India Fights COVID19: Northeast Leads the Way
An analysis of how India’s Northeastern states have successfully managed to contain the spread of Coronavirus in the region.
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HOW DARE YOU? An Open Letter to Narendra Damodardas Modi
Respected Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi jiu I am writing this letter to share my outrage against You and Your government. But because my parents…
Offer Aako Cha Harey…
He explains, “There are too many do-gooders these days, majority of them run around like headless chicken, they will collect donations and distribute it where needed. Professional do-gooders on the other hand, use such donation opportunities to bolster up their own image among the downtrodden, and in some cases also their financial prospects…”
Hydroxychloroquine and Our Cinchona
As the world fights against Coronavirus, two words have dominated conversations in our Darjeeling and Kalimpong hills – Hydroxychloroquine and Cinchona. There is excitement among certain sections of the people that finally our Cinchona plantations will be given their long-awaited look by the Government. This article sheds light on our Cinchona plantations and presents to you the grim situation facing this sector and the opportunities therein.
The Great Thing about Communities
I grew up in a small community village in Darjeeling, where we were strewn together with the rest in an unbreakable bond – with similar values, language, likes and dislikes and almost similar surnames – and yet we were all different. I remember in 1986, my father was in a hurry to get us a television set. We would be the first one in our village, but that wasn’t his motivation, of course. The World Cup football was afoot and he wanted to make sure our village gets to watch it at our place.
1986, Lockdown in Darjeeling – Down the Memory Lane
The word “quarantine”, takes me back to 1986 when I was a little girl during the Gorkhaland agitation in Darjeeling. A 40-day strike was declared, which meant a lockdown with no movement of vehicles, no movement of people, rationing of essentials and no schools – a dream come true for us, children and the worse nightmare for parents. While it wasn’t exactly like being caught in a health pandemic, but it has its similarities – working from home, no schools, restriction on transport and the worst one – stocking up on essentials.
“You Know What is Worse than COVID-19 Outbreak” – RACISM
The corona outbreak has landed us in a chaotic situation along a lot of fronts. But we wish that the fear of getting infected by…
How to Stick to Your Fitness Goals
Being thin my whole life, I had taken my hilly physique for granted. I could eat together with the boys and still would be the last-woman standing – happy, on the weighing scale. It was only once that I had gone overboard with my weight. I was in college in Kolkata and had a can of cola and ‘kheer-kadam’ every single day for six months. First time in my life I had gained a whole lot of five kilos and suddenly found myself lethargic and fatigued by the end of the day. I checked my eating habits and found the two culprits and was easy peasy for me to get back to being energetic after I quit having these.
Hygiene on Professional Social Media
While there are guidelines and policies for usage of professional social media – external (Linkedin especially) or intranet, there is always a profile/ name/ organisation related information about the person who is connecting or commenting. Naturally, as a communications person, I assume that this is a good enough reason for people to be more wary about their own personal branding and reputation. However, every so often, I receive a connect request or a direct message on professional social media, I am always surprised at those (especially from the senior professionals) that seem downright ‘unprofessional’ online. Perhaps it is ignorance, but once you are out there, there are certain things we must get right.
Post Bodo Pact, All Eyes on How Centre Deals with Gorkhaland Issue
As the news of a settlement between the government of India and various factions of Bodo groups started to trickle in, there was much curiosity in Darjeeling hills – home to another demand for the separate state — Gorkhaland. Even though parallels can be drawn between the two, the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland supersedes that of Bodoland by decades, and the unique geographical positioning of Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars, makes it one of the most cosmopolitan and at the same time one of the most vulnerable regions in India.