www.kalimpong.info

Statesman News Service
SILIGURI/DARJEELING, Sept. 15: Landslides, triggered by incessant rainfall last night, threw traffic out of gear on NH-31A and NH-31, from Sevoke Coronation Bridge to Kalijhora, today. Traffic movement was paralysed on NH-55 too due to a mudslide near Tindharia railway station this morning. There was, however, no report of any casualty.
Officials said that at least 12 cases of landslides were reported between Sevoke Kalibari temple and Kalijhora on NH-31A. Three cases of landslides were also reported on NH-31 that connects Siliguri with the Dooars. Locals said the landslides occurred in the early hours today due to heavy rainfall last night. Sikkim and Kalimpong remained cut off from the rest of the country till this evening. (more…)

VIVEK CHHETRI
www.telegraphindia.com

Darjeeling, Sept. 13: Politicians here can decide the fate of the gods.

Lord Viswakarma’s popularity is on the wane in the hills with Subash Ghisingh suddenly discovering that the god was never a part of the Gorkha community.

It was under the direction of the hill leader last year that Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Transport Joint Action Committee — an umbrella organisation of over 100 taxi syndicates — had replaced the idol of Lord Viswakarma with a shila (stone).

Though the GNLF chief had not issued a blanket ban on the traditional form of worship, his adoption of the shila ensured that the practice of idol worshipping started disappearing from the hills.

Within a year, Ghisingh, however, changed his stance once more and this time decided that even a shila should not be allowed to stand in for Viswakarma. The GNLF chief’s decision has ensured that the 100-and-odd syndicates do not celebrate Viswakarma Puja on September 17.

“We will organise a loha (metal) puja on September 23 instead. There will be neither a shila nor an idol. We will worship items like khukuri and metal tools (used in vehicles),” said Pranay Rai, the GNLF MLA from Darjeeling and also the secretary of the transport committee.

Not only that, the GNLF followers have also named the September 23-festivity the Loha (iron) Puja, and not Viswakarma Puja. This has ensured that the existence of the god of architecture and engineering is under threat among the Gorkhas, the majority of whom are incidentally Hindus.

The logic behind worshipping metals, however, has its base in Hindu mythology, GNLF supporters claim. Since according to them, Goddess Durga had worshipped metal before going to destroy Mahisasura, the king of the demons, Ghisingh’s interpretation stands vindicated.

According to Hindu mythology, the goddess returned victorious from the battlefield after a 10-day war with Mahisasura. This mythical 10-day period starts from September 22 this year and is usually recognised as the Mahalaya.

While the existence of Lord Viswakarma is at stake in the hills, Goddess Durga can breathe a sigh of relief for the narrow escape this time. GNLF followers have been asked to continue worshipping the Goddess in the form of a shila.

However, Ghisingh has made sure that a strict dress code is enforced during the Durga Puja celebrations. The hill communities have been asked to dress in their traditional attires to bring out the tribal nature of the Gorkhas, which is expected to ensure Scheduled Tribe status and the benefits that come with it.

www.telegraphindia.com

Kalimpong, Sept. 12: This year when the entire country celebrates the festival of lights, the Maa Shyama Kali Mandir here will be in darkness, thanks to the local office of the West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB).

The WBSEB has disconnected power supply to the temple since April this year, citing non-payment of dues to the tune of around Rs 1.6 lakh. What the department has not bothered to explain is how a consumer (no B020144), whose average quarterly bill otherwise used to be around Rs 600-Rs 700, could consume electricity worth Rs 1,59,089 between January 2004 and March 2004. (more…)

www.telegraphindia.com

Darjeeling, Sept. 7: Unemployed youths in Mirik have voiced their intention to form Darjeeling Gorkha Maoist Organisation within a fortnight.

The announcement comes right after United Gorkha Revolutionary Army — presumably the newly-formed armed wing of United Gorkha Revolutionary Front — put up posters in Kalimpong late on Tuesday night calling for an armed struggle for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

The Mirik youth, on their part, used the local media to spread the news yesterday. Those who interacted with the media have been traced to a tea garden, about 4 km from the town, on the Nepal border. (more…)

Statesman News Service

SILIGURI, Sept. 7: Following the footsteps of the Nepal Maoist movement, which brought democracy in Nepal, a new political organisation ~ Darjeeling Gorkha Maobadi Sangathan (DGMS) ~ has been formed in the Darjeeling hills with the aim of making the region free from all kinds of corruption.
The reason for the party’s formation was the inefficiency of the political parties which could not provide justice for the people of the Darjeeling hills and failed to meet the demands for a separate state, blamed a member of DGMS.
The party will formally announce its name at Kalimpong on 16 September this year.
A party source said on the condition of anonymity that the existing political parties in the Hills had failed to establish a successful democracy in the Hills and had failed to solve various socioeconomic problems, as a result of which, unemployment was on the rise among youths. The party source also added that the ruling powers have failed to generate new jobs for youths and that developmental projects were in a stand still. The party source ruled out the possibility of any link between them and the Maoists in Nepal. He added that their party has been formed with the sole aim of creating a democratic, peaceful and corruption-free Darjeeling.
The party source also said that there is a large number of educated unemployed youths in the Hills. But the member assured that they would not lift arms to fight for their cause because they believed in peaceful movement.
The member further added that the political leaders of the Hills were working in their own interests and not for the benefit of the mass.

www.telegraphindia.com
Below:
One of the posters at Dambar Chowk.
Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Sept. 6: A couple of posters calling for an armed struggle for a separate state of Gorkhaland have created a quite a stir here.

The posters were pasted on the side of a closed shop at Dambar Chowk last night by United Gorkha Revolutionary Army, which, the posters explained, is the newly-formed armed wing of the United Gorkha Revolutionary Front. The front is headed by Ajay Dahal, a former jawan of the Central Industrial Security Force, who is in his late twenties. After quitting the central para-military force, Dahal got into politics, and was associated with the GNLF(C) for some time.

The posters said with the formation of the new outfit, an armed struggle has been declared to realise the “100-year-old’’ demand of the “long-oppressed” Gorkhas for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The posters are believed to have been put up around 2 am, since the residents of Dambar Chowk heard a loud bang accompanied by a bout of sloganeering around that time.

The place is a stone’s throw from the local police station at Thanadara.

Intelligence sources said they were not unduly perturbed by the posters. “Dahal is not known to have a mass base, but we will still conduct an inquiry against him,” said an intelligence officer.

A few days ago, too, there were unconfirmed reports about some youths under Dahal indulging in “suspicious activities” (read arms training) in the remote village of Surook.

When The Telegraph tried to contact Dahal on his mobile today, he was not reachable.

www.telegraphindia.com

Kurseong, Sept. 3: St Augustine, Kalimpong, have lifted the Sixth Himali Cup organised by Himali Boarding School here.

The football tournament concluded yesterday, with St Augustine beating Saptashri Gyanpeeth, also from Kalimpong, 3-1 in the final. Himali Boarding and another school from Kurseong, St Anthony’s, lost in the semi-finals.

“The tournament is organised for students below Class VIII who are under 4 ft 10 inches in height. There are hardly any events for this age group and we thought that a mini- football tournament for them would be a good idea,” said the director of Himali Boarding, Robindra Subba.

The tournament began in 2000.

Eighteen schools from the Darjeeling hills, and Namchi Public School from neighbouring Sikkim, participated in this year’s tournament.

Kurnal Parnell, the principal of South Point School here and the chief guest at the presentation ceremony, handed over the cup to St Augustine, while every participant was given a certificate.

www.telegraphindia.com

Kalimpong: Debasish Boral will take over as additional superintendent of police (ASP), Kalimpong, on October 4. Boral is currently posted as ASP, Malda. The Kalimpong police has been without a head since the former ASP, Mushtaq Ahmed, was killed in a clash with members of Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association at Bhetaguri in Cooch Behar on September 20, 2005.

 This picture, I believe, appeared in a print edition of The Telegraph, sometime late July or early August.

I’m not sure though, so if anyone knows the correct source I’d appreciate it if you could let me know. 

-Admin

Click below for a higher resolution image. 

Thanks to ‘Bluemountain’ for the picture.