Rajesh Pandey, Doiwala
“Whenever someone visits the village, I feel very happy. It was nice to have you all here.”
Around 80-year-old Chandan Singh Kandari from Kaljaunthi village tells us, “Have some tea before you leave.”
We request him to accompany us to the other part of the village.
Now, let us take you through an eyewitness account of both parts of Kaljaunthi village.
About Kaljaunthi
Kaljaunthi village, part of Kodarna Gram Panchayat in the Narendra Nagar Assembly of Tehri Garhwal, is divided into two parts. The distance between the two parts is approximately 300 meters.
In the first part, there are two houses where elderly Chandan Singh Kandari, his wife Kamla Devi, his brother Puran Singh, and his wife Roshni Devi reside. Their children have moved to cities for work but regularly send essentials and visit them.
Chandan Singh Kandari, showing us his mango orchard and fields, laments, “Everything has dried up due to a lack of water. The irrigation channels are broken. Even drinking water is scarce. We have stopped keeping livestock as there is no fodder due to crop failure. At this age, animal husbandry is no longer feasible for us.”
The second part of the village is abandoned. Once home to around 200 people, now no one lives there except for occasional visits by elderly Rai Chandra Singh Kandari.
Journey to Kaljaunthi
The journey from Dehradun (about 40 km away) to Kaljaunthi was an adventure.
On Tuesday, February 26, 2025, we departed Dehradun at 11 AM, traveling via Raipur, Thano, Bhogpur, and then reaching Kol village and Kodarna before heading to Kaljaunthi.
The travel team included:
- Dr. Himanshu Shekhar – Secretary of Manav Bharti Society, senior educationist & psychologist.
- Ashutosh Pathak – Senior Chartered Accountant from Kanpur.
- Mohit Uniyal – Village traveler.
- K.L. Raturi – Expert in Pahadi cuisine.
- Sarthak Pandey – Travel photographer.
Kodarna village, near Dehradun in Tehri Garhwal, is a picturesque mountain area. The lush green terraced fields of Kol village were mesmerizing.
We reached Kodarna by car, but the road to Kaljaunthi was rough and risky. The last stretch of the journey was completed on foot, passing through forested paths, steep slopes, and small streams.
The Future of Kaljaunthi
The new Gujarada to Agarakhai road project via Kaljaunthi is expected to bring reverse migration. Retired government officer Rai Chandra Singh believes that once the road is complete, tourism, local business, and homestay opportunities will thrive, encouraging people to return to their ancestral homes.
However, elderly resident Chandan Singh Kandari remains skeptical. He questions, “Will city-raised children return to do farming and cattle rearing? They don’t even know how to cut grass.”
Despite challenges, he and his family choose to stay in the village, cherishing its pure air and peaceful environment.
