Interlocutor Blues

What’s more worrisome is that while Gorkhas should be uniting and united for a cause, we are not working towards that. The call by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for all political parties to attend a discussion regarding creating a common platform and agenda to take to the Interlocutor was met with cold shoulders by some political groups. Instead of uniting, it has exposed our existing fault lines further.

This is where, the half-front will come into play. They will try and create divisions, diversions, and doubts among us.

Read More

Dazzling Darjeeling


Padma Shri Kajee Singh – In Memorium

Born on July 25, 1945, in Phoobsering Tea Estate, Darjeeling, Kajee Singh’s lifelong dedication to the preservation and formalization of Nepali folk music began in his early years. The son of Maadalaacharya Indrajeet Singh Sardaar, he inherited a deep-rooted passion for music from his family, which had been cultivating the classical folk music tradition of the Gorkha community for generations. His father’s influence, along with his own keen interest in traditional culture, would shape his path and inspire him to bring the Maadal — a revered Nepali musical instrument — to the forefront of Indian music.


Bhasa Sangrami Shri. Gopal Singh Bhandari

His association with literature brought him in close contact with the who’s who of the Nepali Bhasa Manyata Andolan, in which he was an active participant. His articles and write-ups in Hindi and Urdu languages made people outside Darjeeling region aware of the plight of Nepali speaking Gorkhas. A dedicated foot soldier of Gorkha cause, Gopal Singh Bhandari openly supported the demand for Gorkhaland even as a Government servant. The then Govt of West Bengal transferred him to Krishnanagar as a punishment, following which he had resigned, but later the government relented.