A Himalayan town

“It grows wild here, we also cultivate it and reap the fibers from this plant which we call Rambaans,” Gopal the local youth of Kotdwar shows us his white swanky sun hat. Well these are a fashionable lot with their pristine white hats , I think, till I get to see the agaves plants and the fibers extracted from it. Go pal’s agaves fiber hat is a sure winner.

Nestled in the western Himalayas near the pilgrim town Rishikesh is the sleepy town called Kotdwar. Best way to travel there is to take a taxi ride and enjoy the scenery and the winding roads, which lead to the enchanting town with its green expanse of trees , lianas and shrubs. When the hot summers hit the plains of India it is great to spend a few days in places like Kotdwar and relax amongst the Himalayan greens. Friendly people chatting away over hot cups of tea by the roadside and monkeys greeting you on the streets as you drive from Dehradun, the capital city of Uttaranchal , is a common sight.

Kotdwar does not have many opportunities for men and women to earn but things are slowly changing. People have learnt to use the biodiversity present in abundance to their advantage. Women co-operatives are many and they are engaged in producing local textiles from wood and fiber indigenous to their region. Nettle grass , which is another wild plant is also being used to make stoles and mufflers . The AGAVES fibers are used to make mats, paper and other parts are used to make shampoos , medicines and beer. Products are available in the market and also in cities during exhibitions and trade fairs.

As I pick up my shopping in kotdwar from little kiosks I realize how tourists can play a valuable part in a sustainable economy of the region by buying locally produced eco friendly goods. We grab at the branded mill made goods in swanky malls and pay a steep price for them when the same can be brought from a local producer. The smile on their faces is a lasting memory of a place you have helped enriched.

FODDER

Seen A half mind
which has a limited view?
Horizons yet unseen
Nourished with poverty
In a malnourished womb.

A no question mind
no mountains to conquer
No goals to attain
Living in penury
Earning its daily grain.

A mind which evokes
Pity and despair
In your mind
And mine
Every day.

As a working child
Their fate depended
on a mere meal
of curried rice, sugar
to make them free
an average being
like you and me.

WHEN CUCKOO WON'T SING

The cuckoo-song unfolds in the spring morn
When teacups clank in your kitchen shelf
For your early morning walk the dogs bark
It’s the day when you don’t hear the skylark

When pigeons come out of their holes
And electric wires are tangled with kites
When the bell jangles in temples for prayers
It’s the day when the lake water dries.

With a cloth you swipe your soot filled car
Breathing the poison with the morning rain
Your bones are weary and mind agape
It’s the day song birds stop singing again.

To hear the lost world of dinos and dodos
Tiger calls, cuckoo chatter and twitter
To feel the joys of bird-songs of yore
Man! Press the button of your stereo.

Shoma
15march2006

WHAT IF ?

one fine morning
if i forget who
what, where i am
i will hope
that others remember me
maybe i will get a new identity
to look at the world anew
maybe lose some
or make some friends new

perhaps it will be
my second chance
at life and living
a gift to begin
a life from the beginning.

new challenges
will come everyday
in my mind
i will fight
come what may

one fine day
if i forget you
help me to build
our lost world blue