The hills are speaking — on the street

The mountains are not still, and it’s not just the rumble of cloudbursts or the hills collapsing into debris — it runs deeper. To the tourist, Uttarakhand is a land of serenity and divinity. Rivers flowing through cedar valleys, glaciers feeding holy shrines, and snow-capped mountains rising into blue skies. But beneath this postcard peace, there is a growing restlessness, a hum of dissatisfaction that is rising to the surface. And it isn’t just nature. As yet another protest erupts on the streets, one has to ask: What is happening? This time, it is students who are protesting another exam paper leak — the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission. The UKSSC has seen repeated scandals, undermining the faith in its ability to provide fair employment opportunities for all. On the