An Ungrateful Nation
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
This respect and reverence is reflected in the contribution these brave solders have in fortressing the defence of our country. The Gorkha Regiment, has, as of today won 6 Theater Honors, 18 Battle Honors, 10 Ashok Chakras, 3 Param Vir Chakras, 28 Maha Vir Chakras, 68 Vir Chakras and numerous other honors and citations. The Gorkhas have always been the most disciplined solders, and they have out performed every enemy our country has had to face. Be it in India or abroad, the Gorkha solders have brought back fame and recognition to the country, besides being the first line of defence against inimical forces of Pakistan and China.
However, from time to time we have heard people referring to the same Gorkhalis as being foreigners, and even worst mercenaries, the worst possible slur on these brave hearts.
I have a question for these cynics, what or who is an Indian in your definition? Because, India as we know today is actually a British creation and the name itself is the best proof of that fact, is it not? Prior to the British (or the East India Company) consolidating its power in the geographical region we today refer to as India, the whole region was divided into small princely states. The Marathi’s ruled the west, Dravidians the south, the Mughals North and Central and the east was ruled by the Koch. The north-east, however, was mostly ruled by tribal clans and tribal chiefs. It was the British who won against all forces and consolidated and ruled this geographical Diaspora and for administrative ease called it India. So who is a real Indian? The answer is no body, and who is not a real Indian, the answer once again is no body.
The people, who cry hoarse calling the Gorkhas foreigners, do so, because of their lack of knowledge regarding the Gorkhas. People of ethnically Nepali background who are but Indian citizen, are referred to as Gorkhas (in Indian context that is). This is just to distinguish ethnically Nepali speaking Indian population from people of Nepal who prefer being called Nepali. It is illogical and inapt to call the Gorkhalis foreigners, just because we have a common heritage and roots with Nepal and we speak Nepali (which incidentally is one of the officially recognized languages of India).
My second question to these cynics is, are the Gorkha solders fighting for India mercenaries? The obvious answer is NO. Once the British took control of the rest of India, they tried to capture Nepal too, but the Nepali forces were trained mountain people and fierce warriors. So much was the valor of these solders that it won the respect of their enemy and the British recruited them into their army, in the same way as they recruited the Afghans, the Sikhs, the Dogras and even the Marathis. After the British left, the new Government of India recognizing the utility of these fighting men, decided to keep the Gorkha solders and formed an entire regiment, now known as The Gorkha Regiment; which was incidentally the first regiment of free India. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in HB EXCLUSIVE, Have your Say? | Tagged: 1/8 gorha rifles, aishwarya rai, asho chakras, bangladesh independence day, battle honors, british, china, cpim, darjeeling, darjeeling hills, defence analyst, defence minister, dogras, dravidian, east india company, field marshal sam fjh manekshaw, ganga, gorha regiment, gorkha, gorkha soldiers, gorkhali, india, indira gandhi, koch, maha vir charas, marathi, motherland, mughals, nandigram, nepali, pakistan, param vir chakras, prime minister, sam bahadur manekshaw, sardar patel, sikhs, siliguri, teesta, theater honors, university of north bengal, upendra mani pradhan, vir chakras, west bengal police | 190 Comments »
Traditional Gorkha Houses
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Posted in HB EXCLUSIVE, photo feature | Tagged: limbu, roshan pradhan, sombarey, traditional gorkha houses, west sikkim | No Comments »
Ram Nawami celebrated at Chakallay Deorali Cave in West Sikkim
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
14th April 2008: [Roshan Pradhan, Sombarey] Shree Ram Nawami , a Hindu festival on the birth of Lord Ram was celebrated here at Chakallay Deorali Gufa- a tourist spot near Sombarey West Sikkim. A grand show of Cultural presentation and competition was presented from 22 different cultural groups from Sikkim and West Bengal. The chief Guest was Ms. Chandra Maya Subba Adakshaya Zilla Panchayat West .Govt Of Sikkim. The programme started with the Puja and recitation of Holy Ramayan , followed by the cultural dance competition . The man behind the Project Mr. Pabitra Rai welcomed all the visitor and said the real objective and motive behind such festival is to develop and tap the village tourism in the area and make the local youth competent with the contemporary from Rimbik (WB) and market the International trekking route to Sandakphu and other potential areas. The presentee enjoyed the colourful and joyous cultural show. There was rush in the afternoon as most of the visitors dropped on their way back from Barsay Rhododendron Sanctuary, which is about 15 KM from here. In the competition Sangini Nritya Toli Bijambari West Bengal bagged the first Prized and 2nd by Cheli Club from Basbotay West Bengal. And 3rd Prize to kala Sangam Bijambari WB. Other attraction of the place was Rose cut flower from Daramdin, free Airtel sim distribution, local Handicraft, and instant Photo from Akash Ganga Co-operative Society with technical collaboration from Digital Point Sombarey and the special show of Film named ATMA GHATI producer by local lady Producer Ms Ani Maya Century - the casting of the local actor made the film interesting. Other present was JE irrigation, JE R&B, Zilla Panchayat Member, HMs, AEO and others. The programme came to the end with the Raffle draw to develop infrastructure of Vidya Barati School Sombarey.
Posted in HB EXCLUSIVE | Tagged: adakshaya zilla panchayat, barsay rhodondendron sanctuary, chakallay deorali gufa, chandra maya subba, hindu festival, holy ramayan, lord ram, rimbik, roshan pradhan, sandakphu, shree ram nawami, sombarey, west bengal, west sikkim | No Comments »
Poila Baisakh in style
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
SILIGURI, April 14: The heralding of New Year according to the Bengali calendar was celebrated today with great pomp and show in Siliguri. Apart from the domestic and commercial celebrations of the festival, a special function was organised by the Siliguri Film and Television Institute to herald the Bengali New Year. Along with it, the birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar was also celebrated in the city through several programmes. The two-day cultural programme ‘Utsabe Nababarsha’ organised by the SFTI began today with a colourful ‘prabhat pheri’ that commenced and terminated at the Bagha Jatin Park after traversing though several roads and lanes. The Mayor, Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Mr Bikash Ghosh inaugurated the cultural programme in the evening. “This is the first time we are organising such a programme. There would be programmes on dance, music and recitation. Both local and guest artists would perform. A number of bengali bands are also likely to entertain the audience during the two-day function,” said Mr Bhaskar Deb, one of the organisers. The 118-birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar was also celebrated. In addition to the celebrations, Siliguri Thalassaemia Society distributed garments among the poor and the Thalassaemia-stricken children on this occasion. [The Statesman]
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bagha jatin par, bengali calendar, bengali new year, dr b r ambedkar, new year, sfti, siliguri, siliguri film and television institute, siliguri municipal corporation, siliguri thalassaemia society, utsabe nababarsha | 1 Comment »
Child gets his smile back, thanks to Gandhi
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
KOLKATA, April 14: Ajit Mohammad (photograph below), barely a year old and the son of a daily wage earner in Kalimpong struggled to lead a normal life like other children.
The child was suffering from a cleft palate and could neither speak nor eat properly as the food would enter his nasal chambers instead of his food pipe. His parents were worried about Ajit’s future as they feared he would not be accepted like other children.
However, hope was renewed when the Governor, Mr Gopalkrishna Gandhi saw Ajit in Kalimpong and found out about his situation. Mr Gandhi asked his parents to him to the city for free surgery, which was orga-nised by Bhagwaan Mahaveer Cleft Foundation (MGLF) at Genesis Hospital.
The child’s surgery was done on Thursday, a week after his admission to the hospital. Dr Kamlesh Kothari, oral and maxillo-facial surgeon of MGLF said the child’s first operation was successful and ano-ther surgery will be done after six months to cure the child’s palate. After these two operations a speech therapist will teach him to speak properly.
The organisation has done cleft surgeries on 162 patients in the last year free of charge and plans to give the financial assistance for more than 500 patients to have surgery in 2008. The Governor visited the hospital today to meet Ajit and said “The procedure of cleft treatment is a permanent solution of the problems that a person faces thro-ughout his or her life for facial disorder.” Moreo-ver, he expressed his satisfaction as the boy has been cured and asked the NGO to help more people. Meanwhile, an exclusive facial surgical institute will be set up in the city by 2009, said Dr Kamlesh Kothari, chairman of Bhagwaan Mahaveer Cleft Foundation. The institute will incorporate 40 beds and patients with a facial disorder can opt for surgery at this institute. Cleft Children International, a Zurich-based NGO will provide the financial aid through Bhagwaan Mahaveer Cleft Foundation to set up the institution. The institution will also select two dental surgeons for fellowship. The institute will be affiliated with Zurich University. [The Statesman]
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bhagwaan mahaveer cleft foundation, cleft children international, dr kamlesh kothari, genesis hospital, gopalkrishna gandhi, governor, kalimpong, kolkata, mglf, ngo, zurich, zurich university | No Comments »
‘Aamra Bangali’activists harassed
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
SILIGURI, April 14: The ‘Aamra Bangali’ today alleged that the Pradhan Nagar police harassed its activists during a rally it had brought out in celebration of the Bengali New Year at Champasari in Siliguri. According to Mr Khushi Mondal, north Bengal secretary of the organisation, the police also obstructed their rally while it was crossing through the Gurung Basti area and escorted it to the police station instead.
“The police seized our vehicle and sound system. The vehicle was released later but the sound system was not. The Aamra Bangali would not tolerate such interferences in future and prepare for any eventuality,” threatened Mr Mondal. [The Statesman]
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: aamra bangali, bengali new year, champasari, hushi mondal, north bengal, pradhan nagar, secretary, siliguri | 1 Comment »
Intellectuals concerned over Gorkhaland demand
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
SILIGURI, April 14: Intellectuals of Siliguri today questioned the rationale behind the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha’s demand to include Siliguri and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state. Apart from this, they expressed serious concern over Siliguri turning into a haven for the subversives. Mr Ashru Kumar Sikdar, a former professor of the North Bengal University, Mr Haren Ghosh, a noted academician and Mr Ananda Gopal Ghosh, professor of history, North Bengal University, brushed aside the demand for the inclusion of Siliguri town and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state, branding it as absurd. “It is being orchestrated to create a divide between the Hills and the plains on ethnic lines, which is a dangerous trend and unjustified,” they opined. Mr Sikdar said that the demand for self-autonomy in the Darjeeling Hills comprising Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong sub-divisions was a century old. “The demand for a separate state comprising the three sub-divisions may have some justification. Yet, at no point of time, in the long history of the region, Siliguri and Dooars figured in the self-autonomy demand. History does not support such a demand.”
Corroborating this statement, Mr Haren Ghosh, said that even the Darjeeling Hills did not have a notable Nepali population until 1865. “The Lepchas, a distinct ethnic tribe, dominated the Hills in terms of population. In 1865 when tea estates came into being ethnic Nepalis began pouring into the Hills in large numbers from Nepal in search of jobs in the upcoming tea estates. The number further grew with the introduction of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1880. As far as Siliguri and Dooars are concerned ethnic Nepalis were negligible in number until 1950 when the Indo-Nepal friendship treaty was signed between the two governments. Even now, ethnic Nepali population is not more than 60,000 in Siliguri out of the roughly estimated population of 70 million,” Mr Ghosh added. Prof Ananda Gopal Ghosh of NBU expressed concern over distortion of history to suit certain demands, which cannot stand the objective historical scrutiny. [The Statesman]
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: ananda gopal ghosh, ashru kumar sikdar, darjeeling, darjeeling hills, darjeeling himalayan railway, dooars, gorhaland, gorkha jan muti morcha, haren ghosh, history, indo-nepal friendship treaty, intellectuals, kalimpong, kurseong, lepcha, nbu, nepali, north bengal university, siliguri, tea estates | 13 Comments »
Morcha nod to DM entry
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Darjeeling, April 14: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has agreed to lift the ban on the district magistrate’s entry to the hills after a request from Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi.
Roshan Giri, the general secretary of the Morcha, said: “We are happy that the governor has taken note of the treatment meted out to war veterans in Silguri.”
Gandhi had yesterday written to Bimal Gurung, the Morcha president, reminding him about the party’s promise to stick to the democratic path, apart from voicing his concern on the “distressful Siliguri incident” and his displeasure at the treatment meted out to ex-servicemen. [Inset: Women supporters of the Morcha with ‘go back’ DM placards in Kurseong. (Vivek Singh)]
The Morcha had said it would not allow Rajesh Pandey, the district magistrate, to go back to Darjeeling ever since the lathicharge on the ex-servicemen’s rally. Gurung’s party had alleged that violence could have been avoided if the district magistrate had given permission for the rally. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: administrator, b l meena, bengal, bimal gurung, circuit house, darjeeling, deputy superintendent, dghc, district magistrate, general secretary, gopalkrishna gandhi, gorkha janmukti morcha, governor, lathicharge, morcha, pradhannagar, pradip dutta, rajesh pandey, roshan giri, siliguri police, swapan kumar ghosh | No Comments »
Joint agenda for split units
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Darjeeling, April 14: Nineteen years after falling apart, the two most powerful employees’ associations in the hills have decided to come together to start a joint movement for statehood.
The development follows an initiative taken by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. The leaders of the two factions of the Hill Employees’ Association (HEA) — the NB Singh Road and the Eden Dham — have agreed to a joint forum for the movement.
Amar Rai, the president of HEA (Eden Dham), said: “We have decided to come together for the statehood agitation. However, both the associations will stick to their own programmes on employee interest related issues.”
This means that for the moment none of the two associations, once known to be at loggerheads with each other, will be dissolved.
While NB Singh Road has been registered under the Societies Registration Act, the Eden Dham faction was registered as Hill Employees and Workers’ Trade Union under the Trade Union Act in 1995. Amar Rai and his supporters had walked out of the parent body in 1989 after there were differences of opinion. The breakaway group came to be known commonly as the Eden Dham faction. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: amar rai, darjeeling, eden dham, gorha janmukti morcha, hea, hill employees association, nb singh road | No Comments »
Former jawans bank on service experience
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Darjeeling, April 14: Bruised and hurt after the lathicharge on their rally, ex-servicemen from across the hills have decided to strengthen the Bharatiya Bhutpurba Sainik Morcha by using all their experience gathered during the years of service.
Members of the Sainik Morcha had been involved in a skirmish with police in Siliguri on April 9 that left 27 of them injured.
“We will now set up a chain of command to mobilise supporters and send correct information as fast as possible, like we used to during our service tenure,” said Col (retd) P.B. Subba, a member of the central committee of the Sainik Morcha. [Inset: Ex-servicemen at the rally.]
The chain of command is expected to be in place after it is streamlined in the seven earmarked zones — Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik, Siliguri, Dooars and Gorubathan. The organisation, which has nearly 20,000 members, had taken only 1,000 of them to the rally. “During emergencies or while organising events, the chain of command will come in very useful,” said Subba. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bhutpurba saini morcha, central committee, cpm, darjeeling, dooars, gorubathan, gymkhana hall, jay bahadur gurung, kalimpong, kurseong, miri, p b subba, saini morcha, siliguri | No Comments »
Demand rises for tenant forms
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Siliguri, April 14: Residents in the northern part of the town are queuing up at the Pradhannagar police station to collect and submit tenant verification forms after a cache of improvised explosives and timer devices was found at a rented house at Gurung Bustee on Saturday.
“Around 200 forms were collected from our police station in the past 48 hours,” said an official of the Pradhannagar police station today. [Inset: The tenant verification form.]
Quite a few of them have been submitted as well, the officer added.
Susanta Dutta, a bank employee, has already furnished details about his tenant, prompted by “the series of incidents involving blasts and recovery of explosives in the town”.
“This is a good step initiated by the authorities following the recent developments and all house owners should co-operate with them and fill up the forms,” Dutta added.
The forms were printed after twin blasts killed three alleged bomb-makers at their rented place in Champasari’s Nayabasti on April 3. The blast trail has already led the police to two rented houses at Mallaguri and Gurung Bustee where they found explosives. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bhaktinagar, chapasari, gurung bustee, mallaguri, nayabasti, pradhannagar, pradhannagar police station, siliguri, siliguri municipal corporation, smc | No Comments »
Lepchas set off on protest pilgrimage - Marchers to be kept away from Gangtok
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Tribeni (Kalimpong)/Gangtok, April 14: About 650 Lepchas from the Darjeeling hills today set off on a “pilgrimage” to North Sikkim’s Dzongu, located around 150km from Tribeni.
Although the marchers chose not to be vocal about their protest against the setting up of hydel power projects in the Lepcha reserve, the real purpose of the exercise was not lost on anyone.
“We are basically going on a pilgrimage to our holy land. Hopefully, the march will also raise awareness about the significance of the place to us. Every Lepcha will be hurt if people violate the sanctity of the place,” said Azuk Tamsangmoo, an adviser to Rong Ong Prongzom (a Lepcha youth association).
The association and other Lepcha organisations have been leading a sustained campaign against the decision of the Sikkim government to set up hydel projects in Dzongu. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: darjeeling hills, dikchu, dzongu, gangtok, hydel power projects, kalimpong, lepcha, lepcha youth association, nathu la, north sikkim, rangit, rangpo, rong ong prongzom, rumitboobebumoo, singtam, tribeni | No Comments »
Bonds caught with bullets
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
“Heather acknowledged that she and her husband, who could not accompany them because of some respiratory problems, possess handguns and other firearms back home. She said they carry the firearms while travelling within US like other residents and unknowingly brought these bullets to India,” an official said.
“We travel regularly and the cartridges were in our travel bag and we brought them to India by mistake. There is thus no question of carrying any documents linked to them,” she said.
US citizens are allowed to carry firearms with permits in their registered baggage in domestic flights, the police said.
In India, too, firearms can be carried as registered baggage but the licence has to be produced at the airport.
But the officials said they could not figure out how international airports and the Delhi airport the two had passed through earlier missed the ammunition if the Bonds’ version was true. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: bagdogra, darjeeling, delhi, india, international airports, los angeles, taipei, us, us citizens | No Comments »
Hunt for woman linked to blasts
Posted by barunroy on April 15, 2008
Siliguri, April 14: Police today released the picture of a woman said to be the key link in the Champasari blasts and explosives recovered from Mallaguri and Gurung Bustee in the past 11 days.
The woman was identified by the only blast survivor, Dipen Rai. Police have evidence that she used to frequent all three places. However, they are not sure if she was the woman who died in the twin explosions in Champasari on April 3, which killed three of the alleged bomb makers. The police also conducted a raid on a house near Sevoke Road at night. Jyotsna Sarkar, the landlady, said she had rented out her rooms to eight Nepali girls, two of whom are missing for the past two days. The others were “on duty” at various nursing homes. Earlier in the day, the police had detained Ganga Gurung, who had given them the address of Jyotsna’s house “where some girls from Nepal lived”.
Like Dipen, Ganga, too, is from the Beldangi I refugee camp in eastern Nepal. “Dipen Rai, the only survivor of the blast and an accused, is currently at North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, being treated for more than 50 per cent face burns. Only after he recovers enough, can we get more information on the woman whose picture we have got,” said Swapan Ghosh, the inspector-in-charge of Pradhannagar police station, which covers Champasari, Mallaguri and Gurung Bustee. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in In Newspapers Today | Tagged: chamasari, champasari, gurung, gurung bustee, ied, improvised explosive devices, mallaguri, north bengal medical college and hospital, sevoke road, siliguri | No Comments »
