Darjeeling

Loreto

Articles May 28, 2020

LORETO – My Alma Mater – My Home

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?

Lodhoma Quarantine Facility

Darjeeling Spirit May 24, 2020

Lodhoma Quarantine Facility – Amidst beautiful mountains

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.

Darjinc Jhola

Local May 16, 2020

Darjinc Jhola – Darjeeling Startup Offers Free Home Delivery of Groceries

As Darjeeling battles the dreaded COVID19 with the lockdown in effect, Darjinc, a rising startup, began its venture ‘JHOLA’ for free home delivery of groceries and other essential goods. A brainchild of homegirl Prashansa Gurung, the service is available via a simple call or a message on WhatsApp. Be it vegetables, fruits, meat and other essentials like oil, kinema and other local produce like churpee, kinema, paade gheeu, putka ko maha among others. Darjinc delivers it all and uses eco-friendly, reusable packing in its larger goal of sustainability for the town.

Malda

Regional May 11, 2020

In its Fight Against COVID19, One District in West Bengal has Emerged as a Leader – Malda

“GTA should follow same procedure as testing lab in North Bengal is situated in Siliguri only. This way, anyone who enter Siliguri can be tested there itself. There won’t be a need to transport collected swab from the hills to the plains, and result will come back quicker. All they need is to arrange team for data entry which they are doing, and swab collectors designated for Darjeeling and Kalimpong to be based out of Siliguri itself,” said the source.

Home Quarantine

Articles May 4, 2020

Home Quarantine is Dangerous for Darjeeling Hills

In this crucial time of the COVID 19 that rendered thousands of migrant labourers, students, medical patients as well as travellers in a difficult situation outside their home, many states including Sikkim has already taken an initiative to bring them back home but with strict norms of 14 days quarantine at designated quarantine centres.

Rishi Kapoor

Articles May 1, 2020

Rishi Kapoor and Me – A Personal Account

I clearly remember that I had walked into the house late one Saturday afternoon in the autumn of 1985. I was in class six then. My mother asked me if I had sneaked out to watch ‘the’ film. I said no. She gave me an uncanny look and then went on to believe what I had said reminding me it was “A” categorized film and was ‘not good’ for me. I spoke the truth. I had not seen the film. I also saw that Siliguri town was suddenly gripped by a fever. It was Sagar, the film which was the talk of the town. The bold posters that were plastered across the city were enough to raise quite a few eyebrows. It was much later that I actually got to see the film. I did not know that it was Rishi Kapoor then.

Students Digital-Education-Divide

Articles April 29, 2020

Digitalization of Class for Students – Challenge or Blessing

We are students, we come from a diverse background. We have friends who have almost everything which one can buy, but we also have friends who do their livelihood on their own. Though, we never complained because we believed that our day may come, as said: “if you are born poor it is not your fault, but if you die poor it is.”

Student Digital Education Platform

Articles April 25, 2020

Digital Divide across the Hills – Darjeeling and Sikkim

The role of education is not only to train the students for a living but for life. For years, education has only been used as a standardizing factor and not as a factor for liberating the self. This COVID19 pandemic has shaken the entire globe and we have been seeing the repercussions of lockdown in every sector including education. All sectors are trying their best to stay afloat and digital platform has acted as an oar to help row in this chaotic storm of events.