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.
We are happy to report that after over a decade of activism, Nepali has been finally included as an Optional Subject in WBCS Mains Exams.
Amid vibrant cultural festivities, former students of the Central School for Tibetans (CST), Darjeeling, joined by members of the Tibetan communities from New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota, gathered on June 4 at the Tsuglagkhang Temple Complex in McLeodganj to offer a heartfelt “Tenshug – long life prayer ceremony”, to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.
Tenshug refers to a ceremonial and devotional request made to a great spiritual teacher to live long and continue turning the Wheel of Dharma for…