Zeuxine yonzoneana – The orchid was first discovered on 13th October, 2017 in the Samalbong area of Kalimpong District. A fragile plant 14 cm tall, it bears yellowish-white flowers, and its features have never been documented before. In a rare honour, the orchid now carries Dr. Yonzone’s surname, ensuring that his contribution will remain etched in botanical history.
The advertisement for the research grant for the Culture of Peace research programme by Zubaan in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Stiftung becomes significant to us. It is open to applicants from the eight Northeastern states, along with those from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong. The advertisement further states that our region has been included as a contiguous region. Though the institutions do not have any political reasons for our region’s inclusion but for us it is politically a very significant development. It indicates that certain organisations, have started to understand that our region’s inclusion is of paramount importance to establish the continuity of the northeast region.
We in the Himalaya, are extremely aware that we have been facing the brunt of these disasters that are the result of global forces like climate crisis as well as development pathways chosen for and by the Himalaya. There is a need for deep introspection and creating development pathways that are mountain centric and sensitive with a long term vision that is not extractive and destructive. In the face of the climate crisis, which is predicted to worsen, there is a commitment needed at the National and International level that supports development paradigms for the Himalaya that promote resilience and wellbeing.
In 1835, through the Deed of Grant, the EIC acquired, “…out of friendship … all the land south of the Great Rungeet River, east of the Balasan River, Kalyail and Little Rungeet Rivers, and west of the Rungus and Mahanadi Rivers”(Mainwaring 1876: viii). Besides, he has elaborated on the ‘push and pull factors’ that led to Darjeeling’s transformation, and the birth of Nepalipan and the emergence of Gorkha.
The Indian National Women’s Football League team qualified for the AFC Asian Cup 2026 to be held in Australia and the under-20 team also qualified for the Asian Cup to be held in Thailand in 2026. Things have started looking brighter for the teams and there is a perceivable transformation in the landscape of the women’s football itself in India. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is also trying to push for women football in a more sustained manner to reach and penetrate more geographical regions in India to popularise the game.
The Himalayan Cleanup 2025 has put the spotlight on the Himalayan waste crisis and a call to action against plastic pollution.The Himalayan Cleanup waste and brand audit insights becomes more pertinent at the time of the global treaty negotiations to end plastic pollution. It highlights the need to have a vulnerable areas approach to the plastic waste crisis while adopting a complete life cycle perspective with producers taking responsibility as well as intersecting it with food and nutrition security, climate and biodiversity crisis.
Crispin’s achievement and contribution to the nation should be documented in the annals of Gorkha history. This beleaguered community has been fighting to establish its identity in India for a long time. Crispin’s achievement is historical not only for the nation but also for the Gorkha community. The Gorkha community of the country has to be thankful to Crispin for bringing the community into the imagination of the nation.
The secret garden of my childhood still exists, though now hidden beneath wild weeds, silence and ravaged by landslide. The Parsi Cemetery at Singtom Fatak now, is nothing more than a forgotten patch of land but for many who have lived nearby for generations, this place was never just a cemetery. It was a peaceful space filled with flowers, soft light, and quiet rituals. A part of daily life we often passed by, yet never ignored wasn’t always this silent. Once upon a time, this place was more than a burial ground. It was a kind of secret garden, filled with seasonal flowers, where nature and memory lived together in quiet harmony.
I came to Delhi in 1987 piled on with my friend’s elder bro with a aristocrat suitcase in hand, heart full of hope, and face unmistakably stamped with the features that Delhiites and frankly, most of India have their own vocabulary for.
Tibetans continue to foster their unshakable faith in the Dalai Lama and given his advanced age, Tibetans are least concerned due to the barrage of hints from the Dalai Lama himself that he would first live up to 113 years of age and secondly, reincarnate to carry the unfinished task of the Tibetan freedom struggle.