A comment worth a thousand comments!
Posted by barunroy on April 17, 2008
Hemant: After sixty three years of the occupation of the Dajeeling by the British, there was a report called as Terai Settlement 1898 that deals with the classification, occupation, settlement of the land road, hat, bazaar , climate, ethnic composition etc of “the plain portion of the district of Darjeeling locally known as the Darjeeling Terai” that is siliguri and its periphery of today. The Terai Settlement Report 1898, as per the then available record contains caste wise population as follows :-
- Bhuimali and Mehter 1079
- Bhutia 422
- Brahman 630
- Damai 108
- Gharto 229
- Gurung 1916
- Kaibarta 329
- Kami 630
- Khambu 2773
- Kachh 11,133
- Lepcha 1024
- Limbo 524
- Mgar 1347
- Munda 255
- Murmi 1002
- Newar 507
- Oraon 4632
- Rajput 514
- Sarki 151
- Sunur 101
- Yakha 54
- Buna 1270
- Shaik 6301
These castes belongs to Nepali(Gorkha) and Adivasi community and they had formed the population of the Terai at the end of the nineteenth century.
But with the passage of time the dominat population has become minority and the community which were not in sigh at the time of preparation of the Report of Terai Settlement in 1898 has become majority and also the ruling community…..
April 20, 2008 at 11:21 am
GOOD JOB ! brother ! what more can you say ! so where are the BANGLADESHIS now ????? hahahahah
April 27, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Dear Mr. Barun,
The figures are very informative and interesting. Can we have the source(with publication year and place) from where the author borrowed them?
regds
Vimal Khawas
April 27, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Good job Barun. U hav done a good research work.
But one complain frm dis side. Why do U always fail to mention the ’source paper’?
Another point, in the above article the castes mentioned under serial no. 3, 7, 10 & 18 are belong to which race nepali or aadivasi?
April 27, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Dear friends,
The source of the above data is The Terai Settlement Report of 1898.
Regs
April 27, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Dear Vimalda,
I have been going through your blog and your work for a long time and am quite simply a fan…BUT I have serious doubts on the fact that Sikkim based intellectuals are really serious about their commitments to Darjeeling Hills. Now Dr. Mahendra P. Lama is from Darjeeling and so are many including you, now making waves for the State of Sikkim. And also the fact, that Pawan Chamling is really dedicated to championing the Gorkhas all over India? All in all I feel that the intellectuals and the politicans in Sikkim speaking sweet of Darjeeling Hills is nothing but a big scam. What do you have to say to that?
April 27, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Dear Gorkhey Bhai,
Thank you for your note. Do not doubt the commitment of Darjeelingeys residing and working outside Darjeeling, be it Sikkim or Delhi. In fact, the birth place becomes dearer to you when you are away from it. When one lives outside her/his birth place s/he understands the importance of her/his home and its surrounding.
As academicians and researchers, we are doing whatever we can do for Darjeeling. Our main task at this point of time is to write and influence the society and policy makers. we are doing that. Our profession has its own limitations and you need to understand that.
As far as Sikkim is concerned, I do not know much about its leaders’ intention. And I think we need not be much concerned about them; they have their own objectives/agendas and we have our own problems. We need to focus on our issues.
My job in Sikkim University is to assist Prof Lama to build a University of International Standard and I am only committed to that; i have very little to do with the State of Sikkim besides working for Sikkim University. And you might know that the people of Darjeeling are not respected in Sikkim. I am here only as a professional and have very little interest in Sikkim’s internal affairs.
April 27, 2008 at 10:09 pm
Thank you very much Vimalda, that was a very candid response. Thank you very much once again.