OUR EVES AND OUR CHANCES OF BEATING THE ODDS

Well I won’t brand myself as someone who can be categorized as a Facebook buff or a Facebook Addict. But then I am logged on to Facebook for at least an hour each day and I look forward to the same with much eagerness and anticipation. I confess that had I had more time I would be logged on to Facebook for longer periods of time and I also confess that my wife think I am either wasting my time or am probably upto some mischief there. Like also wives or for that matter girlfriends or mistress (as the case may be ) who haven’t been bitten by the FB bug by now my wife too think I am upto something fishy on the Facebook. With all those beautiful faces of Facebook, well I guess, my wife, like the millions of others who think like her, has reasons to be skeptical about my association with FB. But then she, like others who eye FB with suspicion, probably doesn’t know two basic facts about FB- (1) that no one is as beautiful or handsome as his or her profile picture on FB suggest (likewise no one is as bad looking as ones voter ID card picture suggests ) and (2) that the FB is in the best place to meet, discuss and exchange ideas with likeminded friends- But then Facebook is not the topic under discussion in this article – Facebook feature in this article only because of the fact that it was here I met this wonderful young lady, who is full of enthusiasm, full of vigor, has great love for her place, intelligent and…..for a change, as beautiful as her Facebook profile picture suggests her to be.

And she is an engineer by profession – she being from Kalimpong too, both of us were aware of each other existence but haven’t exchanged even a ‘Hi’ in person till date, but on FB we got talking and knowing her has made me realize one very important think in which the is Hill Community of Darjeeling is deficient in.

One very important criteria that any sociologist look into for, while studying any community, is the status or rather stature of women in that particular community. And I am afraid the Hills of Darjeeling don’t have too many women who have excellence in the technical field or in very many specialized fields. Now don’t get me wrong – In the time of the Nari Morchas, I don’t want to be someone who is looked at as having written something adverse against the fairer sex. I only want to say that we don’t have too many women who are doctors, or engineers, or the civil services, or in the army or other armed forced, or sports or in the management level of corporate houses or banking establishments. Women are now leading the way in all progressive societies – They commands Boeings & Airbuses they are astronauts, they serve with distinction in the Army & Navy, they serve as CEOs of major MNCs, they perform the most complicated of medical surgeries, they design and execute the construction of the most complex and beautifully designed structures, they are Judges in the High Court and in fact now there is probably no male bastion left as such. Women from other communities in India have become Governors, Chief Ministers, Ambassadors, Secretaries in the Central and States governments, world-class Scientist, Film Director, successful Lawyer and Doctors- have any of them been from the Hill Community of Darjeeling?? I am afraid no….

I believe the progress of any society is like the clapping of your hands. You need both your hands to do justice to your clap and a society too needs both its hands (males & female) to perform in unison for it to progress. We need our women to go into more diverse professional spheres rather than just land up BPO jobs or in the Teaching, Hospitality, and Nursing industry or end up us LDCs in the state Government.

This is why I appreciated my friend from facebook – we need more of our women to be like her – we need our young and vibrant women to come to the fore so that this society can progress more dynamically.

The collective aspirations of the Darjeeling society for long has been a separated state of our own and for this to actually happens the eves of Darjeeling have to prove themselves on a wider arena. Only then would Gorkhaland be a certainty.

And in conclusion – well weather Gorkhaland is a certainty or not, I don’t know, but one thing is certain – I definitely am not going to let my wife read this article – her references in the article will infuriated her so much that not only will my FB account have to be closed I fear the entire geography of my face too may be altered….But then I love her despite sixteen years of marriage hence this article is still on print in spite of the fear that looms ahead)

ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS IN DARJEELING
Big B, Big Brother and the Big Fight...
By Sandip C Jain, Editor, Himalayan Times
There aren’t any prizes for guessing who finally will wear the thorny crown for being the winner in this edition of the West Bengal Assembly elections from the Darjeeling Hills with the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) appearing to be still on its honeymoon period.. But I dare not blurt out the names of the winners just yet with Big Brother (the omnipresent Election Commission) keeping a hawk’s eye over the proceeding. The GJM candidates from the Darjeeling Hills, three in total, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong constituencies, look set for a stint at the Assembly House at Kolkata but the fight seems to be heading for a good round of excitement though not necessarily for an exciting finish.
These are exciting times, the Polls in India always are, and with the “Big B” (Bimal Gurung) now acting the “Visa Issuer” in the Hills, the times are even more exciting. After Bimal having said in a Public meeting at Mirik that the visas to the Hills of Subhas Gheshing and his not so merry men, would expire on the 18th of April (Poll day), it appears that the last set to this game will definitely be played only after the finals are over.
Now with the GJM supremo making it obvious that the presence of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leaders and supporters in the Darjeeling Hills would not be tolerated after the Polls, the interest of the poor citizens of these beleaguered Hills lies more on what will happen after the Assembly Polls rather than what will happen in it. While the common man waits with fastened heart-beats and racing pulses, the GNLF leaderships is now left with very very few options- ideally they would like to win at least one seat that it is contesting but this at the moment appears a farfetched dream hence ( Sorry Big Brother but I swear I am not implying in any way that the GNLF will lose this election or that the GJM will have a cake-walk – I am just saying it’s a farfetched dream and we all know that after all any dream can turn into reality, however farfetched it may be…. well at least on paper) the GNLF is left with no options but to throw all its trump cards in one go and come up with a credible show. They seem to have three scenarios staring down their faces- 1. Secure less than 5% of the total votes and in such a case, scramble back to Siliguri with their tails between their legs. 2. Secure 15% or above on the total votes cast in which case we can consider them to have put up a credible show and as having a sizable support base in the Hills. This will probably entitle them to stay back in the Hills and come back into main stream politics. The worse scenario for the Hills would be if the GNLF polls 5% to 15% of the total votes. This would neither be a mandate for them to stay back nor would it be a total rejection of them. This would be when the blood bath will start. The very thought of such a scenario brings back to mind those dark spine chilling few months of 1988 when the GNLF and the Gorkha Volunteers Cell (GVC) were in conflict. No one wants a repeat of the mayhem and mindless loss of young lives that was witnessed during those few months.
These elections will have a far reaching effect on the future of the Darjeeling Hills- its fate hangs by the results of these elections. An overwhelming victory for the GJM will give it the mandate to take unilateral decisions with regards to the future course of action. It will give it the confidence to negotiate with the new State Government and the Central Government as the sole political power in the Hills. It could, with renewed self belief, take a call on whether or not accept the “Interim Council” or whether to persist with the demand for a separate state. On the other hand , anything less that 80% of the total votes would give its opposition as well as the State and Central Government a stick to beat them up with. The stick would definitely turn into an iron rod it the GJM candidates win only by a slender margin, and a battering ram if it loses even a single seat.
This much for the Political parties battling it out in the Hills- now on us the hapless souls living here- Our options are limited too. Vote overwhelmingly for the GJMand ensure the victory of their candidates- not because it’s the lesser of the two evils, not because the quality of candidates they have put up is better, not because they deserve one chance, not because they have the so called “Intellects” with them, not because the “profess” Gandhism (not necessarily practicing it though) and definitely not because Bimal Gurung is handsome but because their victory, it appears, offers peace a better chance. We know for sure that Bimal Gurung and company are no bunch of Saints but then Politician or Political party in India is???? Show me one and I am willing to press the EVM button for them all day…..
And Sorry Big Brother, this article is not canvassing or campaigning for any Political party, least of it the GJM, so I hope some medium level bureaucrat, presently under you, buoyant with the sudden emergency powers bestowed upon them by you, does not call me up threatening to cancel my license to write.
But if someone still insists I am campaigning for someone or something then yes, I am… I am campaigning for peace and normalcy to return back to these beautiful Hills…

JOURNALISM IN THE DARJEELING HILLS DOWN THE AGES
BY SANDIP C JAIN, EDITOR, HIMALAYAN TIMES, KALIMPONG

It is pretty surprising that Darjeeling which boasts of its association with some of the biggest names in Nepali literature has very few periodicals or dailies to its credit.
The Darjeeling Hills have never been too favourable a place for daily newspapers or even periodicals to thrive. This is mainly due to the fact that it lacks committed readers as well as has a dearth of of high paying advertisers. For any publication to sustain itself, it needs the support of a good reader base as well as financial support from advertisers which helps to offset the high cost of printing and production of the newspaper or periodical. The Darjeeling Hills has been painfully short of both of them.
One of the earliest publications to have come out from the Darjeeling area was the “Gorkha Patra” which was the efforts of Phadari Ganga Prasad Pradhan, who incidentally was also one of the earliest local Christian preachers.
Incidentally, the only daily newspaper ever to come out of the Darjeeling Hills was a Tibetan newspaper named, “Tibetan Freedom”. Its first edition reached its readers on the 9th of March 1965 and it was born out of the merger of two Tibetan Weeklies named, “ Freedom” and “Defender Tibetan Freedom”. At its peak, its circulation was close to 1400 copies. Though not a circulation figure to be too encouraged about, it still was the only daily to be published out of the Hills.
The earliest publication to have been published from Darjeeling Hills is said to have been “The Darjeeling News”. It is supposed to have had a very small circulation of about 150 copies and was chiefly meant for and read by the English Tea planters of that time.
After Independence, several vernacular and English publications tried to cement their place in the Hills but most of them had very short life spans. “The Himalayan Times”, started in 1947 by Suresh Chandra Jain was probably the longest running periodical of its time. It continued publication up to 1962 and thereafter a break of almost forty years is back in publication and continues to circulate in the Hills in present days too. The “Siliguri Patrika” (started in 1950), the “Sainik” (started in 1960) and the “Sangharsha” (started in 1964) were a few other publications to have come out from the Hills. But besides the Himalayan Times, all others are out of publication as of today.
Among the Nepali publications, The “ Gorkha”(1950), “Goreto”(1959), the “Diyalo” (1961) , the “Aukho” (1966) and the “Janadoot”and the” Diyo” were some of the more prominent ones.
A Tibetan monthly by the name of “Yullchong Sasia Sargjur Melong”, dealing in current affairs, which was first published in 1925 continued to circulate in the District for a fairly long time.
The English language weekly, “Himalayan Observe”r, edited and owned by the late B.D.Basnet, was the most popular magazine in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, before it died an unnatural death with the unfortunate demise of its charismatic Editor. Another English Magazine which gained immense popularity in the Hills and in the surrounding areas in the 1990’s, was the “Flatfile” which was taken out by Anmole Prasad and his team of exceptionally talented and gifted writers. The “Darjeeling Today” which is currently being published out of Darjeeling too is popular with the readers of present times.
Presently, all major vernacular as well as English newspapers and periodicals, which are published from Siliguri, can be found circulating in the Hills. These publications, though dealing mainly on local issues, can hardly be labeled as local publications due to the fact that they are all based and controlled by business houses in the Plains.

BROKEN PROMISES AND THE PROMISED LAND...

The Old Testament tells us of a story in which Moses leads his followers, under extreme difficulties and trying circumstances, out of Egypt to take them to the Promised Land. His followers, the Hebrews, were leading a life of slavery and in pathetic conditions under the Pharaoh of Egypt and Moses, under Gods instructions, led all the Hebrews of Egypt to the Promised Land after crossing the Red Sea, which parted to provide passage to the fleeing party. Moses finally delivered his followers to the Promised Land though he himself could never enter the Promised Land. This extreme act of courage, determination, sacrifice and selflessness for the betterment of his people has earned him immorality in the hearts of the Faithfulls and his name will live on forever.

The history of the struggle of the Gorkhas in the Darjeeling Hills can draw a few parallels with this story in the Old Testament in the sense that in its 103 years of struggle, many men of high stature have come promising the poor and innocent people of Darjeeling to take them to their Promised Land, i.e. to lead them towards a Separate State, but it is here that the similarities end. Right from the days of S.W.Ladenla to Damber Singh Gurung to Subhas Gheshing to Bimal Gurung, all have promised the Promised Land but their promise has remained just that- promises. It’s a different story that unlike Moses, most of the leaders promising the Promised Land, seemed to have attained their own personal promised lands, considering the wealth and prosperity they acquired while the common man in the Hills is still stuck in the hell hole, like the Hebrews were in Egypt. The Promised Land promised by our Pre- Independence leaders turned out to be just a District within the state of Bengal, while the Promised Land promised by Subhas Gheshing turned out to be the toothless DGHC and now it appears pretty certain that the Promised Land as promised by the current leadership will turn out to another glorified DGHC- Ok to be politically correct, it will be another Council but with more powers, more money, more areas, more departments and maybe with some Constitutional guarantees. The ultimate package may be good enough but by no stretch of imagination will it be the Land which was promised.

But before taking this discussion on the Promised Land any further, let me just take a diversion and dwell for a while on the topic of why we need a separate state of our own.. Do we need it so that we can acquire a National Identity, like several of our leaders are saying??? I don’t think this is a logical and well thought of reason. To fight for National Identity in a country like India is futile- after all India is a country of localized identities. All communities in India have their identity only in the area where they form the majority. Other than in their region of domination, every community in the country is ridiculed, a butt of jokes and made to feel insecure and unsafe. The fact is that no community in India can claim to be the dominant community in India with a National Identity which means every community in India is as insecure or as secure as the other one. Take for example the fact that all North Indians are termed “Bhiyas” south of the Vindhyachals, All South Indians, whether Tamilians or Telgus or Malyalees or Kanadees, are called ‘Madrasis’ in the North of the country. All North Eastern citizens of India are called ‘Chinkis’ in the rest of the country and are more associated with China than with India. All Kashmiri Muslims are thought to be from Pakistan and Sikhs are looked upon as aliens in all places in India other than in places where they are a majority. Why, even the Bengalis are thought of as being from Bangladesh in parts of India where they are few in numbers… so who has a National Identity??? No one in fact, hence we can safely conclude that searching for a National Identity in India is quite pointless. We in the Darjeeling Hills are as Indian as any other so we need not worry about proving it to anyone, especially those in the Bengal mainland.

So then again, why do we need a separate state for ourselves?? For Development?? Ya, this is what the struggle is all about.. The pathetic state of our roads, the sorry plight of our health care system, the water problem, the falling education standards, the lack of higher specialized educational facilities, the overflowing towns, the poor civic amenities, the crippled Public Distribution System and the unequal distribution of Central & State Funds sure do make a good case for the demand of a separate state. But if a separate state is not possible at the moment for any reason and in its place an arrangement can be made which will take care of all our developmental issues, then I personally am all for it. If the proposed Interim Set Up can take care of improving our pitiable infrastructure, I have no hassles accepting this proposal. But my problem is with the proposal not being transparent.. Why should it have been a “gupti report” if there was nothing to hide or if it really was for the betterment of our society? I am a hard core believer of democracy and I believe in the politics of consensus and hence I believe that before the proposal is accepted, it should be fully discussed, debated and passed by all stakeholders in the Hills. After all it is the public that all the Political parties claim to work on behalf of, hence they are the one who have to pass the proposal, not the Political parties. This should not be too much to ask for, after all the GJMM claims to be a party which believes in democratic values and it would do its image a world of good if this baggage of democracy, which they carry along everywhere, is put into practice rather than using it only for its decorative values…

Then again, we cannot assume blindly that development will take place once the Sep up is in place.. Just because money is pumped in by the Central and State Governments into the new administrative arrangement will not mean developmental works will pick up speed all by itself. Money was pumped into the DGHC under Subhas Gheshing too and money is being pumped into the Darjeeling Hills at the present too which is being utilized under the watchful eyes and active participation of the GJMM. The question to be asked here is how well was all the money used and whether the money did any good for the Hills or whether most of it ended up lining only a few pockets… Keeping this in mind we need to ponder whether even a separate would solve any problems if the people running it are either not capable enough or sincere enough.

This for me is the most compelling reason for a separate state of our own… For me the main reason we desperately need the Promised Land is not the material or physical development of the infrastructure in the Hills but rather for the development of its Human Resource. Alas, had our leaders in the previous era given even a little bit of emphasis on the quality of youth that the Hills were producing, we probably would have had entered the Promised Land by now. We need people within the system to fight and manipulate the system. Had we had a few dozen IAS Officers, had we had a couple of Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals in the Indian Army, had we had a couple of Diplomats and had we had at least a couple of State Governors from within the Hill Community, our path towards the Promised land would have been easier and more accessible. But I guess, developing human minds was and is never a priority as money cannot be made developing minds…So why should our leaders have bothered about it???

Coming back to the proposal for an Interim Set up, it seems as though the cat has been set amongst the pigeons… we now suddenly have a very divided house with a some wanting an Interim Set up while others clamoring for the 6th Schedule status while yet others not willing to settle for nothing less than complete separation from Bengal. Creating scrambled opinions within the same house so that no solution can be arrived at, is one of the strategies that the State & Central Governments often resort to in trying to temporally defusing any situation they cannot handle and in our case it seems they are succeeding. While they laugh at us for once again leading us into a well concealed trap and while the leaders laugh all their way to the bank, the poor people of Darjeeling find them in a predicament akin to that of the Tea leaves between those huge Rolling stones in the Tea factories.

Anyway, lets give them, for the them being, the benefit of doubt and believe when they say that this “Set up” is for the development of the Hills. But like I said earlier, there has to be a consensus amongst all in the Hills with regards this arrangement or else peace will be the first casualty and like everyone knows, there can be no development without peace... which means we will end up once again in square one after loosing 22 years to the DGHC and another 3 years to the present unrest. 25 years is a long long time to heve been lost specially for a communtity like ours which is already light years behind the rest of the developed world. Hope the current leadership runderstands this and if they do not or chose not t, then I am afraid that the Darjeeling Hills has a very very bleak future.