The question may look strange but it does provide a meaningful space for introspection.

From the point of inception back in 2013, TheDC was formed out of desperation and frustration among some individuals about the lack of authenticity and transparency of news coverage information concerning Gorkhaland. What was being projected in the national media was absolute misinformation and carried the narrative of the oppressors than the oppressed.

TheDC was established to provide people’s account of the reality – unvarnished ground-level truth.

Of course, over the course of its years of operation, social media has undergone a lot of change. From the point, where only a few educated lot ventured into social media and relied on it for information, to this day where almost every other person has accounts across all possible platforms, the structure of media and its relevance has drastically changed. We have travelled from the days of reliance on articles and written reports to massive scale video journalism.

Despite all these changes, one thing still has remained constant – TheDC and its mode of news and information dissemination. It still gives everyone all the relevant news, information from the region, interesting facts and articles, political commentary and opinion, pieces of art and music by our regional artists, stories and poems, and most important of all, it gives us something that today most media houses, journalists and leaders have given up on – the realisation that the idea of Gorkhaland still endures. And it is perhaps a sad reflection of how unscrupulous some people have been, that despite the profusion of social media pages, TheDC is where it began 7-years ago – the only news site still providing unvarnished ground-level truth concerning Gorkhaland. The majority today report what they are paid to by the ruling party or politicians in power.

TheDC was formed to be a platform that belonged to the region and the community, and so has it been – for the people, of the people and by the people.

TheDC over the years has chronicled news and information sourced through its thousands of readers spread across and beyond the region, the opinions of the people and their thoughts, their talents and their requests. While sometimes you would see someone singing a fabulous song, you would some other times see someone’s request for blood. Sometimes someone asking help trace their lost bags and some other times someone trying to return a wallet they had found. The achievements of our daughters and sons were shared, while we also together grieved the loss of our own people. The years have gone by within these moments that remained embedded between some intriguing editorials, some nostalgic articles with colloquial language and of course with all the news that has mattered to us.

To say the least, TheDC has gone to become a dining table member to many people. Many have loved us and many have equally differed from us. And TheDC has grown with all its readers amongst agreements, denial, arguments and compliments. While there have been times of “Khusi le Gazakkai huney”, there have also been episodes of “Thuska Thuski” – all in good time, all with good people. So I would like to congratulate each and every reader of TheDC, the contributors, the core team that has relentlessly put its effort in putting together the bits and pieces, and every single person whose life TheDC has touched even remotely.

8-years is a very long time if one would see and such a long period of time cannot just tell you a happy story. Being a volunteer-run independent media site in this age and this place itself becomes a story of struggle and TheDC has seen more struggle than it has ever seen any happiness. People have had the liberty to name TheDC affiliates of falana, chilana and dhiskana and those falana, chilana and dhiskana too have on their part made their displeasure against TheDC evident because of its habit of telling the truth. TheDC on its part has moved ahead fearlessly and unbothered on the knife-edge between them. The true haunting however began post-2017 Andolan as the portal on its side decided to have a spine and kept on reporting the truth while the others had clearly decided to keep a mum.

It is important to note that TheDC is a completely non-commercial website with 0 income generation of any kind. The team members work on a completely voluntary basis with no incentive or expectation. They are driven only by their passion and love for the people and for Gorkhaland.

The same love has proved to be fatal for TheDC team members on multiple occasions. It has survived the autocratic Govt’s fierce attempt of closing it down, but thanks to Facebook, who fought against the Govt’s order to shut the page down at Kolkata High Court and won. TheDC has survived multiple motivated and baseless FIRs filed against our team members. Even today, our team members are fighting multiple court battles. TheDC has survived against persuasions when a few well-known organisations tried to buy it for political promotions. TheDC has survived against political victimisation from various parties, some of whom went to the extent of threatening one of its team members with “ghar gherao”, with only his old parents back at home over a trivial post, along with multiple FIRs filed at multiple police stations.

Imagine not being able to attend your father’s last rites because the police have been hounding you at the behest of the powers that be and choose to arrive at the house looking for you, right after the news of your father’s death went out. Sounds hypothetical maybe, but the story is based on the real lived experience of one of our team members.

Irrespective of all the negatives, TheDC has continued to endure and with all of your love and support, it will continue to thrive. Thanks to kind people like you all who have put in your faith and trust in us. Lawyers like Anand Bhandari sir, who have defended us pro bono – with no fees being paid. Administrative officials, who have continued to address the issues we have raised, and our dear readers who have stood by us like a rock.

So, for many TheDC might just be a page and a website posting news. But if you look deeper enough, it is a voice – yours, mine and everyone else’s. It represents independence, freedom and truth even when there have been uncountable attempts to shut it down and destroy it. It represents hope to endure, with nothing in hand but a pen, passion, an idea and the truth.

As Andy Dufrane has said – “Hope is a beautiful thing, perhaps the most beautiful of all… And no good thing ever dies.”

The post TheDC 9th Anniversary – A reflection appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Aakritee Eza Rana – Serving it sweet

The pandemic in all its way has affected us and the way we live. The experience that now runs over 2 years has mostly been traumatic and has left most of us disadvantaged or in a state of loss – the extent of which varies from insignificant to unimaginable.

But we are humans after all. We find our ways through every time with every bit of hope and happiness that we can gather. As Pandora’s boxes have taught us, if we have miseries and troubles on one side, we have hope on the other side too.

One such story of hope and belief that emerged amidst the troubled time of the Covid crisis is that of young Aakritee Eza Rana, who took the time to turn herself into a baker and entrepreneur instead of being frustrated or demotivated. She now bakes beautiful cakes that get delivered all across. TheDC sat in for a short interview with Aakritee to know about her story.

Aama: Sona Subba Rana
Baba: Adwitya Raj Rana

TheDC: Tell us something about yourself.
Aakritee: I’m Aakritee Eza Rana and I am a 19 years old girl, currently pursuing my bachelor’s degree from Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok. I completed my plus two from Loreto Convent School, Darjeeling and I was born and brought up here. In my case, I did not excel in my academics but on the other side, I had a keen interest in extracurricular activities.

TheDC: Tell us about your journey into Baking.
Aakritee: It was not until the lockdown that I discovered my passion for baking. I started to bake at every opportunity I had, tried different recipes, applied various techniques, most of which were utterly new to me, and experimented with different flavours and colours. With time, I learnt the basics of baking and developed an interest in decorating art as well. I have been baking varieties of baking products like cookies, doughnuts, apple pies, cakes (both fondant and non-fondant) for my loved ones. My cakes are freshly baked and I make sure that it is made with love in my kitchen, with fresh hygienic ingredients. I give my best to make my bakes & cakes – delicious, moist and fresh. I am very certain that if you try my bakes & cakes, you will love them. It’s almost a year that I’ve been baking now and I have successfully supplied over 400+ cakes. I had also put up a stall in Gundri Bazar Siliguri Chapter and I got much more exposure there. The experience that I had in Gundri Bazar was beyond expectations. I’m planning on keeping my stall in the following Chapters of Gundri Bazar as well. The lockdown that happened in 2020 was a really good opportunity for me to know my talent and to start up my own business. I’m a self-taught baker and I have much more to learn.

TheDC: What motivated you to get into baking?
Aakritee: I was into cooking and baking since a very young age. What made me start up my business was the encouragement and the support that I got from my family, my friends, and my teachers. I had baked a cake for mother’s day last year and my family told me that I could start up a business. I’m really grateful to my mom and dad, my chema, and my best friend who have always been there to support me in each and every aspect. They were the ones who motivated me to set up my bakery.

TheDC: Who is your biggest inspiration?
Aakritee: My inspiration in the field of baking is The Home Baker from Siliguri. Looking at the amount of dedication, hard work, patience, and perfection that she puts into her cakes are just mind-blowing. Though she is a trained baker and I’m nothing compared to her right now, I look forward to being as good as she is.

Keeping baking aside my biggest inspirations is my mom and dad. They have always inspired me in every single way. They have always been someone to look up to from the tiniest thing to the biggest one.

TheDC: Can you elaborate on the role of your parents in nurturing your passion as a baker?
Aakritee: My parents play a vital role in my business. From the very beginning, they helped me in every possible way they could. I have at times received upto 6-7 orders a day which made things really hectic. But they would help me with blending the cream, packing, etc. As time passed by my parents also learned a lot about baking and if I got caught up with work or if I wasn’t at home, they would take my place and make sure that things went on. Apart from the manual support they’ve also supported me emotionally and mentally when things got fatiguing. My parents are the pillars of my life and my bakery. Without their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

TheDC: With baking becoming a popular avenue through the lockdown and several online bakeries mushrooming through the period, what approach do you plan to adopt to stand apart?
Aakritee: I have successfully supplied over 400+ cakes and to date, I have never got a complaint regarding the taste or the looks of my cakes. I use the best of products which definably takes the price higher than that of the cakes from local bakeries. Regardless, I never try to compromise on the quality or taste of my confectioneries just to drag down the cost or price. I pay minute attention to each and every ingredient used for baking cakes. While catering to the customization and personalization of cakes, specific ingredients are on many occasions not available locally. I try to source these ingredients from other places and cities, mostly the metropolitans. I put in all my efforts and hard work to make the cake turn out as per the customer’s demand. I have also supplied cakes at the hardest of times during the lockdown. So, I believe I have a loyal set of customers.

TheDC: What are the challenges that you have faced as a budding entrepreneur of this young age?
Aakritee: There were many challenges as the business was totally new to my family and me. I didn’t have an idea as to how I should start-up and also faced losses at times. As the level of experience started to increase the difficulties started getting easier. People at first were skeptical about my products as my young age made it hard for them to trust me. Setting a base of customers initially by convincing them was a huge challenge in itself. Now as they are aware of my confectioneries, I would want to believe that things are smooth.

TheDC: Does Darjeeling as a place have any role in inspiring you?
Aakritee: Yes it definitely does. Though there are many home bakeries here in Darjeeling, it still has much more potential to develop. Home Bakeries are just coming into existence here in Darjeeling whereas there are hundreds of home bakeries in the metropolitan cities. If I continue this business I know I will be successful here in Darjeeling itself and I don’t need to go anywhere else.

TheDC: Where do you see yourself in 5 years down the line?
Aakritee: In the next 5 years I see myself as a successful baker. I look forward to expanding my home bakery and open outlets in Darjeeling and other hill stations.

TheDC: Anything else you would want to say?
Aakritee: I would like to say that I’m really thankful and grateful to all my customers for their love and support, without which my business wouldn’t have been what it is right now.

We are beyond impressed with Aakritee’s passion, confidence, and determination. We wish her all the best and we hope that she continues spreading sweetness across the hills and beyond, in good times or tough ones.

The post Aakritee Eza Rana – Serving it sweet appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The question may look strange but it does provide a meaningful space for introspection.

From the point of inception of TheDC was formed out of desperation and frustration among some individuals about the lack of authenticity and transparency of news coverage information concerning Gorkhaland. What was being projected in the national media was absolute misinformation and carried the narrative of the oppressors than the oppressed.

TheDC was established to provide people’s account of the reality – unvarnished ground level truth.

Of course, over the course of its years of operation, social media has undergone a lot of change. From the point, where only a few educated lot ventured into social media and relied on it for information, to this day where almost every other person has accounts across all possible platforms, the structure of media and its relevance has drastically changed. We have travelled from the days of reliance on articles and written reports, to massive scale video journalism.

Despite all these changes, one thing still has remained constant – TheDC and its mode of news and information dissemination. It still gives everyone all the relevant news, information from the region, interesting facts and articles, political commentary and opinion, pieces of art and music by our regional artists, stories and poems, and most important of all, it gives us something that today most media houses, journalists and leaders have given up on – the realisation that the idea of Gorkhaland still endures. And it is perhaps a sad reflection of how unscrupulous some people have been, that despite profusion of social media pages, TheDC is where it began 7-years ago – the only news site still providing unvarnished ground level truth concerning Gorkhaland. Majority today report what they are paid to by the ruling party or politicians in power.

TheDC was formed to be a platform that belonged to the region and the community, and so has it been – for the people, of the people and by the people.

TheDC over the years has chronicled news and information sourced through its thousands of readers spread across and beyond the region, the opinions of the people and their thoughts, their talents and their requests. While sometimes you would see someone singing a fabulous song, you would some other times see someone’s request for blood. Sometimes someone asking help trace their lost bags and some other times someone trying to return a wallet they had found. The achievements of our daughters and sons were shared, while we also together grieved the loss of our own people. The years have gone by within these moments that remained embedded between some intriguing editorials, some nostalgic articles with colloquial language and of course with all the news that has mattered to us.

To say the least, TheDC has gone to become a dining table member to many people. Many have loved us and many have equally differed to us. And TheDC has grown with all its readers amongst agreements, denial, arguments and compliments. While there have been times of “Khusi le Gazakkai huney”, there have also been episodes of “Thuska Thuski” – all in good time, all with good people. So I would like to congratulate each and every reader of TheDC, the contributors, the core team that has relentlessly put its effort in putting together the bits and pieces, and every single person whose life TheDC has touched even remotely.

7-years is a very long time if one would see and such long period of time cannot just tell you a happy story. Being a volunteer run independent media site in this age and this place itself becomes a story of struggle and TheDC has seen more struggle than it has ever seen any happiness. People have had the liberty to name TheDC affiliates of falana, chilana and dhiskana and those falana, chilana and dhiskana too have on their part made their displeasure against TheDC evident because of its habit of telling the truth. TheDC on its part has moved ahead fearlessly and unbothered on the knife edge between them. The true haunting however began post 2017 Andolan as the portal on its side decided to have a spine and kept on reporting the truth while the others had clearly decided to keep a mum.

It is important to note that TheDC is a completely non-commercial website with 0 income generation of any kind. The team members work on a completely voluntary basis with no incentive or expectation. They are driven only by their passion and love for the people and for Gorkhaland.

The same love has proved to be fatal for TheDC team members on multiple occasions. It has survived the autocratic Govt’s fierce attempt of closing it down, but thanks to Facebook, who fought against the Govt’s order to shut the page down at Kolkata High Court and won. TheDC has survived multiple motivated and baseless FIRs filed against our team members. TheDC has survived against persuasions when a few well known organisations tried to buy it for political promotions. TheDC has survived against political victimisation from various parties, some of whom went to the extent of threatening one of its team member of “ghar gherao”, with only his old parents back at home over a trivial post, along with multiple FIRs filed at multiple police stations.

Imagine not being able to attend your father’s last rites because the police has been hounding you at the behest of the powers that be and choose to arrive at the house looking for you, right after the news of your father’s death went out. Sounds hypothetical maybe, but the story is based on real lived experience of one of our team members.

Irrespective of all the negatives, TheDC has continued to endure and with all of your love and support, it will continue to thrive.

So, for many TheDC might just be a page and a website posting news. But if you look deeper enough, it is a voice – yours, mine and everyone else’s. It represents independence, freedom and truth even when there have been uncountable attempts to shut it down and destroy it. It represents hope to endure, with nothing in hand but a pen, passion, an idea and the truth.

As Andy Dufrane has said – “Hope is a beautiful thing, perhaps the most beautiful of all… And no good thing ever dies.”

The post On the 8th year of being born – What TheDC means to us? appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

Program Coordinator and founder member of Radio Salesian, the first Nepali language broadcasting Community Radio in India, RJ Samir Chhetri, a native of Sonada has secured his place in the book of records.

The India Book of Records states, “RJ Samir is the first RJ of the first community radio run by a college in North Bengal and entire northeast India.”

“This recognition of RJ Samir is a matter of pride for our community radio and inspiration for younger radio journalists to make their mark,” says station director Fr. C.M. Paul.

Since the inception of Radio Salesian 90.8 FM in August 2016, RJ Samir has been its program coordinator of the first community radio run by the college broadcasting mainly in Nepali language.

Besides, training some 15 local Gorkha young men and women to be radio journalists working for the community of the Darjeeling Hills, RJ Samir has also trained 12 BA Mass  Communication students of Assam Don Bosco University Guwahati during the summer and winter breaks.

Samir started his career with Radio Misty in Gangtok and moved on to Kathmandu after which he worked with Radio Misty in Siliguri before joining Radio Salesian in August 2016.

He has also contributed towards our initiative to visualize some of our favourite Nepali language stories and folktales, through out TheDC Story Series हाम्रा कथाहरु

Radio Salesian is run by Salesian College Sonada established in Gorabari village in 1938.

The post RJ Samir – Radio Salesian Journalist makes to India Book of Records appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

A boy from small town in Darjeeling, Sanjay Pradhan’s journey is that of perseverance, ambitions, and steadfast focus, which will inspire many other youths and students following te same path. This is his story…

Ama: Smt Lahamu Sherpa Pradhan
Baba: Late Bir Bahadur Pradhan
School: Saint Alphonsus School, Kurseong
Higher Secondary: Saint Alphonsus School, Kurseong.
Graduation: Darjeeling Govt. College [BSc, Chemistry (Hons)]
Address: Simana Road, Sukhia Pokhri, District Darjeeling

What got you interested in Civil Service?

Passion of WBCS was not from the beginning. After completion of Graduation, I started realizing that something needs to be seriously done. I started realizing the hardship arising out of the economic crisis in my life.  I then started engaging myself in Competitive examination. After two years of study, I managed to clear a few of competitive exams and in the meantime, I joined the Intelligence Department as Security Assistant. As I reached there, I started finding friends from various communities (particularly those from Bihari) who were then preparing for Civil Services. They were full of passion, dedication and were very sincere in their studies. Looking at them, I started realizing that if they fight and struggle for Civil Service, then, why should I not do the same. Now I started aiming to go for WBCS and continued my struggle.

How did you start preparation for WBCS?

First, I studied all NCERT books of all Subjects (Hist., Geo, Sc, Civics and others) which helped me to have some consolidated knowledge of different subjects. Then, I jumped onto some basic/foundation books like Loucent, Arihant. These books were helpful to me to have knowledge of General studies. But then, were these books just sufficient? No. Some indebt books were further required. I then purchased Tata Macgraw Hill and Pearson General Studies series for General Studies preparation and studied them. These books were really helpful in the Preliminary Examination as well as Mains Examination.

Besides, I used to subscribe magazines like Pratiyogita Darpan and read newspapers regularly for current affairs updates.

What was your optional subject in WBCS?

My optional subject in WBCS mains was Sociology. Though I was a student of Science, I chose sociology as my Optional subject. It was a tough time for me to grasp knowledge of Sociology. I started with foundation books like DC Bhattacharjee, then jumped onto IGNOU eso series and then studied other books available in the market. Whenever, I used to get time, I used to watch lectures of Subhas Mahapatra online. His lectures were worth mentioning that really helped me to understand sociology in true sense.What were the difficulties or challenges you faced while preparing?

In the midway of WBCS journey, I got married. After marriage, it was not an easy task for me to maintain consistency. I was not able to concentrate fully. Moreover, I being an employee did not have abundant time like other competitors. But under such difficult situation, my parents, wife and all family members stood in favour of me, encouraged me to carry out my preparation. I became more enthusiastic then and increased level of my preparation and my passion for WBCS.

How important is the support of parents and family?

See, WBCS is not a matter of joke. To materialize your goal for WBCS (exe), you need to have peace of mind. This is possible only if you have moral support of your family members.

Why did you choose WBCS as your career path?

Civil Service is an ideal platform by standing on which you can contribute more towards the society through your philanthropic works. The journey of Civil Service is also not easy. First of all, you need to compete to get the post and later, may have to face lots of obligations in varied forms. It is therefore adventurous and challenging. There are only few who opt to accept and adapt with the challenges and I think I am the one amongst them. Moreover, the post of executive is prestigious and everyone wishes to get the same.

What advise you give to the youngsters?

Well, the youngsters need to keep in mind that our representation in WBCS (exe) is declining slowly. In the 2018 result, I was the only passed candidate from our community in exe cadre. It means, the competition is going tougher day by day and we are not able to compete properly.

If you are seriously interested in WBCS, then I suggest you guys to study seriously. Before starting your preparation, few things need to be kept in mind. They are:

• You need to understand the nature of the Examination
• You need to go through past exam papers (both Prelims and mains)
• You need to devise a rational strategy to clear the exam like how many marks you need to score in each paper and what are the ways and means to score healthy enough marks to qualify.
• Collection of preferable Books and sincere dedication.

Remember, hard work, smart work, consistency and strategy is the important tools to pass any competitive Exam. We can take a simple example in this context, without adoption of Tulugama and Rumi tactice by Babur, the foundation of Mughal dynasty would have not been possible. Without adoption of new economic policy, improvement in our GDP would have not been possible. So, strategy is the key factor here.

I have a personal experience that, candidates often neglect the Language paper. Others concentrate even on language papers and score good marks and manage to clear the Exam. The reverse is the case with our community candidates. We are good in English, no doubt. But we do neglect Nepali paper and cannot score healthy marks. The result is that because of poor marks in Nepali, we fail to qualify. So, it is my appeal to all candidates to please focus on language papers also.

How much time you used to spend for preparation/?

To be honest, I used to spent 5-6 hours daily. In the morning, I used to study, General Studies for 2 hours. In the Office time, I used to read newspapers and then if I get the opportunity, I used to practice Maths and GI for 1 hour at least in the afternoon. In the evening, after reaching my home from Office, I used to study Optional subject.

What is your feeling about your success that you have cleared WBCS (exe) with 13^th rank and you are the only member from Gorkha community in the WBCS (exe) 2018 list in exe cadres?

Well, there is a huge difference between individual and community success. Individual success cannot lead to utmost happiness. I shall consider myself more successful if I could bring one or more WBCS (exe) on my personal efforts. I have a plan to launch a channel and online portal to help those who are the aspirants of WBCS. Officially I have started a Facebook page viz, eurekaalearnings but I haven’t started the work on it. But I promise that I will lend my helping hands to all aspirants through this page in the coming days.

Whether affiliation to Coaching centers is essential for success?

Well, Coaching Centres can provide you directions about how to carry out preparation. But I personally feel that materials provided by them are not just sufficient to succeed. You need to study extra books and develop thorough knowledges.

What is your suggestion to those who are trying their best but have not managed to get through?

They should not worry. They should incessantly keep on giving best of their efforts. Remember, God help those who are sincere, hardworking and dedicated. Your hard work will definitely pay off.

We congratulate Sanjay for his success, and we hope that he will continue to work for the betterment of our country and community in the coming days.

[Interviewed by: Suman Pradhan for TheDC]

The post Sanjay Pradhan – Ranks 13th in WBSC Executive Cadre 2018 appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

A boy from small streets of Kalimpong, who struggled in a one room apartment shared with five others to today weaving dreams and magic for millions. This is his story…

Ama: Mrs Salima Khallow
Baba: Late Ibrahim Khallow
School(s): St Augustine’s School (Kalimpong)
College(s): St Xavier’s College, Kolkata (B.A Sociology), Asian Academy of film and Television (M. A in Cinema)

What got you interested in movies?

I have used Cinema to escape my reality. I was born and brought up in the narrow quarrelsome neighbourhood of Relli Road, Kalimpong.  My childhood was mostly centred around the 100 metre radius of the vicinity and inside a small single room where a family of 5 people lived.  Street fights, drunken men, abuses and pigs happily strolling in the streets were part of my reality as a kid.

Cinema helped me escape this reality.

Through Cinema, I saw broad clean roads, big houses, colourful clothes, song and dance and a world I had never seen before. And by the time I finished my class 10 boards, I had my own celluloid dream. I decided, I will be a filmmaker and make movies to help another poor kid escape his or her reality. My schoolmates thought I’d probably gone mad and some even called me a fool. This fool did not know it was impossible, so he did it.

How did your journey begin?

After finishing my graduation from Xavier’s Calcutta, I went to Delhi to pursue my Masters in Cinema. After two years of studying Film language and Cinema from across the globe, I finally decided it’s about time to head towards Mayanagri – The city of dreams – Bombay.

On a rainy day in July, I left my Delhi house with a small bag and headed towards Nizamuddin station to catch a train to Bombay. I left behind a huge bag in my Delhi house. The bag had all my egos, my temper, my evilness, my greed etc.  Finally, at 4 PM the train moved and I was making my journey to a city I had never been before, a city where I don’t even have an accommodation and a city where I knew no one. But I knew one thing for sure and I was proud of it; I was finally chasing my dream.

Were your parents and family supportive of your decision?

Always. I am grateful to Almighty for giving me such supportive and loving family.

Please tell us about your struggling phase?

I don’t know how many kilos I lost during my Initial days in Bombay but I became very thin. After staying in a dormitory for couple of days, I finally managed to get a room for myself. A room which I shared with another 5 boys. With my filmmaking craft in one pocket and my passion for Cinema in another pocket, I started doing the rounds of offices and Studios. Days became weeks and weeks became months but never did I hear back from any studio or office. By the end of my 4^th month in Bombay, I knew the bus and train routes by heart. It became difficult to find the light at the other end of the tunnel.

How did your first break happen?

My first break was TV industry. While doing the usual rounds of studios during my struggle days, I stumbled upon a bungalow which was used for shootings in the Bombay Versova area. Call it luck but they hired me as an Assistant director right at the spot. I was hired as an intern and was paid Rs 100 a day for travelling and free food on the set. I accepted the job with open arms. This was year 2007. The show was for a channel called SAB TV. I used to live close by, so I walked my way to the shoot and saved that 100 Rupees every day. And very smoothly I made my way from TV serials to Films and since then there was no looking back.

After working in 5 feature films with big A – list actors, I climbed the ladder a bit and joined Yashraj Films. I worked with Yashraj Films for almost 8 years before I went Independent and made my own film.

Tell us about your journey from a struggler to writing-directing a critically acclaimed film like GONE KESH?

I was a big Fan of Shahruk Khan. So during my initial days in Bombay, I had gone to see SRK on his birthday. With a sea of crowd outside his residence, Mannat, I also stood waiting to see a glance of SRK. After a while Shahruk Khan emerged on top of his balcony. The crowd went mad and so did I. he did his signature pose and I shouted on top of my voice “SHAHRUKKKKKK…” After a couple of minutes he left and the crowd was dispersed. I remember that day I lost one chappal of mine in the crowd.

Now flash forward almost 8 years and I was doing a film with SRK called FAN, and during his 50^th birthday I was inside his house Mannat, celebrating his birthday. We went to the balcony and as I looked down at the crowd, I could see a young myself standing in the crowd shouting. Life had come a full circle.

By the year 2017, I had already established myself as an industry player with a proven track record of performance. From the humble beginning of sharing a small room with 5 boys, now I was living alone in the most expensive suburbs of Bombay with a majestic view of the sea. I had worked with almost all the big actors by then. I knew almost all the big technicians and crew of the industry. I thought its right time to go Independent and make my first movie.

I quit Yashraj films in 2017, by then I had worked in films like Ek tha Tiger, Gunday, Shudh Desi Romace, Heroes, Chamku, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Chaar Din ki chandni, , Dum laga Ke haisha, Kill Dil, FAN, Qaidi Band to name a few. It was in 2017, I started the process of making my first film.

Gone Kesh was made with a very very humble budget, but the film critics and the audiences loved the film. Gone Kesh won as many as 20 awards in different Film festivals across the globe. Gone Kesh is now playing on Amazon Prime.

Tell us about your venture into Nepali Cinema – how did that come about?

I got a call from a senior of mine from school. He has become a big time celebrity actor in Nepal. He asked me if I would be interested to collaborate with him on a Nepali film. I without even a thought said YES. I always wanted to do a film in my own language. I sent him a rough idea of the story. They all loved it in Nepal. In a span of few months I finished the script and sent it to them. It’s in the shooting stage right now. It’s called LOVE SUTRA.

Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?

5 years down the line I would see myself doing lot of content driven film in both the languages, Hindi and Nepali.

What advice would you give youngsters who may want to follow on your footsteps?

Pain is temporary, Cinema is forever. In your initial days in Bombay, you might have to face a lot of pain, but trust me that pain is temporary. It might last for a year or two or 5 years or even 10 years but the Cinema you will make post that will remain forever, even after you are gone.

We wish Qasim all the luck in his future ventures, and hope that his life and story inspire thousands of others to live their dreams.

[Shirley Pradhan for TheDC]

The post Qasim Khallow – From Kalimpong to Bollywood and Kathmandu appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

This month, we are sharing the story “ प्रेम पत्र ” by Bishal Nalbo.

Instead of just focusing on previously published stories, we have decided to accept stories from our readers. The best story every month will be given a voice over by RJ Samir and we will turn it into an audio-visual format.

If you have it in you to write a story in Nepali, please do send us your entries.

You can write-in comments below or inbox us a message. Or You can email us the same at: editor@thedarjeelingchronicle.com or thedarjeelingchronicle@gmail.com

You can reach out to RJ Samir via WhatsApp or Call at: 891834 3658

We THANK our contributors

• Editing – Bishan Rai
• Writer / Narration – R.J Samir

Please SHARE, help us reach these stories to all of our people

You can subscribe to RJ Sameer on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWXn

The post TheDC Story Series – “हाम्रा कथाहरु” Episode 12: प्रेम पत्र appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

This month, we are sharing the story “ख्रीष्टमसमा परिस्थितिले” by Sharad Sharan.

Instead of just focusing on previously published stories, we have decided to accept stories from our readers. The best story every month will be given a voice over by RJ Samir, and we will turn it into an audio-visual format.

If you have it in you to write a story in Nepali, please do send us your entries.

You can write-in comments below or inbox us a message. Or You can email us the same at: editor@thedarjeelingchronicle.com or thedarjeelingchronicle@gmail.com

You can reach out to RJ Samir via WhatsApp or Call at: 891834 3658

We THANK our contributors

• Editing – Bishan Rai
• Writer / Narration – R.J Samir

Please SHARE, help us reach these stories to all of our people

You can subscribe to RJ Sameer on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWXn

The post TheDC Story Series – “हाम्रा कथाहरु” Episode 11: ख्रीष्टमसमा परिस्थितिले appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

The word INVICTUS means “unconquerable” and that is the spirit with which we had started TheDC six years ago today. The need for starting TheDC arose in 2013 as the West Bengal government had shut down all Darjeeling hills-based news outlets from publishing news during the then Gorkhaland andolan. Because of which, there were no credible news outlet from where those living outside Darjeeling could get the daily updates from back home.

Back then most of the news regarding Darjeeling and the Gorkhaland agitation were posted by the mainstream media with a huge dose of unrealistic hyperbole thrown in. News that had no basis on any reality, or truth. This is what inspired us to start our page

What started out of urgency – TheDC, a Facebook page has today gone on to become an integral community platform which has not only helped to inform people, but has also provided them with a space to raise “their” voices and be heard.

In a very short span of time, TheDC has emerged as one of the most important news sources for our region, and all this because of our readers engagement with us.

We feel honoured that some of our Breaking News stories, first reported in TheDC have been used and widely quoted by national, as well as international media. TheDC has today transformed from a mere platform for news dissemination, to community involvement, activism and numerous initiatives, connecting our people more strongly with our region.

Today we are happy and extremely proud to state that we have to some extent succeeded in becoming the platform and the “voice” that we had hoped to become.

In the six years since our inception, Darjeeling and its people have witnessed, suffered and resiliently withstood the never-ending socio-economic and political upheavals and uncertainties. The Gorkhaland struggle of 2017 had received support from all over India, but at the same time it got attacked too from multiple fronts, and it is sad, that majority of those attacking the demand for Gorkhaland turned out to be our own Gorkhas.

But irrespective of all the negativities, our people displayed unprecedented courage and unity when it mattered the most – during the elections. 2019 elections is going to be written down as a watershed moment in the Gorkha history. 2019 proved that Gorkhas may bend a little, but we will never break.

At the height of 2017 Gorkhaland agitation, cases had been slapped against TheDC page seeking its shut down, but thanks to all of your trust, support and prayers, at the end of the day truth prevailed and cases against our page was quashed by the Calcutta HC.

Instead of giving up and cowering down we started our website too. All because we Darjeeling and its people deserve a platform that is their voice and not the voice of their paymasters.  

However, even today we continue to live under constant harassment. Midnight knocks at the doors of our family members, even neighbours keep us worried.

But we refuse to be cowered down. We will continue to report the truth, and we will continue to become the platform that “voices” and “champions” the cause of our people.

TheDC was started by a group of volunteers, and it is purely run on a volunteer basis. All those who contribute news, articles, poems, write ups, pics, videos do so without getting paid even a single paise. Everyone who has volunteered for our platform have done so out of their love for Darjeeling region and its people.

We have been questioned and critiqued on our way/style of reporting. Therefore, today, we want to reiterate again that we proudly support Gorkhaland statehood demand and our epistemological beliefs, views, ways of reporting all arise and reaffirm the same.

Today as we complete six years of our journey, and enter the seventh we thank all of you for the incredible support, love, care, concerns, suggestions, criticisms and above all trust that have helped us to grow and strengthen.

We take this opportunity to apologize to all our readers, who may have been antagonized with us for one reason or the other, please do know that we take all of your comments and criticisms very seriously and they help us to grow.

We thank all our volunteers, contributors and partner organizations, Sikkim Chronicle, I Love Siliguri, Mirik Ko Sero Fero, The Times Dooars, Voice of Sikkim, Siliguri Times, Dainandini News, The Gorkhali, Darjeeling Times and others without whose help we would not be here today. We look forward to your continued support.

A Special Thank You to the students and Prof. Smriti Rai of the Dept. of Mass Communications, St. Joseph’s College and RJ Samir who have helped us with TheDC Story Series हाम्रा कथाहरु – Their initiative is helping us to share our literature in audio-visual format with a much wider audience, and especially in reaching out to our Youths.

None of this would have been possible without our very Core team of Volunteers. A heartfelt thank you and congratulation to the entire team. It is in your selfless-service to our community, we see a hope of a new beginning, a new tomorrow, a better tomorrow.

In these past six years, TheDC has remained proudly independent and fully run by volunteers. It is because of the committed volunteers that we have never had to compromise on the quality, authenticity and reliability of any news and the critical analysis of the same. We have remained and continue to remain committed towards the formation of Gorkhaland within the constitutional and geographical contours of India.

Information is power, let us make sure we share this power with everyone!!

The post INVICTUS – TheDC Journey: 6 Pura Pugera 7 Lagyo Hai !! appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.

This month, we are sharing the story “पश्चाताप” by Manoj Rai Namdung.

Instead of just focusing on previously published stories, we have decided to accept stories from our readers. The best story every month will be given a voice over by RJ Samir and we will turn it into an audio-visual format.

If you have it in you to write a story in Nepali, please do send us your entries.

You can write-in comments below or inbox us a message. Or You can email us the same at: editor@thedarjeelingchronicle.com or thedarjeelingchronicle@gmail.com

You can reach out to RJ Samir via WhatsApp or Call at: 891834 3658

We THANK our contributors

• Editing – Bishan Rai
• Writer / Narration – R.J Samir

Please SHARE, help us reach these stories to all of our people

You can subscribe to RJ Sameer on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWXn

The post TheDC Story Series – “हाम्रा कथाहरु” Episode 10: पश्चाताप appeared first on The Darjeeling Chronicle.