Kalimpong

Dream of Gorkhaland – Through a Standpoint of Major Hill Resources

It is very embarrassing and heart wrenching for me to get sarcastic remarks being an Indian Nepali or Gorkha in the rest part of Indian soul. Living away from the cold mountain air and friendly own community of the hill for Postgraduate and M.Phil. Studies did come across many times with such sarcastic remarks as Chinese because of having ‘Chimso’ eyes and “How Nepali language while living in Bengal!” considered as some bitter remarks are the inner pains of the Indian Gorkha who resides plains or rest part of Indian soil.


A Betrayed Queen and the Union Territory of Darjeeling

Often described as the Queen of the Hills for its stunning natural beauty, complemented by the world-famous and UNESCO world heritage – the Himalayan Railway, also holding an intoxicating political history the Darjeeling hills does not fail to mesmerize the tourists as well as the scholars. It is sad but not surprising that the Queen of the Himalayas has always been a victim of political betrayal (Dhoka) and there is neither a “ Queen” like leader, nor a permanent “Hills” like solution to achieve its true potentials.




Qasim Khallow – From Kalimpong to Bollywood and Kathmandu

I have used Cinema to escape my reality. I was born and brought up in the narrow quarrelsome neighbourhood of Relli Road, Kalimpong. My childhood was mostly centred around the 100 metre radius of the vicinity and inside a small single room where a family of 5 people lived. Street fights, drunken men, abuses and pigs happily strolling in the streets were part of my reality as a kid. Cinema helped me escape this reality.


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.


Padmashri Ren. Sonam Tshering Lepcha – In Memorium

On the 14th of October 1960, Ren. Sonam became the first among Lepcha people to air his voice on All India Radio. In 1963, he staged his first Musical, “Teesta Rangeet” in Lepcha language. He has composed and compiled numerous Lepcha songs, researched on Lepcha musical instruments, and presented dance-dramas based on Lepcha folklore. He has also published “Vom Jat Ling Chhyo”, a book of Lepcha folk songs in 2011.


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.