Category Archives: Dehradun- Views from the valley

Paralyzed in Paradise

At times you capture moments, at others, in certain moments you remain captured,

Lying contentedly in your comfort zone(paradise), with your willingness all fractured.

Captivated by the hollow satisfaction derived from the stillness in our lives we diminish our own capabilities. Satisfied with what we have, we fail to stretch beyond accepted norms and maximize our full potential, Our vision of looking beyond into the brilliance that the future beholds is obstructed by the dazzling drop, which fools us into believing that it is the absolute that life has to offer.

It is very easy to miss out on progression, by allowing oneself to drift in the admiration of universal splendor.  Although I am perpetually marveling at the splendor of the Himalayan valley that I call home, at times I do pause and question my relationship with the town.  Does this paradise create me or do I create the paradise that it appears to be?

“If we weren’t but voyagers in spirit, our lives wouldn’t be as ephemeral as they are.”

Contentment is subjective, some of us want to rule the world others are satisfied with the little loaf of bread. While some don’t understand their potential others mould their goals as per their comfort zones. For some, the paradise keeps recreating itself and amplifying its splendor, while others are captivated with the little that they have, these are the ones who are paralyzed.

No matter how beautiful your life, it deserves to get better, it is just you who gets to decide if you want to break the shackles or stay paralysed in paradise. If you happen to look beyond  and manage to overcome the cohesive forces preventing you from breaking free, you will be able to conjure a better life form for yourself. This is typically true for the ones who are satisfied with little things. Overcoming the inertia is typically difficult for the ones attached to their comfort zones.

A pristine valley, embracing the Himalayas on all sides, house a panoply of adroit polymaths who are paralysed in this paradise. The valley is like a sinkhole, keeping all these highbrows glued to it as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist.  Same is the case with most towns, the people are so content with their little satisfactions that they don’t want to dream big. As a result people are dishonouring their true potentials.

We all have the capability to change where we lack is in the will, we forsake our infinite potential for the evanescent thrills,

Gaping at the grandeur of our surrounding we stand mesmerised, while the world is in need of edification we can provide, we stand still in paradise, paralysed.

Small Town Girl

“Its inside me and I am inside it” Ben Sharp does justice to my state of inebriation with this inimitable heaven on earth that I call Home. The magnificence of my valley is resonated in each and every one of its residents. Just like any other small town every eye sparkles with infinite dreams, every smile conducts the warmest vibe, every soul genuinely cares and every hand munificently shares. Although I might sound delusional but this is what I grew up seeing. Yes vices crept in but the overall balance still tilts towards the good side.

My small town helps me depict its beauties through its beauty. This may even sound true for the small town girls from all round the world.

 “At times she is timid like the gentle streams cascading through colossal stones, at others she is the resolute queen to this mountainous throne .

The elegance in her visage exemplifies the freshness of the air she breathes, her idiosyncrasies distinct to the little world that she has seen.

Her calm demeanor resonates the stillness of the aesthetic landscape around, The natural grace transcends her soul, making it more profound.

Her smile, like the bright sunshine, makes you want to write songs about it,  The divinity in her countenances, makes you feel their wouldn’t be no world without it.

At times more meaningful than stories, at others as naive as a child, Sparkling like a diamond in the sky, a comet leaving a trail of smiles behind.

But then my brains creative curry reveals traces of information which make me worry, The lustre of virtue, enveloped with hedonism, is getting blurry, as my immaculate depiction gets tainted in a hurry.

With fates entwined, the celestial beauties and their exalted hamlets are being inspired by the plastic-city and bigger towns, Thought contamination and unprecedented pollution are consequences, letting our unembellished heritage down.

But once in a while I do find that invigorating smile which makes me realize that the Small Town and Small Town Girl still survives.

“One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.”

“One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude.”

It is only wen one rids himself of all worldly logic that he nears a state conducive to creation. Creativity has its origins in the soul so the heart and mind only have a supportive role in its being.  The sanctity of the soul is a reflection of the serenity of your surroundings.

Dwelling in the cradle of the Himalayas, one cant help but be mesmerized by their aesthetic magnanimity and marvel  at their mythical magnificence.  The eternal peace reflected in every calming gust and the purity in every trickle of pristine water cascades through to the virtuous residents.

Where better to be than the land of Gods? What better to do than to gape endlessly at the brilliant landscape which surrounds you? The environment endows its inhabitants with contentment, enough to last them for 10 lifetimes. It inspires people to embrace solitude and the solitude inspires them to innovate forming an infinite loop of creative art, solace and inspiration. But only the ones who can comprehend the allusions of their environment are rewarded with this peace and tranquil.

Far from the madding crowd, you get inspired ,

Immune from big cities so loud, you get inspired.

Birds flying at the speed of sound, you get inspired,

Big dreams with feet on the ground, you get inspired.

Inspiration is available all around us, we just have to mold our perception to notice it. The muse can show up in your dreams or when you eat, it can come along in the most awkward times, but its up to you to make the most of it.

You need not leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. You need not even listen, simply wait, just learn to become quiet, and still, and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet

 The mountains educate me on stillness, the forests teach me how to be quiet and the cascading rivers show me the benefits of solitude through the path they create for themselves. The environment around me unmasks itself in unique forms every moment, by doing so, it fuels my creativity and adds to my paradigm significantly. 

Taking the dip

Being Human- Choosing people over places

ImageResources have to be made available for people to learn to adapt to them. In the past, people traveled by foot to major cities to get their hands on better seeds and fertilizers. The ones who took the pains, fared way better than the ones who dint, even if they ploughed their fields better and worked harder.

As progression refined us, we started moving to bigger cities for learning our trade with complicated machines, which guaranteed better jobs. The ones who stayed back in their smaller hometowns had fewer opportunities and hence lesser development.

As technology expands the digital dance floor, participants from the remotest of places are presented with an opportunity to boogie with the big league. Technology has essentially balanced the playing field by providing a ready-made stage for each and every one of us. Small towns no longer need to lose their resources to the big city lights as technology has brought everything to our doorstep.

Men have been travelling for better food and facilities since ages. A wandering lifestyle has been harsh and led to instability. The trend continues with talented professionals having to leave their houses for better prospects, without realizing how badly the instability induced by frequently changing co-ordinates has eroded their working efficiency. The process of travelling and adapting to an alien city has multiple implications, both conscious and sub-conscious (these would need another blog or two to cover).

By bringing latest resources to smaller towns humans have helped themselves in more ways than one. Firstly, resources are now available for those dedicated and passionate people whose skills were being wasted because of the lack of proper infrastructure. Secondly, the stress and time wastage on travel and traffic in a bigger city can only be explained by someone who has lived through the horror. A smaller town is considerably immune to these evils; this lets the workforce focus their attentions on actual work. People who travel to bigger cities leave behind a trail of friend, family, worries and insecurities in their hometown. This leads to overall anxiety, which Is nullified if they are provided with similar facilities in their homecity.

A valley with a variety of talent

Dehradun is the capital of Uttrakhand, which is dubbed the land of Gods. It is the coming together of varied geographies and psychologies. The intermixing of the holy Himalayas and the flourish fields of the plains is in coherence with amalgamation of the respective traits, imbibed in the personalities of residents of this region. We find a distinct calmness rendered to us by the shadow of the Himalayas and strict professional discipline gifted to us by our farming forefathers. The freshness and purity of the surrounding is also reflected in the clarity of thought that ‘Doonites’ posses.

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George Harrison signified the mentality of the residents of our town in his song title Dehradun “See them move along the road in search of life divine. Beggars in a goldmine”.  Dehradun boasts of being one of the top primary education cities in one of the top primary education country. As a result our town churns out invaluable resources of intellectual and creative talent every year. This coupled with the aesthetic serenity and natural clarity of thought makes it a goldmine. Till now the talent pool found the platform of a suburban town too small to display their skills and felt that they were beggars as compared to people in bigger cities. But, as technology erases borders, your co-ordinates become irrelevant as compared to your guile and skill. The outreach of technology has helped large companies engage intellectual resources from remote places.

In-sync with the Calming surroundings

Life, after running a full circle, has become human centric again. Now big cities don’t guarantee professionalism and efficient work. People from small cities carry bigger dreams; they have larger appetites and are more willing to sacrifice in order to succeed.

Technological progress offers local talent opportunities to accomplish their dreams from the comforts of their own nests. This has lead to a more efficient workforce for local companies. This has not gone unnoticed with the Government offering support to companies in small cities like Dehradun.

 Image“While big cities reach saturation, the lack of innovation indicates that they are bound to crash with a thud,

Unexpectedly small towns springing with technological support, offer new hope, like lotus’s growing in the mud. “

Do let me know what you feel about the role of technology in propagating small towns and how small towns are contributing to this domain as well?