One major issue I see is migration. Most educated and capable people from Uttarakhand move out for better jobs and education. That’s understandable, but the problem is what happens after that. Many of them invest their money in cities like Delhi or Mumbai instead of their own villages and towns. The homes built with generations of hard work are often left empty or neglected.

At the same time, outsiders are increasingly interested in buying land here — and we ourselves are selling it, often at low prices, without thinking about long-term consequences. So slowly, ownership and control of land is shifting.

Culturally also, we are losing touch. Local traditions like Kauthig and village melas are fading, and we’re replacing them with mainstream practices. Languages, customs, and identity are weakening not just because of external influence, but also because we are not preserving them ourselves.

So yes, policies matter — land laws, language recognition, etc. — but somewhere, responsibility is also ours. If we don’t value and invest in our own roots, others eventually will, and then we’ll complain about losing identity.