Why the media always go wrong while reporting on Nepalese

By JYOTI THAPA MANI

On 17 may, teenager Arushi Talwar was found dead in her Noida home. As the local police bungled over the handling of the case, leading print dailies bungled over the correct usage of the term to describe the initial suspect Hemraj’s ethnic background. Most papers referred to Hemraj, a Nepalese citizen, as Nepali.

Nepali was declared an Indian language and included in Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution in 1992. It is the official language of Sikkim and West Bengal’s Darjeeling district. The language is also known as Gorkhali and is widely spoken in Uttarakhand, Assam and Himachal Pradesh.

That makes Nepali an Indian language (apart from being the official language of Nepal), not a nationality.

Since Hemraj held a Nepalese passport, he should have been described as a Nepalese citizen. After Hemraj was found murdered, the other suspects of Nepalese nationality have also been incorrectly referred to as Nepalis.

One newspaper corrected its mistake the next day. However, others do not seem to have realised that ‘Nepali’ denotes a language, which also belongs to Indians.

At a time when Darjeeling district and Dooars are agitating for a separate state — Gorkhaland — and Nepali-speaking Indians are seeking recognition in India, the media cannot afford to be ignorant about the nomenclature of the country’s languages.

Unfulfilled Promises 1

A portion of an unfinished bridge linking Singtam and Pulbazaar. This bridge was inaugurated by the former Parliamentarian  S P Lepcha on 14th of February 2004

Tibetan Monastery Wall Painting!

Tibetan Monastery Wall Paintings are of the highest order

This painting photographed at the Tamang Monastery, Darjeeling is breath taking

All Photos by Barun Roy

Insect or a Leaf!

This amazing insect which looks like a leaf was found near a stream at Lingya Tea Estate, Darjeeling

Nepali – A Tamil Film

Nepali is a Tamil film featuring Bharath and Meera Jasmine in the lead roles, released in 2008. Bharath plays three different roles in the movie produced and directed by V.Z.Durai. The film has music by Srikanth Deva and was shot in Ooty, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The movie revolves around Karthik (Bharath), a software engineer. He comes across Priya (Meera Jasmine) in a hill station. After formal acquaintance, love blossoms between them.

As usual, the girl family protests their affair. Eventually the couple walk out of the house and get married. They face trouble in the form of a greedy and sexual maniac police officer. He lusts on Priya. When he tries to molest her, she gets killed. The blame falls on Karthik.

He kills the police officer and goes to jail, where he meets a Nepali social worker (Govind Namdeo), who voices for women harassed in workplace. Inspired by the Nepali, Karthik comes out of the prison to punish those who misbehave with women at workplace. He bumps off a computer engineer, a professor and a doctor dressed as a Nepali youth.

DCP Gautham (Prem) takes up the task of cracking the serial murders. Does he manage to pin down Karthik forms the crux?

CPIM cadres celebrate!

CPIM supporters celebrate an impending Panchayat elections victory

Brabourne Park at Chowrasta being cleaned

Independent Expert Committee on Big Hydro Projects in Sikkim writes to CM; requests him to resolve the Dzongu standoff

GANGTOK, May 22: Encouraged by the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling’s response in deciding to cancel the Teesta IV Hydropower project, the Lingza Hydropower project, the Ringpi Hydropower project, the Rangyong Hydropower project and the Rukel Hydropower project, all affecting the Dzongu region, a team of six members of the Independent Expert Committee on Big Hydro Projects in Sikkim has written to him requesting him to resolve the Dzongu standoff at the earliest.

In the letter dated May 22, the Committee, while raising the concern of the deteriorating health of the three activists who have attained the 74th day of their indefinite fast, has requested the CM to suspend the proposed 280 MW Panang Hydropower project for at least five years.

Stressing that development of small and micro hydro power projects will also economically benefit the people of Dzongu and in addition help Sikkim generate additional electricity, the Committee headed by Himanshu Thakkar has suggested the State Government to develop small and micro hydropower projects in the Dzongu region.

“We learn that your government has said that some of the projects have been cancelled in order to preserve and protect the sanctity of that Lepcha Abode, as you have said in the assembly and elsewhere,” the letter reads. Earlier, the committee visited some of the sites of the existing, under construction and proposed hydropower projects in Sikkim over the last 5-6 days. [Sikkim Express]

CM calls on Union Home Minister in New Delhi – Chamling places demands reservation of seats for LTs in Assembly and expansion of list of items for Nathula trade

GANGTOK, May 22: The Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today called on Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil in New Delhi to discuss various important issues pertaining to Sikkim. The meeting assumed greater significance in view of the long pending decision of the Government of India on one of the most crucial socio-politico-cultural issues of providing electoral reservation to Limboo and Tamang communities, which have since been included among the categories of Scheduled Tribes by providing for reservation of seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly.

During the deliberations with the Union Home Minister, the Chief Minister once again brought home the need for an early and amicable solution to the issue by the Government of India. While expressing his satisfaction and happiness on approval of the long pending demand for a new alternate two-lane National Highway connectivity to Sikkim by the Government of India, Mr. Chamling impressed upon the need of early implementation of the project besides simultaneous improvement and restructuring of the existing alignment of the National Highway 31A to two-lane alignment from Coronation Bridge to Gangtok which is currently not in good shape.

Mr. Chamling reminded Mr. Patil about the problem being faced by the commuters and vehicular traffic on the West Bengal portion of NH 31A in the wake of frequent bandh calls enforced from since 1985 and reiterated the need to have an amicable permanent solution to the problem. On the issue of the ongoing Indo-China Border trade through Nathula, the Chief Minister impressed upon the need to enlarge the list of tradable items from Indian side as has been already made available at the Central Government by him to make the bi-lateral trade more viable and purposeful.

No fragrance, no interest

When a flower stops smelling like one,  pollination is in jeopardy. And pollution is to blame, writes Sumana Narayanan

THE attractiveness of a flower diminishes when it does not emit a fragrance. And not just we humans but insects, too, stop taking an interest in such a flower. Researchers from the University of Virginia, USA, have sounded a warning that the fragrance in flowers may be short-lived. The cause, they say, is air pollution. This is crucial because both colour and fragrance attract insects towards flowers, thus helping pollination. Their study shows that increasing levels of nitrogen oxides in the air react with and degrade hydrocarbons responsible for fragrance in flowers. Hydrocarbons react easily with nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2) in the air to form ozone (O3).

This restricts the fragrance from travelling long distances — about 200 metres — thus making it difficult for insects to find flowers. Simulation studies showed that at pre-industrial levels of air pollution, the fragrance of a flower could travel several kilometres. The hydrocarbons break down even before they can be carried away by the wind, the researchers say in the paper published in the March 2008 issue of the Atmospheric Environment. The researchers used mathematical models to understand how common fragrance hydrocarbons — linalool, myrcene and ocimene — disperse in the air.

Sikkim women scale Mount Everest

GANGTOK, May 23: Miss Phul Maya Tamang and Mrs Yangdi Sherpa from Sikkim summitted Mt Everest 8848m (29,028ft) yesterday as the first lady climbers from the Himalyan state. Five others, Mr DD Bhutia, Mr Kunzang Gyatso Bhutia, Mr Nima Wangchuk Sherpa, Mr Yadu Ram Sherpa and Mr Phurba Sherpa from Darjeeling and Kalimpong areas summitted the world’s highest peak along with the Sikkim team yesterday. The two ladies along with Mr Nima are mountaineering instructors and Mr DD Bhutia is the principal of Sonam Gyatso Mountaineering Institute in Gangtok.

It was the first time the 43-year-old school SGMI organised an independent expedition under the banner of Sikkim Amateur Mountaineering Association Everest Expedition. “For mountaineering, the olden days are back in Sikkim,” said Mr Barap Namgyal General Secretary of SAMA while congratulating the team and the SAMA members. “This is a big exposure for Sikkim in mountaineering world,” he added.

Four members from the Jammu and Kashmir police, Uttarakhand and Gujarat were also part of the expedition. The team scaled the peak from the North Col ridge, which is considered to be a difficult climb. The ascent to the top from the North Col begins in Tibet, unlike the easier approach from the Southeast ridge in Nepal. With this success, the SGMI group has become the third team to scale Mount Everest from Sikkim after Mr Sonam Gyatso in 1965 followed by Nadey Sherpa who scaled the said peak twice in 1996 and then in 2003. The state Chief Minister, Pawan Chamling congratulated the Sikkim climbers. [The Statesman]

Darjeeling civic body to ban high-rises

DARJEELING, May 23: The Darjeeling Municipality has decided to put a stop on the construction of high rises in the region. “In future we shall not sanction building plans beyond a height of 11.5 meters,” said chairman Mr Pemba Tshering. He has also requested the people to include a garage in their new building plans to meet the parking place constraint in the hill town.

Development activities and improvement of civic amenities have taken precedence in the new board formed under the GJMM. For one, the sewage project has been remodeled to include areas between Jorebunglow to Lebong. “A consultant from Delhi will survey the area and submit a report by the end of the month. Rs25 crores has already been sanctioned which will be utilised to improve the network and construct new sewage lines,” Mr Tshering informed.

Kumai refuses to resign

By RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, May 23: GNLF leader and Kalimpong municipality chairman C.K. Kumai has fought off the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s calls for his resignation from the civic post and criticised the party for threatening him with “social boycott”.

Kumai, a lawyer, said the threat was “illegal, unconstitutional, unethical, immoral and directly against the principles of good conscience, equity and natural justice”.

The threat had come from Kalyan Dewan, the Kalimpong unit president of the Morcha. In a recent interview to a local TV channel, Dewan had said Kumai should either resign or face social boycott, by which he meant no one would be allowed to visit the civic chief at his residence, nor would he be permitted to visit other homes or even go to hotels.

“The flow of my clients has come down drastically since the telecast of Dewan’s statement for which he personally and the Morcha collectively will be held responsible,” said Kumai, who has lodged a police complaint against Dewan for his “provocative remarks”.

CPM banks on Dooars mandate – Morcha meets failed, says Asok

Siliguri, May 23: The results of the panchayat polls in the Dooars have made it clear that people there do not want their area to be included in the separate state of Gorkhaland demanded by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Darjeeling district CPM leaders said here today.

“Morcha president Bimal Gurung, at a number of meetings in the Dooars, had urged residents to vote against the CPM and the Left allies. But as the results show, we have done exceptionally well in the Dooars, especially in Malbazar, Birpara, Metelli and Nagrakata blocks where the Morcha meetings were held,” Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya said. [Inset: Asok Bhattacharya (Below) Bimal Gurung]

“We take this mandate as an outright refusal by the residents to express solidarity with the Morcha and its demands,” the CPM leader added. “People even voted us back in power at the Kalchini panchayat samiti, ousting the Congress.”

The district CPM leadership also thanked chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for clarifying his government’s stance on the Morcha’s statehood demand. A four-member delegation of the hill party met the chief minister in Calcutta yesterday. At the meeting, Bhattacharjee reportedly asked the Morcha to focus on greater autonomy for the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council.

“We now expect the Morcha to play a responsible role in ending the stalemate in the hills through discussions with the state and maybe, the Centre,” Jibitesh Sarkar, a state secretariat member of the CPM, said.

Morcha leaders, however, denied the urban development minister’s claims.

“We had never passed any directive to the voters in the Dooars and always said they were free to vote for any candidate. The inference drawn by the CPM is wrong, as voting in the panchayat polls and expressing support for Gorkhaland are different issues. We still say that the residents of the Dooars support our demand,” Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri said. [The Telegraph]

MiG on fire after belly landing

Siliguri, May 23: A MiG-21 of the Indian Air Force made a crash landing at the Bagdogra air base this morning before its front portion broke into flames. [Inset: The fighter plane on the grass off the runway. Picture by Kundan Yolmo]

The pilot was rescued from the cockpit uninjured.

This is the second time in just over two months that Mig-21s from Bagdogra have been involved in this kind of mishap, putting a blot on the record of the air base that was recently voted the second best in the country.

Today around 9.15am, the MiG-21 was coming in to land after a routine sortie when the pilot, Squadron Leader S.L. Roy, noticed a problem with the front wheel, which was not opening. He was forced to make a belly landing and despite applying the emergency brakes and opening the parachute at the rear, the friction of the fuselage hitting the runway at speed resulted in the aircraft catching fire.

Sparks from the flames ignited the parachute brake at the rear of the aircraft too, airport sources said.

Three fire-tenders rushed to the aircraft even as it was coming to a halt on a grassy piece of land off the northern end of the runway and managed to douse the flames with foam within half-an-hour.

Black smoke billowed from the aircraft till the fire was put out. “I was going to my shop at Gwalapatti (near the airfield) when I heard a strange screeching noise. I turned around and saw smoke near the Rail Gate entrance to the air base,” said Atanu Ray, a resident.

Rescue teams opened the cockpit hatch and pulled out Roy. “Although he was unharmed, he was feeling dizzy and was rushed to the air base hospital at Bengdubi,” said a senior IAF officer. Later reports confirmed that Roy was out of danger.

The aircraft was badly damaged, sources in the IAF said.

According to the director of Bagdogra Airport, K.K Bhowmik, the incident did not affect the movement of civil aircraft as the runway was not blocked. In a similar incident on March 15 this year, however, the runway on the southern end had been blocked for around 30 minutes, delaying the take-off and landing of two flights.

Air Commodore Chhabra of the Directorate of Flight Safety at IAF headquarters in New Delhi said an inquiry would be ordered to find out what caused the front landing gear to malfunction.

In Shillong, Senior Officer in Charge of Administration, Eastern Air Command, Air Vice Marshal J.S. Gandyok said: “Sitting here, I cannot comment on the exact reasons for the crash. The court of inquiry will give the correct picture of what led to the crash.”

Bagdogra was named the second-best operational air force base in the country in the silver jubilee of the IAF last year. But the two recent incidents will probably prompt a review of aircraft maintenance and other aspects at the base, an airport official said. [The Telegraph]

Evening toy train rides start – Trip ‘mesmerises’ tourist from Meerut

By VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, May 23: Engine 792 B has seen the DHR in all its avtars, from a goods train to a tourist attraction. In 1897, it used to ferry Darjeeling Tea along with a few English sahibs in its lone passenger coach. Today, it chugged uphill from Darjeeling to Ghoom pulling plush, carpeted compartments with on-board attendants. [Inset: The train at Batasia Loop near Ghoom. Picture by Suman Tamang]

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has launched its latest project to woo tourists — evening rides on the toy train to Ghoom and back. Till now, the Darjeeling-Ghoom joy rides ran during the day.

Tourists ready to burst Sikkim seams

Gangtok, May 23: Nearly 1.3 lakh domestic tourists have visited Sikkim from January to April this year. The Sikkim tourism department said only twice the number visited the state in the whole of last year. [Inset: Tourists at M.G. Marg in Gangtok. Picture by Ashit Rai]

Political turmoil in Darjeeling, a hill station located in Bengal where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is agitating for the separate state of Gorkhaland, and Tibet being shut out to foreigners, seem to be the primary reasons for the huge inflow of domestic and international visitors, some tour operators claimed. The secretary of the state tourism department, S.B.S. Bhadauria, however, put it down to Sikkim’s growing popularity as a tourist destination. “We have managed to put our state on the tourism map of India.”

A section of tour agents agree with Bhadauria. “Turmoil in Darjeeling alone cannot be the only factor. The trend was that anyone who visited Darjeeling would come to Sikkim. It is only that this time, they are visiting Sikkim alone and not Darjeeling too,” said a tour operator. The last three months have seen over 20 per cent increase in visitors compared to the same period last year.