Vijay Gaira: With a vision for the Himalayan village

Vijay Gaira graduated from Himalayan Inter College (HIC), Chaukori in 2023. He hails from Arari village near Kotmaniya, 5 km from Chaukori. Born into an agricultural family, Vijay, since childhood, has been fascinated by a career in the army and his fervent wish is to become a soldier himself. His father now works in a private firm near New Delhi and his mother is a homemaker.

Since he left his school, Vijay has been preparing for the entrance tests for getting into the Indian Army. The tests include physical fitness as well as mental aptitude and personality. His daily routine starts early in the morning with jogging and exercising. Then he attends household chores and helps his mom with housekeeping and cooking. 

Having grown up in a village in the hills, he loves his native place and considers himself lucky for spending his time closer to nature. He likes his alma mater because of the superb teaching environment it offers as well as its place. It’s ideally located in the Himalayan mountains with a scenic backdrop of snow peaks. The cool and fresh air lifts his spirits and induces positive vibes in his mind.

Though he is not averse to living in cities, he feels they need a lot of improvement for a better quality of life. Cleanliness is one thing he thinks cities are lacking. Also they lack fresh air and water. Vijay feels cities are too impersonal and not conducive for  meaningful connection and brotherhood.

Vijay enjoys learning new things and values his friends very much. He likes to spend his free time in nature and study various birds and bees and their behaviour. He loves playing with his pet dogs. He is a keen collector of photographs that capture nature in all its glory. His favourite movie is “I am Kalam” and Pappu Karki is his favorite singer.

He dreams of helping his village after his retirement from the army. “ I want to start a  small business in my village which would help raise standards of living.”  He enumerates the problems faced by his villagers such as soil pollution, water scarcity, lack of employment. Farmers also face a menace from wild animals. Wild boars and monkeys damage crops causing heavy loss. 

In order to address these issues, Vijay thinks government and non-government organizations must create employment opportunities. Responsible tourism should be encouraged. Villagers should continue to maintain a strong sense of community and a closer connection to nature. For example solar panels on rooftops, the use of biogas from organic waste for cooking systems help the environment clean and green. Government could help farmers grow new fruit plants like kiwi and apples. These have a commercial value and  generate income and it will entice villagers  to return from cities to which they migrated in search of better economic prospects.

Reminiscing about his school days, Vijay says, “All my teachers loved me. I learned discipline and punctuality from my teachers and friends. I am proud to be a student at our school, and I always miss my school ever since I left it”. 

His happy memories of HIC include school trips, cultural events like music and drama, playing sports and games with friends.

Vijay’s advice to the current HIC students-” Cultivate self awareness and self respect Help others, keep learning and growing. Try to make a positive impact on others wherever you are and be optimistic and hopeful. And smile a lot, it helps you a ton.”

We at HEF wish Vijay Gaira all the best in getting a stint in the army. May all his dreams come true and achieve success and happiness. 

Contact details:

Email: gairavijay0@gmail.com

Phone No. 8077023933