BENGAL: Security beefed up in North Bengal railway stations

FROM THE HINDU

Siliguri (PTI): Security has been beefed up in all the Railway stations of North Bengal in the wake of terror attacks in Mumbai.

Superintendent of railway police Sanjiv Kumar Basu told PTI as part of the precautionary measures, empty rakes of trains were being checked before being allowed into platforms. Security personnel armed with sophisticated equipment were deployed at the stations and sniffer dogs were pressed into service.

Personnel in plain clothes were posted at vantage points on railway premises to keep watch on the movement of suspicious persons.

The baggage of passengers was being frisked with the help of metal detectors.

UNESCO World Heritage, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, was being guarded round the clock.

Journey to Darjeeling by the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, known as the Toy Train, is regarded as of the the most spectacular in the world.

 

ROY’S MUSINGS – Hopefully, we are not in for the same surprise again!

BY BARUN ROY

Tripartite Meeting – Still a question mark!

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has at last given up on the second Tripartite Meeting. The first Tripartite Meeting that was held in the month of September had targeted the second week of November for the second Tripartite Meeting but with the nation coming under terror attacks, the financial recession, the state assembly elections and the general indifference of the State Government the hopes of another round of Central Government, State Government and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha deliberation on Gorkhaland has been brought to a naught. In fact, speaking to the media, yesterday, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Press and Publicity Secretary Benoy Tamang went to the extent of saying, “We no longer care about the Tripartite Meetings and frankly the question whether it is held or not no longer bother us.” Whatever Tamang may say, the pressure that has been set by the 2010 dateline has begun to show. Of the 18 months left, almost 13 will be spent in State Assemblies’ and Lok Sabha Elections. And of what may be the priority in a few years to come for all concerned at the national level – international terrorism, home grown militancy, international and national recession may top the list for a long time. It is no surprise then that Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has decided to start the ‘Second Phase’ of their Gorkhaland Movement from the 7th of December. Whether GJM hold’s fanatical reverence to the number 7 or is it simply the day until which it will silently wait for an invitation to the Tripartite Meeting is another debatable issue. But for one thing, the one week silence in fact can be a deafening voice crying out to the Governments both State and Central, demanding that the Second Tripartite Meeting take place even if it is for appearance sake only? Subash Ghisingh was adept at making such appearances in New Delhi and Kolkata, making it appear to the people back home that everything was fine and the things set in motion were really in motion. Are the West Bengal and the Central Government then also playing on with Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Second Tripartite Meeting is held within the first fortnight of December only to settle for the date of the Third Tripartite Meeting? If that be so, then Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Governments at Kolkata and New Delhi may be actually playing with the sentiments of the people, which I fear might erupt once again into another spurt of mindless violence and further alienating the Gorkhas from the rest of the nation. However, If this be not so, then I pray to the Lord that the Governments both at New Delhi and Kolkata apologize and request GJM to be patience in a time when the nation suffers from deadly attacks terrorists. I also pray to GJM that they settle down at least for a while and not be too concerned about the dateline and reassess as to what should be the better way of directing the movement forward effectively.

My idea of the second phase of the Gorkhaland Movement

Whatever might be unleashed through the Second Phase of the Gorkhaland movement, an average man like me can feel that the winter is going to be severe and while the hills folks may not descend down to Siliguri for a winter holiday as they do every year in thousands, winter might still not be an appropriate time for not just ‘the second’ phase but any phase of the Gorkhaland Movement. And what will be the agitational programme involved in this ’second phase’?  The Hills may not stand well to strikes. The members of the Central Committee of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha should in fact sit down and spend the winter formulating new means and ways for achieving Gorkhaland instead of unleashing on people a political struggle, that history may well dub as ‘an attempted sprint to Gorkhaland’. I would rather like Gorkha Janmukti Morcha to use the winter to organize a ‘Gorkhaland Convention’ inviting Gorkhas and Non-Gorkhas sympathetic to the cause as a result creating a global forum of sorts for Gorkhas and Gorkhaland. Darjeeling would not be a bad place for such a global convention either and God willing a snow clad Darjeeling may just be a life-defining experience for most Gorkhas who have never been to the hills. The objective now should be to unite and bring in all the Gorkhas, creating a sense of belonging to even those who say that Gorkhaland, at this moment, is not a good idea. A Convention simply saying, ‘Gorkhaland is the Israel of the Gorkhas’. I would even put up a logo and join in as a volunteer. This should be the ‘Second Phase of the Gorkhaland Movement’, but then again our leaders know best.

The Winter is Hotting Up!

Dr. G. S. Yonzone, President of Darjeeling District Committee of Bharatiya Janata Party on the other hand is in a political spree, to him the winter, it seems, is just warming up.  Of what seems evident, he will be the party candidate for the Darjeeling Lok Sabha Seat. He has already conducted two political meetings in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. He believes Gorkhaland is only but reality. At least, the leaders at Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had the short sorry ‘medium’ sightedness to give themselves 3 years, Dr. Yonzone, as he tells us “will make Gorkhaland a reality as soon as the BJP Government is formed at the Centre”. Now whether he suffers from a loss of memory or we do, wasn’t the same thing promised to us by one Dawa Narbula, who even got elected on that promise? The man who to this very writer refused to make his stand clear on the issue of Gorkhaland when he said on record, “I am personally in favour of Gorkhaland’ but when asked whether he would resign given that the Pradesh Congress Committee President Priya Ranjan Das Munshi had declared that Gorkhaland was not possible, the Darjeeling MP simply cried, ‘why should I resign when people can remark anything personally?’ Whether Munshi’s declaration was a personal remark or the Pradesh Congress Committee’s official stand on Gorkhaland, Dawa Narbula will not confront Munshi simply because he needs to get Darjeeling Lok Sabha Ticket again in order to contest elections. While Sonia may have the last word to say on his re-election, the Pradesh Congress Committee President’s argument in favour or against him would be defining.  Now wherever, this might lead to lets give the matter a rest and ask an important question – who will it be this time that the people of Darjeeling Hills once again unwillingly hope to believe and elect to the Holy Grail of modern democracy, the Indian Parliament – Firstly, Dr. Yonzone, the only candidate in the fore. His zeal and his determination to be the first to start the election campaign in the Hills are indicative of his being the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate. His parlays in the corridors of New Delhi are also not new. He had played a vital role in giving Gorkha Janmukti Morcha the much needed recognition by introducing the GJM leaders to the dignitaries in New Delhi. One can still remember the photo-ops that GJM leaders had with the likes of Shivraj Patel, L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and the likes. It must be accepted that Dr. Yonzone and his party has performed well for GJM so far. This might also be the fact that GJM has allowed him to hold public meetings in the hills – BJP being the only partly to be allowed to hold political meetings so far by GJM. But, can Dr. Yonzone really make good of his promise? He said yesterday at Kalimpong that it was only ‘BJP who could bring Gorkhaland. And that the people in the Hills need only hope, beside putting him on the Darjeeling Seat that BJP forms the Government in the Lok Sabha.’ Can BJP really carve out Gorkhaland from the West Bengal map? True, Gorkhaland may find place in BJP’s election manifesto and hopefully BJP’s National Manifesto, even then of whatever worth that might be, the inclusion of the issue of Gorkhaland in the party’s national manifestation doesn’t mean that BJP will indeed fulfill it. We all know of the BJP’s ‘Ram Janmabhoomi Temple’ and Congress’ inclusion of ‘the issue of Telangana’ in their National Manifestos. Nothing has so far come out of them. Does Dr. Yonzone believe that it will be favourable for the BJP to create Gorkhaland when alienating the Communist Party of India Marxist who might still be left clutching to power in the states even after gross incompetence can actually weaken them in West Bengal? No one knows but but an optimistic man that Dr. Yonzone is, as politicians usually are during the election campaigns, Gorkhaland is just round the corner – given that he is elected to the Parliament and his party forms the Union Government.

PHOTO FEATURE: ‘It’s fun being a bear’

 

A bear frolicks around at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Darjeeling. Photos by Barun Roy

SHORT STORY: San Serif by Barun Roy

Reproduced from Portraits of Life – A short stories collection by Barun Roy. 

1st April 1977 N. Delhi, India

I cursed myself as I drove slowly across the busy lanes of New Delhi towards the headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs. It was just six o’clock in the morning and if you are thinking that the life of a Naval Attach� to the Ministry of External Affairs is a bed of roses, I will tell you one thing, it’s a pain in the neck. We are sailors, not bloody pawns of bureaucracy.

“Captain D’Costa, you are late,” the Assistant Secretary of State (External Affairs) said and without allowing me to reply threw a newspaper across the table, “read it!”

“Sir, the weather seems to be good in New York. Pakistan has lost a match against India………..”

“Read the front page only. I did not ask you to read the news for me,” he retorted.

“There is a report on an Island, Sir.”

“Yes, San Serif. We have an island just below our feet and we don’t know about it,” he lashed out, lighting his cigarette. Don’t believe even if the board reads ‘No Smoking’, in the Ministry of External Affairs, big guys smoke everywhere, it proves that they are thinking.

The paper, I had on my hands was the 1st April issue of ‘The Guardian’. It had a long report on a twin island which resembled a semicolon. The island which lay to the north called Caissa Superior, took the shape of one top mark of a semicolon; the island to the south with a broad top and a tapering tail looked like the lower mark of a semicolon. Most of the developments had taken place in Caissa Superior. The capital of San Serif, Bodoni was located on this island. A long oil pipeline linked the port of Claren, in the east, with Commom, which lay in the west. The other major port of San Serif lay to the north of Caissa Superior. Railways and roads connected the capital, Bodoni to Adze Don, a coastal town, as also to Nomp, yet another town on the west coast. A major road ran from Erbar to Port Claren in the east. The other island had its own charm. Separated from the island to the north by the shoals of Adze, Caissa lower sported the highest peaks of San Serif. There was Monte Tempo, (height 6453 meters) and Montallergo (height 8972 meters) which provided enough challenge to mountaineers. To those, who loved to romp around on thickly vegetated mountain slopes, there were pleasures to be had in abundance. Mountain streams cascaded down the hills. There were cataracts which hummed eternal music as they raced down to the plains. There were shaded forest paths, cozy nests to stay, far from the madding crowds.

Vila Pica was a port town in the west coast. This was connected by a road to Gillicameo, a small town in the west. Tipe was another seaport town in the south connected to Woj of Tipe, a major tourist spot. The credit for the progress of the nation was given to General M.J. Pica. He was known to be a competent administrator and a level headed patriot.

But the report added one last thing. San Serif faced a grave danger. The danger was caused by erosion of the nation’s western coasts which lead to accumulation on the eastern seaboard, so much so that the entire landmass was slowly moving eastwards, holding out possibility of a collision with Sri Lanka. This would bring in catastrophic spin-offs, whose magnitude none could foresee. Thus, it was essential, felt the reporter, to take a closer look at the twin islands and the problems which the tiny nation faced and to explore ways and means of arresting the damage caused by lopsided erosion. Certainly, this was a problem that deserved immediate attention.

ESSAY: HISTORY OF OBLITERATION OF SIKKIM AND ITS PEOPLE:

FROM SURVIVAL SIKKIM

( I )

The process of obliteration of Sikkim and its people was initiated by the British in the late nineteenth century. Sikkim left with the Chhogyal was conquered by the British in 1888 and was partitioned in 1890 by entering into a convention with Imperial China. This was done all for obliteration of the ethnic Sikkimese Bhutias. The British plotted changing Sikkim demographically with their Gorkha ally. The territories of Sikkim north of Nathula range was ceded to Tibet. The territories in the south, comprised of the present day Darjeeling District of West Bengal, which the British had annexed as early as 1850 was turned into Tea Estates and Nepalese were cultivated there. All the cultivable lands of Sikkim were appropriated and divided into blocks and leased out to Thikadars (Contractors) for a fixed sum of rent. The Thikadars imported the Ryots or tillers from Nepal. The Lepcha chiefs who were hostile to the Chhogyal were appointed as Kazi. The kazi may be understood in the sense of the present day Revenue officer with Magisterial power. Among the Lepcha chiefs the Khangsa brothers were in the forefront. The kazi is a derivative of Mughal judicial system burrowed by the Gorkha ruler of Nepal. The Gorkha ruler appointed some of the Lepcha chiefs as kazi in the tract of Sikkim they annexed as reward for their help. There was one Mondal in each Block as representative of the kazi. This system of land tenancy came to be known as zamindari. In short the British agents were referred as kazi-Thikadars.

This way the British plotted complete extermination of the Sikkimese Bhutia as they did to the Carib Indians. The native Indian inhabitants of Caribbean Islands group in the West Indies were wiped out and the left outs were transported to distant lands. The British friendly black people were resettled there. How they did it in Sikkim, H.H. Risley may be quoted as under ‘The Future of Sikkim’ in the introduction to the Gazetteer of Sikkim, 1894 -

” .. .. Most of all will our position be strengthened by the change which is insensibly but steadily taking place in the composition of the population of Sikhim. The Lepchas as has been stated, are rapidly dying out; while from the west, the industrious Newars and Goorkhas of Nepal are pressing forward to clear and cultivate the large areas of unoccupied land on which the European tea-planters of Darjeeling have already cast longing eyes. The influx of these hereditary enemies of Tibet is our surest guarantee against a revival of Tibetan influence. Here also religion will play a leading part. In Sikhim as in India, Hinduism will assuredly cast out Buddhism.”

It was not exactly the Lepchas who were dying out. It was the Sikkimese Bhutias who were dying out due to their involvement in the malaria and kala-azar infested terai region. Chhogyal Sidkeog Tulku himself was a victim of malaria. He contracted malaria when he camped in Jalpaiguri for construction of winter residence in 1911. Most of the people involved in the construction mostly from south and west Sikkim died of malaria and kala-azar. A Sikkimese settlement still exists in the area.

The decimation of Sikkim and Palestine was started by the British at about the same time. There is a striking parallel between the two. The state of Israel was raised out Palestine. Similarly a Gorkha state is being raised out of Sikkim. In Sikkim, it is believed that some good hearted English man might have advised Chhogyal Thutob Namgyal to plead for a restriction on the sale of lands by Bhutia Lepcha people and also to save them from dispossession and displacement. Chhogyal Thutob Namgyal pleaded this from a prison. The Chhogyal was much concerned with the plight of the Sikkimese Bhutia who were targeted for being his clan-men.

ESSAYS: INDIGEOUS CULTURE AND TRADITIONS OF NEPAL

BY DIRGHA RAJ PRASAI

Dirgha Raj Prasai

Nepal is the pious country in the lapse of the Himalayas, which is beautiful, quiet, the birth place of Buddha and origin of Hinduism. Besides being the country of Everest it is equally popular with its diverse cultural values. This is the land where civilization began and is also known as the country of ‘SANGRILA.’ Nepal is as holy place to Hindus & Buddhists, as Mecca for Muslims and Jerusalem to Jews and Christians.

Nepal is a country sandwiched between China and India. Because of its geo-political situation, Nepal’s sovereignty has always been very sensitive. Nepal is rich culturally and naturally. Our successful foreign policy would be to maintain our culture, traditions and indigenous identities to balance between China and India. Actually, Nepal is a paradise which provides calmness and rejuvenation to the mind. This lovely place is also said as the potpourri of ethnicity and has many cultural landscapes. This land of bio-diversity has so many cultural and religious landmarks that give a soothing experience to everyone.

Prithvi Narayan Shah, the unifier of Nepal is the pride of Nepal. It was almost 100 years before unification of Germany (1868), Italy (1868), and the restoration of the Meiji (Japan, 1868) in which America was also under British dependency, that Prithvi Narayan Shah had already unified (1768) 54 small fiefdoms to build a large, expanded and greater Nepal. But after the movement of April 2006 and the party leaders came to power they smashed the statue of the great King, contempt and insulted him and called off the birth anniversary of the late king as a day of national unity. Why? A country’s existence and prestige can gradually be eroded by finishing off its faith and belief tradition and culture and the creator of nation. If anyone wants the assurance of integrity and lasting peace in this country, one must not be confused about the country’s century’s old customs and religion traditions as well as the builder of nationality and unity.

Nepal was worthy to be bowed down by Hindus all over the world. This is the highest honor Nepal could receive from the international community. Nepal’s prestige and honor would elevate further if this country is declared as “Hindu and Buddhist” country, instead of a secular state. But, at present why the peaceful country where Lord Buddha was born has become the venue of confrontations? The main causes of the crisis is the abolishing our culture and traditions. Some are going to abolish the creations of Prithbinarayan Shah and to destroy his statute. Similarly, some are active to minimize Hinduism and dismiss the existence of Buddha. One of the communist old-leader Mohan Bikram Sing has written that Buddha was burn in Orissa (India) but not in Nepal. (See: Kantipur 2059 Bhadra 19 Sep.4th 2002) What is that means? Such antagonistic so-called politicians, some against of Christian are habituated to exploit our national culture, religions and identities. This is the matter of grief for all the nationalists..

Everybody knows, among all religions of the world Hindu religion is considered as the most liberal. According to renowned philosopher Voltaire, Hinduism is the best gift of the East to the West. Similarly, George Bernard Shaw, Irish litterateur also said ‘Hindu religion is the most important and the most liberal religion in the world. According to Encyclopedia of Religions and Ethics, signs of Hindu religion are even found in the present Islamic country like Iran. A stone scriptures of 486 BC found in Iran contains the words Hindu and Hindus. Even an ancient Parsi scripture ‘Shatir’ has lifted a word of Ved Vyas ‘I am a true Hindu born in a Hindu country’. Another Hindu philosopher Manu has taken the area between Bindhya in south India and the Himalayas in the north as Aryabrata, the land of Aryans. Even outside travelers like Megasthaniz and Fai Han have written in their travel memoirs after their visit of the Kingdom of Chandra Gupta Maurya that Hindus have tall figure, long life, healthy, who avoid narcotics, simple, intelligent, truthful, who do not keep witness in transactions, do not lock their houses and there is no theft. So, in the evolutionary process of the world’s civilization, Hindu philosophy is taken as liberal, simple and tolerant. A Nepali Scholar Mr. Dinbandhu Aryal expains -’Hinduism is the sum and substance of the traditional humane cordiality. The African leader Nelson Mandella was impressed from Vedas, legends and Upanishads. He wanted to be converted Hindu for that purpose he wanted to perform penance or provide donation if necessary. He would be gratified and feel fortunate’

SIKKIM: Sandhya Gurung joins as boxing coach

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

Sandhya Gurung

Gangtok: Sikkim Govt. has giving more preference for the development of Sports. Present senerio in Sikkim boxing is also struggle.

Sandhya Gurung is appointed coach of the state women boxing from Friday. She is one of the international boxers from Sikkim who represented India at the Ahmed Comert international boxing championship held in Istanbul (Turkey) in 2004.

She started her career in this field in 2000. In 2001, she first participated in women’s national boxing championship in Chenai. She got the first gold medal in 2001 as best boxer at state open championship held in Gangtok. She got seven gold medals, one silver and two bronze in national, northeast and state level meets.

Gurung said, women boxing in Sikkim is lagging behind other states due to lack of a coaching academy.

 

SIKKIM: SDF govt has failed: SPCC

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK: Members of Sikkim Pradesh Congress Committee (SPCC) under Maneybong-Dentam Constituency today condemned the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) Government for its alleged failure in fulfilling promises made in its election manifesto.

A party communiqué issued today states that the SDF Government failed to keep its promise of allowing rural people with Sikkim Subject run shops.

The party in a block level meeting of SPCC under Maneybong-Dentam Constituency, West Sikkim convened at Begha also pointed out another example of the State Government’s alleged failure to provide ‘unemployment honorarium’ to unemployed youths of Sikkim.

The meeting presided over by the PCC-in-charge of Maneybong-Dentam Constituency Buddhi Bal Gurung also criticized the Government for its failure to check the price rise in the market. The meeting further raised question on the ‘ulterior motive’ of the SDF Government in the implementation of National Poverty Elevation Programmes which according to SPCC members were being implemented in discriminatory manner wherein the “benefits were being percolated among members of SDF party thus violating the norms and guidelines of the programme”, the release said.

SIKKIM: Uli’s Yuksom Dzongri-Goechela trail cleanup – Keeping our national park and wildlife reserves litter free

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

BY RAJENDRA P GURUNG

ECOSS Cleanliness

Ulrich Schmid, better known as ‘Uli’ is back from an eight day clean-up of the most famous trekking trail of Sikkim. As reported earlier Uli, having seen the extent of garbage strewn along the way, was a man with a mission – he was determined to not only clean up the trail, but also to see that something more was done to ensure that things remained clean.

With a team of around 20 men led and arranged by Dhanraj Gurung (known as ‘Red Panda’ to friends) and a pack of twelve Dzos -which had to be increased to 32 due to the sheer volume, the group worked the trail and returned with over 70 bags of tightly packed refuse, carelessly left behind by irresponsible trekkers over the years.

At places, the team had to scale down dangerous slopes at great risk to retrieve garbage dumped below, or pull out stuff from below resting huts and around places which ironically had boards with the best of messages on park cleanliness adorning them.

Metal cans had to be flattened with rocks and plastic bottles crushed to take up less space in the bags. While returning too, the team had saved energy to clean up parts of the town like the hospital and market area, road from the town to the school and even choked drains near the KNP checkpost. This yielded a further 31 bags of stuff. All the garbage was sorted into different categories and the mission finally ended when the 101 bags taken by truck from Yuksom and handed over to the authorities of the 32 Mile Middle Camp Garbage Plant at Martam. All costs for the entire exercise, which in total was considerable, was borne by Uli.

So what’s so great about a foreigner coming and cleaning up our garbage? Well, for one it does make us feel a lot shameful. A National Park is not a place where one expects to find garbage. Our slogans of Sikkim being the “The Ultimate Ecotourism Destination” and being “plastic free” ring hollow if the most pristine of our places is littered with refuse. Should we not at least manage the garbage in our parks and sanctuaries so that we don’t have to make an ‘Uli clean-up’ an annual affair?

These questions were very much in mind when Uli and his team assembled for a post clean-up meeting at the Yuksom Secondary School grounds on Sunday the November 23. Present in that meeting were STCS Chairman IB Gurung, Zilla Panchayat Member Budahang Subba, ACF KNP Blen Targain and KNP BO’s, executive members of KCC, Principal, teachers and students of Yuksom Secondary school, students, teachers and concerned citizens of Yuksom. The deliberations which were led by the CEO ECOSS, highlighted the findings of the clean-up exercise and the critical issues and problems that needed to be addressed. It also threw up possible solutions for proper garbage management of the park.

SIKKIM: Sikkimese youth injured in Mumbai attack – 3 IHM graduates from Gangtok survives the Oberoi Hotel siege

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

GANGTOK: One Sikkimese person was injured and at least three others received a first handed harrowing experience of 48 hours siege of Mumbai by terrorists that left scores dead and hundreds injured.
Dipesh Chettri, 19 years, sustained injuries in his right hand during the first series of explosions and gun fire by terrorists near Kolhabhad at Mumbai on Wednesday night.

Mr. Chettri is in the Indian Navy for the past 3 years and he is from Gangtok. He was presently stationed at the Kolhabhad Navy base and was in the market area when terrorists open fire and hurled grenades. He sustained injuries in his right hand and was rushed to a nearby Aswini hospital.

Mr. Chettri’s family members informed that he is out of danger and stable. “His Navy unit chief has assured us that they will take care of him,” said the family members, that they are in regular contact with him.

Meanwhile, three Sikkimese girls working in the Oberoi hotel at Mumbai were struck inside the hotel which was held hostage by terrorists for more than 48 hours. The girls had been recently placed in the Oberoi hotel after graduating from Institute of Hotel Management, Gangtok.

While one of them has been identified as Apriti Thapa, the names of the other two girls are not known at the moment. All of them have been rescued and are safe, said family members here.

SIKKIM: RELOCATE SIKKIMESE BHUTIAS TO ANOTHER LAND: SURVIVAL SIKKIMESE

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

Karma Lhendup Kaleon, chief coordinator of Survival Sikkimese during a press meet. Photo by Sikkim Express

‘The ethnic identity and entity of Sikkimese Bhutia were destroyed by including the eight alien people in the Bhutia viz: Chumbipa, Dothapa, Drukpa, Kagatey, Sherpa, Tibetan, Tromopa and Yolmo’- Kaleon

GANGTOK: Claiming that the political rights and nomenclature of the Sikkimese Bhutias have been ‘wiped out’ ever since the ‘annexation of Sikkim by India’, a non political body, Survival Sikkimese today hypothesized ‘a relocation’ of the ethnic community ala Israel for the ‘amicable settlement of the ethnic problems of Sikkim’.

“Sikkimese Bhutias could be relocated from Sikkim. Relocation is the final solution for the survival of Sikkimese Bhutias in view of the current rate we are being washed out and facing open hostility”, said Karma Lhendup Kaleon, chief coordinator of Survival Sikkimese during a press meet.

Mr. Kaleon also released a booklet ‘Amicable Settlement of the Ethnic Problems of Sikkim’ today.

“…the Sikkimese Bhutias should be relocated and that would create Gorkhaland by default without tension and blood letting. We tell you that 99 percent of Sikkimese Bhutias barring the residues of former British agents are waiting for the moment (relocation). They made an attempt in 1962. The mission remained unaccomplished due to demise of Rimbuchi”, said Mr. Kaleon. He claimed that a lot of consultation has been done on the ‘relocation of Sikkimese Bhutias’ ever since. “This proposal has found wide acceptance”, he stated.

Where the Sikkimese Bhutias should be relocated is up to the Centre, Mr. Kaleon said when question about it. “It is possible to create Gorkhaland out of Sikkim and its historical territories. For this purpose the land should be freed from all encumbrances existing in the form of the Bhutia Lepchas and paraphernalia”, he said.

“What will happen when a slew of hydel electric power projects are implemented. Sikkim will become a hydel electric power house and where will then Sikkimese Bhutias go? Delhi looks Sikkim as a Nepali state, if such so, relocate us. We demand self determination instead of reservation”, Mr. Kaleon said.

At the outset of the press meet, the chief coordinator of Survival Sikkimese went on tangent to explain the reasons for his ‘relocation hypothesis’.

NEPAL: Traffickers network in Nepal exposes lax security in Mumbai

FROM GULF TIMES

KATHMANDU: A newly exposed Gulf trafficking network in Nepal yesterday also revealed chinks in the security armour in Mumbai, where terrorists launched an audacious attack two days ago. Since last year, at least 250 women from one disadvantaged community in south Nepal were trafficked to Saudi Arabia via Mumbai, mostly using fake passports. But the Indian aviation authorities at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport failed to detect the deception.

The latest trafficking racket came to light after one of the victims returned to Nepal and filed a complaint with police, saying she had been “gangraped” by her Saudi employer, his relatives and friends and her lawyer went to the media Friday to highlight her ordeal.

The woman, whose identity has not been released due to legal reasons, belongs to the Musahar community living in Sunsari, the district hit by a devastating flood this August and which was visited by Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee during his three-day trip to Nepal this week.

The Musahars are among the poorest communities in Nepal, deriving their name from the practice of eating rats due to abject poverty.

The young woman was told by middlemen she would be able to earn Nepali Rs.15,000 per month if she went to work in Saudi Arabia as a domestic help. She went there this year on a fake passport and visa issued in the name of another woman, Nirimaya Dhimal Sawa, but carrying her photograph.

Since Nepal has banned its women from working in the Gulf as maids following the alleged rape and mysterious death of a domestic help years ago, traffickers have been increasingly using the Mumbai airport to slip their victims through.

NEPAL: Strikes, strikes and more strikes

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

During the last two years, Nepal may have undergone a major political transformation – from an introvert Hindu Kingdom, it has opened up as a young democratic republic.

But, are the people happy with the political change?

Definitely it does not look that the people of Nepal are truly happy. Though the government is now desperate to bring about a major economic growth, protests, strikes and bandhs have become the order of the day across the impoverished Himalayan nation.

Political parties, students, teachers, transporters, traders, journalists and artists regularly stage julush (protests) for fulfillment for their demands.

Even police personnel publicly stage protests against the government. Frequent burning of tyres in the middle of the streets brings traffic to a grinding halt almost everyday.

Schools, colleges, shops and business establishments immediately get closed, resulting in a state of total uncertainty.

“The king is gone, and people have much more political freedom than before. But, it doesn’t mean that we take advantage of the situation, and stage protests everyday,” Jagdish Shrestha, a trader said.

The frequent culture of bandh has prompted a group of youths to launch a portal – www.nepalbandh.com – as well. The portal keeps close watch of the bandhs across the country.

According to the portal, there has been as many as 96 bandhs during the month of November. On November 16 and 20, there were bandhs in seven different places in Nepal.

There were 22 bandhs in the month of October. Shrestha said people resort to violent protests and agitation as they have realised that they don’t get anything if they don’t call for bandhs. “But it is affecting our life to a great extent,” he said.

During one of the bandhs recently, the picketers had attacked one of the Indian diplomats, and had totally damaged his vehicle.

Unfortunately, the Nepal government did not apologise for the untoward incident.

NEPAL: Missing journalist’s ‘remains’ found in Nepal

FROM IANS

Kathmandu, Nov 28 : A month after a Nepali journalist working for a Maoist daily went missing, what could be the remains of his body were found Friday in a remote forest.

Jagat Prasad Joshi, himself a Maoist activist, had spent eight years underground during the 10-year People’s War launched by the Maoists from 1996 when the party was banned, its publications shut down and its leaders hunted down by security forces.

Joshi worked for the Janadisha daily, a Maoist mouthpiece that was shut down by the government during the insurrection, and revived after the restoration of democracy two years ago. He was also the president of the Revolutionary Journalists’ Association in Kailali district in farwest Nepal, where he lived and worked.

Joshi went missing since Oct 8 while on the way to Kathmandu from Kailali. Eight days ago, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders had urged Nepal’s Maoist-led government to investigate a series of recent attacks on journalists, that also included Joshi’s disappearance.

On Friday, Joshi’s clothes and identity cards were found in a forest in Kailali. Also strewn nearby were bones and what looked like other human remains, police said.

The discovery follows the murder of a journalist, Birendra Shah, in south Nepal by the Maoists and the disappearance of a third, Prakash Thakuri, also from the farwest. The Maoists are also alleged to be behind Thakuri’s disappearance.

One year after he went missing, Thakuri’s body is yet to be found.

The discovery of Joshi’s body comes within 48 hours of the finding of two teens’ bodies on the outskirts of Kathmandu valley.

The bodies of school boys Ritesh Rauniyar and his bosom friend Ashish Manandhar, also 15, were found in a forest in Thankot, the gateway to Kathmandu, Wednesday by grass cutters.

Roy’s Musings! Researching on Potatoes and Orchids Potato Research Station and National Research Centre on Orchids

BY BARUN ROY

Divine Flowers

 

It is an unknown fact that Darjeeling is and has been centre of various researches. If not to the extent of researches being carried out at Cambridge, Harvard or MIT, Darjeeling still continues making subtle, low profile yet vital contribution to the world of science. One such organization dedicated to the field of research is Potato Research Station and the National Research Centre on Orchids.

Potato Wart A Disease

In 1961, Potato Research Station was established by the Government of India. It was housed near the residence of Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose. The sation was established with an objective to combat Wart A disease of the potato plant peculiar to Darjeeling Hills. Wart A was first reported at Rungbool Farm Estate in 1953. The disease developed in the potatoes imported from Netherlands. Potato Research Station succeeded in cultivating hybrid varieties like Kufri Kanchan (SWI-130) which are resistant to this disease which otherwise cannot be fought with chemical. In 1995, Potato Research Station was closed down ‘as it had fulfilled its objectives.’ The Research Station was immediately taken over by National Research Centre on Orchids. With its headquarters in Tadong, Sikkim, the objectives of this centre is to develop new varieties of orchids, gladioli, lilies etc. The centre is presently working with a skeleton workforce under financial aid from Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. The researchers which basically comprises of research scholars hope that with better equipments and better facilities a lot could be achieved.

It is only befitting that these young scientist work yards away from the place where Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose proved that Plants reacted to external stimuli among other epoch making scientific facts. Way to Go!

PHOTO FEATURE: Tiny tots weed out dirt!

Tiny tots comes out to the road in a Darjeeling village to weed out the trash. Photo courtesy Himalaya Darpan

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PHOTO FEATURE: Tibetan peace walk in Darjeeling

 

Tibetan community in Darjeeling taking out a peace rally. Photo by Barun Roy

ROY’S MUSINGS: Racial divide evident in CPIM and Congress I

BY BARUN ROY

Narayan Pradhan seen here taking part in an election rally at Darjeeling with Asok Bhattacharya and Moni Thapa. Photo by Barun Roy. Taken from the Beacon Online Archives. Click on the image to enlarge.

Communist Leader Narayan Pradhan’s defection to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is symptomatic of the Bengali Gorkha ethnic divide gaining deeper roots within the Communist Party of India Marxists. While other parties may not acknowledge it and may even vehemently protest it, the Bengali Gorkha ethnic divide has been also entrenched deeply within the Congress Party. The Hills Plains divide as it was previously acknowledged has now seemingly transformed into Bengali Gorkha ethnic divide where the majority Bengali cadres and leaders based in Siliguri and beyond look at the Gorkha cadres from hills with suspicion.

“It is in fact so strange that whenever we go to conferences and meetings of our party organized at Siliguri or Jalpaiguri, we are seated at the back, even though we are far senior and high ranking than the people who have been seated at the front row. When there is a vote we can vote but since there are always few of us our votes do not make much of a difference. I remember in the 1985 District Convention, when I decided to raise the issue of autonomy for Darjeeling hills, the entire house booed me. I and my comrades from the hills who were all Gorkhas ethnically were stunned. I was not talking about racialism, nor were supporting the Capitalist. I simply said that the workers and the general people in the Hills must be given greater economy so that a better socialist society could be formed. I realized later that instead of I being a racist, the Communist Party of India Marxist State Committee predominantly populated by the Bengali were in fact racist and viewed giving certain privileges to the Hill people as giving up to the Gorkhas,” a veteran Communist leader said.

Gorkha Janmukti Mukti Central Committee leaders including party General Secretary Roshan Giri welcoming Narayan Pradhan to the party. Photo courtesy Himalaya Darpan. Click on the image to enlarge.

“The divide that prevails and will be vouched by every Communist from the Hills or Plains secretly though not openly is derived from the fact that both Bengalis and Gorkhas are stuck with their own selfish motives and the grand socialist idea of people sans race and ethnicity has been given up. When we meet at Siliguri, since no Communist conference have been organized in the Hills for many years, the cadres and leaders from Hills and plains remain ideologically separated. Each cannot understand the other and whatever one demands the other takes it to be racially motivated. It is a classical ideological divide. I believe this is also symptomatic to the Congress Party where the District Congress Committee is divided into Hills and Plains and where the Plains leader disown and discredit any decision taken by the Hills leaders,” said Nabin Thapa, a political analyst and a journalist writing for a major national daily.

In 1996, few Communist Party of India Marxists leaders including Bahadur Rai and Tamang Dawa Lama broke away from the party and formed Communist Party of Revolutionary Marxists. During an interview with Beacon in February 1998, Ratna Bahadur Rai, the General Secretary of then two year old party had acknowledged the ‘mental divide’ that existed between the cadres and leaders from the Hills and Plains. He had said, “The Communist Party of India Marxist has lost its revolutionary character and has become entangled in racialism and Bengali chauvinism.”

“The problem with the Communist Party of India Marxists and Congress I is that since they are national level parties and that Darjeeling Hills are governed by the State Committees of these parties, there tends to be a Bengali domination. Resolutions that according to the majority in the party tend to be against the feeling of the plains are overlooked, kept aside or simply revoked,” says Prof Soumitra Chakraborty from Siliguri.

DARJEELING HILLS: Reaching out with paints for science

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Kalimpong, Nov. 28: The Kalimpong Science Centre will organise a sit-and-draw competition for schools in the sub-division on December 6 and 7 as a precursor to the district-level event it plans to conduct some time in March next year.

The contest will be the recently-opened centre’s first outreach programme aimed at spreading awareness on science and environment. The competition will be held in four categories: Sub-junior (Class I to III), Junior (Class IV to VII), Middle (Class VIII to X) and Senior (Class XI and XII).

The first three finishers in each category will represent the sub-division at the district-level competition which the centre plans to organise in March/April next year.

“But before that, we will be holding separate subdivisional-level competitions for schools in Kurseong and Darjeeling,” said B.B. Gurung, the curator of the centre.

In fact, both the subdivisional as well the district-level competitions were originally planned to be concluded before the end of this academic session in early December.

However, the pen-down strike by the Janmukti Asthai Karmachari Sangathan forced the deferment of the event, the schedule of which now will spill over to the next year.

The staff of the centre are very keen on making the event a success. “Yes, we are very keen to organise the event to announce our presence in the student community of the hills because we want the centre to be a vibrant one,” said Gurung.

The centre, which was set up with financial aid from the National Council of Science Museums, has had a rather jinxed start. It was opened on October 2, one year after the completion of all major constructions.

And just when centre located in the picturesque Deolo hills was witnessing a steady increase in the number of footfalls, the pen-down strike began.

DARJEELING HILLS: Stall-growth march in hills

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

The gherao outside the civic office. (Vivek Singh)

Kurseong, Nov. 28: Around 150 people owing allegiance to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today gheraoed the Kurseong municipal office, ruled by the outfit, and snatched an assurance from the chairman that all development work would be stopped for the time being.

The agitators, who came together under the banner of the Gorkha Janmukti Joint Action Committee that was formed yesterday, started marching to the office from Kurseong motor stand around 11am. The protesters shouted slogans that what they had wanted was Gorkhaland, not development.

The demonstrators, on reaching the office, demanded that two projects, which the civic body was about to implement, should be stopped immediately. One project – entailing a cost of Rs 12 crore – envisages the construction of sewerage for 20 wards. The other is for 565 BPL families which will be given houses.

“The various development works being carried out by the civic body are only diverting the people’s attention from the main cause for which the party was formed. The image of the party is also at stake. We want the civic chairman to give in writing that all projects will be stopped,” said Pappu Thapa, a member of the committee.

“The people living in panchayats have sacrificed everything for the cause of Gorkhaland and those in the municipal areas should follow suit. We will not move from here unless the chairman gives an assurance to this effect,” said Thapa.

SILIGURI: KLO-Huji strike warning

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

Siliguri, Nov. 28: Security has been tightened further in north Bengal with a fresh alert issued by the BSF to the state police that the Bangladesh-based Huji and the KLO could carry out joint terror strikes in the region.

The alert follows one issued by the state home department that terrorists might target north Bengal and Calcutta anytime between November 20 and December 20.

“Teams, comprising intelligence officials, personnel of a commando force raised recently by Darjeeling police and others security agencies are conducting surprise checks at hotels, searching the luggage of guests and verifying their identity,” said Gaurav Sharma, the additional superintendent of police of Siliguri.

“They are also visiting shopping malls, health establishments, railway stations, bus stands, oil terminals, petrol pumps, cinema halls and marketplaces,” he said.

North Bengal had witnessed terrorist activities mostly during the earlier years of the current decade when outfits like the KLO were active.

While an ISI agent, Mohammed Dilshad, was arrested in 2001, militants belonging to the Ulfa and the KLO and even cadres of Nepal Maoists were captured in the past few years.

During this time, there had been blasts on a passenger train at Belakoba, at Kamakhyaguri station and Barobhisa market located close to Assam.

“There is information that the KLO, which has lost most of its cadres during the Royal Bhutan Army operations in December 2003, is regrouping and under the aegis of the Ulfa, around 20-25 youths are taking training in Bangladesh,” intelligence sources said.

SIKKIM: Sustainability should be heart of planning process: PD Rai

FROM SIKKIM REPORTER

Gangtok: One day workshop for preparation of District Plan and Annual Plan, 2009-10, organised by the Development Planning Economic Reforms and North Eastern Council Affairs Department, was held at Chintan Bhawan on November 27. Mr. PD Rai, Deputy Chairman, State Planning Commission, Government of Sikkim chaired the meeting.

Mr. Rai in his address said decentralization has been implemented in the state which has been recognized nationally. For the benefit of the society, planning is required to get the most out of the limited resources. The vision should be broad, and should be attained with the least amount of planning cost and should be better targeted so that the resources are not wasted. There should be clear cut assessment of needs.

He stressed that sustainability should be the heart of planning process.

Security in terms of life and property, environment, food, air and water, social sector and human development in terms of education, health, economic activities should also be incorporated in the process, therefore planning must precede programme formulation. In an integrated scenario, bottom up approach and top down should be included to build a robust plan and this will also help.

Chief Secretary, Mr. N.D.Chingapa said the decentralized planning of development commenced with the first five year plan which recognized the need to break up the planning exercise into National, State, district and local community levels. In order to prepare district and block plan, an integrated and participatory process needs to be taken up in the grassroots level. He expressed that planning exercise follows certain events at the state level before finalization, so proactive role has to be played in order to achieve the target in a fixed schedule for better plan allocation.

DARJEELING HILLS: AIGL wishes good luck to GJM for 2nd tripartite talks

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

DARJEELING: All India Gorkha League (AIGL) president Madan Tamang has expressed good wishes to his bitter adversary Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) for the second tripartite talks.

Addressing a press meet today here after returning from New Delhi, the AIGL president said that upcoming second tripartite talks should only be on Gorkhaland and separation of Darjeeling-Dooars from West Bengal.
On his Delhi trip, Mr. Tamang said that he has briefed the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the current political situation of Darjeeling. He said that he has told the ECI about the attack on the leaders and supporters of other political parities in Darjeeling and submitted a detailed report to ECI.

“We have told about at the undemocratic activities in Darjeeling to the ECI”, said Mr. Tamang.

Mr. Tamang’s trip to Delhi had been misreported as his flight from Darjeeling. “The news is the handiwork of vested interests to mislead the people and demoralize the AIGL supporters”, he said.

On the allegations that he is an agent of West Bengal government, Mr. Tamang said that time will tell. “In two or three months, everybody will know who the real agent of West Bengal government is. Nobody believes the allegations that I am an agent”, he said. He also lampooned GJM for contesting the Municipality elections. Why we should accept the West Bengal Municipality laws, he said.

SIKKIM: Mangar Dzong to be released in January

FROM SIKKIM EXPRESS

Mangar Dzong, a film by Siddarth Rana. Photo by Sikkim Express

GANGTOK, November 27: War cries of ‘Aayo Gurkhali’ ranted the ravines of Adheri Khola near Pakyong today as reel life Indian Army hero Surya Dhoj (Bhanu Gurung in real life) courageously mows down enemy guards to free his army jawans.

Surya Dhoj is a character played by Bhanu Gurung in the under production telefilm, ‘Mangar Dzong’ which is deals with the Mangar community in Sikkim. The 90 minute teleflim is directed by Siddarth Rana, a well known creative personality in Sikkim.

As per the script, Dhoj is an Indian Army personal of the Gurkha regiment who single-handedly rescues two of his jawans from the Pakistan Army during the Indo-Pak war in the 60s. Andheri Khola was chosen as the location for the rescue scene and it took a day to can the scene perfectly.

Local media person Joseph Lepcha plays the character of the Army prisoner of war. “Today’s scene is where Surya Dhoj heroically frees the Gurkha soldiers from the enemy”, explained the director.

By the time Dhoj frees his friends, three enemy soldiers lay dead along the streams of the Andheri Khola. The director has roped in action directors, Madan Sammal Mangar and Sabilal Mache, from Nepal for the action scenes which requires lot of fireworks. The climax will be shot at Phathang which is a war scene, said the director.

On the story, Mr. Rana said that ‘Mangar Dzong’ is a story set during the Indo-Pak war where three Mangar individuals had displayed raw courage and took the enemy head on. Their main character dies for the nation in the story, he said.

The war angle is just the upper layer of story which deals with almost extinct Mangar culture. The telefilm wants to highlight the need to preserve the culture and tradition of Mangar community.

‘Mangar Dzong’ also deals with the history of the community which had its kingdom in Sikkim in the 16th century. Remnants of the royal legacy of the Mangar community still exist in parts of Sikkim, said Mr. Rana.
The director said that 60 percent of the telefilm is complete and the film will be released in January next year in Gangtok and New Delhi. Local artistes have been given the opportunity to play in the film which is being extensively shot in Sikkim.