ESSAYS: Waning Admiration of Darjeeling

By N. G. Yolmo

How Darjeeling was in the past and how it has become now, the changing phase is being experienced by the elders who are living along with the passage of time. In accordance to their words, it has been said that Darjeeling is known in global view as “the Queen of Hills” with its wonderful beauty gifted in abundance by the nature. It has been very attractively supported to its beauty to look more beautiful by the snowy white mountains which are in its back ground. In addition to its fantastic scenery Darjeeling is reputedly known to have been possessed by the very rich quality of imparting wholesome climate. Having been bestowed with conducive climate to good health and for being famous for “Sun Rise” in the world, people from almost all the countries visit Darjeeling presuming very amiable resort.

Very loving Darjeeling is now smeared by hateful situations: political, social and economical. The aged people can not help but shed tears of despair when it is seen in a state of hell which was regarded from long before as a sacred place. Darjeeling is foreseen by spiritually advanced persons as a seat of God but it is now brought into use in very cheap way for selfish fulfillment.

There is a saying, ‘as you sow so shall you reap’. The consequence of the indiscrimate action is just at the door to greet the people of Darjeeling. Darjeeling has come into detection that the most dreaded disease called “AIDS” which has already found its place here in the beautiful Hill Station.

The newspapers recently had flashed alarming news for people of Darjeeling in the form of caution about the increase in the number of HIV positives cases. AIDS has been specified as a symbol of UNHOLY DISEASE which is caused to have been emerged from the Moral Degradation of human being. It is quite natural to get the feeling on insecurity of life when the KILLER disease is making its way in large area of human habitation with incredible speed. Since the AIDS has been declared by experts as an INCURABLE disease and effective essential drugs against AIDS has not yet been successful enough to bring it for public use. The fate of the persons who are already been infected have no means than to face the verdict of untimely death.

More than 75 per cent of the population is living in the villages and in industrial belts of tea garden who are mostly below poverty line and many of them are ignorantly in darkness about the spreading of the virus and to take precautionary step against it.

The steps of preventing measures are seemed to have been taken by the concerned authority through the medium of posters for general information of the people. But to create AWARENESS about the nature of disease among the hill people by means of posters only would not be practically impressive for the working class of villages and tea gardens because of inadequate knowledge of Black and White. Hence the act of imparting practical education is essentially in great need in order to make the disease HALT at the very existent margin from multification.

To give effective brake to the speedy wave of virus which has come into formation as a formidable foe, undaunted campaign has to be mobilized by people from all walks of life in collaboration with those social organizations which are already on the warpath against the common enemy.