By: SANJAY VERSAIN
Before I get to the point let me write a few lines about a couple of incidents that can make a deep impact in the respective areas, to support my view.
We all are aware of the fight going on in the Himachal cricket association. And we all are aware that we have a world-class cricket stadium at Dharamsala (I mean it can be), which is claimed to be built by one faction of HPCA. Now the other faction, seeing that they won't be able to control the stadium, has announced to set up an international cricket stadium in Shimla, grander than the Dharamsala one, and the govt is backing them. The work at the D'sala stadium has come to a halt and all contractors have fled. The reality being that no state in India has two international cricket stadiums as the BCCI recognizes only one international stadium in one state. Now, I ask you people – is this madness bearable? If the govt is so interested in promoting sports why cant it allot 15 crore (the budget for the Shimla stadium) for the Shilaru (near Shimla) high altitude athletics center? The point is – the state is suffering due to cheap politics being played out there.
Recently, a story was in a newspaper that Mahashwar Singh (former Raja of Kullu) is holding a conclave of all local gods on the behest of Jamlu Devta to let the Devtas decide whether to let the international ski resort come up in Kullu Valley. I wonder what impact this story would make when it is read in the morning. Perhaps, no serious investor would ever turn towards Himachal thinking us to be some prehistoric tribe. I have all respect for the Devtas, but perhaps help can be sought from them in matters other than politics. I question you people – for how long can we bear this parochial attitude?
I had always been saying that we all should get together to act as a pressure group not to let the govt compromise the future of the state, without being political watchdogs or taking sides. The Clubinfonet (a Yahoogroup of Himachalis world over) has more than 300 members and there are similar other groups; I am sure together at this moment we as net activists number something around 1000, which is a good number to act as a deterrent. Remember, a PIL by a single person forced the CPS and other parliamentary secretaries in the state to resign.
Suggestion:
Whatever we discuss here can be processed into meaningful and relevant information according to the topic being discussed. The info can be written in the form of an article, newsletter or just an info brochure. Once it is ready it would be release on the group for all readers to real and take out a single printout. These printouts can be posted to our respective villages or towns by each one of us individually, to be pasted in a public place, library, wall or anywhere it can be read. I am sure it won't cost us more than a few rupees each every month, except for the effort required to appoint a volunteer in our respective village or town.
As a journalist I am ready to bear the responsibility of processing the raw data and I am sure there are others too who would be too happy to volunteer.
