Kanchan and Novelty had a fond place in the hearts of the people of Kalimpong. Dreams, songs, love, modernity – all these, were found here. For this secluded town, they served as a magical door which opened the wide world beyond the Teesta bridge.
Today, a national daily has reported that the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) has cleared out all the backlog pending COVID tests. While we applaud the efforts put in by the doctors and hospital staff, we find it difficult to believe their claims.
The budding musician, Prayas Biswakarma’s journey as a musician began not anywhere else, but within the four walls of his house. Trained by his father, Rudra Mani Biswakarma, founder music teacher at Gandhi Ashram School, Kalimpong, Prayas started playing the violin at a very early age. His sister, Kushmita Biswakarma, is also a well-known violinist from Kalimpong.
As the data we have accessed showcases, the North South divide in number of beneficiaries is so stark that it exhibits the absolute failure of the state machinery in reaching out to the people in the north. We are not sure, if this is due to lack of initiative on the part of respective District administrations or Gorkhaland Territorial Administration to communicate the State Govt scheme well with the people.
In what may shock many, COVID samples are pending test at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) since the 19th of May.
The first group of Loreto nuns came to India in 1841 and opened a school in Calcutta the same year. Five years later, Loreto came to Darjeeling during the British Raj and started a school at a temporary site in 1846. The school was relocated to the current site in 1847, exactly 100 years before India was to gain independence. At the time of its foundation, the school was the only educational institute at Darjeeling. It is nothing short of a miracle that given the time and place, the Loreto Sisters within a few weeks of their arrival had opened a school with provisions for residential and day scholars. I have often wondered how did they ever manage the logistics?
Kurseong N F Railway Printing Press has a glorious history, not many are aware of it. Suprakash Lama a second-generation railway employee of the N.F. Railway Press, acquaint us with this amazing heritage of ours.
A one of a kind quarantine facility has been set up in a football field by the local villagers of Lodhoma, for their residents returning home. The said Quarantine Facility has been temporarily constructed using locally available materials like bamboo and tarpaulins. They have been supported by Rammam Hydel Project, WBSEDCL.
What is most baffling is the timing of this controversy. The recent skirmish between Indian and Chinese forces in Naku La and Ladakh region cannot be forgotten. More importantly, the recent publication of a ‘New Map’ by Nepal at the behest of China aimed at ruffling Indian Government cannot be ignored too. With attempts at terrorist incursions by Pakistan at its peak and repeated references to sabotaging the “Chicken Neck” region by anti-national forces, this fresh attempt to bring the contentious Sikkim Subject issue does raise certain concerns.
Sources at Malda Medical College and Hospital have confirmed that 34 new COVID19 positive cases were detected in North Dinajpur in the past 24 hours.