Our Academy is in the Himalayas and is surrounded by lofty ranges on all fours. On one side we have the Dhauladhar ranges, which are snowclad and on the other three we have lesser Himalayas which is laid down with the lush green carpet comprising Deodars and Cedars. I want to show you the view from my window.
Don’t be mistaken by the apparent dwarfness of the mountain. It appears small because I am looking at it from the top of another mountain. We play lawn tennis with the valley wind usually comforting us. In the mornings, langurs occupy the windows and treetops, moving as a family from one place to another. Even during our class hours these langurs are regular visitors. Unlike the grey Rhesus macaque that is widely seen throughout the plains, the Grey Langur or the Hanuman Langur rules the roost in and around the academy. These langurs, also known as leaf eating monkeys of India, are not so social and try to avoid human contact. Because of this reason, in the more touristy places of Shimla, you find the Rhesus macaques, who tease and taunt the tourists. One of my friends had his spectacles snatched by these monkeys who returned it only after he bought a big packet of pop corn for it. The monkeys bargain, and small bag can be used as barter only for small, inexpensive items like monkey caps, shawls etc. I found it ironical that the monkeys find the “monkey” caps inexpensive and cheap.
( Pic 2: A grey langur as seen from the balcony of our class room)
Nature forms a big part of our training. The treks that are done weekly are increasingly made arduous so that all OTs have adequate stamina by the time the Himalayan Trek is undertaken. After the Himalayan Trek, the weekly treks are stopped and we would be busy with other things. The best part of being in Himachal Pradesh is that you never run out of places to trek.
Another very good thing about being trained in Northern India, is how I have been able to practice my Hindi. In Kerala, we learn Hindi from 5th standard to the 10th. However, during these 5 years we learn very basic Hindi. One of the most difficult questions that used to come in our 10th standard examination was the ten sentence composition. My Hindi master, who was very good with the language, had compiled ten sentences where you could just substitute the word that comes for the essay and it would be correct. He made three such compositions, thereby covering all fifteen topics that had the probability of appearing in the examination. I scored a whopping 98% in Hindi in my matriculation.
Despite having scored such marks, I could never properly talk in Hindi, primarily due to lack of practice. I would say Keralites are much better off compared to Tamilians in this aspect. However, there is no doubt that the two southern states have a handicap in this aspect. I could read and understand Hindi, but conversing still remained tough. The training here has helped me interact with my fellow OTs from North India a lot in Hindi, and unavoidably, my Hindi has started to improve a lot. Often, my friends say that “Mallus” learn any language very fast. I think it is not because that we are particularly smarter, but because we are a migratory people who embrace all cultures with an open mind.
Another very enjoyable aspect of the training is the diversity of the batch. We have people from all regions of India and also two Offiers from Bhutan, and hence we celebrate every festival with a lot of elan. I celebrated my first proper Holi, after I came here. The Holi celebrations that used to happen in Kerala ( only in college. Otherwise, Holi is not a major festival there. You must be aware that student community jumps at any opportunity to celebrate) were muted and not even comparable to the celebrations we had at Yarrows. It helps us appreciate each other’s culture more and also understand the diversity of our country.
One personal grievance I have about our batch is the lack of Muslims in our batch this year. Coming from Kerala, throughout my life, I have had a lot of Muslim friends, whose culture I appreciate a lot. My room mate in college was Muslim and some of my best friends from school was also Muslim. The Ramzan months were one of the most anticipated times during the entire year during my school and college days. We would ravage our friend’s houses and eat everything in sight. Unfortunately, this year UPSC rank list did not have any Muslims in the IAAS allocation. It would have added to the diversity of our batch had it happened.
If there is one thing that I am happy about myself, it is my decision to take the plunge and write the civil service exam. I would have been left out of such wonderful experiences and making such great friends. For what else is youth for, if not experiencing these things.