Arre bas, aaj subah Dhauladhar ke oopar se dhuaan uth raha tha — pata nahi koi naya hotel ka construction hai ya fir wohi Dhamaal 4 ka set. Jab se bade-bade producers aa gaye hain, gaon ke naujuvan bhi camera ke pichhe bhaagne lage hain. Mere bete ko bula rahe the Shimla mein "extra" ke liye, lekin poochho toh uski salary ka pachchis percent TDS aur PF mein nikal jaata hai. Puraane zamane mein sarpanch ke chakkar mein ek note bhi pahunch jaata tha, aaj toh bank balance se zyaada receipt ka hisaab lagaate hain. Bas itna kehta hoon — joh haath mein aaye, wohi asli kamai hai.

Ah, Nandan Nilekani. Bas, I heard his name on the radio while making my morning tea. That young man from the town, he did well for himself with the computers, but my own son is still sending out applications in Shimla. I thought, for a moment, of our old Panchayat ledgers — all filled by hand in blue ink, never a computer in sight. We managed, didn't we? One chhota step at a time. I hope the boy finds his own path, like Nilekani did, but maybe closer to home, where the Dhauladhars are still visible from the office window.