Columns

The Dam

Upendra October 6, 2023

The Dam and The Damned

Teesta has massive siltation level, thus it is certain that the siltation level of the river will raise staggeringly with the construction of a series of dams and the sediment load will be trapped within the reservoirs, reducing their production capacity. This, in turn, could compel dam managers to release water during heavy rainfall, causing sudden flash floods downstream. Further, the NHPC has failed to undertake the study on the cascading effects of Dams (i.e. in case of dam breaking at the top what will happen to subsequent dams), which is likely to occur in coming days.

Kalimpong

Sandip C Jain October 1, 2023

KALIMPONG AND ITS PARANORMAL STORIES

Every town worth its name has its own set of ghost stories. Kalimpong, considering its various past influences has several sets of it. Its Bhutanese, Colonial, Tibetan and Gorkhali influences have all left behind their ghost who haunt Ghost Story enthusiasts till this day. In fact this town even has Bihari spirits to add to the cosmopolitan flavor.

In the good old days

Sandip C Jain September 17, 2023

IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF LOVE LETTERS

I cannot take names, you may call it professional ethics, but when I look back at some of the love letters I wrote then, I still choke with laugher. I recall a few; one was for a girl from St. Joseph’s Convent by a classmate of mine. After three days of momos and alu-chops and chini-pops, which I received as bribe to write that letter, I wrote a letter which included the line, “I have a disease and it’s only cure is you”. It was carefully copied down by the Romeo in his own handwriting and dispatched through a Postman, not before spraying the letter paper with Old Spice perfume stolen from his father’s bathroom cabinet- the postman was always a junior student who had to be pampered and protected. After several days of restlessness and sleeplessness came the reply. I still remember a fattish envelope being delivered to him. He opened it as quickly as he could and out came his original letter, torn to a hundred pieces, and it was accompanied by a chit which read “MADNESS IS A DISEASE CURED IN MENTAL ASYLUMS, NOT BY LOVE”…

Riyang Railway Station Kalimpong Teesta

Sandip C Jain September 10, 2023

The Teesta Valley Branch of the DHR

This Toy Train, a wonder of engineering, was set up mainly to cater to the then blooming Tibet trade through Jelep-la for which Kalimpong was the most important entrepot. One can say that the existence of The Teesta Valley Branch of the DHR coincided with the golden period of Kalimpong’s past.

Kalimpong Town

Sandip C Jain September 3, 2023

Kalimpong and the Silk Route

Kalimpong, a small non-descript town of just a few thousand inhabitants, because it was in the right place at the right time,  was catapulted to world fame and riches in the early and mid 1900s, in the process becoming one of the most important and famous town of its size, in British India.

G20 Tourism Meet

Upendra April 2, 2023

G20 Tourism Meet in 5-star Hotels in the Tea Gardens – While Tea Workers are Landless

The so called “tea tourism” venues chosen for this summit is the prime example of unsustainable tourism. The UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization defines Sustainable Tourism as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

These massive constructions in a fragile mountain ecosystem are not at all sustainable. Further, I would be surprised if any of these 5-star resorts that have come up had their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) done. The impact these massive hotels place on local resources are huge, and other than working paltry jobs, these massive hotels don’t benefit the local communities in any way, shape or form.

Rethinking the tea industry

Upendra February 26, 2023

RETHINKING THE TEA INDUSTRY – Tea Garden Familes Aren’t Bonded Labourers

The way the tea industry is set up is highly feudalistic with the workers having zero rights. This was a model championed by the colonial Britishers. They did not want the natives to have any rights, and to remain bonded to the tea companies. This modern day bonded labour practice has continued in the tea gardens of Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars.

MIRIK eKart

Bicky, National February 7, 2023

MIRIK “JAMTARA”: How eKart Vendor CABT Took Out Loan Using their Employees Personal Data

A very shocking incident came to light recently with multiple employees of eKart (Delivery wing of Flipkart) in Mirik, Darjeeling finding that unbeknownst to them, huge amount of loans had been taken out in their name. What’s astounding is that they became victims of data leak, identity theft and fraud, not by any fraudulent “phone-scam” or “Nigerian Prince” type scam. The data, it turns out was used by their employer eKart to take out loan without informing the victims. We are fearful that what happened in Mirik is just the tip of the iceberg, and there is every possibility that the company’s extent of financial misappropriation, if it can be called that, or straight out financial fraud, may in fact be far wider. Involvement of App-based loan companies KarmaLife and InnoFin in this whole murky business exposes the dirty underbelly of FinTech start-ups, that may be duping thousands of victims, without their knowledge even.

No Land for Tea Workers

Editorial, Upendra November 23, 2022

NO LAND FOR TEA GARDEN, CINCHONA GARDEN WORKERS – But…

I cannot help but wonder, why would the WB Govt post a quarter page ad on the front page of a leading Nepali language daily, about Parja Patta rights being given to “refugees” in Nadia, while denying the same rights to the people from Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars?

It’s because TMC knows that they will get away with murder, literally, as long as it happens in the North. They will continue to deny us our rights, for as long as we remain divided. They will keep the South appeased, as there are more MP and MLA seats in the south. They will to keep the indigenous communities of the North deprived, because they can afford to do so.

But, can we, the people from the North, afford to keep on appeasing a government that discriminates our region and people deliberately?