Little Gorkha girl to be married to God!

PHOTO BY FRANK BUNNIK

This young girl is going to be married to a local god in Bhaktapur, Nepal, along with all girls of her age and of her tribe. Years later she will marry her husband. Should he ever die, she will never be a widow since she is always married to the god.

Gorkha Belle Dancing

PHOTO SHARED BY SUMIT RAI

Madhav Kumar Nepal likely to lead political coordination committee

FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA NEWS

Kathmandu, Oct 6 : Former General Secretary of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal is likely to lead the high-level political coordination committee.

According to Nepalnews, the UML is recommending Nepal’s name to lead the committee which is going to be formed in order to provide political guidance to the government.

The committee will include representations from all the coalition partners.

Earlier, Nepal urged the coalition partners to create an environment of trust in order to make sure that the current government survives its full-term – two years.

Nepal’s statement comes after the claim of some Nepali Congress leaders that the Maoist-led coalition government would collapse due to dispute among the ruling parties.

Stating that no political principles can be established in Nepali society unless status of people is improved, he termed the Maoist proposal of People’’s Republic as untimely and inappropriate at this time.

He also expressed the hope that the current government would be able to address the aspirations of the people.

Army integration will be completed without hassles, says Nepal Home Minister

FROM ANI

Nepal Home Minister Bamdev Gautam has said that the army integration will be completed without hassles.

Kathmandu, Oct 6 : Nepal Home Minister Bamdev Gautam has said that the army integration will be completed without hassles.

Addressing an interaction programme here today, Gautam said, “We will soon form a special committee as per the constitutional provision. It will decide whether to integrate all of the PLA or those who fulfill certain parameters into the Nepali Army.”

“This process will be carried out in such a manner that everyone will be content,” he added.

Gautam dismissed possibilities of collapse of the current government.

“There is no alternative to this coalition. Any possibility of government’s collapse arises only when there is an alternative,” he said.

Gautam said that the security situation in the country will be maintained up to full satisfaction within next six months, Nepalnews reported.

Blast mars Nepal’s biggest festival

FROM INDIA ENEWS

By Sudeshna Sarkar

Kathmandu: A bomb exploded in Nepal’s turbulent southern plains Monday morning injuring three children and marring the celebration of the Himalayan republic’s biggest festival Dashain, despite a truce called by warring armed groups.

The explosion in the industrial town of Biratnagar in Morang district, along the India-Nepal border, injured three children, aged between eight and 12 years.

A young girl, whose name was given only as Chhoti, and two boys, Riyaz and Raja, were injured when the bomb went off in a garbage dump around 10 a.m.

This is the second explosion in Biratnagar in 72 hours. On Saturday night, a bomb exploded at a mosque in Hattimura village, injuring five people and triggering angry protests from the Muslim community, who blocked the highway Sunday.

Biratnagar is the home town of former prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala, who is currently camping there.

Monday’s blast comes despite a truce announcement by 14 armed groups who are responsible for a welter of killings, abduction and extortion in the Terai plains.

In a joint statement last week, the underground outfits, including several bands of former Maoists, said they would suspend all violent activities for nine days from Monday in deference to Dashain, which corresponds to India’s Dussehra festival.

Today is Fulpati; President observes celebration at Tundikhel

FROM NEPAL NEWS

Hindu devotees across the country are observing the day of Fulpati on Monday amidst religious ceremonies and festivities.

On the day of Fulpati, the seventh day of Navaratri, an assortment of sacred shrubs that are offered to Goddess Durga is taken inside the Dashain Ghar in Hanumandhoka.

The Fulpati, the procession bearing the jamara and other items necessary for the tika, is carried on foot from Gorkha, about a 169 kilometres away from Kathmandu, all the way up to Dhading district from where six Brahmins carry them to Jamal, Kathmandu. From Jamal, the Phulpati filled with holy water, banana stalks, jamara and sugar cane tied with red cloth is carried by Brahmans to the Dashain Ghar today. [Inset: President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav (center) receives guard of honour during Fulpati]

A military parade is also organised at Hanuman Dhoka palace. By the time the function ends the Fulpati is already taken inside the Dashain ghar in Hanuman Dhoka Palace. With this the Dashain feasting starts. A band associated with the army also plays its music and goes through the old quarter of Kathmandu on this day.

Fulpati also marks the beginning of official weeklong Dashain holidays in government offices.

Meanwhile, President Dr Ram Baran Yadav attended a traditional Fulpati function organised by Nepal Army at Tundikhel today.

Yadav was given guard of honour during the function which was attended by Vice-President Parmananda Jha, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Constituent Assembly chairman Subas Nemwang and ministers. A special army parade was staged and gunshots fired as part of the Fulpati function of the army.

Dashai Festivals begins!

PHOTOS SHARED BY GORKHEY JEEP

Photos by Scoop Cooper

Officially Dashain begains with fulpati

FROM NEPAL NEWS

October 6: Hindu devotees across the country are observing the day of Fulpati on Monday amidst religious ceremonies and festivities.

On the day of Fulpati, the seventh day of Navaratri, an assortment of sacred shrubs that are offered to Goddess Durga is taken inside the Dashain Ghar in Hanumandhoka.

The Fulpati, the procession bearing the jamara and other items necessary for the tika, is carried on foot from Gorkha, about a 169 kilometres away from Kathmandu, all the way up to Dhading district from where six Brahmins carry them to Jamal, Kathmandu. From Jamal, the Phulpati filled with holy water, banana stalks, jamara and sugar cane tied with red cloth is carried by Brahmans to the Dashain Ghar today.

A military parade is also organised at Hanuman Dhoka palace.

On this day, Nepal Army organises a parade at Tundikhel. Gunshots are fired and the entire valley echoes with the resonating sound of it. Traditionally the firing continues for ten to fifteen minutes to honour the Fulpati.

By the time the function ends the Fulpati is already taken inside the Dashain ghar in Hanuman Dhoka Palace. With this the Dashain feasting starts. A band associated with the army also plays its music and goes through the old quarter of Kathmandu on this day.

GJM President Bimal Gurung trying a Karchep Topee

Photo by Rekha Lama (Himalayan Darpan)

Where weapons are worshipped instead of Durga

FROM IANS

Ranchi, Oct 6 (IANS) During the Navratri festival different forms of idols of goddess Durga are worshipped. But there is a place in Jharkhand where weapons are worshipped instead of goddess Durga.If you want to see a different form of prayers come to the campus of the Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) at Ranchi. Here weapons are worshipped. The prayer system is almost similar except placing the idol goddess Durga.

While the Kalash (religious vessel) is installed according to Hindu rituals, weapons like AK 47, Insas rifles, pistol, mortar, carbine and grenades are also placed on stage.

The weapons are then decorated and worshipped. Most of JAP commandos belong to the Gorkha community, which celebrates Durga Puja with enthusiasm and religious fervour.

“The prayer system of JAP campus is slightly different from Hindu rituals. Here weapons are worshipped instead of idols of goddess Durga,” said Bhimlal Pathak, priest of JAP ground.

He said animals are also sacrificed to appease the goddess and Gorkhas seek blessings from Durga that their weapons function properly when they take on criminals, Maoist rebels and other anti-social elements.

According to Gorkhas, Durga Puja started in the JAP ground way back in 1880. Weapons were worshipped and the tradition of weapon worship continued till 1953.

Today’s Fulpati celebration in Darjeeling

ALL PHOTO BY BARUN ROY

Fulpati being celebrated with great reverence

FROM EKANTIPUR

KATHMANDU, Oct 6 - The seventh day of the Dashain festival, Fulpati is being celebrated across the country, on Thursday.

As part of the religious and cultural celebrations of Fulpati, the general public takes five different types of flowers and leaves to the place where Jamara is grown at their homes.

As per the Hindu traditions, Fulpati is brought from Gorkha Durbar, the ancestral royal palace, to the Hanumandhoka Dashain Ghar in the capital.

On the occasion, the Nepal Army fires cannons at Tundhikhel when the Fulpati is first brought.

After the completion of the cannon fire of the Nepal Army, Fulpati is brought to the Hanuman Dhoka.

Open letter to Anjali Nauriya

Times of India, Thursday, September 11, 2008, Doon Plus Cityscape, Mesmerising

Title of article by Anjali Nauriyal

IT HAPPENS ONLY IN DEHRADUN

Extract:

“Long and short of it-

In local Ghorkhali parlance, maathoos are the short-statured guys while dais are the hoodlums. They seem to dot the entire length and breadth of the city and can be seen getting into brawls at the slightest of temptation. But all said and done, they have carved a niche for themselves in the arena of ‘misplaced priority’ and give the city its special flavour. Dai-ism, it seems, has a long way to go, given the increase in the number of fisticuffs reported to the police!”

Dear Ms Anjali Nauriyal,

First of all, if this article was written with the idea of satirical wit, you have failed miserably. On the contrary, it is a racist piece of communal complex. You as a journalist have misused your pen to create communal labelling. If you were aware that a Gorkhaland agitation based on identity is already going on in Darjeeling, you would have been more responsible about what you wrote of any Gorkhali society.

The Gorkhas are an integral part of the history of Uttarakhand. As neighbours to Nepal, the Garhwalis, Kumaonis and Gorkhalis have common ties since centuries. The Garwali and Kumaoni royal families are all Nepali-blooded. In fact they also look like each other and have similar culture and traditions. In fact this physical similarity in looks created a bad name for Nepalis when Garhwali/Kumaoni domestics were on a major robbing and killing spree in the metros. Gorkhalis have brought a lot of good name to Dehradun by the plethora of Indian Defence Service awardees, war heroes and freedom fighters of note.

Yes, Gorkhalis in Dehradun are getting annoyed by the constant needling by Garhwalis and articles such as yours. The communities have lived together, intermarried and coexisted for centuries. You should use your office in encouraging communal harmony which will be healthy for the state. Kumaonis and Gorkhalis get along well, what is wrong with the Garhwalis? If they want to hold century-old vendettas in their minds, how will it benefit the state’s future?

Uttarakhand’s major temples including Badrinath, Gangotri and a spate of them in Dehradun including the Daatkaali and Rudreshwar maharaj temple have been built by Gorkhalis. The first time any native fought with the British, much before 1857 were the Gorkhas. The 1814 Anglo-Gorkha Battle of Nalapani till date brings Dehradun on the history map. Your city centre’s most famous edifices protected by the ASI are the edifices to the Gorkha bravery at the battle of Nalapani.

Wet spell holds in east, sporadic over peninsula

FROM THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE

By Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 5: Thundershower activity over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will scale up ahead of the arrival of a western disturbance, the window for which has been pushed forward to Tuesday-Thursday.

On Sunday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) located the western disturbance as an upper air system over Jammu and Kashmir and adjoining north Pakistan.

Weather-causing cyclonic circulations were traced to over madhya Maharashtra, the southeast Arabian Sea off the Karnataka-Kerala coast and south Tamil Nadu.

Remnant monsoon circulations were triggering rains or thundershowers in the east and the northeast.

Forecasts said the activity over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Gangetic West Bengal, Jharkhand and coastal Orissa would continue for another 24 hours.

Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam and Meghalaya during the next two days, a separate warning issued by the IMD said.

ACTIVE IN NORTH-EAST

In the north-east, the monsoon continued to be active and rains are predicted to intensify over many places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.

Towards central India and adjoining peninsula, rain or thundershowers have been forecast at a few places over coastal Karnataka, Gujarat, Konkan, Goa and madhya Maharashtra.

Outlook for the three days ending October 10 said scattered to fairly widespread rainfall activity is likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and the northeastern States while it will be scattered over the western Himalayan region.

2 killed, 29 injured in road accidents in Nepal

FROM XINHUA

Two people were killed and 29 others injured in separate accidents in different parts of Nepal on Sunday, reported the local media house’s website eKantipur.

Two died and over 10 were injured when a passenger bus met withan accident near Kaluwapur in the Mahendranagar-Dhangadi Highway in Kailali district, situated some 470 km of western Nepal on Sunday.

The bus packed with Nepalis returning home from India to celebrate the country’s greatest festival Dashain was heading to Nepalgunj, 365 km west of Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, 16 people were injured when a passenger bus (Na 3 Kha 1807) met with an accident in Makwanpur district, 25 km of Kathmandu early Sunday morning.

Among the injured, the condition of three is reported critical. They are receiving treatment at the nearby Bharatpur Hospital.

‘AIGL rift may hurt Gorkhaland dreams’

FROM THE STATESMAN

KURSEONG, Oct. 5: The present activities of the AIGL are dividing the Gorkha community and would prove fatal to the aspiration and demand for Gorkhaland, said a few former members of the party at a public meeting at Kurseong Motor Stand, organised by the GJMM today.

In what might prove to be a big blow for the AIGL, senior AIGL leader and former general secretary of the Kurseong Branch Mr Pranay Thapa was made an executive member of the GJMM, Kurseong branch, by the GJMM central committee vice president, Mr Pradeep Pradhan. Mr Pradhan felicitated the former AIGL members present and welcomed them into the GJMM fold.

It was a surprise for many to see former AIGL members at the meeting; Mr Thapa had recently been expelled, while the others had resigned from the party.

“The AIGL’s activities will only lead to divisions in the Gorkha community when we should be united as one,” Mr Thapa said. “When other minority communities are raising their voice in support of Gorkhaland, under one umbrella, then why not us?”

The new GJMM members claimed that they were forced to leave the AIGL because of the divisive policy of the party.

It may be recalled that the AIGL Kurseong branch committee held an emergency meeting on 1 October led by AIGL Kurseong branch president Mr SK Pradhan keeping in mind the prevailing political situation in Darjeeling. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to expel Mr Thapa from the party on account of his “anti-party activities”.

Mr Thapa resigned from the party the following day, with 22 other members following suit in protest against the decision.

Fair with a touch of tradition

FROM THE STATESMAN

DARJEELING, Oct. 5: Authentic nepalese food served at the Traditional Nepalese Fair at Sukhia is a great way to get in touch with your roots.

For three days the otherwise quiet town near Darjeeling will revert back to the olden times where people will celebrate pure Nepalese culture unaffected by present day influences.

“We have a rich heritage and this is an effort to preserve as well as display it. By doing so the younger generation will get to know about their customs and traditions”, Mr Pravin Bardewa, secretary of Gorkha Sanskritik Sangsthan, Sukhia and organiser of the Fair said.

Thatched bamboo huts lined up along the road displayed various antiquities like a 100 year old theki, an urn to prepare curd. “This theki prepares almost 50 kilos of curd. And because it is made from dar wood, the taste is never sour”, owner of the urn, Mr SK Niroula said. Another unique exhibit is a century old wooden doli (carrier) used in the past to carry a bride to her in-law’s place after marriage.

Musical instruments like damphu and madal (drums), tungna and sarangi (stringed instruments) and basuri (flute) are among other things on display.

Locals in their traditional attire ie. daura suruwal and chowbandi choli had a good time savouring the Nepalese thali. “For me rice with kinema (fermented soyabean) and gundruk (fermented vegetables) served in traditional bronze utensils is better than any other cuisine in the world”, said Ms Arati Rai, a resident of Darjeeling.

Statesman, Nine 91.9 FM hold Sharad Samman

FROM THE STATESMAN

SILIGURI, Oct.5: With the festive fervour having gripped Siliguri, Nine 91.9 FM, Siliguri, and The Statesman have jointly embarked on Sharad Samman 2008 the principal objective of which is to present awards to the community Puja organisers in five categories of excellence.

The five categories are best idol, best theme, best pandal, best lighting and pandal maintaining best safety measures.

The jury includes Mr K. K. Chowdhury, the general manager, The Statesman, Siliguri, Mr Boby Gupta, CEO, Nine 91.9 FM, Mr Samar Chakravarty, lecturer, department of English, Siliguri College and Dr Debasis Duta, acting controller of examination, North Bengal University.

The prizes would be distributed on the day of Mahanavami.

Dwelling upon the objective of the Sharad Samman the CEO, Nine 91.9 FM Mr Bobby Gupta said that enthusing the Puja organisers to strive for excellence in every department of the Puja was the principal idea behind the programme. “We hope, the awards would usher in a new chapter of perfection in organising community Pujas,” he said.

Mr K.K.Chowdury said that the joint programme would go a long way in encouraging the Puja organisers to stress upon the subtler aesthetic aspects.

Time for kid artists to steal idol show – Master of the art

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

BY MAIN UDDIN CHISTI

Siddhartha with the 3ft tall and 7ft broad pantheon at his house in Cooch Behar. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

Cooch Behar, Oct. 5: Thirteen-year-old Siddhartha Bose has been crafting Durga idols for the past three years. This time he has made up his mind to perform the puja rituals as well.

A resident of Rajrajendranarayan Road here, the pantheon crafted by Siddhartha has become quite a crowd-puller, not unlike the big-budget puja committees.

A month before the festive season, Siddhartha starts planning his work for he, too, has to meet a deadline like a professional artisan but for different reasons.

His life is not much different from a Class VIII student. Drawing classes, homeworks – especially as the 100-year-old Jenkins School where he studies is not known to tolerate truancy and laziness – tuition and cricket matches take up a major portion of his time.

The boy’s father, Chinmoy Bose, owns a photo studio. “My son draws well and this knack spurred him on to take up crafting Durga idols. He is given plenty of encouragement by our neighbours,” Chinmoy said.

Usually artisans use moulds covered with clay for the limbs of the idols, but the boy does it with his own hands.

Siddharta gets the mud sometimes from Palpara where most artisans stay or from the banks of the pond adjacent to his house.

“I need three bucketful. At least some of the mud has to be clay, found near rivers. This, my father or my mother, gets from Ghugumari, which has the Torsha flowing by it or Dauraguri where we have the Raidak and the Kalchini rivers.

Not all mud is used up all year. Sometimes some of it is left behind to be used the next time.

“When he was younger, in Class III, he used to buy small idols from fairs, and worship them. For the past three years he has been crafting them himself,” said Mala Bose, the boy’s aunt.

Siddhartha has made it clear that he does not need any priests to perform the puja this time.

“I will carry out the rituals myself. I will use a book of incantations written in Bengali.” The boy said his aim in life was to become a good sculptor.

Puja welcome for tourists

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Darjeeling, Oct. 5: The pall of political uncertainty that has been shrouding the Darjeeling hills for the past few months seems to have made way for fun, frolic and festivity steeped in tradition and warmth.

The visitors to Darjeeling had a pleasant surprise in store for them today with the Janmukti Hotel Agents’ Association organising a function near the railway station to welcome them.

The tourists were garlanded and offered a packet of Darjeeling Tea with assurances flowing from the agents that they would not face any problems during the vacation.

Partho Chakravorty, a tourist from Guwahait, said: “The welcome ceremony has come as a pleasant surprise. My travel agents had told me that there was not much to worry about as far as law and order problem was concerned in the hills,” he said.

The festoons put up by the agents at the hour-long ceremony that started around 10.30am read: “Welcome to Gorkhaland”.

While there was an air of festivity at the welcome ceremony, 30km away from the town, the youths of Sukhiapokhri, had recreated the romance of yesteryears to celebrate the festival.

People there have set up a traditional Gorkha village where most of the shops put up thatched roofs for the festival.

From sinki to gundruk (traditional food made from vegetables), almost every Nepali delicacy was on offer. Those putting up stalls at the “village” were dressed in duara sural and choubandi choli. Children were busy seen enjoying themselves at lingey peings (swings made of bamboo).

Crash bodies handed over

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Gangtok, Oct. 5: The bodies of six jawans and two civilians, who were killed when an overloaded vehicle skidded off the road in East Sikkim yesterday, have been handed over to the Sashastra Seema Bal and the families respectively.

Four jawans, the driver and a teacher died on the spot. Two more jawans died on the way to hospital.

The driver was identified as Anil Kumar Rai from Namchi in South Sikkim and the teacher as Parimal Rai, a resident of Chujachen.

The jawans who died were Binod Kumar Teli from Alipurduar, B.V. Satyanarayanan from Andhra Pradesh, D.D. Karamchand from Uttarakhand, B. Raja Rao from Andhra Pradesh, Brij Mohan Nathang from Arunachal Pradesh and Mohinder Chand Dey from Tripura.

Nathang succumbed to injuries on way to Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok and Dey on way to a nursing home in Siliguri.

The injured were rushed to the Rangpo primary health centre. Six of them were referred to STNM Hospital in Gangtok and three were taken to nursing homes in Siliguri.

Most of the injured seem to be from the Sashastra Seema Bal stationed in Malbazaar in north Bengal.

The accident spot near Kumrek, on the Rorathang-Rangpo Road, is around 65km from Gangtok.

Most of the passengers were headed for Siliguri from Rongli. The vehicle, a Mahindra Savari, had 18 people in it when it hurtled down 300ft from a cliff near Kumrek. Ideally, a Savari should carry a maximum of 11 people.

The four bodies of the jawans were handed over last evening to the acting commandant of the 10th Battalion who had come to the Singtam district hospital, while that of Nathang was given to the officials in Gangtok this morning.

Happy hopping on sore feet – Guide to a tour on Mahasaptami

Guide to a tour on Mahasaptami

The Durga idol at Shilpa Samiti Para in Jalpaiguri. Picture by Biplab Basak

Rain or sunshine, hit the street with a copy of The Telegraph guide on Mahasaptami for north Bengal. Here we go. Happy sojourn

SILIGURI

Jatiya Shakti Sangha O Pathagar

The club presents glimpses of the Egyptian civilisation, with replicas of pyramids, the Sphinx and mummies, hieroglyphics on the wall and a museum housing information on the country by the Nile.

It is the sole club of the town with a website of its own – www.siligurijss.org – complete with pictures of the pandal, the idols, illumination and brief history.

Central Colony

The raw material is bamboo. The club, in its 46th year, has erected an enormous temple with the idols made of tiny bamboo pieces by artisans from Dhupguri in Jalpaiguri district.

Rathkhola Club

It is as if one is at Vivekananda memorial rock in Kanyakumari. The ambience is serene with a replica of the sea water lapping the stone. The idols are from Kumartuli in Calcutta

Swastika Yubak Sangha

The theme is mukh o mukhosh (face and the mask) with hundreds of masks representing the folklore of north Bengal in a pandal made of bamboo. The other attraction of this club, celebrating its 51st year, is the idol, made by artisans from Midnapore, which carries the look of a bamboo-finish. The illumination has been used in such a way that the primary colours on the masks come out prominently. For entertainment, dhakis, also from Midnapore, will perform during the puja days.

Shaktigarh Sarbojnin Durgotshav

Pandal hoppers can visit the ruins of the Tamluk palace, containing the temples of Durga, Jagannath and Shiva. The ruined walls portray motifs of several gods and goddesses, flowers and intricate designs. There is a rath and a palki among the other attractions on the pandal campus. The idols are traditional with the illumination appropriate for projecting ruins.

JALPAIGURI

Tarun Dal

Using mainly crusts of betel nuts and jute sticks, the organisers have made a replica of a temple in Maharashtra. The idols have been dressed in finery made of thermocol, otherwise known as daker saaj.

Pandapara Sarbojonin:

The Devi here is a combination of three goddesses – Durga, Kali and Laxmi – with three faces and 16 hands. The pandal is a simulated temple from outside while inside, there are popular scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata, portrayed in earthen frames.

Raikatpara Barowari:

The set has been almost lifted from Rajasthan. The pandal is in the form of a fort from the land of camels, made with stones and brick on pieces of bamboo-made sheets, generally used as fences. The idols are of the Rajasthani gharana, in ethnic attire and ornaments. Rajasthani folk songs will be the sole entertainment on the campus.