Bhadina village- pristine beauty crying for attention of authorities
Bhadina village- pristine beauty crying for attention of authorities
Prem Prakash Upadhyay “Natural”
Bageshwar, Aug 21
Even after 75 years of independence, if your home, village, family, settlement, hamlet, or region has not been provided with basic facilities, then it is only natural to raise questions on the prevailing situation.
If development could truly happen just by chanting “democracy, democracy, democracy” repeatedly, then a beautiful place wouldn’t still be crying for attention from the authorities. It’s deeply painful. A wave of sadness engulfs the mind.
The government, administration, elected representatives, self-governance, public welfare state, popular leaders, officers, ‘Sahibs’ here and there—these so-called authorities looked like useless entities for the locals. When one sees the condition of this village and the region, it feels like someone is rubbing salt into a fresh wound.
Located at the border of Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts, about 4 kilometers south of Namti Chaitabagad, lies the village of Bhadina, nestled at the foothills of the sacred Mool Narayan Shikhar. It is a place of extraordinary natural beauty, abundant in water streams, ponds, and medicinal herbs andmixed forests. Reaching here is like entering a different realm one of peace, serenity, spiritual bliss, and a deep connection with nature.
As you walk along the winding mountain paths, the water gushing down from the hills seems to brush your feet, as if trying to make its presence felt. The hills, lush with greenery, seem to embrace from a far. The sparkling silver stream flowing gently exerts such a powerful pull that one cannot resist going near it. Greenery is everywhere. The biodiversity is so rich.
This place feels like a living ecological laboratory, a home of ‘Ayurveda’. The chirping of birds fills the atmosphere with melody. Just when your body starts signaling fatigue from the climb, the sight of a bear roaming freely on the opposite hill fills both body and soul with renewed energy. As you move ahead, a thousand thoughts flood your mind yet before any can settle, a new scene arrives with a new perspective.
In this village resident Mohan Chand Pathak and his wife, who for the past seven decades have sustained themselves through farming, horticulture, vegetable cultivation, fruiting, animal husbandry, and beekeeping.
And then came the second surprise of my journey. Earlier, I was mesmerized by nature’s grandeur; now I stood astonished by the freshness, energy, simplicity, and vitality on the faces of these elderly villagers. But soon, I slipped into deep contemplation.
On one side, people enjoy air-conditioned lives, luxurious cars, rich diets of cream, cheese, chicken, Chinese and Continental cuisine, six-figure salaries, lavish bungalows, and a life full of comfort—yet they suffer from high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, heart attacks, hypertension, paralysis, migraines, osteoporosis, and more. On the other hand, the people living with minimal resources those provided only by nature, far from artificiality remain healthy, grounded, and connected to the very essence of life.
Even today, at the age of 73, this elderly couple completes all their daily chores and continues to travel to and from Namti Chaitabagad to meet their other needs. Until a few years ago, this region was known for its orchards of oranges. Even now, products like natural ghee, beaten rice, bananas, oranges, taro, radish, spinach, and others are grown in abundance and serve as sources of livelihood.
If this area were connected by road, its agricultural produce could reach markets. The village of Bhadina would attract scientists, environmentalists, nature lovers, herbal specialists, physicians, poets, writers, researchers, practitioners of natural medicine, and even film makers and documentary producers for its rich content and themes.
(The views are personal)
