Ramachandra Guha: As Uttarakhand turns 25, flawed development model takes the shine off celebrations

The state of Uttarakhand was established on November 9, 2000. Shortly afterwards, I was asked to give a talk in Mussoorie, the hill station in the west of the state. I accepted, largely because I had been born and raised on the outskirts of Dehradun, the town that lay in the valley below. On reaching Mussoorie, I went to the nearest public call booth (there were no cell phones then) and rang the historian, Shekhar Pathak, who lived in Nainital, at the other end of the newly-formed state. When he picked up the phone, I proudly announced: “Main apne pradesh sé bol raha hoon” (I am speaking to you from our state).

Though I was now based in Bangalore, I retained close touch with the region where I had come of age and done my first research. I had keenly followed the popular movement for the creation of a state from the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh, and celebrated in its eventual success. Just as its formation as a full-fledged state in 1971 had led to impressive social and economic progress for the people of Himachal Pradesh, it was hoped that the people of Uttarakhand would likewise benefit from having a state of...

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