A ‘Remote’ Town in the Indian Himalaya

Abstract

This article studies the impact of the creation of a new state in northern India through an analysis of space. The space under consideration is the town of Gopeshwar, which serves as the administrative headquarters of a district in the state of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand was created as a distinct Himalayan state in 2000 after a prolonged period of mass agitation to this end. The movement for statehood had emphasized historical neglect coupled with exploitation of the mountains of Uttarakhand by the plains. Beginning with an analysis of the town plan, this article moves on to describe how this place is made into a space by everyday practices. In particular it concentrates on the narratives of agents of the state who express a longing to escape this 'remote' town. Through an interrogation of the trope of remoteness, this article argues that the creation of the new state has served, ironically enough, to accentuate the traditional characterization of the Himalaya as a backward, inferior space within India.

Regional Charisma: The Making of a Student Leader in a Himalayan Hill Town

“…This regionalist politics drew from enduring narratives and stereotypes of the hills as a place of honesty, purity and simplicity versus the plains as more combative and corrupt (Moller 2000), as well as tropes of a Pahari (person from the hills or mountains) identification with nature (Linkenbach 2006). This perceived dichotomy has partly acerbated grievances around the lack of progress in development, especially in the rural areas of the region as compared to many parts of India, with the blame often laid on the ignorance and apathy of plainsbased politicians (Mathur 2015). Popular descriptions of Uttarakhand as a "sacred territory" (Tillin 2013) and pilgrimage place for Hindus has sustained a growing "regional Hindutva" (Joshi 2018), which has recently become increasingly majoritarian and exclusionary.…”

“…In the towns power was spatialized, with regulations about who can travel where, the "Mall Road" being a prominent feature (Pradhan 2017). Further, those residing in hill towns experience what Mathur (2015) calls "everyday narratives of remoteness" (p.390), their spaces seen as "backward" and "inferior" (p. 368). Drawing from De Certeau (1988), she refers to "place as an ordering of elements in a relationship of coexistence with each other and space as 'a practiced place '" (2015:367).…”

Youth Futures and a Masculine Development Ethos in the Regional Story of Uttarakhand

“…Linkenbach argues that 'nature in Uttarakhand, in its distinct and particular form, has become a major and explicit point of reference for the local population, both in their imaginaries of the future and development, and in their framework of identity construction ' (2006, p. 152). As such, its mountain towns have been known for their spatial remoteness (see Mathur [2015] on Gopeshwar), and state-making in Uttarakhand has been shaped by agrarian subjectivities and practices (Galvin, 2014). The localized practices and politics of 'being Hindu' in Uttarakhand (Govindrajan, 2015) have also become part of the regional imaginary, where the mapping of pilgrimage sites (Pinkney, 2013) or the circulation of images of sacred shrines such as at Kedarnath (Whitmore, 2012) have played into the production of the region's image as 'The Land of the Gods'.…”

Life on the hoof: gender, youth, and the environment in the Indian Himalayas

“…The poor road infrastructure continues to hamper economic development. The majority of people living in rural Chamoli district, including those from higher castes, remain dependent on agriculture and are largely excluded from higher education, secure salaried jobs, and possibilities for successful entrepreneurship (see Mathur ).…”