Santa, looking tanned and a bit plump after a week-long visit to a relative in the plains, sighs dramatically as he sits down next to Banta.
“Oh, Banta! You won’t believe the life down there!”
“So easy!”
“Flat roads where you can cycle for miles without panting, vast fields that stretch as far as the eye can see, and no fear of a boulder deciding to visit your rooftop for tea!”
“Why, oh why, did our great-great-great–grandfathers choose to play this Saap – Seedi game on these steep slopes when all that fertile land was lying there empty, like a welcome mat?”
Banta chuckles, peeling an orange. “It’s true, Santa, life in the plains seems to move on a straight, easy road today.”
“But our ancestors were playing a different kind of game, not Saap – Seedi, but somewhat more like Shatranj.”
“And in their game, be what they had to ensure safety of the Raja.”
“And all their strategic moves reflect that consideration, which was the most important one.”
“What Raja?” Santa questioned.
“The near and dear ones, the family, the community, what else Santa?” Banta replied with a smile.
“Shatranj?”
“Safety from what?”
“There were no landslides over there in the plains!” Santa exclaims.
“Perhaps not from landslides, Santa,” Banta replies, his tone becoming more thoughtful.
“But the plains, for many centuries, were a grand chessboard for real Kings and invading armies.”
“There were constant battles, raids, and strife.”
“A village in the open plains was like an undefended Pawn, vulnerable from all sides.”
“Your crops, your livestock, your very life could be taken away overnight by a passing warlord or a desperate bandit.”
He offers Santa a slice of orange. “Now, think of our mountains.”
“These are nature’s own Quila – a magnificent fortress.”
“The steep slopes, the deep gorges, the treacherous paths – these were not just hardships.”
“These were our greatest defenders!”
“An invading army would think twice before trying to drag its heavy cannons and supply carts up these narrow tracks.”
“And out there a handful of determined locals could hold them off with just a few well-aimed rocks.”
Santa’s eyes widen. “So, the difficult path that makes my legs ache was also a No Entry sign for enemies and invaders?”
“A very effective one!” Banta affirms with a grin.
“Our ancestors made a conscious choice.”
“They chose the daily hardship of climbing a steep path for water over the sudden terror of an enemy at their doorstep.”
“They chose the challenge of carving out small terraced fields over the risk of having their entire vast harvest burned by invaders.”
“They chose a life of peace, freedom, and security in their mountain fortress over the uncertain and often dangerous life on the open plains.”
“The inhospitable terrain was also inhospitable to their enemies too!”
“That, my friend, is a strategic advantage no amount of flat land can offer.”
Santa looks up at the towering peaks surrounding their village with a new sense of security.
“So, our ancestors weren’t just farmers.”
“They were brilliant strategists!”
“They deliberately chose a harder life to have a safer life.”
“It’s like choosing a sturdy but simple stone house over a fancy tent in a storm!”
Banta nods. “Precisely, Santa.”
“They knew that true wealth begins with safety, and the mountains, despite all their challenges, offered that priceless gift.”
संता – बंता की इस जुगलबन्दी से आज हमने क्या सीखा:-
- बसावत के लिये स्थान का चुनाव करते समय समाज को संसाधनों की उपलब्धता व सुरक्षा के मध्य के जटिल अन्तर्सम्बन्धों को समझ कर निर्णय लेना होता हैं, और बसने के लिये हिमालयी क्षेत्र का चुनाव यहाँ के लोगो ने तसल्ली से और काफी सोच- समझ कर ही किया था।
- संसाधनों की कमी के बावजूद यहाँ बसना जल्दबाजी या हड़बड़ी में लिया गया निर्णय नहीं था।
- हिमालय में बसने के अपने निर्णय से यहाँ के लोगो को सामरिक सुरक्षा के साथ ही उस समय मैदानी क्षेत्र में प्रायः होने वाले लड़ाई-झगड़े से भी निजात मिली।
- यहाँ ऊँचे स्थान से वह एक बड़े इलाके में होने वाली हर छोटी-बड़ी गतिविधि पर पैनी नजर रख सकते थे, और अपने समुदाय की सुरक्षा सुनिश्चित कर सकते थे।
- यहाँ बसने के बाद उन्हें रोज-रोज की लड़ाई-झगड़े से निजात मिली, समुदाय की सुरक्षा के प्रति वो निश्चिन्त हो पाये।
- और ऐसे में वो अपना समस्त ध्यान व समय अपनी उत्पादकता बढ़ाने पर लगा पाये।
- क्षेत्र की कला व संस्कृति जिस पर आज हम नाज करते हैं, शायद उसका विकास इस शांति के बिना हो ही नहीं पाता?
- तात्कालिक सुविधा व आराम की अपेक्षा समुदाय की सुरक्षा को प्राथमिकता देना हिमालय के लोगो की दूरदर्शिता का परिचायक हैं और इस पर हम सभी को नाज होना चाहिये।
संता – बंता की यह जुगलबन्दी आपको कैसी लगी, कृपया हमें जरुर बताये
व
इस जुगलबन्दी को बेहतर बनाने के लिये अपने सुझाव भी अवश्य दें।
हमेशा की तरह हमें आपकी प्रतिक्रिया, सुझावों व कटाक्षों का बेसब्री से इंतजार रहता हैं और सच मानिये, यही हमें कुछ नया व बेहतर करने की प्रेरणा देते हैं।
अतः लाइक चाहे करे या ना करें पर कमेंट करना ना भूलें।
Leave a Reply