YOU MISUNDERSTAND ME AGAIN. BY THE TERM “EVERYBODY’S LAND” I WANT TO REFER SOMETHING LIKE ‘MEGHALAYA’ OR ARUNACHAL PRADESH’ AS THESE DOES NOT DENOTES ANY COMMUNITY, CAST OR CREED. BUT OUR HOMELAND SHOULD NOT BE LIKE ‘NAGALAND’ WHICH DENOTES IT IS A LAND OF NAGA PEOPLE.

WITH LOTS OF LOVE AND REGARDS.

QUTUB SHAH

talking about news paper, tv channel etc for mentioning that Gorkhaland issue is not against Bengali.
when Gorkhaland issue is not against bengali not against any other community and neither have any party leader supporting Gorkhaland issue have ever made such and statement then why to give clearances.

And talking of of bandhs/strikes it is not only the people who is related to tourist are affected but all most all people of different fields are affected and even the common man are affect.
Forgot to mention bandhs and strikes are ways to show that the people are unsatisfied.
The latest will be on 21 by trinamul congress for rise price of eatable items.
Talking about the strikes which is prevailing in the hills and in which you mention that you are facing problem. Had the ex- service men been allowed to enter siliguri during their peaceful rally then there would have been no lathi charge and if there have been no lathi charge then then there would have been no bandh and strikes and if there had been no strikes then you did not had to complain…..

By the way tourism is unaffected by the strike.
Talking about the people of hills and the plains which you have mentioned I too belong to the plains and to be precise from you locality .

1. RENAME “GORKHALAND” SOMETHING LIKE “EVERYBODY’S LAND”.
2. CANVAS WIDELY THROUGH NEWS PAPER, TV CHANNEL ETC. THAT THIS MOVEMENT IS NOT AGAINST BENGALIS BUT AGAINST ALL ODDS. AND EVERYBODY WILL GET EQUAL PRIVILEGE IN THIS LAND. AND EVERYBODY WILL BE TREATED EQUALLY IRRESPECTIVE OF HIS RESIDENCE (WHETHER HE/SHE LIVES IN PLAINS OR HILL)——- (I AM TALKING SO BECAUSE I WAS ILL TREATED IN DARJEELING JUST BECAUSE I DO NOT LIVE IN HILLS.)
4. IT IS THE TOURIST SEASON. STOP ALL BANDHS/STRIKES AND SOMETHING LIKE THAT, WE ARE TOTALLY DEPENDS ON TOURISTS AND WE EARN OUR BREAD FOR THE WHOLE YEAR ON THIS SEASON.
5. AN APPEAL TO ALL THE POLITICIAN IRRESPECTIVE OF PARTY, IDEOLOGY, CASTE, CREED.—– DON’T MIX YOUR POLITICS WITH OUR BREAD. WE ARE FASTING AND SUFFERING A LOT.

JAI GORKHA
JAI “EVERYBODY’S LAND”
JAI GORKHALAND
JAI HIND

The important fact which has to realized is Gorkhaland struggle is not a struggle between the Gorkha and Bengali and nor it is against any community in particular.

Again I totally agree when you say “Bengalis should be given the same importance” and the answer is yes you can see when you go to the hills not only Bengali, Marwaris , Biharis , Lepchas, bhutiyas etc are supporting the Gorkhaland issue..

Now the big question lies what about the plains there is no support from the majority of the people of other community the reason is because GJMM has never been allow to enter siliguri and you know very well what happened that time it tried to do so…
In order get support from other community first we should make them who we are what are our demand and why we are demanding Gorkhaland but every time one tries to do so either cpi-m party worker tries to stop them entering siliguri or the police….
And one interesting thing cpi-m leaders use the same dialogue again and again ” GJMM is trying to disturber the peace and harmony of siliguri” as if GJMM is trying to enter siliguri to have a fight…
I just wonder what does peace and harmony mean to cpi-m and on one side they call the people of the hill outsiders and on the other hand they openly give interview to news channel that the bombs found in siligui was planted by GJMM to disturb the peace of siliguri even though when they have no evident to prove it.
So you give us a suggestion what should we do in order to take into confidence of all the communities of the plain…

I ACCEPT THAT EVEN LEPCHAS AND BHUTIAS ARE THE GRAT SUPPORTERS OF GORKHALAND. EVEN I AM A SUPPORTER OF GORKHALAND. BUT BASIS OF DEMAND SHOULD BE LEGITIMATE.

SO I THINK “Gorkhas, Koches, Meches and business communities mainly Marwaris and Biharis played major role for the development of Silgarhi but not Bengalis.” – THIS COMMENT HAS NO VALUE.

EACH AND EVERY CASTE AND CREED IN THIS REGION HAS THEIR OWN CONTRIBUTION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THIS AREA. SO I DEMAND BENGALIS SHOULD BE GIVEN THE SAME IMPORTANCE SO AS TO OTHERS AS THEY ARE ALSO PART OF THE GORKHALAND.

BECAUSE ALTHOUGH LEPCHAS AND BHUTIAYS ARE SPEAKING THE SAME NEPALI LANGUAGE BUT THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE. BUT IT IS VERY SORRY TO SAY THAT MOST OF THEM FORGET THEIR LANGUAGE AND CULTURE BY LIVING IN A GORKHA COLONY.

THIS IS NOT A CONTROVERSY BUT FACT THAT DARJEELING(INCLUDING THE NORTHERN PART OF SILIGURI UPTO THE BANK OF RIVER MAHANANDA) WAS PART OF SIKKIM AND SIKKIM IS THE ONLY HOMELAND OF INDEGENOUS LEPCHA PEOPLE. LATER ON PEOPLES FROM NEPAL, BHUTAN AND BENGAL INVADED HERE. HISTORY TOLD US THAT THE ROYAL KINGDOM OF SIIKIM ALWAYS SUFFER PROBLEMS FROM NEIGHBORING NEPAL AND BHUTAN. LATER THEY MADE FRIENDSHIP WITH EAST INDIA COMPANY AND CEDED DARJEELING TO EAST INDIA CO. IN EAST INDIA CO. HELP THEM TO FIGHT AGAINST NEPALI AND BHUTANI INTRUDERS. BY THE PASSAGE OF TIME BENGALIS CAME HERE AS EMPLOYEES OF EAST INDIA CO.

HERE IS POST OF MR. BARUN ROY ON 16TH APRIL 2008 IN SUPPORT OF MY CLAIM:-

A Brief History of Darjeeling Hills (1780 – 1845)

Posted by barunroy on April 16, 2008

By P. Ojha [1]

The district of Darjeeling was originally a part of the dominion of Sikkim. The King of Sikkim became involved in unsuccessful struggles with the Gorkhas of Nepal, who had invaded Sikkim in 1780. During the next 30 years, they overran Sikkim as far east as the Tista and conquered and annexed the Terai. In the meantime, owing to a disagreement over the frontier policy of the Gorkhas, war broke out in 1814, between Nepal and the East India Company, at the end of which in 1816, by the Treaty of Sagauli, the Nepalese creed, the Darjeeling tract to the East India Company which they had wrested from the King of Sikkim by the company by the treaty of Titaliya on 10th February, 1817.

Under this treaty, the King of Sikkim was bound to refer to the arbitration of the British Government regarding all disputes between his subjects and those of the neighbouring states. In 1827, disputes between Sikkim and Nepal states arose, which were referred to the Governor General. In 1828, two officers, Captain G. A. Lloyd and J. W. Grant, I. C. S. were debuted to settle the internal disputes. They found their way into Chungtong, to the west of Darjeeling and were much impressed with the possibilities of the station as a sanatorium. The following year Capt. Lloyd spend six days in the “old Gorkha station of Darjeeling” the then Deputy Surveyor General of Bengal who likewise reported favourably on the situation of Darjeeling. The court of Directors of the East India Company then directed Capt. Lloyd to be deputed to start negotiations with Sikkimputtee, the aged King of Sikkim for a cession of the hill either for an equivalent in money or land. This transfer was successfully accomplished on 1st February 1835, the 24 miles long and 6 miles wide strip of hill territory stretching from the Northern Frontier of the district to the Pankhabarie in the plains which included Darjeeling and the deed read as follows:

“The Governor General having expressed his desire for the possession of the hill of Darjeeling on account of its cool climate, for the purpose of enabling the servants of his government, suffering from sickness to avail themselves of its advantages, I, the Sikkimputtee Rajah, and of friendship for the said Governor General (Lord William Bentick), hereby present Darjeeling to the East India Company, that is, all the land south of the Great Rangeet River, East of the Balasun, Kahail and little Rangeet Rivers and West of Rungno and Mahanadi Rivers.”

This was initially an unconditional cession of what was then an uninhabited mountain but in 1841 the Govt. granted the King an allowance of Rupees. 3,000/- per annum as compensation which was later raised to Rupees. 6, 000/- in 1846. After the handing over, Major Lloyd and Dr. A. Chapman, Asst. Surgeon, were sent in 1836, to explore and investigate the climate and capabilities of the place. They did this in the winter of 1836 and part of 1837, then Major Lloyd was appointed as a local agent to deal with applications for land which began pouring in from Calcutta. In 1839 this post of local agent was abolished and Dr. Arthur D. Campbell, a member of the Indian Medical Service and the Asst. Resident at the court of Nepal was appointed the first Superintendent; a post he held for 22 years. In this capacity he was in charge not only of the civil, criminal and fiscal administration of the District but also of the political relations with Sikkim. Dr. Campbell gave encouragement to immigrant cultivators and the populations rose from 100 in 1839 to 10,000 in 1849. It was in the same year 1839 that Lt. Napier of the Royal Engineers was deputed to lay out the town and construct a hill road which would connect Siliguri with Darjeeling by the Grand Trunk Road. It was from this year that the actual development of Darjeeling commenced, with the construction of roads which really made progress possible in Darjeeling.

The track of the Calcutta road to the east of the hill on which Jalapahar Cantonment stands was completed in January 1839 by Col. Lloyd. In a short time the town had a 16 miles long drive, a broad road named after the then Governor General, Lord Auckland and the Old Military Road built by Lt. Napier, measuring 40 miles was started in 1839 and completed in 1842 at the expenditure of Rupees. 8, 00,000/- . By this time, a hotel had been started at Kurseong and another at Darjeeling; 30 private houses had been erected and nearly the same number of locations for building sites taken up. By 1840, the town boasted of a Kutchery (located in the building now in the occupation of the Gymkhana Club) and following Mount Pleasant, one tree house since known as Beachwood.. ‘Bryanstone’ named after Brian Houghton Hodgson and also the original St. Andrew’s Church at which the Chaplain of Behrampur officiate occasionally. In 1845 buildings like Rockville, Lloyd Bank, Oak Lodge, Vernon Lodge, Chevermon, Woodlands, Dale, Colinton, Glen and Salt Hill were built.

Thus Darjeeling even in her infancy became a well planned and a beautiful town developed along the lines of London by the British and through the sweat and the blood of the local inhabitants poured no less than by the labourers who built Rome.

[1] First Published on January 1998 issue of Beacon

“JALPAIGURI” —-> “JELEP LA GORI” (TIBETIAN WORD)

MEANS A PLACE (MARKET PLACE, HAAT, BAZAR ETC.)WHERE WOOLEN CLOTHINGS ARE EXCHANGED.

HERE “GORI” STANDS FOR MARKET PLACE ETC.

WANT TO ADD SOMETHING THAT IT IS CLEAR TO ME FROM YOUR HISTORICAL ARTICLE THAT SILIGURI WAS A PART OF ROYAL KINDOM OF SIKKIM (WHICH IS THE HOMELAND OF LEPCHA PEOPLE). SO LET US FREE THIS PLACE FOR THEM. I CALL ALL THE INTRUDERS WHETHER THEY ARE BENGALI OR GORKHA TO LEAVE THE WHOLE DARJEELING DISTRICT AND DOOARS REGION AS THERE NO PLACE FOR INTRUDERS IN INDIA.

ONE MORE THING FOR YOUR KIND INFORMATION SIR, KOCHES AND MECHES ARE NOT THE SON OF SOIL OF THIS REGION. THEY BELONGS TO AHOM-KOCH CASTES OF ASSAM.

THE ONLY SON OF THE SOIL OF THIS REGION IS LEPCHAS.

SO I DEMAND FOR A “LEPCHALAND” WHERE NO FOREIGNER BENGALI OR NEPALI OR WHAT SO EVER MAY STAY OR LEAVE.

LONG LEAVE “LEPCHALAND”

DOWN DOWN WITH “ANY OTHER LAND”

Greetings from Darjeeling and welcome to The Himalayan Beacon (Beacon Online). I must say that I am not decidedly agreeable to your sentiments vis-a-vis the fact that we should as commentators, scribes and writers alike be race specific that is point out distinctively different races Gorkhas, Bengalis, Marwaris etc too negatively or too positively. Please do try to strike a balance in your essays and articles. No race or people can be entirely that bad, that guilty or for that matter that good.

Regards
Barun