"Leh" - Passion or Fashion

My head is ringing with so many ideas that I’m confused what should I start with. Should I talk about the imaginary institution of money or should I elaborate my point of view on the current struggle in Kashmir. Both of these have consumed my thoughts and readings for some while now, but these will be too out stretched a topics to start with.  I rather talk something more grounded and less politically volatile. And I think I have just the right thing: Leh.

I’ve been highly troubled by the recent catastrophe in Leh. It plagues my conscience. Why? Well there are many reasons, but here I would like to discuss it from the point of view of morals. I decided (rather fate decided) to study in the state of J&K. For past 5 years I’ve being using the resources of this land to train and educate myself to become a competent architect. I don’t know if it was a just decision on the part of this state to invest its valuable resources and time in me, a non-native, a person who shall eventually never work in or for this state (to be noted that even if I desire I can’t because of the constitutional status of my foster home). But it’s quite evident that my decision to use J&K resources puts me under a moral obligation to serve this land. That being said, now I would like to point out why Leh becomes so important to me now.

In the final year of my professional nurturing (read B. Arch.), Leh with its ruins presents to me apt opportunity to fulfill my moral obligation. I can not only do service to my foster home but I can do it by providing the services it has trained me for. In fact this is the time that she needs my services the most. Talking in the same breath, being the one and only school of architecture in the state, it becomes not only mine but our moral responsibility to help rebuilt Leh. And it hurts that I’m writing this sitting in the comforts of my hostel room and not from the survival battle field of Leh.

I researched what can I do, and results pointed that right now they need relief work more than reconstruction work. Moreover, me just landing up there with nothing to offer, shall generate more problems. So, I went about talking about the idea with my classmates, hoping we might be of some help when actual reconstruction activities start. I admit I was a bit influenced by the story of Bhuj earthquake of 2001, where the whole batch of CEPT (premium architecture school of Gujarat) dropped a year to help reconstruct the devastated region. Not because they were asked to do so but because they felt the moral obligation. Anyway, I went around. As Justine Timberlake sang “what goes around comes around”, my talking came back to me. One of the most socially active personalities of our class summoned me to discuss the issue. She was much moved and informed me that some faculty (not of our school) also shares my point of views. She was all charged up, she wanted to do something. I was happy. The proposition of writing to the university VC was thrown in the air. All was shaping well for almost 2 minutes now, and then came reality crushing in, which made me go ‘what’s the point!’

Wonder what happened? Nothing much, just an innocent inquiry (after all the proposals) from the passionate: “was it an earthquake that happened in Leh!” 

Note: for those who still don’t know what happened in Leh on 6th of August 2010, I would make your life easier it’s called flash floods. If you don’t know what they are, please Google.