The Terms of Reference (ToR) for the interlocutor includes, “Recommend measures for socio-economic upliftment, cultural recognition, and preservation of cultural heritage of Gorkhas in the region, and addressing their aspirations within the Constitutional framework.”
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.
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)
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.
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.
During the tenure of Subhash Ghisingh and under the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC), a vision was laid out to create a Gorkha Hill Transport Composite Complex in Darjeeling More, Siliguri – a project inspired by the Sikkim Nationalised Transport Composite Complex.
The plan was to build a unified transport hub that would serve as a lifeline for the hill population, designed to benefit both local passengers and hill taxi drivers across Darjeeling.
That vision has been betrayed today
For me, being Hindu was never about rigid codes or centralized doctrines. Dara Mandir became a shared identity, a Darjeelingey or “Gorkha” way of being that embraced diversity and coexistence. I’ve met practicing Christians in Chowrasta who hold Dara Mandir in reverence, not out of religious obligation but out of respect for its place in our collective memory.
The Special Intensive Revision is a comprehensive overhaul of the electoral roll, where voter verification is done from scratch. This is different from the regular annual summary revision that accounts for new voters, deaths, and migration. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered this for Bihar, and now it will be implemented in 12 states and UTs, including West Bengal.
Since 1951 to 2004, it has been done 8-times. The last SIR was done in 2002-2004.
The people of the hills are yearning for genuine change, and the only weapon they possess is their vote. It is therefore imperative that we do not fall prey to the propaganda machinery that thrives on rhetoric and raw emotions. We must decide wisely, lest we spend another five years trapped in regret, lamenting unfulfilled promises and watching our backyards crumble further.
In a significant move concerning Gorkha demands in the Darjeeling region, the Government of India has appointed former Deputy National Security Advisor Pankaj Kumar Singh (IPS Retd), as the interlocutor for talks with Gorkha representatives.