BENGALURU: Biennial General Meeting of Bharatiya Gorkhali Welfare Association, Bengaluru

 

The swearing in ceremony of the BGWA Central Committee members. Click on the image to enlarge.

Bengaluru: On Sunday, the 25th of January, Bharatiya Gorkhali Welfare Association held its Biennial General Meeting at the CQAL Community Hall in North Bengaluru. Among other listed agenda for the meeting, the election of office bearers was held, and saliently, the formal induction of the Youth Wing was announced. 

The Youth Wing of BGWA comprises largely of young professionals from the corporate world and as well as students and professionals from the unorganised sectors. Till date, amongst the notable initiatives of the Youth Wing,is the historic first of its kind “Gorkha Saanjh”, a magnum opus highlighting the cultural heritage of the Gorkhas in Bengaluru, and more recently, “Aashwas”, a career counselling project launched with the objective of providing timely and concerted counselling and mentorship for students and professionals alike.

ESSAY: The Immortal Literateurs of Nepal – Balkrishna Sama & Laxmi Prasad Devkota

By Dirgha Raj Prasai

Dirgharaj Prasai

Literature and music are property of a nation. Nepalese laureates have significantly contributed to lead the country in creative path. Well known Sanskrit poet Kalidas says “Kavi karoti kabyani, ras jananti pandita” which means poet creates an epic and scholars enjoy it. Literature is mirror of present and future timeline. Music represents the present status. However literature guides present and future. Bhanubhakta, by translating Ramayana to Nepali language, not only contributed the extension of Nepali language but also united Nepalese people emotionally. 

Hirdaya Chandra Singh Pradhan spreaded the message of improvement of the country and superstitious society. Lekh Nath Paudyal made aware the society to build its character. Great Poet Devkota leaded the country to freedom writing ” Beautiful, peaceful and great Nepal”. Balkrishna Sama enriched Nepali literature with his various drama and literatures. In one of great epic Chiso chulho (Cold stove), Sama spreads message of equity by showing the love of Sante Damai (lower caste) with Gauri of upper caste. Bhimnidhi Tiwari exposed the opportunistic characters and wrote that here (in our society) dogs are also worshipped. Similarly Dharanidhar Koirala made aware to Nepalese society. He says “Oh Nepal! Will I die seeing your smiling face or not”. In particular, he did his best for social betterment. Siddhicharan Shrestha uplifted national freedom and patriotism. Gopal Pande tried to change literature to pure creation. Similarly, laureates Lain Singh Bangdel, Surya Bikram Gyewali, Bhawani Bhikshu, Parasmani Pradhan and others contributed for increment of prestige of Nepal.

I never forget the great poet and dramatist Balkrishna Sama. I had been frequently meeting him since 1968 till he passed away. I visited him every Saturday. Still I remember as I missed the time, the honorable poet would search me. He used to ask me the reason of my absence. I have gone through all of his poems alluded in his drama’s book with doing acting. The poet also stressed anything necessary with the color of acting. The reader who goes through ‘Chiso Chulo’ (Cold stove) and ‘Niyamit Akasmita’ (Regular Casualties) knows the essence of life. He has written so many books as ‘Amar Sinha’, Mutuko Byetha’, ‘Mukunda Indira’- having mission, vision and goals.

ESSAY: DARJEELING TODAY

By Swaroop Chetry

A routine day in Darjeeling begins with cabbies waiting for tourist to clamber on to their seats and rush to Tiger Hill to see the majestic Kanchanjunga change colour as the Sun rises from the far horizon, but nothing of this is quite happening now, the tourist numbers are thin and the people who are otherwise dependent on tourism are suddenly at loss, when I ask one of the taxi driver, he lamented things will all change for good once the State of Gorkhaland is created. This is the mood in the Darjeeling, people here seem to understand that this may be long drawn struggle and are ready to sacrifice and sustain. As the day progressed, the market starts to buzz with people buying essential commodities as nothing remains certain as when the next shutdown is imposed, evenings in Chuarasta is seemingly dull, interestingly there seems little of Government machinery functional, offices are either shut or the employ do not return to work voluntarily, only the traffic points are manned by unarmed police personnel obscure by the fact that many vehicle plying on the street bear Gorkhaland- registration.

Going by what is emerging as a major political and social upheaval in Darjeeling and the Dooars, the Govt. of West Bengal, visa-vis the Govt. of India is bound to have some sleepless night as to how to bring about an amicable solution to the decade old vexed issue of Gorkhaland, a homeland for the millions of Nepali speaking Indians settled in Darjeeling and its adjoining areas. This time around the agitation seems to embrace the Gandhian ideals of non violence and non cooperation, lead by Bimal Gurung and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. The eye sore is fast becoming a major headache for the West Bengal Government to contain with.

The genesis of this uprising dates back almost a century when the Nepali speaking population resented the move of the then East India Company to en-bloc the Hill tract and its adjoining areas to what is present Bihar for an administrative unit, which was later incorporated into the State of West Bengal this too with much reluctance of the then Leaders of All India Gorkha League, Kalimpong and parts of Dooars fostered from Bhutan. The present case of people’s movement in Darjeeling is primarily because of total failure to bring about desired change by Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council(DGHC) and its autocratic chief Subhas Ghising, the West Bengal Government also seems to miss out an opportunity to consolidate largely because of its inept handling and internal bickering within the communist party and the writers building about the healing touch which the people of Darjeeling needed most after the Gorkha National Liberation Front(GNLF) struggle for statehood ended.

With the DGHC accord, people’s expectation ran high but the paradigm shift eluded and remained a far fetch dream, the quality of living and basic services did not change for good, majority of people were pushed to the brink of suffocating poverty, compounded by the cultural isolation of the people in the Hills. All of it can act as super catalyst to ignite chain reaction which is now evident in the Darjeeling Hills.

In the last quarter of a century India has emerged as one of major Global Economic power house and this had in fact multiplied people’s aspirations, the idea to better achieve in life has also become a near reality for thousands of Nepali speaking Indians of Darjeeling and Dooars and more so if Governance is brought to their door steps. It may sound little absurd but the fact is people’s aspiration and development today in the Indian democratic context depends to an extend to the state which a person hails from, as state boundaries are all drawn on linguistic parameters, therefore the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland becomes pronounced, the Gorkhas and the Nepali speaking population otherwise remain vastly unrepresented in every spheres of decision making even in the state of West Bengal. The window of better hope and future is what fuels the present agitation of separate statehood.

REPUBLIC DAY SPECIAL: List of Padma awardees

The following is the full list of Padma awardees on the occasion of Republic Day:

Bharat Ratna: Pandit Bhimsen Joshi – Hindustani classical music (announced Nov 4, 2008).

Padma Vibhushan:

Chandrika Prasad Srivastava (civil service – Maharashtra), Sunderlal Bahuguna (environment conservation – Uttarakhand), D.P. Chattopadhyaya
(literature & education – West Bengal), Jasbir Singh Bajaj (medicine – Punjab), Purshotam Lal (medicine – Uttar Pradesh), Govind Narain (public affairs – Uttar Pradesh), Anil Kakodkar (science & engineering – Maharashtra), G. Madhavan Nair (science & engineering – Karnataka), Sister Nirmala (social work – West Bengal), A.S. Ganguly (trade & industry – Maharashtra).

Padma Bhushan: G. Sivarama Krishna Murthy alias Krishna (art – Andhra Pradesh), Ramanlal C. Mehta (art – Gujarat), Shamshad Begum (art – Maharashtra), V.P. Dhananjayan & Shanta Dhananjayan (duo – art – Tamil Nadu), Vaidyanathan Ganapathi Sthapati (art – Tamil Nadu), S.K. Misra (civil service – Haryana), Shekhar Gupta (journalism – Delhi), Alappat Sreedhara Menon (literature & education – Kerala), C.K. Prahlad (literature & education – NRI/ PIO), D. Jayakanthan (literature & education – Tamil Nadu).

Isher Judge Ahluwalia (literature & education – Delhi), Kunwar Narain (literature & education), Delhi, Minoru Hara (literature & education – foreigner), Ramachandra Guha (literature & education – Karnataka), Brijendra Kumar Rao (medicine – Delhi), Vaidya Devendra Triguna (medicine – Delhi), Khalid Hameed (medicine – NRI/ PIO), Lt. Gen. (retd) Satish Nambiar (national security affairs – Delhi), Inderjit Kaur Barthakur (public affairs – Meghalaya), Kirit Shantilal Parikh (public affairs – Delhi).

SIKKIM: SNPP leaders vow to court arrest in Gangtok

FROM ZEE NEWS

Gangtok: Top leaders of Sikkim Nationalist People’s Party (SNPP) on Sunday vowed to court arrest alongwith their workers to protest against the alleged dilution of the Article 371(F) of the Constitution, which guarantees the rights of Sikkimese people.

The leaders refused to give an undertaking to the authorities against proceeding with their agitation and furnish a bond of two sureties of Rs 50,000 each.

They challenged the district administration to arrest them if they were found to be committing a breach of peace during their protest on the Republic Day.

SNPP president Biraj Adhikari said the party workers from across the state will gather near M.G. Marg at 11 a.m tomorrow and court arrest before the nearby Sadar police station to protest against the dilution of the constitutional provision

SNPP workers will carry a black flag in one hand and the national tricolour in the other hand tomorrow to protest against the dilution of the constitutional provisions applicable to Sikkim, he said.

Coming out of the District Magistrate’s chamber after responding to the second show cause notice issued to them in the past 48 hours, Adhikari said that his party has decided to invoke the constitutional right granted to a citizen to protest against any issue of public concern which, he said, was not a violation of the law of the land.

 

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DARJEELING HILLS: Gorkhaland activists offer education sops for Dooars tribals

FROM INDIA GAZETTE

After facing stiff resistance from the tribals of north Bengal’s Dooars to its demand for inclusion of the area in the proposed Gorkhaland, the  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) Sunday doled out sops, promising to fund the education of tribals in the region.

‘This year, we will bear the education expenses from the primary to the university level for 300 Dooars tribals coming under the BPL category. For this, we will bring them to the hills,’ GJM press and publicity secretary Benoy Tamang told IANS.

The Dooars in Jalpaiguri district has been on the boil due to clashes between the GJM and tribal organisation Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Bikash Parishad (ABABP) that is opposed to the inclusion of Siliguri and the Dooars in Gorkhaland.

Several people, including police personnel, have been injured in the violence that took place as the ABABP resisted the GJM’s bid to make incursions into the Dooars.

The GJM  has alleged that ABABP was being patronised by West Bengal’s ruling Left Front partners, Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).

ENTERTAINMENT: Indian Idol 4 Contestants Participate in the Teach India Initiative

FROM MASTIONE

Kapil Thapa dancing with the children.

After winning accolades in the Indian television industry with its successful run of three seasons, Indian Idol, the hugely popular adaptation of the blockbuster ‘Pop Idol’ format and the iconic singing reality show, took a leap this year in the fourth season by participating in the TEACH INDIA initiative. Teach India is a social initiative that brings together children in need of education and people who can contribute in teaching them. While the show continues to enthrall the viewers across the country, it also addresses the aspirations of “Young India” this season. It is all about friendship , desire to stand out , spontaneity , personality , confidence , giving back to the society and more importantly ‘a need to belong’ these are captured in the tag line ‘ Yeh Style , Yeh Music , Yeh World Humara Hai’ . Keeping their word of giving back to the society, the Indian Idol contestants visited Vatsalya, an NGO associated with the Teach India to share the knowledge and understating of music with the kids.

Army Guy Kapil Thapa rocking the India Idol

FROM AMERICAN CHRONICLE

By Dhruva Thapa 

Once again the fervor of Indian Idol is rising up and music lover´s folks have started casting their votes through SMS. It is not only an Idol contest in India, but also showing their identity, presence, and talent in one of the most lucrative field of Indian Musical world. The winner not only get name and fame but also get contract of One crore with Sony and global exposure. That´s why the Indian Idol has become one of the biggest platforms for the impending singers. They can enter in the field of Indian movie or Bollywood. Like first Indian Idol, Abhijeet Sawant is trying his fate as an actor and sang many playback songs for the movie and performed many country of the world. Similarly another great hero of Indian Idol 3 Prashant Tamang became a fabulous hero for Gorkhali and Nepali community of the world. The entire year he was performing all over the world including twice in USA.

In Indian Idol 3 Darjeeling Boy Prashant Tamang the first Nepali to ever partake in the Indian Idol contest crowned the title with record breaking vote with more than 7 crore vote casted by the music lovers of India and the world as a whole. He was from Indian Police(Kolkata Police) and this year too one even more talented, handsome and soft spoken but well disciplined and hard worker Indian Army boy Kapil Thapa is coming up with leading vote and he is another Nepali or Gorkhali Singer from Dehradun. He also inspired by Prashant Tamang to join this contest and also encouraged by Army associates like Prashant by his Police friends.

According to official website of Indian Idol he is described as “tough disciplinarian, but has a soft voice that can melt any heart. Although he hasn’t learnt music professionally, he enjoys the art as a hobby. Influenced by Indian Idol 3, Kapil participated in an orchestra contest where his band won the first prize.”

NEPAL: Protesting journos send broken pens to PM

FROM MY REPUBLIC

KATHMANDU: Journalists across the country on Sunday submitted broken pens to Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal through the Chief District Officers (CDOs) in various districts as a symbolic protests against the killing of journalist Uma Singh and others.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) is leading the protests demanding security of journalists and the media.

A group of journalists led by Ramji Dahal, FNJ secretary submitted a broken pen to Kathmandu CDO in the afternoon.

“Journalists led by FNJ chapters across the country submitted broken pens to CDOs in their respective districts demanding stringent action against the murderers of Singh,” Dahal told myrepublica.com.

Meanwhile, journalists led by FNJ Kaski chapter in Pokhara submitted broken pens and a broken camera to CDO Madhav Prasad Ojha, reported our correspondent Manoj Adhikari.

Ojha assured the journalists that he would send the articles to the prime minister as early as possible.

BHUTAN: Saving the White-bellied Heron

FROM KUENSEL NEWSPAPER

By Phuntsho Choden

Habitat encroached? A line of trucks on the banks of Punatsangchhu

The rare and endangered White-bellied Heron, spotted mainly along the Punatsangchhu basin in Punakha, might, after all, have a protected home.
  With major developmental activities taking place along the Punatshangchhu area to generate 10,000 MW by 2020, there was a concern among nature conservationists that the activities and growing population in the area would severely alter or destroy the habitat for the birds. And although the upper Phochhu area was declared protected for White-bellied Herons in 2007, the Natural Resources Development Corporation Ltd. (NRDCL) recently asked the government to lift the ban on quarrying operations in the area to meet the growing demand for sand.

The environmentalists seemed to be losing out in what observers saw as a clash between them and the power sector over which received priority. But today, the Royal Society for Protection of Nature (RSPN), Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project Authority, Nature Conservation Division (NCD) and forest officials are teaming up to save the birds.

RSPN ornithologist, Rebecca Pradhan, said that they were in the process of creating artificial habitat for the Herons, such as making ponds in the other areas of the Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park. “We are also looking at other mitigation strategies on how we are going to save this bird as it is a critically endangered species in the world,” she said. “We also need to do a proper research on whether these artificial habitats would work.”

SILIGURI: Vigil stepped up for Republic Day

FROM THE STATESMAN

Siliguri/RAIGANJ, Jan. 25: Security arrangements in and around Siliguri have been beefed up in view of the Republic Day celebrations tomorrow even as two children were injured in a low intensity blast at Sonapur in Alipurduar (Cooch Behar district) this afternoon.

As per the state police authorities, thrust is being put on an intensified security checks at the New Jalpaiguri railway station, the Bagdogra airport and along the highways connected to Assam.

The security agencies are on their toes particularly after the recovery of huge quantities of explosives in neighbouring Assam in the past two days.

“We have set up several naka-checks at all the major entry points into the Siliguri  town. Also the police are conducting checks in the hotels/lodges in and around the town, looking for suspicious persons among the guests, if any,” said Mr Gaurav Sharma, the additional superintendent of police, Siliguri .

The Government Railway Police (GRP) too have intensified the surveillance and security checks at all the major railway installations in north Bengal. As per the superintendent of the railway police in Siliguri , Mr Sanjib Basu, additional security personnel equipped with sophisticated arms and ammunition have been deployed to meet any eventuality at New Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar and Malda railway stations in the region.

DOOARS TERAI: GJM against development, says Asok

FROM THE STATESMAN

JALPAIGURI, Jan. 25: The state urban development minister, Asok Bhattacharya, today said that the  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) was trying hard to paralyse development in the hills and to bring lawlessness in the Teari-Dooars region of the state. Inaugurating a reconstructed bridge over the Karala river in Jalpaiguri, the minister said that the Morcha ’s decision to collect revenue out of the tea produced in the  Darjeeling hills amounted to an audacious challenge to the constitutional right of the state government.

“This is a case of infringing upon the state jurisdiction and if acted upon would play havoc with the already dwindling tea industry in the region,” he said.

Speaking of the tourism industry being affected by the ‘unending agitation and subversion’ the minister said that no responsible government could brook such lawlessness masquerading as statehood agitation. “This is all the more deplorable as the tripartite negotiation is going on,” he said.

DARJEELING HILLS: Strike relief for offices – Morcha withdraws shutdown till February 7

FROM THE TELEGRAPH

 Darjeeling, Jan. 25: The  Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has decided to relax the strike in state and central government offices from Tuesday till February 7.

However, the party’s trade union has threatened to indefinitely stop the flow of tea from hill gardens unless an auction centre was set up within the Darjeeling brew growing area.

Although Morcha media and publicity secretary Binay Tamang refused to provide any reason for lifting the strikes, it was obvious that the decision was taken to allow the treasury to disburse the salaries of nearly 20,000 government employees.

“The strike will be off in state and central government offices from January 27 to February 7. This is the stand of the party,” said Tamang.

On December 8, the Morcha  had called for a closure of all government offices as part of its non-cooperation movement. At the end of the month, the party had relaxed the strike to allow employees to draw their salaries. The strike was resumed from January 7.

The Morcha trade union, however, has not yet set a deadline for setting up the auction centre . Milan Pradhan, the spokesperson for the Darjeeling  Terai Dooars Plantation Workers Union, a Morcha  affiliate, said: “No tea is manufactured in the gardens at this time. We will decide on the deadline, once production starts in March.”

The union leader admitted that setting up a tea auction centre was not easy. “We are aware of the process. The (nature of our) agitation might change, depending on the negotiations,” said Pradhan.

BEACON ONLINE WISHES ALL A VERY VERY HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY

Republic Day Gallantry and other Defence Decorations

The President has approved awards of 428 gallantry and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others. This includes nine Ashoka Chakras, 13 Kirti Chakras, one Bar Shaurya Chakra, 30 Shaurya Chakras, 91 Sena Medals (Gallantry), one Bar Nao Sena Medal (Gallantry), four Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), one Bar to Vayu Sena Medal (Gallantry), four Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), 29 Param Vishisht Seva Medals, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medals, one Bar to Ati Vishisht  Seva Medal, 50 Ati Vishisht  Seva Medals,  five Yudh Seva Medals, two Bar to Vishisht  Seva Medals, 122 Vishisht  Seva Medals, one Bar to Sena Medal (Devotion to Duty), 40 Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty), eight Nao Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty) and 14 Vayu Sena Medals (Devotion to Duty)

Two Tatrakshak Medals (Gallantry), three Takrakshak Medals (Meritorious Service) and 49 Mention-In-Despatches have also been announced.  

On January 26, 2009 the President will confer 11 Ashok Chakra Awards, including two announced earlier on August 15, 2008 on Asstt. Commandant Pramod Kumar Satapathy, Special  Operation Group, Orissa State Armed Police (Posthumous), and Shri R P Diengdoh, Meghalaya Police (Posthumous), at Rajpath before the start of the parade.    

The full list of the recipients of 428 gallantry and other Defence decorations to Armed Forces personnel and others  is as follows:-