Karnell Villa School – The Tragedy
In December 2014, we had uploaded an opinion piece about Karnell Villa school which was one of the oldest primary schools in Darjeeling. Today as the focus shifts there once again we are reproducing it.
Darjeeling
Bashu Rai and his Fight against Drug Addiction
Having spent half of his life as a drug addict, Bashu Isaiah Rai Lorung from Darjeeling decided after 15-16 years of drug abuse that being clean and sober had become a matter of life and death. So, Rai who was working for H.P Invent, one of the best corporate sector company in the business decided to dedicate his entire life helping those who have gone through the same phase as him.
IN MEMORIAM: Pushkar Chhetri – His Attitude will Change your Outlook in Life
Pushkar Chhetri, joins Adwiti Subba Haffner in a captivating interview as he talks about his life after the ill-fated accident 20 years ago that left him with a horrific spinal cord injury, rendering him paraplegic for life (paralyzed from the waist down)! Read the full interview of this incredible man who even under dire circumstances has lived like a pukka unbeatable “Gorkha” with courage, grit and “Khaile haar nakhaney” (indomitable will) admirable attitude.
West Bengal Prachesta Scheme – 5 Applied From Kalimpong District, Only 2 Verified – 1 Application Rejected, 0 Approved
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.
COVID Samples Pending Test Since the 19th of May at NBMCH
In what may shock many, COVID samples are pending test at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH) since the 19th of May.
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 – 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 – 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.
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 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.