UTTARAKHAND AANDOLAN – SMIRITIYON KA HIMALAYA – A book review

Uttarakhand Aandolan, Smritiyon ka Himalaya is a fantastic book brought out by a senior journalist and author Harish Lakera having served in Jansatta, Amar Ujala and several other reputed dailies. Currently he’s joined Daily Tribune. In active journalism for three decades or more, Harish Lakhera has done a laudable job by bringing forth this excellent book comprising of 470 pages almost covering every incident and aspect of Uttarakhand movement that started during the nineties and finally led to the achievement of the protracted dream of each and every Uttarakhandi, the separate state.

The book meticulously portrays very minutely and with due precision, every major event, struggle, demonstration, Dharna happenings and the tortuous victimisation of the men and women andolankaries right from Pauri to Delhi with special emphasis of the not to be forgotten, the most brutal killings and assaults of women in Mujjafarnagar Ram Pur Tiraha ( trijuncton) where today stands the martyrs historic memorial. The book also carries the in depth articles of his and several eminent journalists of Uttarakhand in Delhi who’d penned down their feelings and various socio political, geographical, economic, environmental, demographic and other significant aspects of the movement at peak in Delhi and various parts of Uttarakhand during the nineties. Uttarakhand Andolan/ Smritiyon ka Himalaya, an important read, authored by Harish Lakhera deserves to be complimented for taking so much of pain and devoting several months in the research work and finally authoring this fantastic book. He is genuinely the accolades’ deserving author by all means. I have, though, not gone through the book deeply but while casually going through some chapters at a glance have found that it’s undoubtedly and unambiguously the first ever book on Uttarakhand movement, with which, the writer has done full justice as far as the depiction of incidents of that phase of nineties are concerned.

He has taken special care to mention as much as names of the movement activists dedicatedly involved in the relentless struggle in Delhi and Uttarakhand and has tried his best to incorporate maximum, though selected articles of eminent journalists of Uttarakhand who’d done great service to the Uttarakhand movement to further the separate state demand, thus giving full fledged momentum to the noble cause. I would strongly recommend one and all to buy the book and awaken themselves with those days of relentless struggle of the nineties when every individual, be they be men, women, students, youths, exservicemen, government employees, writers, journalists or thinkers, poor or rich, everybody was fully devoted and selflessly dedicated to the cause of separate statehood finally achieving the targetted goal on 9th November, 2000 after the sacrifice of precious 42 lives. Wishing you all the very best Harish bhai. Jai Hind, Jai Uttarakhand.
Sunil Negi, President, Uttarakhand Journalists Forum