History

“This is not a crowd of people, it is a flood of pain…”
I am extremely happy that a thought, an idea, has completed 9 years. My sincere efforts and the tireless hard work of all my companions, along with the unwavering trust that our well-wishers have held in us over these 9 years, have given Kauthig a new social dimension. It is satisfying. Our hard work has finally found its rightful place. Today, I wish to share with you the pictures of Kauthig. These are the stories of the beautiful moments we all spent together. Please see them — you too will feel good.

On this occasion of sharing these pictures, I would also like to share a few thoughts from my heart. There is so much to say about Kauthig that saying it all here is impossible, but I will still say a few things.

Let me begin with the 9-year journey of Kauthig. This journey has taught us new dimensions of struggle. It taught us how to move ahead on the social stage with emotions but also with maturity and sensitivity. It taught us how to take everyone along. It gave us passion and the courage to look beyond the horizon.

It might sound like self-praise, but it is true that my team and I treat every year like a mission. With passion, we throw ourselves into this social and cultural fire, and each year we emerge a little more refined. Losing sleep, sacrificing peace, setting work aside, leaving our families — we weave the grand canvas of Kauthig as an economic, social, political, and emotional bouquet. And when it is complete, the joy is not only ours — it is yours as well.

For us, Kauthig is a goal, and enthusiasm, passion, and emotion break all boundaries. Collecting funds and perfecting every detail is extremely difficult. But the industrialists who encourage us, the social representatives, the sports and glamour personalities who bless Kauthig with their presence, the journalists and thinkers who refine this effort intellectually, and the many institutions of our city that stand with us like strong pillars — all have made our challenges easier. Without this long caravan of well-wishers, we could never have reached here. This achievement belongs to all of us.

As I said, Kauthig has taught and explained so much. We participated as students, learning the basics of social responsibility. Where we did well, we continued; where we made mistakes, we corrected ourselves and moved forward.

Most importantly…
Kauthig rejected the often-heard belief that no one listens to anyone in society, everyone acts selfishly, and it is impossible to unite people. We learned that this is not true. Kauthig gave us the beautiful realization that when each person in a community comes together, an extraordinary picture emerges.

These 9 years of Kauthig were challenging, but the emotional support from Uttarakhandis everywhere doubled and tripled our strength. Even today, almost 20 days after the event, I still feel as if I am standing in that same Kauthig ground, where emotions gave new strength to our social identity. For this deep sense of belonging, I will not use words like “thank you” or “gratitude.” Using such words would dilute the sincerity of your affection. But my team and I humbly bow to your love and bonding. Please accept this humble salute — it will mean a lot to us.

Regarding the success of Kauthig — I will not call it “grand” or “spectacular” because this success deserves the aura of humility, not self-admiration. We are happy, but not proud or arrogant. Instead of celebrating, we are introspecting. And that is what everyone should do after success. We too are looking back, connecting the moments, trying to understand where we faltered and what we must improve in the 10th-year celebration in 2017. We know that after 2–4 months, we must prepare for the decade celebration like a deep discipline — and we don’t want this discipline to be disturbed by the noise of excitement.

If I try to define the success of Kauthig, calling it a momentary joy would be limiting it. This huge event is not the result of the ambitions of a few people — it is the emotional expression of collective unity. The truth is that we reached here because society wanted it. The loneliness felt between our community and others, and the deep desire to come closer again, has brought Kauthig to this emotional peak.

Whenever I look at these 9 years, I ask myself why the success of Kauthig and other cultural events across the country has increased so suddenly. Why have Uttarakhandis become so much more aware, vocal, and assertive about their cultural, social, and political identity? Then I find all my answers in Kauthig.

This is not just about Mumbai. This is about every Uttarakhandi living across India. If you think deeply, you will realize that Uttarakhandis — socially compressed into a tiny circle — are carrying long-standing anger and hurt. They feel ignored, made invisible geographically and politically. Uttarakhand, a state that sacrificed generations for national security and earned respect as a land of soldiers, suddenly finds its identity overshadowed by a “weighing-scale culture.” The value system changed — and the soldier’s dignity was lost in the process.

These honest, devoted people now realize that their support doesn’t matter, their opposition doesn’t matter — they have been pushed to a corner. A soldier’s life is valued less than the fear of losing a vote bank.

That is why Uttarakhandis across the country are undergoing a deep pain. They are frustrated at being ignored. They never understood the cunningness of this “weighing-scale” culture — which praised them as patriots while making them do menial work, calling them honest while keeping them as guards, and making them toil while others progressed.

On this path of sacrifice, they forgot their own homes while building others’. After generations of struggle, Uttarakhandis are finally standing united for their identity. And Kauthig is the emotional expression of that pain. That is why I call it not a “crowd of people” but a “flood of pain.”

I have always said — Kauthig is not an event; it is a movement. A strong movement. A caravan searching for its roots through music and culture.

Today, when Mumbai gathers in the Kauthig ground, it is not just to listen to songs. It is to express its pain through unity, to support its social representatives, and to declare — “We are together” and “We need to be together.” We bow repeatedly to this emotional expression.

When thousands of hands rise in support at Kauthig, I see those hands as clenched fists asserting their own existence, as if saying — “Yes, we exist too!” And this is exactly what needs to be said today — and we are saying it — from the Kauthig ground. And we will continue to say it — even louder.

In the end… Kauthig is the joy of expressing pain. It holds passion, anger, happiness, and a roar. I am proud that I, Keshar Singh Bisht, am a part of this strange caravan of passion, emotion, joy, and righteous anger — and you should be proud too.

I hope that with time, all of us together will create a new picture of our society. The journey has just begun. The road is long.

Because you exist, we exist. And that is why Kauthig exists.

Thank you.