Gorkhaland

Current State of Affairs

Upendra September 19, 2020

CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS – No one is to be blamed

In “Wai Wai” we trust – that’s the state of journalism in our hills.
In “Syria” we outrage – that’s the state of writers, poets, intelligentsia in our hills.
In “Social-media revolution” we believe – that’s the state of activism in our hills.
In “Finding political relevance” we strive for – that’s the state of academia in our hills.
In “Silence” we dwell – that’s the state of rebellion in our hills

We will vocally decry those who we believe are worthy of our self-righteous scorn, but don’t bother us to speak out against the tyrannical state and the current state of affairs.

Gorkhaland Andolan

Divya Pradhan September 12, 2020

Special Series on Gorkhaland Andolan – Shards of Memories from a Shattered Mirror – Part II

My aunts waited for the cremation to end and sat and gossiped among themselves. They were talking about some place where women had cremated the dead, an unheard of practice, Keti haru lay garnu parcha abo. Someone also mentioned in hushed voices that in some tea garden, a woman had given birth to a dark-skinnned baby, “nikkhur kalo nani”. There was anxiety in their voices. I didn’t really understand the implication of these conversations.

Teachers

Articles September 5, 2020

Dear Teachers: You are the game changer

From the 1st to the 14th of every month is the greatest event in the quarantine days for the Philominites. Along with the midday meal the questions of every subject framed by the respective teachers are distributed to the parents along with the essentials of the midday meal. Then the School Principal, along with a group of dedicated teachers are seen in a jeep or a pick-up toggling along the rough broken trails of the villages carrying the essentials of the midday meal and the question papers which are distributed to the parents at some vintage points of the village. The students then submit their workout sheets via their parents at the next midday meal, and the papers reach the school handed to the respective teachers after the papers are quarantined. This unending process have made it possible to connect the teachers with more than 2000 students without any elaborate technology.

Nar Bahadur Bhandari

Articles August 19, 2020

NAR BAHADUR BHANDARI: “नेपाली भाषा आन्दोलनका अग्रणी सेनापति अनि भारतीय नेपाली भाषी गोर्खाहरूका अभिभावक अजेय नरबहादुर भण्डारी”

सजिलो थिएन नर बहादुर भण्डारीलाई सर्व भारतीय स्तरमा नेपाली भाषा मान्यताको निम्ति नेतृत्व गर्न अनि तिनी जान्दथे यस कार्यले तिनको विरोधीहरूद्वारा नाना थरीका आरोपहरू लगाएर तिनलाई सत्ताच्यूत पनि गर्न सक्छन् भनेर तर त्यसको किण्चित पर्वाह नगरी तिनी आफ्नो कार्यमा डटीरहे जसको फलस्वरूप १९९२ सालमा भारतको संसदद्वारा नेपाली भाषालाई संविधानको आठौं अनुसूचीमा अन्तर्भुक्त गर्न कर लाग्यो अनि नभन्दै नर बहादुर भण्डारी १९९४ को बिधान सभा चुनाउमा अल्पमतमा रहेर सत्ता पनि गुमाउनु पर्यो ।

Kalimpong Gorkhaland

Popular Articles July 26, 2020

Gorkhaland and The Kalimpong Massacre – July 27th, 1986

The Kalimpong Massacre is a pivotal moment in the history of Darjeeling, and literally marks the day when our beautiful, peaceful, silent, and tolerant hills lost its innocence. The anger which was given birth on July 27th, 1986… ended up engulfing all of the hills, Terai and Dooars. Thousands of youth lost their lives, thousands of mothers lost their sons and daughters, thousands of wives became widows and thousands of children became orphans.

COVID19 Darjeeling Quarantine

Ira Pradhan March 19, 2020

1986, Lockdown in Darjeeling – Down the Memory Lane

The word “quarantine”, takes me back to 1986 when I was a little girl during the Gorkhaland agitation in Darjeeling. A 40-day strike was declared, which meant a lockdown with no movement of vehicles, no movement of people, rationing of essentials and no schools – a dream come true for us, children and the worse nightmare for parents. While it wasn’t exactly like being caught in a health pandemic, but it has its similarities – working from home, no schools, restriction on transport and the worst one – stocking up on essentials.

Gorkhaland

Upendra January 31, 2020

Post Bodo Pact, All Eyes on How Centre Deals with Gorkhaland Issue

As the news of a settlement between the government of India and various factions of Bodo groups started to trickle in, there was much curiosity in Darjeeling hills – home to another demand for the separate state — Gorkhaland. Even though parallels can be drawn between the two, the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland supersedes that of Bodoland by decades, and the unique geographical positioning of Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars, makes it one of the most cosmopolitan and at the same time one of the most vulnerable regions in India.