“Hum pahadi log hai”, says bua-ji as she beats her chest with her fists when talking about the difficulties of mountain communities.

It’s true, the pahadi log are a tough people. They survive no matter what.

The mountains offer few sources of income: agriculture and the army. However, as agriculture is weather-dependent, and as water is always an issue in the mountains, the occupation is hardly lucrative. There are stretches of land that are largely undeveloped due to forest area protected by the Forest Department. So no large industries are flourishing that give jobs to the mountain communities. And with the shortage of basic necessities, industries aren’t drawn to establishing anything either.

To survive, one has to migrate: join the army or move to big cities like Delhi and Bombay. Which is what Bua-ji’s children did. But there’s a catch with each option. As  Bua-ji’s eldest son- Anand-ji -discovered, looking for a job in Delhi and Bombay is not easy. It can take you atleast two years to find something stable, and even that didn’t promise  him anything. If you do find something, you still have to slum it, working long hours and living with seven others in a tiny room, just so you can make enough money to send back home to the family.

Of course, if you aren’t equipped with an M.A. like Anand-ji is, it can be even tougher. A less difficult option for someone like Inder-ji (the other son) who has yet to complete a B.A., is the army. But here too, it’s not easy. While all your needs are well taken care of, you have to commit to a life of constant moving, and living under tough conditions of sub zero temperatures and danger zones for months  on end without batting an eyelid.

Now that Grassroots has rooted itself in the Kumaon region, there are more livelihood options for people. At the top of the rung is Anand-ji who moved back to work with Grassroots. He works long and hard and you can see him leave the office at 7 p.m. only to move onto the shop where he continues to work on the accounts until late at night. Even on a Sunday, he keeps busy supervising the construction of the new office. He works so hard because he knows full well Grassroots’ potential to impact the quality of life of his mountain community. After all, there he is himself as an example: a leader in his community with a stable income, a large house and the capacity to bring further income into the Kumaon region. Maybe soon his children will have many more options to choose from freely, before they decide to stay or leave the pahadi community.