Teacher-In-Charge were elected arbitrarily during the BGPM/TMC era, with many underqualified individuals being given charge of the school. This verdict opens room for senior teachers to reclaim their rightful place

The Calcutta High Court has directed the District Inspector of Schools, Darjeeling to appoint Dr. Anita Lama as Teacher-in-Charge of Relling Higher Secondary School. The appointment will replace the present Teacher-in-Charge, who was made in charge in 2024. The order was passed by Justice Suvra Ghosh at the Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri in WPA No. 2254 of 2026.

The court ordered that the exercise be completed within four weeks from the date the order is communicated.

The decision was given, after a hard-fought case by advocates Anand Bhandari, Urgen Lama and Mayank Bhandari on behalf of Dr. Anita Lama.

Background of the case

Dr. Lama was appointed as a Casual Junior High School Teacher at Kainjaley High School on 2 June 2000 on a contractual basis. She subsequently served at Relling Higher Secondary School from 2012, where her service was regularised with effect from June 6, 2012.

After the Headmaster of the school retired, another individual supposed to be close to the then party in power TMC and BGPM was made Teacher-in-Charge in 2024, in contravention of the rules. He had been in service for only seven years at that time. He was appointed in 2017.

Dr. Lama moved the High Court seeking appointment as Teacher In Charge (TIC) in his place. She had all the requisite qualifications including completion of 12 years of service by 2024. She also holds a post graduate degree and has completed B.Ed.

In her favour, her counsels referred to two documents.

The first is a letter dated 6 October 2020 from the District Inspector of Schools, Secondary Education, Kalimpong. It was sent to the Headmasters of all High and Higher Secondary Schools in the district. It sets out the criteria for appointing a Teacher-in-Charge. A panel of three teachers is to be recommended. For a Higher Secondary School, they must have a post graduate degree and B.Ed, and at least 10 years of service. The panel is to reach the District Inspector of Schools one month before the existing Teacher-in-Charge retires.

The second is a letter dated 4 July 2014 from the Executive Director, Education Department, GTA, Darjeeling, to the District Inspector of Schools. It lays down three parameters:

1. If there is an Assistant Headmaster or Headmistress, that person should be given charge as Teacher-in-Charge.
2. If there is none, the senior most teacher with the required qualification should be given charge.
3. If neither is available, any teacher with the required qualification and ten years of service should be considered.

Though the counsel for the GTA told the court that the private respondent was appointed temporarily on the recommendation of the Managing Committee of the school, the court questioned the decision of the Managing Committee itself. The current TIC was not represented before the court, even though he had been served.

The court noted that both letters clearly require a minimum of 10 years of service. For a Higher Secondary School, they also require a post graduate degree and B.Ed.

The court recorded that it was not in dispute that Dr. Lama meets both criteria. While the current Teacher-in-Charge did not have the required ten years when he was appointed in 2024. The court also noted that, as informed, the current TIC is drawing salary in the Honours graduate scale, and not the Post-Graduate Scale.

On this basis, the court held that Dr. Lama is entitled to be appointed in place of the current TIC, who does not meet the criteria. The court directed the District Inspector of Schools, to take the necessary steps and complete the formality within the next four weeks.

This verdict opens room for senior teachers in all schools across the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the rest of the state, who were sidelined to make room for TMC/BGPM appointees, to reclaim their rightful place.

FULL ORDER

The post TEACHER-IN-CHARGE IN RELLING H.S SCHOOL TO BE REPLACED: Calcutta High Court directs appointment of Dr. Anita Lama as the New Teacher-in-Charge appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Sikkim Politicians and the Art of Fearmongering – Much Ado About Nothing by Upendra highlights how a section of politicians in Sikkim have always used “Darjeeling-Sikkim” merger issues to rake up political capital.

During the Sikkim Legislative Assembly elections of 2014, the then Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling had used “Sikkim lai Gorkhaland banauncha” narrative to scare people of Sikkim to vote against SKM. That was the first time I had realized how politicians in Sikkim use “Darjeeling merger” as a tool to fear-monger people into voting for them. In almost every election after that, this narrative is raked up in Sikkim by one group of politicians or another, to serve their nefarious political purposes.

The recent storm in the tea cup that has engulfed Sikkim and social-media stem from a position paper shared by Dr. Mahendra P Lama, who also happens to be the Chief Economic Advisor to the Chief Minister of Sikkim. The position paper lists out four potential forms of Permanent Political Solution for Darjeeling region, among which the fourth reads “minimum possible solution – national interest project – wherein North Bengal as a State and/or with contiguous areas of neighbouring states could be legislated by the Govt of India” (sic).

This has been interpreted by a section of Sikkimese politicians to translate that Dr. Lama is pushing for a Darjeeling-Sikkim merger. Their target is not Dr. Lama or what he wrote, but Chief Minister PS Golay. In politics as in love and war, all is fair.

In targeting Dr. Lama and running this “Darjeeling-Sikkim merger” narrative, politicians in Sikkim, particularly those associated with Citizen Action Party and BJP are seeking to score some political brownie points. That’s not the issue, the issue is being outright offensive and losing all sense of decency and decorum.

We are not sure which political party these morons support, but some individuals have been downright abusive. They have gone past disagreement and into vile personal attack.

I have no love for Dr. Lama, but I take offense to the way he is being treated by a section of politicians in Sikkim and their media. If they think Dr. Lama’s proposal is wrong, they can answer it with facts, or with a position of their own, instead of resorting to abuses. Whichever party these individuals belong to, they have shown poor manners and poor judgment. A political party that wants to be taken seriously should not need this kind of support.

The “merger” claim also deserves a plain reply. What I find hilarious is that some in Sikkim suffer from this “Central Character Syndrome” and have taken “with contiguous areas of neighbouring states” to mean Sikkim. That’s absolutely not the case. As far as I know, securing the Chicken’s Neck by incorporating Kishanganj district of Bihar into a possible North Bengal state has been an idea national security experts have proposed many times. We don’t see people in Bihar protesting, nor people in Assam with which also West Bengal shares a border. Why is it that every time, a solution to Darjeeling is proposed, a certain section of politicians in Sikkim feels insecure? it’s because this narrative serves their political purpose and nothing else.

What’s funnier still, a former MLA from Kurseong, who got less votes than NOTA during the MP elections has also waded into the murky waters, blaming Dr. Lama while targeting CM Golay. He is like that typical, “बेगानी शादी में अब्दुल्ला दीवाना”, no use or purpose, create controversy and seek relevance.

If the Citizen Action Party and BJP want to question Chief Minister Golay, they have every right to do so. It has the Assembly, the press and the public. They can criticise his policies, his record and his decisions. They do not need to invent a “merger” story and drag Dr. Lama into it to do that.

Politics can be sharp without being crude.

The post Sikkim Politicians and the Art of Fearmongering – Much Ado About Nothing appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

For fifteen years, Roshni Rai has worked quietly and tirelessly to build a culture of running in the hills. At a time when very few believed that a runner from this region could stand on an international podium, she came with the vision of sending Gorkha runners to Olympics.

What began as a personal passion for running grew, through her years of effort, into a movement that has given the Darjeeling-Sikkim region some of its finest marathon and trail running talent. Today as running events and running clubs have mushroomed throughout the region, credit must go to Team Run With Roshni for planting these seeds of transformation.

The win by Bir Bahadur Rai is proof that her hard work is bringing real results, and it will not be the last such moment. We congratulate her, and we thank her, for everything she has given to our region and its runners.

`
At the Foundation Day celebrations, Dr. G.S. Yonzon, Padma Shree Awardee, graced the occasion as Chief Guest, lending further weight to a celebration that brought together runners, well wishers and guests from across the region.

Mr. Roland Subba, Secretary of the Kalimpong Ultra Marathon Organizing Committee, delivered the welcome address.

Runners who were supported by the Foundation for the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2026 shared their experiences from the race, each one a reminder of how far the Foundation’s support has taken local runners.

A special felicitation was held for Mr. Bikash Bhujel and Mr. Puran Rai, both alumni of SUMI School, Kalimpong, and winners of several local marathons across the Darjeeling-Sikkim region. They were felicitated by their former teacher, Mr. Ganesh Dahal, and the Foundation spoke with pride of having supported both runners in the early stages of their careers, careers that have gone on to bring great credit to the region.

The event also featured speeches from Mr. Amar Subba, known as the Marathon Man of Sikkim, Mr. Ramesh Tamang, Mrs. Mamata Rai, Chief Advisor to the Foundation, Mr. Mingma Sherpa, Founder of Rimbick Fresh, and celebrity runner Mr. Premius Bhutia, each speaking of the Foundation’s role in shaping a generation of runners from these hills.

The Foundation extended its thanks to all the route volunteers who supported the Kalimpong Ultramarathon, run from Pedong to Kuwapani, without whom such events would not be possible.

A short video was screened of the Friendly Group Long Run (FGLR) 2011, a 50km run from Lohapul to Pedong undertaken by Roshni Rai and friends, organised by KSA and PYSA on 1st May 2011. It was this one run, fifteen years ago, that sowed the seed for what would grow into the Foundation we all celebrate today. PYSA representative Mr. Pemba (Chumbay) Bhutia was felicitated on the occasion by Roshni Rai’s parents, a moving tribute to where it all began.

The Foundation also launched the 6th edition of its official newsletter, Hamro Chinhari (Our Identity), priced at ₹150.

Special guests at the event included Ms. Marina Limbu and Dr. Sudha Pradhan, well known bikers from Sikkim.

Mr. Ashoke Tamang, Secretary of the Kalimpong Ultramarathon Organizing Committee, proposed the vote of thanks.

The Foundation closed the evening by thanking all the guests who travelled from Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Lava and Siliguri to be part of the celebration at Damsang Banquet Hall, Pedong. Fifteen years on, and with a fresh podium finish to celebrate, Run With Roshni Foundation stands as proof of what one person’s dedication, and a whole community’s support, can build for the runners of the hills.

The post RUN WITH ROSHNI FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 15 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

We reached out to the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH), Darjeeling, to understand what is happening. He told us this is a normal seasonal flu type fever, nothing unusual for this time of year. When we asked whether the Department had conducted any autopsy to determine the exact virus or cause behind these deaths, he did not answer. We also asked if the Health Department has tracked these fever related deaths and how many have died due to similar symptoms, he did not answer that as well.

However, the CMOH said that such outbreaks are common with changing weather, and that the infection is not widespread, only confined to specific clusters. He claimed that the health department is monitoring the spread and taking samples from Matigara and Mirik, which showed no spike in cases. However, he did not provide us any documentary proof of his claim. Also this does not match what we are seeing on the ground. Deaths have been reported from different parts of the Darjeeling-Kalimpong region, not from one single cluster.

In Ghoom, a young man named Karma, only 37 years old, complained of fever. By the time he reached the hospital, he was already in critical condition, and could not be saved. In Lebong, Meena Sharma, a pioneering woman footballer who had represented the country internationally in the 1970s and 80s, died of similar fever. These are only two of the cases we are sharing here, due to paucity of space. However, many more such deaths have been reported across the hills, and in none of these cases has the health department conducted a postmortem to identify the actual virus responsible.

The Gag Order

We also note that government employees, including doctors and officers under the West Bengal Health Department, are bound by a circular issued by the Chief Secretary, Government of West Bengal, dated 19th May 2026, that places strict restrictions on any government employee sharing information with the press or speaking publicly about matters that could be seen as critical of government policy.

This may explain why officials on the ground are cautious about speaking openly, even when the public urgently needs information. But a circular meant to manage press relations should not come in the way of public health communication during a possible outbreak.

IMA Advisory

On 26th August, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) issued a public health advisory on Seasonal Influenza A (H1N1), also known as Swine Flu. The advisory notes that India is witnessing a seasonal surge in H1N1 cases during the monsoon period, with over 1,770 laboratory confirmed cases in Delhi alone, along with cases in Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal.

It lists the common symptoms as high grade fever with chills, persistent dry cough and sore throat, severe muscle aches, headache, a runny or congested nose, and in some cases nausea, vomiting or loose stools.

It also lists warning signs that call for immediate emergency care, including difficulty breathing, chest pain, bluish discolouration of lips or fingers, coughing up blood, confusion or seizures, and persistent vomiting.

Given the pattern of these deaths, sudden high fever, severe muscle aches, rapid deterioration, and no recovery, this raises an important question. Could Swine Flu be behind what we are seeing in Darjeeling? The IMA advisory is clear that most H1N1 infections are mild and treatable, and that there is no cause for panic. But that reassurance depends on cases being tracked, tested and confirmed, which is exactly what does not appear to be happening here.

We appeal to the Ministry of Health, Government of India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and the West Bengal Health Department to step in with greater monitoring of this situation. We ask that post mortems be conducted to identify the actual cause of these deaths, and that a clear advisory on preventive steps, including the warning signs that need emergency care, be issued directly to the general public, not just to hospitals and frontline workers.

Lives are being lost, and the people of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri have a right to know what they are up against. We do not have the answer. But the people of this region deserve to know. They deserve a health department that investigates rather than reassures without evidence.

The post FEVER RELATED DEATHS IN DARJEELING – Is the Government Sleeping? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Siliguri Corridor, flanked by Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh has emerged as the most important national security concern for India. Dr. Vimal Khawas calls for the establishment of Siliguri Corridor Integrated Management Authority (SCIMA) for its holistic management.

The Siliguri Corridor, a small piece of land in northern West Bengal, measuring roughly 60 kilometres in length and 20 kilometres in width and covering an approximate area of 1,200 square kilometres remains one of India’s most consequential geographical features. Popularly known as the “Chicken’s Neck,” this narrow passage serves as the sole continuous overland link between the eight northeastern states and the rest of the country. Its strategic location, historical formation, geopolitical sensitivities, and growing economic and environmental weight together make it far more than a transit zone. It is a national artery whose integrity underpins territorial cohesion, regional influence, and sustainable development in eastern India.

The Corridor’s present shape emerged from successive historical processes. The Partition of 1947 left only a thin land bridge after the creation of East Pakistan. Internal boundary adjustments under the Transfer of Territories Act of 1956 actually refined its contours by transferring territory from Bihar to West Bengal. The independence of Bangladesh in 1971 closed many alternative routes and elevated the Corridor to the status of an indispensable lifeline. Earlier colonial conflicts and treaties, including the Anglo-Gorkha War, the Duar War, and the treaties of Sugauli and Punakha, had already highlighted the area’s topographic importance. In the decades after Independence, the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship with Nepal reinforced free movement across the northern borders, while restricted transit through Bangladesh solidified the Corridor’s exclusive role in connecting the Northeast to the Indian mainland.

The region’s hydrology has itself been profoundly shaped by natural upheavals. A major avulsion of the Teesta River in 1787, triggered by catastrophic monsoon flooding, permanently altered its course. Previously flowing southward through channels such as the Punarbhaba, Atrai and Karatoya toward the Ganges, the river shifted southeast to join the Brahmaputra and fundamentally reshaped the alluvial landscape of the Corridor and its surrounding plains. This historical instability continues to define the area’s vulnerability. The devastating floods of October 1968 caused by intense cloudbursts and prolonged rainfall over the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya triggered hundreds of landslides, washed away critical bridges including the Anderson Bridge on the Teesta severed road and rail links between Siliguri and the hills and claimed hundreds of lives while inundating large parts of the North Bengal plains. More recently, the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) of 3-4 October 2023 from South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim sent a massive surge of water and sediment cascading hundreds of kilometres down the Teesta destroyed the Teesta-III hydropower dam, damaged infrastructure across Sikkim and downstream districts of West Bengal near the Corridor, and extended impacts into Bangladesh. These events clearly highlight that the Corridor’s narrow geography is not only a product of political cartography but also of a dynamic and often violent fluvial and climatic regime.

Wedged between Nepal and Bhutan to the north and Bangladesh to the south, and lying in proximity to China’s Chumbi Valley, the Corridor occupies a uniquely sensitive position. The Mahananda and Teesta rivers add hydrological complexity, while the narrow width means that any sustained disruption, including military, natural, or demographic, could effectively isolate the Northeast. This geography has long rendered the Corridor both indispensable for the movement of people, goods, and armed forces and inherently vulnerable to external pressure or internal instability. Geopolitically, the passage sits at the confluence of multiple interests. It is the primary land gateway through which India advances connectivity and influence toward Southeast Asia. At the same time, its open borders with three neighbouring countries create persistent challenges of illegal immigration, trafficking, and the movement of hostile elements. Often reported demographic shifts in the surrounding districts and the Corridor’s nearness to Chinese territory further intensify strategic calculations, making secure control over this strip inseparable from the defence of the Northeast and the stability of India’s eastern frontier.

Besides its geopolitical and strategic significance, the Corridor also holds tremendous geo-economic and geo-environmental importance that demands equal attention. It functions as a key route for the trade and transportation of goods between mainland India and the northeastern states, as well as with neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. Improved road, rail, and logistics networks through Siliguri have transformed the region into a commercial hub that sustains economic activity across the Northeast. The Corridor likewise plays a crucial role in promoting tourism to the northeastern states, destinations celebrated for their rich biodiversity, scenic beauty, and cultural heritage. By enabling easier access for visitors, it supports local livelihoods and strengthens the broader case for regional integration and investment.

This unique geographical piece of land is simultaneously an ecological hotspot harbouring diverse flora and fauna. It serves as a crucial elephant corridor, facilitating the seasonal movement of these animals between India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Dense forests and extensive tea gardens provide habitat for numerous species, contributing substantially to the region’s biodiversity. Yet increasing human activity including urban expansion, infrastructure projects, and intensified agriculture, poses a significant threat to this ecological balance. The Corridor’s vulnerability to climate-induced natural disasters, illustrated so starkly by the 1787 Teesta avulsion, the 1968 floods, and the 2023 GLOF, further exacerbates the environmental challenges facing the region. Any long-term strategy for the Corridor must therefore reconcile security and connectivity needs with the preservation of its fragile ecosystems and the management of recurrent fluvial hazards.

Against this layered backdrop of history, strategy, economy, and ecology, Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statements during his recent visit to Siliguri have brought focused attention to the practical requirements of safeguarding the Corridor. He described the Siliguri Corridor as one of the most sensitive and critical zones in the country, connecting eight northeastern states to the rest of India and therefore is vital for national security. Shah directed security and administrative agencies to take strict action to stop illegal immigration. He advised authorities to keep the land free of illegal encroachments. He further instructed agencies to expand their local footprint by establishing more official institutions in the region. On the operational side, he highlighted plans for a triangular security grid built around three new military garrisons at Dhubri in Assam, Kishanganj in Bihar, and Chopra in West Bengal. These bases are intended to strengthen surveillance, presence, and response capacity around the Chicken’s Neck. Complementing this structure, Shah pushed for an integrated defence model that brings together local community intelligence, the civil administration, state police, and central military forces. He also called on local leadership to strengthen civil defence units, home guards, NCC cadets, and Sainik schools in North Bengal and recognised that durable security rests on both professional forces and an engaged civilian foundation.

While these directives correctly identify the urgency of hardening physical control and improving inter-agency coordination, they largely remain incomplete if treated solely as a security-centric package. An implementable policy complement would be the formal establishment of a Siliguri Corridor Integrated Management Authority (SCIMA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Home Affairs with representation from the Ministries of Defence, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Development of North Eastern Region, as well as the governments of West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar. Critically, the very idea of the Siliguri Corridor remains rather vague in official discourse. Its precise spatial limits have never been formally delineated beyond approximate descriptions of length and width. SCIMA’s first mandate must therefore be a scientifically grounded cadastral and geospatial exercise to define the Corridor’s exact boundaries, incorporating hydrological, ecological, and infrastructural criteria rather than relying on informal cartographic conventions. Parallel to this, the Authority should commission a rigorous, transparent demographic study of the delineated zone. Recent comments by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma which have highlighted substantial demographic shifts and suggested that significant portions of the Corridor and its adjoining areas are now inhabited by populations of Bangladeshi origin, emphasis the necessity of evidence-based examination rather than rhetorical assertion.

Such a study, conducted with due process and independent oversight, would provide the empirical foundation for targeted enforcement against illegal immigration while distinguishing long-settled Indian citizens from recent irregular entrants. SCIMA would further operationalise the triangular grid and multi-agency model by embedding continuous ecological monitoring and disaster-risk assessment linked to land-use regulation. In addition, SCIMA would create a structured community-intelligence interface that institutionalises civil defence, home guards, NCC, and local institutions as permanent partners. Without this institutional layer, the risk remains that kinetic measures will outpace the social and environmental foundations upon which long-term control ultimately depends.

The post Siliguri Corridor: Between Strategic Necessity and Ecological Precarity appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The Sherpa Ponbo of Sherpagaon: The Last Keeper of the Invisible World, Tenzin Nyima Bhutia beautifully paints the slow fading of these ancient practices as younger generations turn to modern ways

Just below Lava Clock Tower, along the winding road into Gairigaon in the Shelpokhari area, lies the quiet Sherpa settlement of Sherpagaon. Like many villages in the Kalimpong hills, it has embraced change without abandoning its identity. Young people leave for higher education and employment, tourists occasionally pass through its narrow roads, and hospitals have become the first place families turn when illness strikes.

Yet inside one ordinary house, another tradition continues.

Seventy-two-year-old Pemsangay Sherpa is the last practicing Sherpa Ponbo of the village. Among the Sherpas, a Ponbo is a ritual specialist, often understood locally as a Jhyakri, who performs healing, divination, and protective ceremonies while serving as an intermediary between the human and spirit worlds through knowledge passed down within particular lineages.

Left: Ashang Kapu, grandson of the late Ponbo Gore Sherpa. Right: Ponbo Pemsangay Sherpa, the last practicing Sherpa Ponbo of Sherpagaon.

Although fewer people visit him today than they once did, families still seek his help when illnesses remain unexplained, troubling dreams refuse to leave, or misfortunes seem beyond ordinary understanding. For him, these visits are neither extraordinary nor mystical.

“I learned from my guru,” he told me simply. “My grandfather-in-law was also a Ponbo. We cannot do more than what our guru taught us.”

There was nothing theatrical about the way he spoke. He made no attempt to convince me of hidden powers or mysterious worlds. Around us, members of his family quietly joined the conversation, correcting forgotten details, recalling older stories, and filling the silences with memories that had survived far longer than any written record.

Ponbo Pemsangay Sherpa explaining his ritual implements.

Before long, it became clear that understanding the Ponbo tradition meant listening not only to Pemsangay, but also to the family that had carried its memory across generations.

Again and again, one name returned to the conversation – ‘Gore Sherpa’.

Though he passed away years ago, he remains the most remembered Ponbo in Sherpagaon. There are no biographies of his life, no manuals explaining the rituals he performed, and only a handful of photographs. Instead, his legacy survives through the memories of those who watched him work.

“Gaga (grandfather/village elder) was a bhuifutwa Ponbo,” recalled Dawa Dolma Sherpa. “Whenever he performed chinta, he danced. He had the complete costume and all the ritual objects – a khurmi, an erka, and a thumse.”

Her memories were not of ceremonies observed from a distance but of childhood spent within a household where rituals formed part of everyday life.

“The ritual required two Ponbos,” she explained. “The work was too much for one person alone.”

She remembered the two ritual practitioners calling out to another Ponbo in Sherpa while scattering handfuls of rice back and forth.

“Dha lerong ha khonok.” (Now he knows)

“Dha ngala nging na ki lok” (Now let me return it to where it came from)

To outsiders, it may have appeared as a simple exchange, but within the community it formed part of what was remembered as baan, a ritual contest through which one practitioner’s knowledge and authority met another’s. She recalled him say…

“Hera hera! Chinta baseko chal payi halecha.” (“Look, look! He has realised I’m performing the chinta.)

“Hera hera! Malai jiskayeko.” (Look, look! He’s teasing/challenging me.)

What remained most vivid in her mind, however, was not the ritual itself but Gore Sherpa’s appearance. His long white hair was parted into two braids and tied above his head with a red ribbon. He wore a flowing white robe with long sleeves and carried ritual objects whose names are now remembered by only a handful of elders.

Listening to her, one realised that traditions such as these survive not because they have been written down, but because families continue to tell their stories long after the rituals themselves have become rare.

If Dawa Dolma remembers the past, Gore Sherpa’s grandson, Ashang Kapu, worries about the future.

“When my grandfather died,” he told me, “we entrusted the responsibility to another Ponbo from Maneydara. But we made him promise that if another Ponbo ever emerged from our own family, he would return the responsibility to us.”

For him, becoming a Ponbo is not simply a matter of learning rituals.

“It follows the descendants,” he said. “Sometimes the calling still comes. But people don’t recognise it anymore.”

He believes the decline of the tradition cannot be explained by changing lifestyles alone.

” The old Ponbos were very powerful,” he reflected. “But they never taught anyone. When they died, their knowledge died with them.”

His words point to another reason the tradition has become fragile. The disappearance of the Ponbo tradition is not only the result of modern education or healthcare replacing older systems of healing. Much of its knowledge remained closely guarded, transmitted only to a chosen successor. When that chain was broken, entire worlds of ritual knowledge disappeared with it.

Pemsangay Sherpa’s own journey began not with formal instruction but with dreams.

“It first came through dreams,” he recalled.

Disturbed by recurring visions, he turned to his family, who recognised them as signs familiar from earlier generations. The ritual objects of his grandfather had been carefully preserved, and they encouraged him to seek a guru. The dreams may have pointed him towards the path, but years of discipline and apprenticeship shaped the Ponbo he would eventually become.

Even today, villagers continue to visit him.

“When people think spirits have affected someone, they call me,” he explained. “I perform jokhana with rice. From that I understand whether it is an ordinary illness or whether something else is involved.”

If necessary, he recites mantras, performs ritual blowing, and advises families on what should be done. Yet he speaks with equal respect for modern medicine.

“Nowadays everyone first goes to the hospital,” he said with a gentle smile. “Only a few still come to me.”

Perhaps the most revealing moment of our conversation came when I asked where a Ponbo‘s power comes from.

Without hesitation, he answered, “A Ponbo does not work through gods and goddesses. A Ponbo works through the power of his own kul.”

It was a simple sentence, yet it explained why losing a Ponbo means losing far more than a ritual specialist. It means the disappearance of an entire lineage of knowledge that has survived through memory rather than manuscripts.

As I prepared to leave, I asked him one final question.

“What happens after you?”

He smiled quietly.

“If someone comes after me, they will continue. If not…” He paused. “That is not in my hands.”

When I stepped back onto the village road, motorcycles continued to pass, children still laughed somewhere down the slope, and neighbours greeted one another before continuing home. Nothing suggested that, inside one ordinary house, sat the last practicing Ponbo of Sherpagaon, holding a lineage preserved not through books but through memory, apprenticeship, and family.

Whether another Ponbo will emerge after Pemsangay Sherpa remains unknown. But one thing is certain: traditions disappear long before the last practitioner dies, when their stories are no longer remembered. Recording those stories today is not merely an act of preservation; it is a way of ensuring that one of the Eastern Himalayas’ oldest living traditions does not pass into silence without ever being understood.

Ritual regalia and ceremonial implements used by Sherpa Ponbos.

Tenzin Nyima Bhutia is an Assistant Professor of English at Sikkim Manipal University Centre for Distance and Online Education and a Research Scholar in the Department of English at Sikkim University. Her research focuses on the oral traditions, folk beliefs, and indigenous knowledge systems of the Himalayas, with particular interest in documenting endangered cultural practices and community narratives.

The post The Sherpa Ponbo of Sherpagaon: The Last Keeper of the Invisible World appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Anatomy of Ambition by Upendra examines how in trying to cling on-to power in a body nobody wants – GTA, Ajoy Edwards is coming across as power-hungry and doing himself a great dis-service.

In May of 2022, when the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) elections were declared, people in Darjeeling region saw it as West Bengal government’s attempt at legitimizing the illegitimate regime they had foisted upon the people. There was a near unanimous agreement that any such election should be boycotted.

The Gorkhaland andolan of 2017, and how it was subverted using “traitors” from among our own people, had left a lot of ill-will against the Trinamool Congress led West Bengal government.

Former Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders like Binoy Tamang, Anit Thapa, Sanchabir Subba along with the former Darjeeling MLA Amar Rai, Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma and a few others took control of GJM in the absence of Bimal Gurung. But they were regard as GJM 2 by the people in general.

From 2017 to 2022, the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal ran the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration using proxies in the form of “Board of Administrators (BoA)”. Binoy Tamang was appointed as the BoA Chairman, with Anit Thapa as the BoA Deputy Chairman. Amar Rai, Sanchabir Subba, Anu Pradhan and J Khatoon were handed responsibilities of various departments on 2nd of Nov, 2017.

The defeat of TMC-GJM2 “Bhumiputra” candidate Amar Rai in the 2019 general elections,brought to fore the rifts in the GJM-2 camp. Further, the defeat of Binoy Tamang in 2019 MLA bye-elections and his unceremonious removal as the head of GJM-2 and GTA Board of Administrators Chairman in April of 2019 helped Anit Thapa consolidate his control over GJM-2.

With Anit finally in complete control, he played smart and gave up on the GJM2 label. He then started a new political outfit the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM) or as they were popularly referred to as “Tantrik-Morcha” on 9th of Sept, 2021.

Once Anit was on a firm footing, TMC government in West Bengal started preparing grounds for conducting GTA elections.

That is when Ajoy Edwards announced the launch of his new political party, all the way from Ladakh. He made good on his words and launched “Hamro Party” on 25th of Nov, 2021.

By December 2024 Kurseong MLA Rohit Sharma and Binoy Tamang were both shown the door by Anit, and they ended up joining TMC on 24th of Dec, 2021.

There was a near unanimous agreement among all all political parties with some history in Darjeeling, that the GTA elections should be boycotted. Other than the newly formed Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), which for all intent and purpose was viewed as TMC Team-B. Further legitimacy to the farcical GTA election was given by Edward’s Hamro Party, which contested the elections.

In the absence of any credible opposition, as expected BGPM won majority and Hamro Party also won some seats.

From a purely political perspective, had Hamro Party not contested the 2022 GTA elections, it would have automatically de-legitimized the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, and perhaps compelled the TMC government to negotiate actual autonomy with the hill people. With Edwards and his merry men contesting the elections, they provided credibility to the GTA elections, that was majorly rigged by Kolkata.

Now in 2026, Anit Thapa has resigned as GTA Chairman, along with some of his party Sabhasads. What is interesting to note is that neither Edwards or any of Hamro Party (which incidentally does not exist today) sabhasads have bothered to resign from the GTA Sabha. There is a very good chance that Edwards may end up becoming the GTA Chairman, thus fulfilling his long-held ambition of running the GTA (else why bother contesting an election everyone else had boycotted?).

Despite IGJF’s holier-than-though claims of them wanting to retain GTA Sabha to check on GTA corruption, the fact of the matter is that increased GTA budget allows whoever controls GTA to be in control of the political future of Darjeeling region.

All claims to contrary, there are strong indications that Edwards hopes it’s him in control of the GTA purse, and possibly the future of Darjeeling. Others may not see it, but a pattern definitely emerges.

We all remember the infamous episode, when the GNLF sent an e-mail to Mamata Banerjee calling for talks at the height of 2017 Gorkhaland Andolan. Recently a GNLF leader Sandeep Limbu highlighted that the email was in all likelihood sent from an address associated with Edward’s.

Glenary’s was the first major business establishment to defy 2017 Andolan strike and open their doors for business, at a time when entire Darjeeling was shut down, united in demanding Gorkhaland.

I have always admired Ajoy Da, and personally I respect him deeply. What I fear is that in trying to cling on-to power in a body nobody wants – GTA, he is coming across as power-hungry, and doing himself a great dis-service. If I was him, I would have been the first to call for resignation from GTA, and put pressure on BJP Government, both in the state and the center to form Gorkhaland state or UT.

Ambition, masked in the form of altruism is one of the greatest evils. Public toilets have been sold in Darjeeling by individuals portraying the “humble to earth” persona. Edwards’ ambition could be harmful for the greater Gorkha cause.

All should ponder. Most of all he.

The post ANATOMY OF AMBITION – Power-grab attempts behind altruism? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

1986 to 2026: A Common Citizen’s Plea for Darjeeling by Mohan Raj Thakuri explores how common citizens have been impacted due to the repeated Gorkhaland Andolan. Despite repeated deceit by opportunistic politicians, the aspiration continues to burn bright among common citizens.

I was only eight years old in 1986 when the weight of our identity first spilled onto our hill terrain. At that age, you don’t really understand the pulse of power, the politics of Delhi, or the complicated legal language of our country’s Constitution. You just remember how it felt to be a school going child in a home and neighborhood that was constantly on edge. I still remember the sudden curfews (144 Dhara legeko cha) , heavy silence that would fall over our small hamlet known as Ghoompahar, the moment a bandh was announced. I remember the closed school gates, shops , the empty playgrounds, roads , and the quiet, worried conversations my parents had in whispers around the kitchen fire while the tea grew cold.

Most of all, I remember the sound of thousands of footsteps marching through the thick  mist past our window. It was a rhythmic, unfamiliar thundering sound that shook the wooden floors of our old houses and embedded itself deep into my childhood memories .

Growing up in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong , Mirik or the hills means inheriting a dream that is much older than you are. It’s a beautiful but heavy legacy to carry. I am not a politician, and I don’t claim to be an expert or some highly educated scholar who debates our community’s future on television. I am just an ordinary, apolitical citizen who deeply loves this place , the soil, the community, and the people. Today, I am writing this because a deep sense of concern, mixed with a fragile ray of hope, inspired me to express out. I am praying for something positive, genuine, and lasting for the place I belong to.

The Power and Aura of a Name

Like many of you, I was scrolling through my phone recently when I came across the news updates capturing a significant moment from the state assembly’s Budget Session. Watching West Bengal Governor R.N. Ravi officially use the phrase “long drawn Gorkhaland issue” during his address stopped me in my tracks.

It hit me like an emotional wave. For decades, the administrative machinery in Kolkata carefully avoided that word. They treated it like a taboo, an illegal utterance. They preferred safe, diluted terms like “the hill problem”, “regional grievances”, or “administrative inconveniences”, as if we were just a minor headache to be dealt with through temporary financial packages. To see the current Newly formed state government under West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari explicitly lay out this issue by its true name from the floor of the Assembly is a massive, historic and welcoming shift. It feels like a quiet validation of the pain, the tears, and the sacrifices our families have made for generations.

But having said that, as ordinary people who have watched the seasons change and promises fade, we have also learned the hard way never to mistake a shift in political vocabulary for an actual shift in our destiny. A speech in a beautiful assembly hall is just air until it is forged into ironclad, unshakeable constitutional steel.

Identity Beyond Boundaries

To every single one of us, the word Gorkhaland is not just a collection of letters, nor is it merely a boundary line drawn on a political map. It is an emotional chord that strikes deep in our chests the moment it is spoken aloud. It connects us instantly across generations, across villages, and across rivers.

Yet, as we stand at this political crossroads, we must also remind ourselves of a much deeper, unshakeable truth that sits quietly beneath all our struggles : We are Gorkha and Proud to be Indian, with or without Gorkhaland.

Our grand history, our rich cultural heritage, our language, and our core identity do not rely solely on the name of a geographical place to exist. We were Gorkhas living in India long before these administrative lines were debated, and we will remain Gorkhas forever. Our worth is inherent; it is written in our blood, our traditions, and our contributions to this nation. But yes, while our identity cannot be erased by any government, we firmly aspire for Gorkhaland because it remains our preferred, definitive choice for a permanent political solution, a constitutional shield to protect and give a secure home to who we already are.

The Sacred Debt

We cannot talk about these aspirations without talking about the people who never made it back home. Our history isn’t just a timeline of political negotiations; it’s a reality paid for by the ultimate sacrifices of our own people. The initial fire of 1986-1988 claimed over twelve hundred brave lives.

These were ordinary citizens , fathers, brothers, mothers, and young students , whose lives were cut short, leaving behind empty chairs around kitchen fires all over the hills. And the spirit of defiance didn’t just disappear with that era. Decades later, the embers flared again. We watched a new generation step into the streets during the agitations of 2007, and most poignantly, during the exhausting 104-day shutdown of 2017. Once again, young boys and girls faced bullets, and blood stained our roads from Hill to Terai and Dooars.

The Sahid Diwas we observe , The Sahid Smarak and monuments scattered across our region are not just concrete structures to be cleaned , offer garland or bouquet on a particular day , once in a year . They are the resting places of an unfulfilled promise. Our martyrs did not lay down their lives for a minor administrative upgrade, a temporary financial package, or a fancy government car for a local leader. They sacrificed their today’s so that our children could inherit a secure, dignified tomorrow. Achieving a definitive, permanent political solution within the framework of the Indian Constitution is the only true tribute we can offer to their memory. Every time our leadership settles for a toothless, compromised arrangement, it dilutes the weight of that collective sacrifice. A lasting, unshakeable constitutional shield is not just a political demand; it is a sacred debt we owe to every single soul that returned to this earth in the name of our identity.

Looking Bluntly at Our Leadership

But if we are going to demand absolute administrative, legislative, and constitutional protections from the central and state governments, we must first have the courage to look at our own shattered leadership. The most tragic part of our history isn’t just how the outside world treated us; it is how easily we have allowed ourselves to be divided from within. Every single time our collective movement reaches a peak, when the entire population stands united as one heartbeat, our leadership seems to fracture. We have watched a heartbreaking cycle where leaders rise on the backs of ordinary citizens’ sacrifices, only to split into different factions, launch new political parties with new acronyms, and point fingers at one another the moment a seat of power, a financial package, or a VIP beacon car is offered.

The outside world finds it incredibly easy to dismiss us because we speak in ten different, conflicting voices. Our leaders must declare a truce on their personal ambitions and political survival tactics. They need to sit together in one room, lock the door, leave their egos and party flags outside, and create a single, unified front. If they cannot find the grace to unite for the sake of the very soil that gave them birth, they have no right to ask for our respect, our votes, or our faith.

The Trap of Hero Worship

We also need to talk about our own responsibility as common citizens. We constantly boast about our high literacy rates, our premier schools, and how educated our society is. But when it comes to local politics, we often park our collective intellect at the door and let raw emotion completely override our common sense. The moment a leader stands on a stage at Chowrasta, taps the microphone, and delivers a fiery, emotionally charged speech, we swallow everything told to us without asking a single practical question. We turn ordinary human beings into untouchable heroes, deifying them until they believe they are above accountability.

This dangerous tendency brings to my mind a profound warning by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar. On November 25, 1949, during his final address to the Constituent Assembly right before the Indian Constitution was adopted, he cautioned the nation about the psychology of political devotion. He famously stated:

“Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul. But in politics, Bhakti or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship.”

For decades in the hills, we have proven his words right. Every time we turn a politician into an untouchable idol, we surrender our own power. We stop being an aware, educated society and turn into a compliant crowd. A truly responsible citizen must start asking the hard, uncomfortable questions. Instead of just clapping and shouting slogans, we should be demanding the fine print. We need to ask our leaders: What is the actual, legal roadmap? Under which article of the Indian Constitution will this permanent solution exist? What are the explicit legislative powers? How will this solution protect the land rights, the pattas, of our tea garden workers and forest dwellers who have poured their sweat and blood into this soil for two centuries without owning a single inch of the land they live on? The day we start questioning our leaders instead of blindly Hero-worshiping them is the day our movement becomes truly powerful.

Blueprints Over Slogans and Columns

A modern political struggle in India cannot be won by emotional street agitations alone. It must be argued, clause by clause, in the halls of Parliament and before constitutional experts with flawless logic, historical data, and legal acumen. This is where our intellectuals – our teachers, professors, retired bureaucrats, researchers, and eminent writers and journalists have historically failed the common man by remaining on the comfortable sidelines of  being a silent critique or columnists.

We desperately need our finest minds to step into the arena. We cannot leave the drafting of our children’s future solely to career politicians who often cannot see past the next election cycle. We need our educated elite to come forward with their in-depth analytics and research-backed credentials. We need them to draft the definitive blueprints of what our aspirations actually look like on paper. They need to design sustainable economic models for our hills, create policies that protect our fragile, landslide-prone Himalayan ecology, and formulate the exact legal frameworks that will ensure whatever structure we receive can never be starved of funds or dissolved by the changing whims of a future cabinet in Kolkata. We must match the beautiful, raw emotion of the common citizen with the cold, precise intellect of a thoroughly prepared society.

A Lasting Justice

The current balanced political alignment offers a rare, historic window of opportunity. But as a community, we must refuse to be bought off with the crumbs of the past. We have lived through the experiments of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration frail, administrative bodies that served as nothing more than temporary bandages on a deep, historical wound. We do not want another compromise designed to buy temporary peace; we want a constitutional guarantee designed to deliver permanent justice.

The eight-year-old child who watched the hills shut down in a blur of fear and hope is an adult today, writing these words with a heart that refuses to become cynical. We are a generation that is deeply, profoundly tired. We are tired of the instability, the shattered academic calendars, the broken local economies, and the heartbreaking sight of our bright, educated youth being forced to migrate to distant cities like Delhi, Bangalore, or Mumbai or overseas just to find a basic livelihood. We love our home too much to watch it suffer in an endless loop of unfulfilled dreams.

Let us pray that our leaders find the enlightenment to unite, that we as citizens find the awareness to stay responsible, and that our finest intellectual minds guide our path. It is time for the mist rising over the Kanchenjunga to finally clear up, bringing with it the warmth of a dignified, permanent peace…Rest will follow.

The post 1986 to 2026: A Common Citizen’s Plea for Darjeeling appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Freebies and Financial Mess – The Cost of Populism by Upendra examines how West Bengal’s economy has suffered under Freebie culture

In 2011, when the CPIM government lost power in West Bengal they left behind a debt of around Rs 1.75 lakh crores. Over the 15 years the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has added another Rs 6.25 lakh crores to this debt. Today the total debt of West Bengal is around Rs 7.75- Rs 8 lakh cr­­ores. Institutionalised fiscal mismanagement, has today turned West Bengal into what many economists call a “financial hell-hole”, where public resources go to die a slow and painful death by freebies. Public money is being wasted on things that do not help the state in the long run.

With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government coming to power, there was hope that they would be more fiscally responsible, and they may be after six months in power. But as of today, they too seem to be eager to continuing down a similar path of unsustainable populism. The various freebies announced by the BJP pre-poll and their post-poll execution will significantly strain the state exchequer.

As of 2025 more than 2.2 crore women in West Bengal are getting money from the Laxmi Bhandar scheme. These women will also likely qualify to get Rs 3,000 per month from the “Annapurna Bhandar” scheme that the BJP has initiated. This will cost the state around Rs 79,200 crore every year.

There are also around 85 lakh unemployed youth who will get Rs 3,000 per month. This will cost the state further Rs 30,600 crore per year. The government also announced Rs 2,000 pensions for 45 lakh senior citizens and widows. This will cost an additional Rs 10,800 crore per year. These schemes alone will cost West Bengal over Rs 1.2 lakh crore every year.

The state is already paying a lot of money as interest on loans. In the year 2025-26 alone, West Bengal paid around Rs 50,000 crore as interest. This is an annually recurring cost that the government cannot avoid.

The Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari has said that the BJP government will continue all the welfare programmes started by the TMC. These include Kanyashree, which helps girls with education and costs Rs 16,554 crore. There is also Krishak Bandhu, which helps farmers and costs Rs 27,016 crore per year. Rupashree, which helps girls get married costs Rs 1,500 crore. Taruner Swapno, which gives tablets and smartphones to students costs Rs 1,000 crore per year. The state also spends around Rs 5,000 crore per year on schemes for Tribes, Scheduled Castes, Other Backward Classes and Minorities.

All these “welfare schemes” cost around Rs 2.25 lakh crore every year. This money is not used to develop infrastructure, create jobs or help the economy grow.

The states own revenue projections showcase the massive financial abyss the state is staring into. The tax revenue collection for the year 2026-27 is estimated to be around Rs 2.19 lakh crore. This means that West Bengal will not have money to cover all the “freebies” they are giving out. I have not even included the cost of running the government like salaries and pensions for employees, or funds needed for developing the state.

The inevitable result will be that West Bengal will have to resort to further borrowing from markets or the Central Government to bridge the widening fiscal gap.

This cycle of debt and freebies has persisted across governments in West Bengal for over a decade and a half. What began under the Left Front and intensified under TMC, now risks becoming continued under BJP.

For the BJP government to succeed where CPIM and TMC have failed, it must take hard decisions and channelize these unproductive capital into productive avenues. The people of West Bengal do not want freebies, they would rather the government invested in infrastructure, skill development, developing industries, provisioning better schools, colleges and university level education, and sustainable rural and urban growth that would generate genuine jobs and revenue.

West Bengal possesses immense potential, yet its strategic location with a young demographic raring to go remain under-utilised. Redirecting even a fraction of the Rs 2.25 lakh crore currently locked in cash transfers towards capital expenditure could transform the state’s economy. Without such a shift, the “fiscal hell-hole” will only deepen, burdening future generations with interest payments and stalled development.

The new government has a narrow window to break this cycle. It is advisable that instead of continued populism which will perpetuate financial ruin of the state, the government should focus on being prudent today to ensure prosperity for the citizens’ tomorrow.

The post Freebies and Financial Mess – The Cost of Populism appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Beyond Planting Trees : Restoring Native Forest and Freshwater Ecosystems In Darjeeling Himalaya Dr. Shailendra Dewan of Singell argues why restoring native ecology is important

Every year, World Environment Day reminds us of our collective responsibility towards the environment. Across the globe, tree-planting campaigns have become a symbol of environmental action, helping to raise awareness about conservation and climate change. While these efforts are important, the ecological future of the Darjeeling Himalaya depends on something broader and more enduring: the restoration of native forest and freshwater ecosystems.

The Darjeeling region forms part of the Eastern Himalaya, one of the world’s most significant biodiversity hot-spots. Its forests, rivers, streams, wetlands, and springs support an extraordinary diversity of life while providing essential ecosystem services that sustain local communities. Yet many of these ecosystems have been altered, fragmented, or degraded over time, reducing their ability to support biodiversity and maintain critical ecological functions.

A Landscape Shaped by History

The landscape of Darjeeling that we see today is very different from what existed two centuries ago. Our understanding of the region’s original ecological character comes not only from the remnant native forest patches that still survive across the landscape but also from the accounts of early naturalists and explorers who documented the region’s remarkable biodiversity.

Among the most notable of these was Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, whose Himalayan Journals provide vivid descriptions of the forests, vegetation, and plant diversity of the Eastern Himalaya during the mid-nineteenth century. Together, these historical accounts and the surviving forest remnants offer valuable insights into ecosystems that once extended across much of the region.

In his own word

“At about 1000 feet above Punkabaree, the vegetation is very rich, and appears all the more so from the many turnings of the road, affording glorious prospects of the foreshortened tropical forests. The prevalent timber is gigantic, and scaled by climbing Leguminosae, as Bauhinias and Robinias, which sometimes sheath the trunks, or span the forest with huge cables, joining tree to tree. Their trunks are also clothed with parasitical Orchids, and still more beautifully with Pothos (Scindapsus), Peppers, Gnetum, Vines, Convolvulus, and Bignoniæ. The beauty of the drapery of the Pothos-leaves is pre-eminent, whether for the graceful folds the foliage assumes, or for the liveliness of its colour” -Source The Himalayan Journal by JD Hooker

Prior to the colonial period, large areas of the lower and middle elevations, specifically in Darjeeling were covered by extensive subtropical and temperate broad-leaf forests that formed a continuous ecological network across the hills. During British rule, the landscape underwent a profound transformation as forests were cleared to establish tea plantations, settlements, roads, and other infrastructure. These changes shaped the economic and cultural identity of the region and continue to influence the landscape today. However, they also resulted in the fragmentation and loss of vast tracts of native forest ecosystems.

What remain today are often isolated patches of native vegetation embedded within tea estates, agricultural lands, village forests, and human settlements. Though fragmented, these remnants represent some of the last surviving examples of ecosystems that once dominated the Darjeeling Himalaya.

Why Native Ecosystems Matter

These remaining forests are far more than green spaces. They are complex living systems that support a remarkable diversity of plants, birds, butterflies, mammals, fungi, and microorganisms. Many species depend on these habitats for survival, while ecological interactions among pollinators, seed dispersers, decomposers, and plants maintain the functioning of the ecosystem. Several threatened species like Rufous Necked Hornbill, Himalayan Newt Salamander, Kaiser I Hind Butterflies exist in this region

Native forests also provide essential ecosystem services. They regulate water flows, recharge springs, stabilize mountain slopes, reduce soil erosion, store carbon, and help buffer communities against the impacts of climate change. Many of the remaining forest patches function as ecological corridors, allowing wildlife to move between habitats in an increasingly fragmented landscape.

The springs, streams, wetlands, and rivers associated with these forests are equally important. Together, forests and freshwater ecosystems form the ecological foundation upon which biodiversity, water security, and human well-being depend.

Restoration is More Than Planting Trees

Protecting these remaining ecosystems is essential, but protection alone is no longer sufficient. Many forest patches have become degraded due to habitat fragmentation, invasive species, unsustainable land-use practices, and the cumulative pressures of climate change.

Ecological restoration is often misunderstood as simply planting trees. In reality, restoration is about recovering entire ecosystems and the ecological processes that sustain them. A native forest is much more than a collection of trees. It is a living network of plants, animals, fungi, microorganisms, soils, and water systems that interact over time to create resilient and functioning ecosystems.

Restoration therefore involves protecting remnant forests, encouraging natural regeneration, reconnecting fragmented habitats, restoring native vegetation, controlling invasive species, and ensuring that ecological processes such as pollination, seed dispersal, nutrient cycling, and soil formation continue to function.

Importantly, restoration is not about recreating the past exactly as it was. Rather, it is about recovering ecological functions and reconnecting the remnants of native ecosystems that still persist across the landscape. By restoring these ecological connections, we can enhance biodiversity, strengthen water security, and build resilience in a rapidly changing world.

Reconnecting Forests and Freshwaters

The springs, streams, wetlands, and rivers of the Himalaya are ecological lifelines that connect mountains, forests, and communities. For generations, springs have served as primary sources of drinking water for villages and towns, while rivers and streams have supported agriculture, livelihoods, and biodiversity.

Forests and freshwater ecosystems are deeply interconnected. Healthy forests capture rainfall, enhance groundwater recharge, regulate runoff, and maintain the catchments that feed springs and streams. When forests are degraded, freshwater systems often become vulnerable as well.

Protecting spring recharge zones, restoring riparian vegetation along streams, rehabilitating degraded wetlands, and conserving river corridors are therefore integral components of ecosystem restoration. Such actions not only enhance biodiversity but also strengthen water security, reduce erosion and landslide risks, and improve resilience to climate variability.

Restoring freshwater ecosystems is particularly important in mountain regions where communities are increasingly facing seasonal water shortages and changing rainfall patterns. Healthy forests and healthy watersheds together form the foundation of long-term ecological and social resilience.

Restoration and Sustainable Livelihoods

Restoring ecosystems is not only about conservation; it is also about people.

Healthy native forests support a wide range of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) that contribute to rural livelihoods and cultural traditions. Seasonal collection of fiddle-head ferns (ningro), wild mushrooms, bamboo products, wild edible fruits, fodder resources, and medicinal and aromatic plants has long formed an important part of life in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya. These resources provide food, nutrition, traditional medicines, and supplementary income for many households while helping preserve traditional ecological knowledge passed down through generations.

Restoring native forest ecosystems can improve the availability and sustainability of these resources by enhancing habitat quality and supporting native plant diversity. When managed sustainably, these products can contribute to local economies while creating incentives for conservation.

Restoration can also create new opportunities through nature-based tourism. Forest trails, bird-watching routes, butterfly walks, nature interpretation centres, spring tourism, and community-managed ecotourism initiatives can generate income while promoting environmental stewardship. The region’s exceptional biodiversity offers unique opportunities for wildlife observation, photography, environmental education, and citizen science activities that attract visitors from across India and beyond.

As native biodiversity recovers, it can also create opportunities for a new generation of local entrepreneurs. Young people can develop enterprises linked to ecotourism, birdwatching and butterfly guiding, homestays, biodiversity documentation, native plant nurseries, sustainable NTFP value chains, environmental education, and ecosystem restoration services. Such opportunities can diversify rural economies and generate meaningful employment rooted in local landscapes and cultures.

In a region where many young people migrate outside in search of work, nature-based enterprises can offer viable livelihood alternatives closer to home. Ecosystem restoration can therefore help create conditions that encourage some youth to return, invest their skills locally, and build businesses around the region’s unique natural heritage. In this way, restoration becomes not only an investment in biodiversity and water security but also an investment in people, livelihoods, and the future of mountain communities.

Healthy ecosystems also support agriculture through pollination services, improve water availability, reduce disaster risks, enhance climate resilience, and strengthen local economies. In mountain landscapes where people and nature are closely interconnected, ecosystem restoration is an investment in both ecological and economic well-being.

A Shared Responsibility for the Future

The future of conservation in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya will depend not only on what happens within protected areas but also on how we manage the wider landscape where people live, farm, and work. Tea estates, village communities, educational institutions, local governments, civil society organizations, and individual landowners all have important roles to play in restoring ecological connectivity across the region.

As we mark World Environment Day, it is worth remembering that the ultimate goal is not simply to increase tree cover. It is to restore healthy, connected, and resilient ecosystems that can sustain both biodiversity and human well-being.

The forests, springs, streams, and rivers of Darjeeling and Sikkim are part of a shared natural heritage. Protecting and restoring these ecosystems today will help ensure that future generations inherit landscapes that remain rich in biodiversity, secure in water resources, economically vibrant, and resilient in the face of environmental change.

The future of Darjeeling and Sikkim depends not only on conserving the remnants of its natural heritage but also on restoring the ecological connections that once linked forests, springs, streams, and rivers across the landscape. By investing in ecosystem restoration today, we can build landscapes that support biodiversity, strengthen livelihoods, secure water resources, create opportunities for future generations, and sustain both people and nature for years to come

About the author: Dr. Sailendra Dewan is a research associate with the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). He is originally from Singell Tea Estate in Kurseong. His research pursuits are centered around macro-ecology, bio-geography, and community ecology of fauna, focusing on insects in mountain ecosystems. He currently involved in establishing a comprehensive and long-term monitoring program for butterflies alongside investigating the effects of climate change and habitat degradation in the Indian Himalayan Region.

The post Beyond Planting Trees: Restoring Native Forest and Freshwater Ecosystems In Darjeeling Himalaya appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.