For India’s newest, most cherished and most desired Union Territory the path to destiny was never easy and short. It took not less than seven decades to realise the dream of self-governance, self-esteem, honour and dignity.
Two and half years after donning a new, long awaited, identity on the map of India, a possibly unintended clash of interest -between the individual and the region -is emerging as a potential stumbling block in realising full potential of this Himalayan Union Territory.
How Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and other areas came to together over a century and half ago is a long story to tell on some other occasion but how August 5, 2019 events produced two twins is interesting to note.
A State with special constitutional position and pampered over the decades by regimes in New Delhi, some powerful political sections in Jammu and Kashmir always wanted something evening bigger than that -a State with ‘Greater Autonomy, a State with ‘Self Rule’, a State with ‘achievable nationhood’ etc. In the end, this prolonged anarchy and refusal to respect the established administrative structures, Jammu and Kashmir lost whatever it had. A Union Territory for last two and half years, now people in Jammu and Kashmir are learning to engage with the new system.
On the contrary, for Ladakh, the Union Territory came as a boon, an answer to prayers accumulated over the decades, a tributes to those who struggled for honour and dignity of the Ladakhi people.
Having the Ladakhi dream honoured by the Constitution of India, it is time for building a great society, a great community, great infrastructure, great human resource, great administrative entity and finally a great Ladakh. Ladakh could become great only if the region’s interests are allowed to reign supreme over the individual narrow interests. This is how great societies are built for the future generations to take pride in.
More often than not, one comes across very strange criticism or complaints which don’t reflect the Ladakhi ethos and cultural values. Take for example, the criticism of why a cop from Indore was invited to skill up the Ladakhi cops for better traffic management. The criticism goes as low as to question the hospitality offered to him. Wasn’t he a guest of Ladakh?
Popularly known as dancing cop, Ranjit Singh is a celebrity for his skills who has been admired across the country. State governments and municipal administrations across different parts of country have often invited him for benefit of the local cops. He was in Ladakh to inspire and build capacities. Why not to say thanks to him and to those who invited him -that would only be reflective of the Ladakhi ethos.
In its early stage, it is very important to have this internal conversation in Ladakh and ask a question to ourselves –are there some people, here and there, who are making Ladakh another Kashmir? Sporadic questions broadly bordering around ‘insider-outsider’, have a typical Kashmir flavour for which the society had to pay heavy price.
Import of resources, techniques, technologies, experiences and knowledge is bedrock of development in modern societies eager to make a mark of their own.
Recently, some questions have been raised in Kargil on hiring of Architects who, it is alleged, or not the locals. When a couple of architects, who did not get the opportunity of empanelment, put this question out on the social media, a number of commentators jumped in to say that only Ladakhi Architects should have been empaneled. Is this how a ‘Great Ladakh’ is going to be built?
A number of distinguished Ladakhis have contributed enormously at leading positions in Jammu and Kashmir and several parts of country. Notable Ladakhis have represented India abroad as diplomats, for example. Thousands of Ladakhis have potential of leading in bureaucracy, security, academia and many other walks of like in other states and also at national level. Would they then not like the merit to be preferred over the ‘localness’?
On this issue of empaneling architects, a closer examination suggests one of the four locals, who applied, and five of the 12 ‘outsiders’, who applied were reportedly hired on a well laid down eligibility criteria. Why should anyone force the larger Ladakhi society to perceive any sort of discrimination against the locals.
So, the end product, in terms of architectural or engineering advice, has to be seen as how Ladakh, as a region, is benefitted, and not how a few individuals. The individuals whether architects, doctors, engineers, so on and so forth, will always have chance of working, earning and contributing their best to Ladakh as long as the merit and eligibility favours them.
The elders in the Ladakhi society, particularly those who have sacrificed their comforts to achieve the dream of Union Territory, must leverage their influence over the society to build trust. As a new administrative unit in its infancy, Ladakh will need wide range of support, in terms of resources and talent, from across the country. A regressive ‘outsider-insider’ campaign on the lines of Kashmir, will eventually do harm to the society. One must also remember that no one anywhere in the country would like to leave her or his comfort just for coming to Ladakh to trample upon the rights of locals.
As Ladakh organizes itself into a new administrative entity, it is the regional interest that should reign supreme and not the individual. An architect’s or a doctor’s or a engineer’s desire of getting an assignment is personal while a great road, a great building or a great hospital is for making Ladakh great. Once Ladakh is great, everyone will have a greater chance of better things in life.
