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MY GORKHALAND Headline Animator
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Friday, April 18, 2008
TIBETAN ART IN MARY MOTHER OF GOD CHURCH: KALIMPONG
Kalimpong Catholic Church at Relli road has a unique structure. It is a unique example of inculturation. The Church was built by Swiss missionaries. Late Fr. Gex Collet was the major pillar of the parish. I am the member of this parish.
All photos taken by Jyoti Mukhia
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Siliguri faces rally threat- 100-odd Gorkhaland marchers eye route through heart of trade hub on way to the Dooars
Siliguri/Darjeeling, April 16: Around 100 supporters of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Agsu today reached Sukna, having walked 70km from Darjeeling on their way to the Sankosh on the Bengal-Assam border, the last frontier of the new state that they are demanding.
“Our aim is to garner support for Gorkhaland from people who live along the route,” Ravi Shankar Sharma, the president of the students’ body affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said this evening.
Till late in the evening, the marchers had not decided whether they would bypass Siliguri or not. Some favoured walking to Sevoke through NH31, which skirts Siliguri town, while others wanted to walk along Hill Cart Road from Darjeeling More and head for Salugara via Panitanki More and Sevoke Road. [Inset: The marchers at Sukna.]
Sharma, however, said they planned to enter Siliguri and halt at Sevoke, the entry point to the Dooars, tomorrow night. “We will have 100-120 marchers (a few people from Sukna will join),” he said. Only 16 people had started off from Darjeeling on April 13.
“If we can start early, our plan is to go up to Court More (in the heart of Siliguri town) and then take Sevoke Road. If it is late, we would take Sevoke Road from Sevoke More, covering a portion of Hill Cart Road. The district police administration has allowed us to take the route,” Sharma said.
The district superintendent of police of Darjeeling, Rahul Srivastava, however, said he had no information in this regard. Rajesh Yadav, the additional superintendent of Siliguri, said: “I don’t know about any decision so far. My seniors will decide.”
Siliguri could witness more activity in favour of Gorkhaland in the coming days with lawyers from across the Darjeeling Hills deciding to hold a rally in the plains soon.
Poonam Kumar Sharma, the secretary of the Legal Aids Awareness Forum, said: “We will hold a rally in Siliguri on April 22 to protest against the lathicharge on ex-servicemen at Darjeeling More on April 9.” The police had acted to stop a rally of the ex-servicemen from entering Siliguri town.
The Forum is an apolitical body of lawyers in Darjeeling but their counterparts from Kalimpong and Kurseong are expected to join them for the programme.
“We will start from Gurung Bustee More (along Hill Cart Road) and proceed towards Court More where we will submit a memorandum to district officials,” said Poonam Sharma.
The rally will also raise the demand for Gorkhaland inclusive of Siliguri and the Dooars.
“Siliguri and the Dooars have always been integral parts of the Darjeeling district. That is why we want to include Siliguri within our Gorkhaland demand,” said Poonam Sharma.
The Morcha, too, is expected to hold a meeting at Bagajatin Park in Siliguri on April 27.
The lawyers and Morcha leaders have not yet sought permission from the authorities, but said they would do so in a couple of days.
District magistrate Rajesh Pandey had yesterday announced that all applications seeking permission for organising political meetings in Siliguri would henceforth be referred to the Bengal government.
Joy ride spoiled
Tourists could not enjoy the toy train trip from Darjeeling to Batasia today despite the Morcha keeping the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’s joy ride out of the purview of its indefinite shutdown of government offices across the hills. Railway sources said the service was withdrawn because all the booking counters were closed. Other tourist spots and facilities remained open. [The Telegraph]
“Our aim is to garner support for Gorkhaland from people who live along the route,” Ravi Shankar Sharma, the president of the students’ body affiliated to the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, said this evening.
Till late in the evening, the marchers had not decided whether they would bypass Siliguri or not. Some favoured walking to Sevoke through NH31, which skirts Siliguri town, while others wanted to walk along Hill Cart Road from Darjeeling More and head for Salugara via Panitanki More and Sevoke Road. [Inset: The marchers at Sukna.]
Sharma, however, said they planned to enter Siliguri and halt at Sevoke, the entry point to the Dooars, tomorrow night. “We will have 100-120 marchers (a few people from Sukna will join),” he said. Only 16 people had started off from Darjeeling on April 13.
“If we can start early, our plan is to go up to Court More (in the heart of Siliguri town) and then take Sevoke Road. If it is late, we would take Sevoke Road from Sevoke More, covering a portion of Hill Cart Road. The district police administration has allowed us to take the route,” Sharma said.
The district superintendent of police of Darjeeling, Rahul Srivastava, however, said he had no information in this regard. Rajesh Yadav, the additional superintendent of Siliguri, said: “I don’t know about any decision so far. My seniors will decide.”
Siliguri could witness more activity in favour of Gorkhaland in the coming days with lawyers from across the Darjeeling Hills deciding to hold a rally in the plains soon.
Poonam Kumar Sharma, the secretary of the Legal Aids Awareness Forum, said: “We will hold a rally in Siliguri on April 22 to protest against the lathicharge on ex-servicemen at Darjeeling More on April 9.” The police had acted to stop a rally of the ex-servicemen from entering Siliguri town.
The Forum is an apolitical body of lawyers in Darjeeling but their counterparts from Kalimpong and Kurseong are expected to join them for the programme.
“We will start from Gurung Bustee More (along Hill Cart Road) and proceed towards Court More where we will submit a memorandum to district officials,” said Poonam Sharma.
The rally will also raise the demand for Gorkhaland inclusive of Siliguri and the Dooars.
“Siliguri and the Dooars have always been integral parts of the Darjeeling district. That is why we want to include Siliguri within our Gorkhaland demand,” said Poonam Sharma.
The Morcha, too, is expected to hold a meeting at Bagajatin Park in Siliguri on April 27.
The lawyers and Morcha leaders have not yet sought permission from the authorities, but said they would do so in a couple of days.
District magistrate Rajesh Pandey had yesterday announced that all applications seeking permission for organising political meetings in Siliguri would henceforth be referred to the Bengal government.
Joy ride spoiled
Tourists could not enjoy the toy train trip from Darjeeling to Batasia today despite the Morcha keeping the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’s joy ride out of the purview of its indefinite shutdown of government offices across the hills. Railway sources said the service was withdrawn because all the booking counters were closed. Other tourist spots and facilities remained open. [The Telegraph]
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Intellectuals concerned about Gorkhaland Demand
The Bengali intellectuals from siliguri has at last spoke against the inclusion of Siliguri and Duars in Gorkhaland.
SILIGURI, April 14: Intellectuals of Siliguri today questioned the rationale behind the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha’s demand to include Siliguri and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state. Apart from this, they expressed serious concern over Siliguri turning into a haven for the subversives. Mr Ashru Kumar Sikdar, a former professor of the North Bengal University, Mr Haren Ghosh, a noted academician and Mr Ananda Gopal Ghosh, professor of history, North Bengal University, brushed aside the demand for the inclusion of Siliguri town and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state, branding it as absurd. “It is being orchestrated to create a divide between the Hills and the plains on ethnic lines, which is a dangerous trend and unjustified,” they opined. Mr Sikdar said that the demand for self-autonomy in the Darjeeling Hills comprising Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong sub-divisions was a century old. “The demand for a separate state comprising the three sub-divisions may have some justification. Yet, at no point of time, in the long history of the region, Siliguri and Dooars figured in the self-autonomy demand. History does not support such a demand.”Corroborating this statement, Mr Haren Ghosh, said that even the Darjeeling Hills did not have a notable Nepali population until 1865. “The Lepchas, a distinct ethnic tribe, dominated the Hills in terms of population. In 1865 when tea estates came into being ethnic Nepalis began pouring into the Hills in large numbers from Nepal in search of jobs in the upcoming tea estates. The number further grew with the introduction of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1880. As far as Siliguri and Dooars are concerned ethnic Nepalis were negligible in number until 1950 when the Indo-Nepal friendship treaty was signed between the two governments. Even now, ethnic Nepali population is not more than 60,000 in Siliguri out of the roughly estimated population of 70 million,” Mr Ghosh added. Prof Ananda Gopal Ghosh of NBU expressed concern over distortion of history to suit certain demands, which cannot stand the objective historical scrutiny. [The Statesman]
SILIGURI, April 14: Intellectuals of Siliguri today questioned the rationale behind the Gorkha Jan Mukti Morcha’s demand to include Siliguri and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state. Apart from this, they expressed serious concern over Siliguri turning into a haven for the subversives. Mr Ashru Kumar Sikdar, a former professor of the North Bengal University, Mr Haren Ghosh, a noted academician and Mr Ananda Gopal Ghosh, professor of history, North Bengal University, brushed aside the demand for the inclusion of Siliguri town and Dooars in the proposed Gorkhaland state, branding it as absurd. “It is being orchestrated to create a divide between the Hills and the plains on ethnic lines, which is a dangerous trend and unjustified,” they opined. Mr Sikdar said that the demand for self-autonomy in the Darjeeling Hills comprising Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong sub-divisions was a century old. “The demand for a separate state comprising the three sub-divisions may have some justification. Yet, at no point of time, in the long history of the region, Siliguri and Dooars figured in the self-autonomy demand. History does not support such a demand.”Corroborating this statement, Mr Haren Ghosh, said that even the Darjeeling Hills did not have a notable Nepali population until 1865. “The Lepchas, a distinct ethnic tribe, dominated the Hills in terms of population. In 1865 when tea estates came into being ethnic Nepalis began pouring into the Hills in large numbers from Nepal in search of jobs in the upcoming tea estates. The number further grew with the introduction of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1880. As far as Siliguri and Dooars are concerned ethnic Nepalis were negligible in number until 1950 when the Indo-Nepal friendship treaty was signed between the two governments. Even now, ethnic Nepali population is not more than 60,000 in Siliguri out of the roughly estimated population of 70 million,” Mr Ghosh added. Prof Ananda Gopal Ghosh of NBU expressed concern over distortion of history to suit certain demands, which cannot stand the objective historical scrutiny. [The Statesman]
Monday, April 14, 2008
Mayor plea after third haul - Champasari clue to cache of explosives
Siliguri, April 13: The Siliguri mayor has asked all landlords in town to submit details of their tenants to police after a cache of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was recovered from a house in Gurung Bustee last night.
This is the third and the largest haul in 10 days. A bomb squad of the CID today detonated the IEDs on the banks of the Mahananda. Ten IEDs and six timers were recovered from Anjali Dey’s house, located barely a kilometre from the Pradhannagar police station.
A forensic examination of the ashes is expected to reveal the nature of the IEDs.
The explosives were found in a room that had been rented out to three women, all of whom went missing after the Champasari blasts on April 3.
Bikash Basumatari, 22, and his parents, who have been living as tenants in another part of the house for the past two years, have been detained.
Additional police superintendent Rajesh Yadav said an examination of the SIM cards and documents found in Champasari and Mallaguri, another spot from where 2.5kg of explosives were seized, had led them to Bikash. “He told us about the three women and we raided the house.”
Tina, Nitu and Merry, aged between 20 and 25, had rented the house around two months ago, the landlady said. “All three left after the Champasari blasts. They said the father of one of the girls was ill and they were going to Nepal. We were wondering if we should inform the police, when last night the police picked up Bikash,” said Tanuka Sarkar, Anjali’s granddaughter. “The girls took a computer with them when they went.” Tanuka said Bikash was often seen talking to the girls.
Twin blasts in a house in Champasari had killed three alleged bomb-makers and triggered a hunt for militants using the town for subversive activities. Five days later, a retired power board employee had identified Dipen Rai, the fourth accused in the Champasari blasts and the only one to have escaped alive from the explosion site, as one to whom he had rented out his house in Mallaguri. More explosives were found there.
Mayor Bikash Ghosh said he has instructed all ward committee members to cooperate with the police.
“I have told them to help law enforcers get details of the tenants from each locality immediately,” said Ghosh.
Tanuka admitted that the family did not verify the girls’ credentials — they said they had come for a nursing training — and had not asked for recommendations either. (The Telegraph)
This is the third and the largest haul in 10 days. A bomb squad of the CID today detonated the IEDs on the banks of the Mahananda. Ten IEDs and six timers were recovered from Anjali Dey’s house, located barely a kilometre from the Pradhannagar police station.
A forensic examination of the ashes is expected to reveal the nature of the IEDs.
The explosives were found in a room that had been rented out to three women, all of whom went missing after the Champasari blasts on April 3.
Bikash Basumatari, 22, and his parents, who have been living as tenants in another part of the house for the past two years, have been detained.
Additional police superintendent Rajesh Yadav said an examination of the SIM cards and documents found in Champasari and Mallaguri, another spot from where 2.5kg of explosives were seized, had led them to Bikash. “He told us about the three women and we raided the house.”
Tina, Nitu and Merry, aged between 20 and 25, had rented the house around two months ago, the landlady said. “All three left after the Champasari blasts. They said the father of one of the girls was ill and they were going to Nepal. We were wondering if we should inform the police, when last night the police picked up Bikash,” said Tanuka Sarkar, Anjali’s granddaughter. “The girls took a computer with them when they went.” Tanuka said Bikash was often seen talking to the girls.
Twin blasts in a house in Champasari had killed three alleged bomb-makers and triggered a hunt for militants using the town for subversive activities. Five days later, a retired power board employee had identified Dipen Rai, the fourth accused in the Champasari blasts and the only one to have escaped alive from the explosion site, as one to whom he had rented out his house in Mallaguri. More explosives were found there.
Mayor Bikash Ghosh said he has instructed all ward committee members to cooperate with the police.
“I have told them to help law enforcers get details of the tenants from each locality immediately,” said Ghosh.
Tanuka admitted that the family did not verify the girls’ credentials — they said they had come for a nursing training — and had not asked for recommendations either. (The Telegraph)
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