The prestigious Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussorie recently registered yet another unique feat when it provided a computer and an internet connection in the bedroom of every trainee there. The IAS probationers now have unlimited access to the internet, even in the middle of the night. Hopes are now high that the babus of tomorrow will be better equipped to deal with concepts of e-governance Though this summer, the top brass seemed a little worried. Porno sites on the net seem to be of some attraction for the young trainees of the institute. Some of them are reportedly sitting up late at night surfing net, looking up sleazy sites and are reporting late for physical training in the morning. A few of them are even reporting "sick" to skip the morning exercises. The top brass is now wondering if they should withdraw the permanent connections from the bedrooms of the future IAS officers. In all probability, however, the trainees will continue to enjoy the privilege as e-governance is the in thing today. Moving away from academics, the state of affairs in Mussoorie deserves to a mention. The queen of the hills has virtually gone to the dogs. Men and women from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are crowding the town by the thousands. The Mall looks like Old Delhi's crowded Chandni Chowk, if not worse. Wherever one goes, there is this ill-mannered crowd. Just outside the Academy, my car got caught in a traffic jam. The reason: A group of locals were bashing up four youth from Haryana who were passing snide remarks at local girls. At Kempty falls, men and women happily bathe in the open and at the bottom of the falls, thousands of bottles of cold drinks lie immersed in the water ostensibly to keep them cool. And numerous empty packets of chips, bread etc are strewn all over. At Sahsradhara too, the situation is no better. At the spring, one can see a similar sight. Dehradun, for some time now, has been nothing more than a busy junction. The hill town is increasingly becoming a concrete jungle. Across Uttarakhand, the summer is no different. Till a few years back, these hill stations were romantic getaways known for their cold climate. But today these towns have become pretty hot, humid and over crowded. In Haridwar, the day is no better than that in Delhi. Hot and humid. At Rishikesh, the situation is no better. A couple of years back when I stayed there for a day in summer, the morning was really chilly. I had got up to a beautiful morning of mist. But this summer, I spent the night with the air conditioning on. From Rishikesh, I went to Tehri. It was beautiful. Crowds rushing to the Gangotri pass you by and no one comes to Tehri, except for trucks and vehicles of the Hydro power corporation. As you drive up, mountains spring up from nowhere. Isolated villages tucked away in mountian folds and lonely shops are a great treat to the eyes. It is green all around. A million shades of green. Atop one of the peaks of the Tehri dam project, there is the beautiful rest house of the corporation. If you are looking for a peaceful stay, lovely weather and a majestic view, then that is the place to be in. One of the sit-outs in the garden actually projects above the dam, as if suspended mid-air. Below one can see the vehicles like match boxes and Ganges like a strip of silver line. Uttarkhand is breathtaking from that hill top. At Gangotri, the crowds, deforestion and the other ills of tourism have begun to show its impact. For the first time to my memory, there has been a major flood in the area and the temple there is under serious threat. Numerous shops and guest houses are springing up. At this scale it won't far off before even Gomukh is invaded by the ill-mannered domestic tourist, not that there aren't any already. Reports have rung the warning bells that the glacier is thinning. Indians who drive out of the hot plains should learn a lesson or two about trekking mountains and should be able to locate better places. The present, known locales are all looking like miniatures of our own dirty, big cities. Talking about roads and driving, it should be noted that authorities of transport corporations of states around Delhi should be given a crash course on maintaining buses. And it is high time they learnt why in states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala the buses are such a popular means of transport. You will not find even a single clean government-owned bus in this route. The dhabas of GT Road are unforgettable. The tasty, cheap food served by them has been romanticised enough. But the bar and restaurant culture is invading that too. At one of the hotels between Muzaffarnagar and Meerut, there were thousands of people. An amazing scene it was. But a rude shock to the dhaba culture. Tell us what you think of this diary
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