Darjeeling

STD or Subscriber Trunk Dialling and the Forgotten Love Romances

I was delivering a lecture in one of my classes, where I stumbled upon the word STD. Something struck me at that instant, and so I happened to ask one of the boys about what he understood by the word term STD. He was prompt, loud and clear – he replied that it’s a disease which is sexually transmitted. I wanted to hear something else from him, so I asked if there were other meanings of STD. He was silent. Then I opened the question for the entire class, and still, nobody knew any other meaning.


Read the Spine

I grew up in a small community area in Darjeeling where there were and still are, no motorable roads. There were no taps in our houses because there was no water. You could only ‘play with water’ when it rained. I still remember the day I played in the rain for three hours, it was the best day of my life, ever.


History of Darjeeling Shows We were Never Part of Bengal

On August 17, West Bengal tourism minister Gautam Deb addressed a press conference at Mirik in Darjeeling. Exuding his obvious concern for the Gorkhas and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) issue, he said, “If NRC is implemented in the Darjeeling hills, the hills will become empty, out of 15 Lakh people there will be no one to live there. Most Gorkha brothers and sisters and senior citizens they will be driven out from Darjeeling hills, both Darjeeling and Kalimpong, including Kurseong and this Mirik [sic].”


Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Hockey Association Gifts Plants to Event Guests

The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Hockey Association organised an Inter-School Hockey Tournament for boys and girls at St. Robert’s School Ground on 22nd of September. The event marked the revival of school level hockey in Darjeeling Hills after five long years. The Joint Secretary of Bengal Hockey Association Kolkata, Dr Mohammad Khalid Hussian graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.




Open Letter to TMC Leader Gautam Deb

On the outset let me inform you that the statement you made in Mirik regarding the consequences of NRC is false. Though the statement you made is appalling, we understand that it is only false propaganda. We have seen enough of the politics that the intellectual bhadralok plays with our emotions. But the times have changed, we have evolved over the years politically, socially and intellectually except the few who are still standing on your side, so such false propaganda will not have any impact on us.



The Darjeeling Connection: Yes Benedict Cumberbatch Was Here During His Gap Year

Not many know that the actor most famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes in TV series of the same name, who has recently portrayed the role of Julian Assange in the movie The Fifth Estate has spent a good chunk of his time in Darjeeling. He thoroughly enjoyed his stay in Darjeeling and has given credit to his stay here for his calmness and ability to focus. Speaking about Darjeeling days, Mr Cumberbatch recently told a London based journalist:


Inauguration of St Joseph’s College Geographical Society

On 02 September 2019, Department of Geography, St Joseph College inaugurated St Joseph’s College Geographical Society. Major objectives of this society is: to develop the critical thinking skill among the students; to explore the Eastern Himalaya with especial reference to Darjeeling Himalaya in terms of its history, culture, livelihood and physical make up; to organise a field survey with especial reference to disaster studies, spring management and rainwater harvesting in Darjeeling Himalaya.