Darjeeling

“Chana Ghotala”? Irregularities in Gorkhaland Territorial Administration’s Handling of Bharat Dal Scheme (Chana Allocation)

The Bharat Dal initiative aims to supply pulses at subsidized rates through cooperatives like the National Consumer Cooperative Federation of India Ltd. (NCCF) and NAFED to stabilize retail prices and meet dietary needs. However, the GTA’s implementation appears to have involved the swift appointment of an advisor, an immediate large-scale requisition, appointment of a private Kanpur-based firm as “Nodal Agency” without visible tender process, a substantial advance payment by that firm, and subsequent justifications amid apparent objections from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. The advisor later resigned in April 2025.


विधानसभा चुनाव: भावनात्मक र व्यवहारिक दृष्टिकोण-कुन दृष्टिकोणले भोट हाल्ने?

बंगालमा सत्ताबिरोधी लहर चलीरहेको छ। जनता तृणमूल सरकारलाई सत्ताबाट उखालेर फ्याक्न चाहान्छन्। यस समय फलाम तातिएको छ। गोर्खाहरूले २०१७ को तृणमूल सरकारको बर्बरता र अत्याचारको साटो फेर्ने मौका फेरि कहिले नपाउला। तृणमूल सरकारको बिरूद्धमा एक एक भोट ती शहीदहरूलाई सांचो श्रद्धाञ्जली हुनेछ।



Sanjok Gurung – Baking happiness, one cake at a time

The decision to take up baking wasn’t premeditated or planned I was always drawn to the F&B industry and wanted to build something of my own. I moved into banking due to family priorities but felt unfulfilled. I wanted ownership of my work and time. Since my baking turned out well, I began experimenting, learning from scratch, and investing in professional training at IBPA, Delhi.

With family support and growing orders, I took a leap of faith and started Cake Crush in Salbari in 2018 with no Plan B.


Nepathya Live: For the First Time, Nepathya Bring Their Voice to Siliguri

Nepathya Live in Siliguri marks the band’s debut performance in the city, a moment long anticipated by audiences across North Bengal, Sikkim, and the Eastern Himalayan region—where Nepathya’s songs have circulated for years through recordings, memory, and cultural inheritance, but never before through a Siliguri stage.

The concert will be held at Utsodhaara Teesta Township, behind Kawakhali Ground, placing Siliguri—often described as a gateway city—at the center of a rare cross-border cultural convergence.


Samir Sharma – Silently adding music in our lives

Samir Sharma, not many are familiar with his work. But silently, he is adding music in our lives through many interesting projects. Recently one of the short animated films, “That Ugly Green Planet” by Anant V. Keni , for which he had composed music won the Best International Animated Short Film Award at CAMPINAS Film Festival 2025 (Brazil)


When Justice Exposes Failure: The GTA Teachers’ Recruitment Case Beyond the Noise

It is important for us to realise how the vested interest of a certain group of people has put many other innocent and genuine people’s lives into jeopardy. There are people in the group who have genuinely dedicated their service as volunteers to their respective schools for years without getting any return, some of them for over a decade. These genuine teachers losing their jobs isn’t the sacrifice we deserve to ask from them.

The important question is, what are they a victim of? Many would want you to believe that they are the victims of the court order or the petitioners. Nothing could be further away from the truth. They are all the victims of administrative and political failure. They are the victims of the greed and the self-interest of a certain group of people.


Interlocutor Blues

What’s more worrisome is that while Gorkhas should be uniting and united for a cause, we are not working towards that. The call by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha for all political parties to attend a discussion regarding creating a common platform and agenda to take to the Interlocutor was met with cold shoulders by some political groups. Instead of uniting, it has exposed our existing fault lines further.

This is where, the half-front will come into play. They will try and create divisions, diversions, and doubts among us.



“FOREIGNER” – The tag that hounds Gorkhas (and Sikkimese Nepalis)

Those who have followed my writings over the years, will know, I will be the last person to defend Anit Thapa. However, have seen politics much closer than most people do, I have come to realize that, alleging a Gorkha politician of being a “foreigner – citizen of Nepal” is the easiest way to dent their reputation.

Not that Anit Thapa has a stellar reputation, however, I personally feel that, those making such allegations, should have a more solid ground to stand on.

They should reflect on the fact that every such allegations against Gorkha politicians harms the “Gorkha identity” further, and by extension, all Gorkhas (including the Sikkimese Nepalis) are viewed with suspicion.