But as dead bodies of young Jawans started coming in we realised they were all recruits who did not deserve to die so young

AMITABH SRIVASTAVA , SR.JOURNALIST

Disturbing visuals of family members of five young men from Uttarakhand, three sisters in one case performing their last rites, village elders of one Jawan pledging to take care of their family the children,wife and mother in another case, turn my stomach!
24 years after the formation of the hill state known as Dev Bhoomi was this the first option of the young brave hearts? Not really!
Those who had the means have either settled abroad or are working in high profile jobs in Delhi and elsewhere.
Proves that talent was never the issue with the people of this hilly state born in 2000.
The intent and competence of the leadership and bureaucracy was.
When I joined as HT Correspondent in Dehradun in 1998 the usual talk was about money order economy and how a new state would change everything.
In practical terms it meant that residents, mostly the elderly, widows of martyrs or family members were dependent on the postman to deliver money orders from the men who had migrated for jobs elsewhere but mostly to the Army.
So an image was deliberately built up of the Army being the biggest job provider and people being ‘proud’ of serving the country even with their life.
On January 1,2000 then Chief Minister Nityanand Swamy offered to send me literature of how much progress Uttarakhand had made under his stewardship within three months.
I asked him to give me employment figures of the youth which never came because that was not their priority.
Diversion in the form of making Gairsain the capital proved handy. Dehradun, till date remains temporary capital.
Initially when we started witnessing the IMA passing out parade in Dehradun the atmosphere was electric. There was laughter, throwing up of caps and much show off at the Graduation ceremony.
But as dead bodies of young Jawans started coming in we realised they were all recruits who did not deserve to die so young.
Even today when you look carefully at the faces of young martyred widows or elderly parents receiving state honour their faces are white and blank with the shock and unspeakable grief whatever speeches they have rehearsed for the occasion.
I don’t like it.

Amitabh Srivastava is a veteran journalist who worked with Hindustan Times, Evening News for decades. The views in the above article are his personal.