An Exercise in Futility

India has tried engaging with Pakistan in various ways. Inspite of 4 bloody wars we have continuously tried to engage with our fractious neighbour. There has been 'Track 2' diplomacy, people to people contacts, cricket - where we have graciously lost as generous hosts recently, Aman ki Asha and a host of other initiatives other than the ones undertaken through official diplomatic channels.

In return we have received a cacophany of muddled signals. From well meaning civil society activists who try to equate Islamic terror with Hindutva to hard line Talibanists who argue for an intensification of aggression leading to a dismemberment of India. In between there is an ineffectual political leadership and a menacing army.

A section of people still believe that there is much in common between India and Pakistan. By and large such people are over 80 years old and have some links with undivided Punjab. Frankly, they are in a dwindling minority now. The fact is that even before partition there was very little in common between the average resident of what is now Pakistan and anyone outside North India. In particular, the commonality was really restricted to Punjab. In the intervening 65 years the neighbours have grown steadily apart. Increasing fundamentalism, Arabization and basic differences in civic society have ensured that Pakistan has taken a divergent path from India.

India too has changed especially in the last two decades. We are a young country that has little recollection of a joint heritage. Our dreams and aspirations are wedded to a globalised world and we are more linked with the Western Democracies than with the Islamic Middle East. Increasing prosperity and the lifting of millions out of poverty has created a large middle class whose main exposure to Pakistan is the periodic horror unleashed by its cohorts on innocent Indians such as in the Mumbai attacks.

So why do we need to engage with Pakistan? The fact is that there are no clear answers. Any relationship should have a mutual benefit for it to prosper. In this case it is truly hard to think of any benefit that India can get with a deeper engagement. It has often been said that one does not know whom to engage with in Pakistan. If you deal with the elected Government you have the shadow of the Army looming large over the process. Sometimes we are told that the Army is now is now on board with the engagement and then a horrific incident happens such as the beheading and mutilation of two of our armymen. Secondly, dialogue should show some progress or improvement for it proceed. With Pakistan it has always been a case of one step forward and two steps back and it has been going on for 65 years!

Perhaps there could be an economic reason for engagement. Pakistan may provide a market for Indian manufacturers and vice versa. However such a situation can only happen when there is a significant improvement in the relationship. The tail cannot wag the dog.

It may be better to simply ignore Pakistan. Active attempts to take the dialogue further are clearly not working. Perhaps the time has come to let them manage their affairs in whatever way they want and just put all engagement into a deep freeze.

Journey to the Hills and other Stories

Journey to the Hills and other Stories is the first book by Divyaroop Bhatnagar The book is a presented as a collection of short stories set in the '60s in Mussoorie, a hill station in North India. Here is a description of the time and place in which these stories are set:

Named after a Himalayan flowering bush commonly found in these hills, Mussoorie was established in the early part of the 19th Century. Largely shunned by the British aristocracy, Mussoorie society in the 19th Century comprised of English businessmen and Box Wallahs with Indian princes and wealthy merchants thrown in for good measure. Things began to change after independence in 1947. The British left and many of their larger mansions were bought by wealthy businessmen from Calcutta and Bombay. Smaller houses were also bought by professionals from UP and Delhi. These stories are largely set in the Mussoorie of the 1960’s and are based on the experiences of one family during their summer holidays. The British had long gone but many of their traditions and institutions still lingered. An army band played in the evenings at the Band Stand near the public library. Miss Mussoorie contests were still the highlight of the season though the contestants were no longer the white ‘missy log’ . The schools – Waverly Convent, St. George’s, Woodstock and many others were thriving. Families still took long summer vacations and there was no television and hectic activity to disturb the quiet flow of life. So, dear reader, enjoy the gentle charms of a forgotten time.

The stories are nostalgic reminiscences of a more gentle,peaceful and less hectic time. The book has been very warmly received around the world and the Facebook page has got more than 11000 likes. Here are some reader's reviews:

"A great read for those from that era. Also a great read for anyone who enjoys learning about another time and place. You may see a bit of Jim Corbett or V.S. Naipaul or perhaps Ruskin Bond in this little book." 

"This book is a must read for anyone who has lived in that part of India, and for anyone else who is curious about the way of life in the days past."

"Debu has a wonderful style of telling stories......the story flow was as smooth as silk and his narration so vivid, real and engrossing that I couldn't put it down....I finished the book in one sitting......there are many nice pieces in the book.....I found the "Ida Villa" story particularly intriguing.....and the bit about getting Miss Johnson to come for the wedding after several years was very touching.....It is a fantastic read...and I have no doubt that even if one has not been to Dehradun or Mussoorie, one can relate to it well and visualize the place and story setting......"

"Debu Bhatnagar's first book of short stories "Journey to the Hills and Other Stories" is a wonderful collection of stories all centred around a family vacationing in Mussoorie in the mid sixties. Though presented as a collection of short stories, all of them present a ensemble of characters that you recognize as you go through the book. A reader can pick and choose individual stories or can treat the whole book as one novel and go through it in one sitting. What is really remarkable about the stories is the gentleness with which the author treats each of the characters in the book. The author paints a beautiful picture of a bygone era when hill stations were full of interesting characters, and were really used as 'summer head quarters' by the affluent families. Once you start reading, I guarantee that you will finish all the stories in one sitting. A wonderful maiden effort. A must read for all of us who have had our share of summer vacations with our grandparents! A must read." 

This post on Facebook has received 85,000 likes, 663 comments and 1300 shares. I hope you like it too!

Written in a shaky hand obviously in a state of high excitement Susan confirmed that she had indeed been a ladies maid to Miss. Williamson. She had come to India with her in 1918 just after the Great War. It had been difficult to book a passage but Miss Williamson was a determined lady as the children had already discovered. They had traveled directly to Mussoorie from Bombay where they had docked and had stayed at the Charleville Hotel. The ‘missus’ used to write a great deal of letters and used to travel down to Dehradun quite often. Finally the construction of Ida Villa had been completed. They had already decided the furnishings. “Ordered straight from a big shop in Calcutta. No expense spared” was the way Susan put it. They moved in, mistress and maid and the initial years were happy and contented though lonely and sometimes frightening especially when it was a “thunder night and the clouds were a comin’ into the house”. Miss Williamson would visit the graveyard everyday and take flowers to a grave in the second or third level below the road. “She never told me what she was doing and it was not in my place to ask”. But this idyllic existence was not to last. Barely two years after they had moved in into Ida Villa the masterly Miss Williamson fell gravely sick. Dr. Mathews came down from St Mary’s Hospital to see her but is was obvious that she would not last too long. Susan was terrified, being in a strange land with no money of her own. But the missus told her “You don’t have to worry my girl. You have stood by me when I needed you most and I will take care of you” As she sank Miss Williamson began to have strange nightmares. She would cry out and thrash around in her bed. Finally, one day, very near the end she called Susan and told her that she wanted to tell her the whole truth. In turn Susan felt that she had to pass on the story as “I’m getting on now and who knows how long I will last.”

In the end it was a common story. A young girl, ardent and in love with a dashing army officer who had conveniently forgotten to tell her that he was married already. The girl was from a very rich family who shipped her off to India when they discovered that she was to have a child. She lived with old family friends in Mussoorie where Ida was born. For a time she was happy as any young mother would have been. But then Ida died and the distraught mother buried her darling in the Mussoorie graveyard. She returned to England but her heart was in Mussoorie. She never married and would later join her daughter in the same graveyard. The children were really shocked but also touched by the story. They often wrote to Susan after that who always exclaimed “I never thought you was just children. All grown up you sounded in your letter.” She went on to tell them many more details about her stay in India and Miss Williamson, whom she worshiped to this day.


They told the grownups about it and they were amazed at what the children had been up to. Next year the whole family went down to the graveyard to lay flowers on the graves of Amy and Ida. It seemed that their long history had come to a peaceful end

Click on the link to buy the book from Amazon anywhere in the world.

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Happy Reading

Debu Bhatnagar