Kalimpong, Jan 31, 1:30 PM IST: ” We have always rejected the Sixth Schedule but if the Sixth Schedule is forcefully implemented in the Hills, we will contest the election and win it unanimously,” Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President, Bimal Gurung said at a press conference at Kalimpong yesterday. [The readers may be reminded that the GJM President had for the first time in an interview with us indicated his desire to contest the Sixth Schedule election: Posted in Breaking Story | Tagged: bimal gurung, darjeeling hills, dr harka bahadur gorkhaland, gorkha janmukti morcha, kalimpong, parliamentary standing committee, president, sixth schedule | 1 Comment »
Posted by barunroy on January 31, 2008
The Telegraph, Darjeeling, Jan. 30: The municipalities of Darjeeling and Kalimpong have banned the sale of poultry products in the two towns from today, but the civic body in Kurseong is still mulling over the decision.
R Thatal, the executive officer of the Darjeeling Municipality, said: “We decided to take this precautionary step because bird flu has rapidly spread in other districts.”
Though Darjeeling district is still untouched by the flu, most chicken vendors in the hills source their products from the plains through Siliguri. Bird flu has been confirmed in the nearby district of Cooch Behar.
Civic authorities in Darjeeling met the 40-odd major vendors of the town on January 25 before imposing the ban. Today, all shops selling poultry products were shut.
In Kalimpong, sanitary inspector Sanjay Pradhan said: “We request both sellers and buyers not to trade in broiler chickens and eggs till they hear from us.”
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bann, calcutta, civic body, cooch behar, darjeeling, darjeeling district, darjeeling municipality, executive officer, kalimpong, kurseong, kurseong municipality, municipalities, municipality, poultry, r thatal, rajesh pandey, sanjay chhetri, sanjay pradhan, siliguri, takdah | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 31, 2008
The Telegraph, Kalimpong, Jan. 30: The president of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Bimal Gurung, today said civil society’s concern about disruption of normal life in the hills in the present political climate would be kept in mind while chalking out the party’s future programmes. [Inset: Gurung in Kalimpong on Wednesday. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha]
Gurung, however, said at times options become limited, especially when there are particular situations that demand immediate protest. The Morcha chief, who interacted with a seven-member team of Citizens’ Rights Forum, an NGO here, was responding to a suggestion that the civil society should be consulted before political parties go for strikes or any other form of protests that can disrupt normal life.
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Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: a p rai, bandhs, bimal gurung, chitizens rights forum, civil society, gnlf, gorkha janmukti morcha, gorubathan, i. n. pradhan, kalimpong, morcha chief, n p dixit, ngo, political strife | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 30, 2008
By Barun Roy
General Omar Bradley had once said, “It’s not the big bad bombs that I am afraid of. The chances are when they go off; things would be like a dream. I am scared of the small ones that maim and wound. A bad bad nuisance indeed!” D. S. is one such ‘Bomb’zan. In February 1998, I sat with Hem Rai the then General Secretary of Darjeeling Congress Committee (DCC) discussing issues at hand. The party had been plagued by the formation of the Trinamul Congress. Droves of Congress cadres left for Trinamul under the leadership of Dawa Norbula, today’s Congress MP. In fact, Dawa Norbula, a seasoned Unionist and a Congressman had been the first to sound the trumpet of resentment against the party. Most left with him and the tap of resentment that he had left open was quickly drying up DCC. The DCC had also further found itself at loggerheads with the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) and the All India Congress Committee (AICC). There were major resentment among the local leaders and more so for the visually enraged D. S. Bomzan who kept on hurling insults at the Party President P Rai and Hem Rai while we were still in conversation. D. S. Bomzan and much of the local leaders of the party wanted N. D. Khatiwada to be given the ticket while the PCC and AICC wanted Prashant Nandi to contest for the Darjeeling Hills Lok Sabha Seat. It was a known fact that the Gorkha National Liberation Front Supremo, Subash Ghisingh would support the Congress candidate or even better ban the General Elections and whoever contested on the Congress Ticket would find his or her way to the Indian Parliament. This was also not the only issue that greatly vexed the DCC. The local leaders including D. S. Bomzan wanted the Congress to support the demand for Gorkhaland. The PCC and the AICC were strictly against this and Congress in Darjeeling Hills was quickly losing the ground from under its feet. I particularly, remember the instance when D. S. Bomzan agitatedly stood up from his chair and shouted, “There is no hope for us in Congress!” He then flung his chair aside and left. I had chanced upon him later that day walking dazed, a man seemingly broken from inside. He had looked at me and said, “Nothing can be done for the good of people by being in Congress. We are just foot soldiers. Congress is too big for all of us.” Then I had asked, “Will you now form your own party now?” He had nodded almost wearily and shaking my hand left. Months later he formed the Bharatiya Gorkha Rastriya Congress. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Editorials | Tagged: gorkhaland, gorkha janmukti morcha, subash ghisingh, barun roy, darjeeling gorkha hill council, trinamul congress, lok sabha, rajiv gandhi, new delhi, india, general secretary, telangana, pakistan, second states reorganisation commission, aicc, vidarbha, rsp, common minimum programme, general omar bradley, d s bomzan, d s bomjan, darjeeling congress committee, dcc, dawa norbula, congress mp, unionist, pcc, pradesh congress committee, all india congress committee, p rai, hem rai, n d khatiwada, prashant nandi, darjeeling hills lok sabhe seat, gorkha national front, supremo, general election, indian parliament, congress ticket, congress party, rahul gandhi, verrapa moily, telangana rastriya samiti, bodoland liberation front, chandrasekhar rao, congress central government, panun kashmir, kashmiri pandits, atm, food and supply offices, garbage disposal, mount olympus, gods, loyalists, monarchical mindset, indian national congress | 5 Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 30, 2008
The Telegraph, Kalimpong, Jan. 29: A few concerned residents, under the banner of Save the Hills, are trying to find ways to fight landslides in Kalimpong, a problem skirted by the powers-that-be. [Inset: The students from North Bengal University in Kalimpong. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha]
Over the past two days, the residents hosted a team of students from the North Bengal University’s one-year post-graduate diploma programme in disaster management and gave them a detailed account of the havoc caused by landslides in Kalimpong in September last year.
The team had eight students, accompanied by the department head Sanjay Rana.
The team was taken to a few landslide-hit areas like Elainchikhop, Bhalukhop, Dalapchand and 14th Mile. Save the Hills also conducted a workshop where its president Praful Rao made a power-point presentation for the benefit of the students.
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Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: 14th mile, bhalukhop, dalapchand, elainchikhop, kalimpong, landslides, north bengal university, praful rao, preeti gurung, sanjay rana, save the hills | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 30, 2008
Where do you find ABGL in the present political scenario?
Six months ago we were the only ones to protest against the implementation of Sixth Schedule. Haven’t our stand been vindicated today. Today the entire Hills are against it. Today, Gorkha League is the major force since every political party is joining hands in support of our protest against Sixth Schedule status for the Hills.
Gorkha Janmukti Morcha within three months of its formation sent a delegation to New Delhi? Why hasn’t Gorkha League been able to do something like that?
Even if they have been to New Delhi what have they been able to achieve?
Will the Sixth Schedule Bill be passed in this Winter Session?
Yes, as things seems to us. What you must understand is that the Sixth Schedule is an Official Bill, there is no question of whether it will be passed or not. It is only the question of when. If it were not to be passed the Central Government itself will collapse as it would amount to No-Confidence Motion. It will thence be passed. That is why we are opposing it since it is being enforced in the Darjeeling Hills against the will of the people. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in interviews | Tagged: abgl, akhil bharatiya gorkha league, all party hill leaders conference, anti-subash, central gorvernment, collective leadership, cprm, darjeeling, gnlf, gorkha janmukti morcha, hills, khukuris, lord brahma, meghalaya, nagaland, new delhi, no confidence motion, parliament, public interest litigation, sixth schedule, subash ghisingh, teesta, winter session | 9 Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 30, 2008
Darjeeling Jan 30 2008: 9:45: In what has developed as a major concern among weather buffs in the Hills and beyond, the temperature dipped to minus two at around 1 am to 3 am in the morning and stabilized ultimately at minus one till five am. The temperature at this very instance being 1.2 Degree Celsius. “This is many ways is an anamoly,” Prof. K. Sen from the North Bengal University at Raja Rammohunpur, Siliguri, said this morning. “It should have snowed but for the temperature to plummet without restitution is a major indication of global warming reaching out to Darjeeling Hills. If I am right, now instead of snowfall after one or two more days of Minus Zero chill there is be a sudden rise in the temperature and the summer this years in Darjeeling Hills should be literally on of the hottest in the history.” When asked as to whether this type of weather could have any impact on the melting of the snow in the Kanchenjunga range. He said, “The Rathong Glacier is almost melted. In few years we might never see much of the Glaciers in the Kanchenjunga region.” An as to what one can do, Prof. Sen, said that things could have been a bit late already. “This anamoly in the weather is a result of population world wide, there could be nothing that people in Darjeeling Hills could do.” [Inset: The temperature board at Chowrastha in Darjeeling shows minus 1.5 degrees Celsius on Tuesday afternoon (in picture by Suman Tamang). Photo Courtesy:The Telegraph]
Posted in Breaking Story | Tagged: darjeeling, darjeeling hills, degree celsius, hills, Kanchenjunga, raja rammohunpur, siliguri, snow, tathong glacier | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
In memory of the brave Gorkha soldiers of the Darjeeling Hills who laid down their lives for the greater cause of the motherland, Nayan Subba takes the opportunity to recall their contributions on the occasion of the 58th Republic Day
The Gorkhas are a small little community in India where people of diverse origins mingle to contribute a great composite Indian culture. They are the descendants of General Amar Singh Thapa who invaded India and annexed Garhwal and Kumaon that included the hill stations of Simla, Musssoorie, Lansdowne, Almora, Nainital, Ranikhet and Pithoragarh.
In the northeast General Johar Singh and General Purna Ale overran a major part of Sikkim in 1788, which included Nagri and Darjeeling. The British defeated the Gorkhas during the Anglo Gorkha war of 1814-16 and the lands they had conquered were ceded to the British and re-profiled. Those who have been living in India since the Gorkha invasion are known as the Indian Gorkhas.
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Posted in Cover Story | Tagged: darjeeling, gorkha, dooars, ghoom, batasia, sikkim, british, darjeeling himalayan railway, dhr, joyride, army, assam, Kanchenjunga, bihar, himachal pradesh, uttaranchal, dharamshala, meghalaya, manipur, indian gorkhas, nagaland, mizoram, 58th republic day, general amar singh thapa, garhwal, kumaon, simla, musssoorie, lansdowne, almora, nainital, ranikhet, pithoragarh, general johar singh, general purna ale, nagri, anglo gorkha way, cresswell, war memorial, shok shastra, cenotaph, bakloh, bhakshu, dehra dun, sikhs, dogras | 1 Comment »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
The Telegraph, Kurseong, Jan. 28: Deepa Pradhan, the wife of the GNLF’s Kurseong unit chief I.N. Pradhan, was today released on bail by the additional chief judicial magistrate here.
Deepa was arrested from her residence at Ghayabari, around 15km from here, on January 22 and sent to jail custody the next day following a court order. She was booked under Sections 25 and 27 of the arms act for possessing firearms without a licence.
A double barrel gun, a revolver and 16 cartridges were found from her house during the police raid. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: chief judicial magistrate, deepa, deepa pradhan, general secretary, ghayabari, gnlf, i. n. pradhan, kurseong, morcha, n b khawas | 1 Comment »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
The Telegraph, Darjeeling, Jan. 28: Opposition parties in the hills have once again tried to put up a united front on the Sixth Schedule issue, but the ABGL has refused to take part in the joint plans.
The rift was not so evident yesterday when all hill parties, except the GNLF and the CPM, attended a meeting called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to formalise an action plan against the special status before a parliamentary standing committee arrives in Darjeeling on February 6.
The committee, which will be here for three days, is scrutinising the constitutional amendment bill granting Sixth Schedule status to the Darjeeling hills.
The ABGL, an important Opposition outfit, attended the meeting held at Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sammelan Hall here along with the Morcha, CPRM, Congress, BJP, Gorkha Rastriya Congress, GNLF(C), Bharitya Gorkha Janshakti and Trinamul Congress.
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Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: abgl, algarah, bharitya gorkha janshakti, bimal gurung, bjp, central committee, congress, cpm, cprm, darjeeling, darjeeling hills, dawa lama, gnlf, gnlf-c, gorikha dukha niwarak sammelan hall, gorkha janmukti morcha, gorkha rastriya congress, gorubathan, kalimpong, khukuris, madan tamang, parliamentary standing committee, r b rai, sixth schedule, trinamul congress | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
The Telegraph, Gangtok, Jan. 28: A regional outfit in Sikkim has added a twist to the Sixth Schedule row by claiming that the consent of the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom is required to grant special status to the Darjeeling hills.
The Sikkim Rashtriya Congress has based its argument on historical documents according to which the territories of Darjeeling and the Dooars belonged to Sikkim. Even the Bengal government had admitted this in its white paper issued on October 9, 1986 when the Gorkhaland agitation was at its height, claimed D.K. Bomzan, the president of the party.
“Now, the Bengal government is hell-bent on implementing the Sixth Schedule status in Darjeeling which will constitutionally make the hills a part of Bengal. Why don’t they first ask for the consent of Sikkim, which is the rightful owner of Darjeeling and the Dooars?” he asked. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bengal, d k bomzan, darjeeling, dghc, dooars, gangtok, gohaland, himalayan kingdom, indian union, memorandum of settlement, new delhi, pil, public interest litigation, sikkim, sikkim rashtriya congress, sixth schedule, subash ghisingh, sushma swaraj | 2 Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
Darjeeling, Jan 29, 7:15 PM IST: Temperature at this very instant has reached - Zero in and around Darjeeling Town. Meteorological Department has predicted imminent snowfall. It may be noted that there had been good snowfall around Ghoom, Senchal and the adjoining areas between 26 and 27 of this month. However, there were not much of a snowfall in the main town area. “If there had been a good deal of snow in the region, we could have experience an increase in the temperature but this did not happen, hence, dip in the mercury. We can expect imminent snowfall today or tomorrow,” an official at the Meteorological Department said.
Posted in Breaking Story | Tagged: darjeeling, ghoom, meteorological department, senchal, snowfall | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
An Appeal by Gorkha Janmukti Morcha
“It has come to our notice that some unscrupulously have been raising money from the people in the name of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. This has been going on in order to antagonize the people from the party. We, hereby, request you that if any one individually or in a group approaches you for donation please contact immediately at the following numbers: 9932297095 / 9832088050 /9832531350 / 9832065425 / 9733053631
Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha
Town Branch, Yuva Unit, Darjeeling
Posted in Have your Say? | Tagged: gorkha janmukti morcha, gorkha janmukti yuva morcha | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 29, 2008
Darjeeling, Jan 29, 5: 00 PM IST: “I wish Himalaya Darpan flourishes. It is possible that they might have felt bad but we have not banned it. We will not harm democracy. The press should report black as black and white as white. We have no bad intention towards Himalaya Darpan,” Bimal Gurung, the President of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha said at a political meeting yesterday in Kalimpong. He is even said to have requested Himalaya Darpan not to feel hurt.
“Himalaya Darpan is being sold without restriction in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Mirik, Kurseong from today,” Gurung said. “Himalaya Darpan has been giving us good coverage till now. But due to some mistakes here and there we have been hurt,” Bimal Gurung reiterated. Dr. Harkabahadur Chettri member of the GJM Central Committee refuted the rumour that Himalaya Darpan had been banned. “We must respect the freedom of press and not interfere in the functioning of the press. I hope that Himalaya Darpan will go about its work with the same dignity and determination as earlier,” he said. “We will have to work together to create a healthy society,” he added.
Posted in News | Tagged: bimal gurung, central committee, darjeeling, dr harkabahadur chettri, gorkha janmukti morcha, himalaya darpan, kalimpong, kurseong, mirik, president | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 28, 2008
By Barun Roy
I remember quite clearly the fateful day in the month of April, 1998 when suddenly an Ayatollah styled verdict of Subash Ghisingh the then self-proclaimed Father of the Indian Gorkhas and the President of the Gorkha National Liberation Front banned Sunchari, a fledgling Nepali daily when its editor, the defiant Dr. Kumar Pradhan wrote critically of the DGHC failure to live up to the expectation of the people. Sunchari was declared anti-Gorkha. The next day of the ban, vehicles transporting Sunchari to the Hills from Siliguri were stopped, the drivers roughed up and the newspapers burnt! This took place almost everywhere in Darjeeling Hills, so much so that the newspaper vendors closed shop and prayed silently for their personal safety. Both The Telegraph and The Statesman remained silent almost as if nothing had happened. The opposition called for a strike and R. B. Rai, the then prominent leader from the newly formed Communist Party of the Revolutionary Marxists walked up and down the main bazaar selling ‘Sunchari’. I joined him personally, distributing and selling with him ‘Sunchari’ in defiance to Subash Ghisingh. In a meeting with the then Superintendent of Police later, I even asked what if the ban were to last indefinitely, freedom of press would severely be restrained. He responded saying that he could not answer ‘such hypothetical questions’. Darjeeling Police did not take any action. Sunchari remained banned and I for one could do nothing but publish a cartoon on the April 1998 issue of Beacon. And the rest as they say is History!
Or is it!
On the evening of January 25 this year, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha took a decision to ‘request people from refraining to buy and read’ Himalaya Darpan from January 26 to February 2. The questions of why and how left aside, the vendors, uninformed of the GJM verdict, sold Himalaya Darpan on the 26th all over the Hills. The GJM verdict, itself coming to the fore only on 27th, when I personally reported through this very blog the first news of Himalaya Darpan being banned. The 26th Jan issue of Himalaya Darpan had featured the Opposition statement condemning the ban of Himalaya Darpan. The 26th of January being a holiday there were no issue on the 27th of January. Today however, when the 28th January issue of Himalaya Darpan with the Bimal Gurung statement, “We have not banned Himalaya Darpan”, came out, the vendors convinced that the GJM had called back its ban on the Nepali daily set out on their daily business. However, only to be ‘forcefully’ requested not to sale the paper. The cadres and the Town Committee of the GJM had to be asked to read Himalaya Darpan itself to realize that their own President had lifted the ban! The Town Committee later issued a poster near the Sumeru Manch informing people that under ‘Humanitarian Ground’ the vendors were being allowed to sell the Newspaper. The Town Committee of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha went to the extent of saying that it had nothing against the other reporters of Himalaya Darpan they were only against the unethical slant that Shibu Chettri had displayed in his work. The people did buy Himalaya Darpan but also for once looked over their shoulders. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Editorials, HB EXCLUSIVE | Tagged: akhil bharatiya gorkha league, anti-gorkha, april, ayatollah, barun roy, beacon, bimal gurung, communist party of the revolutionary marxists, cprm, darjeeling hills, darjeeling police, darjeeling press guild, democracy, dghc, dr. kumar pradhan, father, gjm, gorkha janmukti morcha, gorkha national liberation front, himalaya darpan, indian gorkhas, journalists, madan tamang, nepali, president, press fraternity, r b rai, shibu chettri, sibu chettri, siliguri, subash ghisingh, sumeru manch, sunchari, superintendent of police, the statesman, the telegraph, town committee | 6 Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 28, 2008
An Exclusive from Roshan Pradhan, South Sikkim
The instrument in the front is the leather made musical instrument that is usually used in celebrations by Tamang tribals called domphu one that is hanging with coloured clothes rapped is also made of leather tighten on metal frame is also a musical instrument but is used as to sent an intimation . different types /rhythms of beats signifies whether it is a wedding or a death rituals. It is used mostly by Limbu tribals , Tamangs and Buddhist people. It is called nagara . It is in pair and has 2 short sticks to beat the both .It the old day when the population was less and scattered the nagara used to be the mode to communication especially to inform the relative and surround about the death of their dear one. The smoke that come from the local plant called tetypati is an sign of welcome and believed to cast off evil sprite from the visitor body.
Posted in HB EXCLUSIVE | Tagged: buddhist, domphu, limbu, nagara, roshan pradhan, south sikkim, tamang, tamang tribal instruments, tamangs, tetypati, tribals | No Comments »
Posted by barunroy on January 28, 2008
Darjeeling Jan 28, 5:40 PM IST: The newly formed Press Guild of Darjeeling condemned the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s banning
The Telegraph, Siliguri, Jan. 31: A Pune-based rock band with a vocalist from Gangtok and a bass guitarist from Mirik will be the first group from India to take part in Asian Beat 2008, one of the continent’s biggest amateur music competitions. [Inset: A file picture of the band members of Silver (from left) Mahesh, Rishi, Amit and Savio with Sivamani after their win at Yamaha Roxx]
The Telegraph, Kalimpong, Jan. 31: Karma Sherpa, a contestant of Zee Bangla’s music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, has come up with his first solo Nepali album, stealing a march over Indian Idol Prashant Tamang in terms of originality.
