On the 8th year of being born – What TheDC means to us?
As TheDC celebrates its 8th anniversary, Bicky Sharma reflects on the idea of TheDC and what it represents.
Columns
Gorkhaland – The Leaders and the People
Today, the idea of Gorkhaland is at the crossroads. The state assembly elections are round the corner and some people feel the idea has been compromised after the ‘old guards’ made a deal with the state government for their return.
The state which had hounded them with multiple legal cases, has now decide to forgive them and assured their safe return. The state against which the movement was launched, has today become the protector of the rebels. The same state which took away even the voting rights of the ‘old brigade’ leaders is now guaranteeing their freedom to participate in the upcoming elections.
OUR PRIMER
Only a being can belong. Where is your being? You talk about Right, Left and Centre? You are a photocopy of a photocopy. Can’t you see, there is no You, there is no Home, there is no Us? Outfoxed, outmaneuvered, overpowered, outplayed, don’t you realize that you have been reduced to a speck of dust? The Right has no use for specks of dust and neither does the Left.
OBITUARY: We mourn the demise of Sir SP Parasar, our Mahashay
Yesterday night stood to be one of those unfortunate times where we crawl ourselves into the bed with an unspoken amount of grief in the…
Special Series on Gorkhaland Andolan – Shards of Memories from a Shattered Mirror – Part III
I try to lift the old and faded camouflage printed bag but it’s too heavy. Someone has brought iskus from Soureni busty and left the bag next to the door. There is no one else in the house apart from my grandmother, who is still out there trying to put the chickens in the coop. So I take an old shawl, cover the bag, and wait for the CRP raid.
CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS – No one is to be blamed
In “Wai Wai” we trust – that’s the state of journalism in our hills.
In “Syria” we outrage – that’s the state of writers, poets, intelligentsia in our hills.
In “Social-media revolution” we believe – that’s the state of activism in our hills.
In “Finding political relevance” we strive for – that’s the state of academia in our hills.
In “Silence” we dwell – that’s the state of rebellion in our hills
We will vocally decry those who we believe are worthy of our self-righteous scorn, but don’t bother us to speak out against the tyrannical state and the current state of affairs.
Special Series on Gorkhaland Andolan – Shards of Memories from a Shattered Mirror – Part II
My aunts waited for the cremation to end and sat and gossiped among themselves. They were talking about some place where women had cremated the dead, an unheard of practice, Keti haru lay garnu parcha abo. Someone also mentioned in hushed voices that in some tea garden, a woman had given birth to a dark-skinnned baby, “nikkhur kalo nani”. There was anxiety in their voices. I didn’t really understand the implication of these conversations.
Special Series on Gorkhaland Andolan – Shards of Memories from a Shattered Mirror – Part I
Nobody knows what happened. A couple of women standing outside say that they heard the shot coming from Tingling fatak, they say they saw someone fall down. Minutes later, we hear that Nabin who was sitting on the culvert near Tinglink fatak ko hawaghar was shot, pointblank.
The Lost Gorkha Tribes
Our contributor Dinesh Sharma writes about the lost ‘Hill Tribes’ status that was confeered to the GOrkha community until the 1941 census.
Natrabhanay: Of Threats and Threatened Species
As I was saying, threats have also changed over the years. Cha inchi – probably because we are vertically wanting and are insecure about our Gorkha height – has always worked. So why say ” Marchu” or “tauko kati dinchu”, when you can say “Natrabhanay cha inchi… ” ?