Darjeeling district is one of the aspirational districts selected for the purpose and Dr Vimal Khawas heads the Darjeeling chapter of the project . The project aims to develop a model ‘water sanctuary’ around a selected spring and undertakes many activities focussing on the rejuvenation of depleting water resource and its optimum management.
We know Sir, you must have multiple agenda and issues to deal with nationally, so I felt I will help you with avoiding some issues, while you relax with your family here, and perhaps meet with politicians who have won the recent elections and ink a few deals on “Political Solution” (fact that Mamata Banerjee hasn’t said a word against your presence here is a dead give-away).
The tea garden workers despite working for generations, are still deprived of their right to land – Parja Patta, they are paid less wages than what other workers, even unskilled labourers make in West Bengal, the facilities they are entitled to are rarely provided. Adding salt to their woes, the WB Govt has allowed the tea garden owners to build commercial real-estate labeling it “tea tourism”.
The hills were gripped by election fever in 2019 when the General Election was held, as a small window of hope was seen in the re-election of the Modi-led NDA. Modi, of course, had famously declared, “Gorkha ko sapana mero sapana”, The dream of the Gorkhas is my dream too!
‘Our Party’ and Chief ‘Our Da’ are against any elections to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). In fact, they are in fact on the frontlines of the anti-GTA elections front. However, if they don’t contest the elections then someone else will win. This is why, keeping aside their strongest objections to the GTA elections, they have decided to contest, so that bad people don’t win.
They Say “Blood is thicker than Water” and A friend in need is a friend indeed and Sikkim has proven the old adage true once again. Sikkim stands with us not just as our neighbour and friend but also our extended family of Blood and Bones.
Ruing the state of Darjeeling, a friend had recently told me, “हाम्रो दार्जीलिंग त टिका लगाएर छोड़ेको सांड जतिकै भई सक्यो जसको कोहि मालिक छैन, यहाँ जसको शक्ति उसकै भक्तिको चलनले गर्दा हाम्रो ठाउँ र जाति तुरी सक्यो…”
The Ghoom Jorebunglow Degree, Darjeeling has consistently been a source of news and stories in recent times, ironically most of the times for reasons not related to education. What should have been a centre for knowledge and learning has contrarily become a floodgate for controversies, debates and politics. The college has yet again become a centre of attention with the staff members of the college holding a complete pen down strike starting last Friday. i.e., 29th of April – their one point demand being for the college to be formally recognised by the state Govt.
It was just another March morning. My eyes were half awake and my fingers were already scrolling the phone screen shuffling between the headlines and news articles corresponding to my conventional practice of starting a day. Just then, I happened to come across a picture of a bhangera – sparrow. The moment hit me hard somewhere and took me for a long travel down my memory lane.
We are all made of stories – small and big ones. Few of such highlighted stories in our lives, we celebrate, cherish or manifest on Valentine’s Day as love, wishes or as memories. As imported and manufactured the idea of Valentine’s Day may sound, it has had an important significance in the hills. It has run through considerable years of evolution among us.