taking up any work involving physical
labour or risk. It is because of this
mentality that the emergence of a new
enterprising and virile class which has
been the mainspring of economic
revolution and modernisation
April-June 2010 :: 45