In December 2014, we had uploaded an opinion piece about Karnell Villa school which was one of the oldest primary schools in Darjeeling. Today as the focus shifts there once again we are reproducing it.
One of the oldest schools in Darjeeling is today being stripped down to bare concrete.
Why?
Well, it sat on a Prime Land and what good is a school sitting on prime land, when the same land could be used to build a MASSIVE HOTEL, a Massive Shopping Mall or a Massive residence?
Today the school has been shifted to a corner… and the land has been sold off to a private developer, who no doubt will make good use of it.
What good is a school anyway? It educates children and turns them into thinking adults… who then grow up and question each and every move made by the authorities. No, we should never support schools, or the rights of the students to learn in a free and fair environment.
Let’s restrict them… let’s confine them to a corner… and let us all join hands to build huge malls, multi-storied hotels, massive buildings and complexes. Let us ensure that we do not have any more of those malcontents, misfits, rebels and trouble-makers who question the system, instead of following it blindly.
What is happening to Colonel Villa school is not a one-off thing, Darjeeling is gradually being sold out to the highest bidder, and we applaud the efforts made by everyone involved to turn Darjeeling into a real concrete jungle… After all, only Tarzan may need a jungle… we don’t, we are ‘humans’.
A North-American indigenous Chief once said, “Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.” What a dumb thing to say…
Any of our Darjeeling administrators, politicians, power brokers, land mafias, pimps and those who have prostituted their souls for money, could’ve told him that, well we don’t need any of the rivers, or the tree or the fish… with money, we can buy wood, buy bottled water, buy canned fish… heck, we can even buy oxygen cylinders, so who cares? As long as we have money everything is possible and that is all we need to sustain in the world.
People say that these days we don’t have Sabhasads and Municipality councillors anymore – what we elect are AZINGARS (pythons) – who gobble up everything – DALLAI (whole) – that is how amazing our representatives are.
But we cannot simply bestow all the greatness to the politicians and pimps alone, can we?
After all, it is Darjeeling – and the great people of this great town also deserve to be applauded for their silence and the tactical and unflinching support they have extended to the brilliant politicos we have.
In fact, the pace with which we are moving towards concretization of our “queen of the hills” can solely and completely be attributed to the great people who live in this great region. Who despite seeing it all, have continued to remain quiet. Who despite knowing the truth has taken a vow of silence and promised themselves to never ever speak up or speak out?
When someone points out something that is wrong, it is with great charm we put them in their place – ‘Sakchau bhanye afai garyera dekhau na… Hamee lai bhan nu bhanda afai garnu nee… why don’t you do it yourself instead of making noise?’ shooting the messenger has become our favourite time pass, and rightfully so.
Keep up this good work people of Darjeeling!! In fact we need more of it!!
In a few years time, someone will build a house ON Botanical garden, and someone else on Shrubbery park, a hotel or two might come up in Chowrasta – but I request you all, please do not speak hai… Mukh Dukhla.
So with a nod to our fellow Citizens, Azingars, Vipers, Cobras and Administrators, Politicians, Power Brokers, Land Mafias, Pimps and those who have prostituted their souls for money… I request you all …
PLEASE DO NOT SPEAK – DON’T SAY A WORD PEOPLE OF DARJEELING
For the vested interest of such vampires we should protest. It’s time for all educated youths , students , teachers to join hands and protest such moves.