www.kalimpong.info

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OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Feb. 25: The National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers will soon conduct a country-wide campaign to form gram sabhas in every forest village.

This was decided at the three-day national committee meeting of the forum, which ended here today. There it was said the organisations should be formed according to the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

“Gram sabhas already exist in some scheduled villages, but there isn’t a single one in north Bengal,” said Soumitra Ghosh, a member of the steering committee of the forum, an organisation of forest dwellers. “The 15-day campaign will start on March 8.”

The forum has demanded that the gram sabhas should immediately replace the joint forest management mechanism used by the forest department to look after forest resources. “The new law has given the responsibility of managing forest resources to forest dwellers, thereby reducing the power of the department,” said Ghosh. The act was approved by Parliament on December 18. The members said the law would vest the forest rights with forest dwellers, who are integral part of the forest eco-systems, but whose rights could not be recorded.

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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Malli (Kalimpong), Feb. 22: The thrill of rafting down the torrid waters of the Teesta can well be a thing of the past once the projects of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) on the river become operational.

This is what the private rafting units on the Teesta apprehend, and alarmed by the possibility of losing their source of livelihood, the raft owners have come together to form an association.

Not to be left behind, river guides, too, are ready to form their organisation platform.

The NHPC authorities, however, beg to differ. According to them, the dams constructed on the river will not affect the current of the water. (more…)

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OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Feb. 22: The food and supplies department is receiving applications and conducting hearings for ration cards in the subdivision. This exercise was last conducted 12 years ago and not a single ration card has been issued in the area during since then.

The decision to stop issuing ration cards apparently followed after the authorities found that the number of ration cards issued in the subdivision was far more than its population. (more…)

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AVIJIT SINHA

Neora Valley National Park. Picture by Biplab Basak

Siliguri, Feb. 21: Help may soon be on way for three lesser-known animals in the forests of north Bengal.

After tigers and elephants, wildlife experts and the forest department have shifted their attention to co-predators like wild dogs (Cuon alpinus) and clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) and herbivores like Hodgson’s giant flying squirrel (Petaurista magnificus).

In association with two Calcutta-based NGOs, the department is about to start a survey to find out the status of these three animals at Neora Valley National Park in the Kalimpong hills. (more…)

Dear Visitors and Readers,

It gives me tremendous pleasure to inform you that on February 17th we reached AND exceeded the target amount for this fund drive!!! So far we have collectively raised $1020. This is wonderful!! We’d expected to take a full month to raise the amount but we managed that in just 10 days. A big round of applause and a HUGE Thank You to all those who contributed and helped and supported in different other ways. You guys are fantastic.

Anyway, since we had originally planned for the drive to continue till the 9th of March we have decided that we would let it go on till then, even though the target has been achieved. So any contributions from this point on is just a bonus. So if you haven’t had a chance to chip in yet, or if you have friends on your list who haven’t had a chance to chip in yet, it’s not too late. It will be possible to contribute till the 9th of March. So let’s see how much more we can collect by that date.

Here is the current list of contributors:

Archana Pradhan
Som Dasgupta
Anuja Limbu
Nitesh Subba
NAVIN GURUNG
Jyoti Rai
Subarna Ranjit
Prateek Subba
FLY EVEREST TRAVEL
Janice Basnet
Dhiraj and Janelle Basnet
Suman Goshai, Samden Lama, Binay Kshettri
Pratibha Manandhar
Sunil Piya
Poonam Pradhan
George David
Francesca Forrest
Scott Griffiths
Nirnay Chettri – MARG
Vejoya Hazarika
Sanjeev Durral
Sudhir Voleti
Dipankar Subba
Anuj Pradhan

And here are some comments from some of the contributors:

Hi, Glad to help. I am an original Kalimpong boy! Grew up near Durpin Dara (near Morgan House). I live in New York now. So happy to see the website!

* February 17 9:35am
* Som Dasgupta

God help the people who suffered….Prayers & Wishes…!!

* February 16 2:17pm
* Jyoti Rai

My prayers are with the families that were affected by this disaster. Janice (Florida, USA)

* February 12 9:28am
* janice basnet

Good Luck.

* February 10 5:14am
* Janelle Basnet

I am very sorry for the sad loss. Though the loss is irrecoverable we can always stand united for the cause of humanity.Keep up the good work.

* February 9 12:00pm
* Poonam Pradhan

I read about your family’s misfortune on Patricia Perkins Live Journal blog. Trish’s friends have enjoyed hearing about the hospitaly she received in Darjeeling, particularly through the Rotary Club. As a result, I’m glad to lend a helping hand in a difficult time. Best wishes from my family to yours and to their neighbors.

* February 8 9:07am
* Scott Griffiths

Good Job!Please help those people.

* February 7 1:46pm
* Sanjeev Durral

Thank you once again to everyone for the contributions and support. Again, we are not closed yet!! So if you wanna contribute and haven’t done so, please go ahead and contribute. Every bit counts. Seriously, even $5 is gonna make a difference. No amount is too small.

Thanks
-Admin

Related Links:
-Original Article
-1st Update

www.telegraphindia.com
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Feb. 19: The sleepy town will soon come alive to the three-day Kalimpong Peace Festival at the end of April.

To be held at Mela Ground here, the congregation is tentatively scheduled to begin on April 25. One of the coordinators of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association will be the main speaker.

Christians across the subdivision — nearly 15 per cent of the 2 lakh-odd population of the area — have come together to form Kalimpong Peace Festival Organising Committee for the festival.

“The programme should see the largest gathering of Christians in Kalimpong since 1981 when the Good News festival was held here,” said Nava Ratan Pradhan, principal, Scottish University Mission Institution.

But the organisers will have to see to it that the dates do not coincide with the higher secondary exams that are usually held in April.

www.telegraphindia.com
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Feb. 18: Kalimpong may soon have its own Bhaichung Bhutia.

In a bid to improve the overall standard of football in the subdivision and produce quality players like the Indian captain, who hails from neighbouring Sikkim, Kalimpong Veterans’ Recreation Club will organise a 10-day special coaching camp for 23 young footballers at Mela Ground here in March-end.

All the selected players are from Kalimpong Sports Academy. They are currently training under the watchful eyes of Pranay Shilal, games teacher at Kumudini Homes. The special camp will be conducted by Khade Basnet, the national coach of Bhutan and Mike Lee, an American who is also coaching footballers in the Himalayan kingdom. They will be assisted by Shilal, club secretary Dhendup Bhutia and two former footballers from Kalimpong, Urgen Lama and Ratan Tamang.

“Both Basnet, who is a legend in local football, and Lee were here yesterday and offered to help our young trainees,” said Bhutia.

Dear Visitors,

We started with this fund raising campaign on Feb 7th and I am very pleased and grateful to report that, after just one week, we have reached 44% of our goal. There has been an outpouring of support from individuals around the world. Even more amazing and heartwarming is the fact that a number of the contributors do not even have a direct connection with Darjeeling!

Th contributions add up to US $447.00 so far. In just a week!! This makes me very optimistic that our goal of $1000 will be reached by March 9th. Again, I would like to thank the contributors and ask those who are still hesitating to not think twice but just go ahead and click on the button. It will be a small sum for you but it will mean a lot for the recipients.

Here is the current list of contributors, in reverse chronological order:

Prateek Subba
FLY EVEREST TRAVEL
Janice Basnet
Dhiraj and Janelle Basnet
Suman Goshai, Samden Lama, Binay Kshettri
Pratibha Manandhar
Sunil Piya
Poonam Pradhan
George David
Francesca Forrest
Scott Griffiths
Nirnay Chettri
Vejoya Hazarika
Sanjeev Durral
Sudhir Voleti
Dipankar Subba
Anuj Pradhan

A big THANK YOU to all.

Thank you for the contributions and now I will ask you to help in another way: by spreading the word. Please let people in your network or social circles know about the devastating fire and this fund raising effort. If you have a website or a blog you can post the “ChipIn” widget on the site. or just send them the link.

And for those who just came across this: We are trying to raise funds for the families affected by the fire is darjeeling earlier this month. Please read this for more information. You can help by contributing. It is very very easy to contribute. All you need to do is click on the “Chip In” button below and contribute safely and securely using your Credit Card or through PayPal.

Please help out. A few bucks here or there will make a huge difference. We have a target of $1000 that we have to achieve by March 9th. We are almost halfway there.

Related Links:
-Original Article
-Update 2

www.telegraphindia.com
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Feb. 15: The Himalayan Organisation for People’s Education (HOPE), a local NGO, will host a charity luncheon on Sunday to raise funds for the management and maintenance of the two custom-made ambulances, which are expected to arrive here from Sweden in July.

Morgan Lodge, which overlooks the golf ground on Rinkingpong Road, will be the venue for the lunch, tickets for which will be sold at Rs 250 (single), Rs 400 (couple) and Rs 500 (family). “We have printed 500 tickets and hope to raise about Rs 1 lakh from the event,” said Mahesh Moktan, HOPE’s programme coordinator. To be managed by Good Shepherd Institute of Hotel Management here, the fare to be arranged will “suit every palate”. The food will also be catered by the hotel management institute, which is located on East Main Road here. (more…)

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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

The winning captain takes the trophy from Kalimpong MLA Gaulan Lepcha. A Telegraph picture

Kalimpong, Feb. 11: Thanks to television, the game of cricket has become a popular winter sport in the hills.

And local enterprise has ensured that Kalimpong plays host to the biggest cricket tournament in the region.

The 15th edition of the Piranhas Cup concluded at the Dr Graham’s Homes ground here today. Organised by Piranhas Club, the tournament drew 24 teams from the Darjeeling hills, Sikkim and other parts of north Bengal, who vied for the honours over the last one month. Cricket Academy of Sikkim emerged champions by beating Brothers XI, Kalimpong, in the finals today. The Sikkim team won by three wickets. (more…)

I never knew the true meaning of the word “ALLEGIANCE” until a couple of days ago when the depth of the term struck my inner core.

It was a very uncharacteristic Floridian winter day. Cold, crisp, drizzly it felt more like another drowsy and wet day in Seattle and with 26^th January — India’s Republic day, just a day away, I felt the day had unfolded in irony.

My alarm faithfully woke me up at 7:00 and I immediately rushed to get myself a cup of tea. Ahhh! You can take a Darjeelingey out of Darj but the Darjeeling will never quite get out of you will it? I don’t know about the rest of you, but my love affair with starbucks abruptly ended on a feverous note when I fell victim to a bout of viral fever. Ever since, I have returned to my roots, gone back to good ole tea and am a confirmed tea convert…if ever there was such a thing!!

So, as I sat sipping tea and savoring every bite of the bread my local grocery store had vouched for, I glanced at the notification. “Report promptly at 1:00 p.m. Formal attire is required,” were the exact words that were typed by some clerk I will probably never cross paths with. Indeed, it was meant to be a special day for me and for a thousand other hopeful souls who had in all likelihood undergone a kaleidoscope of events to witness the countenance of this day.

Ensuring that I comply with the description of a “formal attire”, I took pains to at least look presentable. So at the stroke of mid-day, I got into my car, directions in hand and off I was to attend an event that could or has already altered the course of my life in more ways than one.

As I entered the enormous hall of the local convention center, a sea of people representing every nation in the world were there with the same purpose as mine. Black, brown, yellow…..you name it and you could trace a smile in each face. For a moment I felt like I had died and reached the gates of heaven. Indeed, it was an exciting day or so it was made to sound and feel like.

True to its word, the ceremony started at the appointed hour. It was simple and modest but undoubtedly meant to impress and reiterate the decision you had made for yourself. Video clips of local heroes—men and women who had given their life for the country, men and women who had discovered a fortune in the American dream and men and women who had made history for their country were flashed across the screen to further endorse the idea. A message from the President and speeches from the top brass in local and state government, adorned the ceremony to give it the official touché. Up to this point I was taking everything in stride. Then, came the defining moment…… Like sheep that had been herded, the hundreds that were in the room including me, were asked to stand and take the Oath of Allegiance. As we rose to the moment of our transformation, with our right hand on our hearts and the left held steadfastly at par with the crown, we pledged our lives and allegiance to our new (adopted) homeland. We even vowed to take up arms for our new motherland and swore we would leave the past behind and embrace the future like it was our past or like we had no past.

An extreme sense of emptiness suddenly gripped me. I felt betrayed by my country and at the same time, I felt like I was in a way the betrayer too. My country had failed me and hence I was forced to take this step but perhaps in a way I too had failed my motherland by taking this step. I knew I wasn’t supposed to feel what I was feeling and yet as I glanced across the room, I saw tears in the eyes of the other pledgers too. I don’t know if theirs were tears of joy or sorrow, but mine sure were eclipsed by a range of emotions. As I hugged the stranger beside me and congratulated him, I joined the crowd in singing “The Star Spangled Banner” all the while knowing in my heart, “Bandey Mahataram”, for whatever it means or stands for, will forever remain dear within the depths of my soul.

www.telegraphindia.com

Singh (left) and Kerung flank Prashansa Ghimerey, who has also acted in Ahrop. A Telegraph picture

Kalimpong, Feb. 9: Stop the blame-game, and get on with building a new Nepal at peace with herself. That, in short, is a message Nepali director Bijay Kerung will try to convey in his latest film Ahrop (blame).

“So many innocent lives were lost in the decade-long violence in my country. My film talks about the futility of it all, since eventually all discord has to be settled on the negotiation table,” said Kerung, who is currently shooting some song sequences of his film here in the hills.

The director, who has commercial hits like Maji Dai (Fisherman brother) and Ama Ko Kak (Mother’s lap) under his belt, sounded upbeat about his latest venture. “Nepali films generally do well in the rural and semi-urban areas of Nepal, while the city folk, especially the youngsters, favour Hindi films,” he said. (more…)

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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Paril displays the medals she has won at Jamshedpur. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Feb. 8: Archery sensation Paril Lepcha left for Guwahati today, raring to take on the national challenge.

The 15-year-old archer, who will represent Bengal at the National Games beginning on February 9, had just come home after bagging the top slot at the 52nd National School Games. The school meet, which concluded in Jamshedpur on Monday, has acted as the perfect launchpad for young Paril.

“I am happy with my performance in Jamshedpur and am looking forward to doing well at the Senior Nationals as well,” Paril told The Telegraph.

Paril emerged overall individual champion at the school meet with 562 points, besides bagging a gold in the 50-m event. She also won two bronze medals in the 30-m event and the team championship respectively.

Earlier in January, the Class-X student of Mount Carmel School here, made it to the Bengal squad by scoring 572 points at a qualifying tournament in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh.

Paril, of course, is fast emerging as an archer of great promise having done exceedingly well in age-group tournaments in the last couple of years. In fact, she could be the next big thing in archery from the region after Sikkim’s Tarun Deep Rai, who was recently awarded the Arjuna Award for excelling in the sport. (more…)

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OUR CORRESPONDENT

Kalimpong, Feb. 7: The Neora Water Supply authorities have been asked to immediately remove all illegal connections from their supply lines in a bid to solve the problem of water scarcity in the town.

Similar instructions have been issued to the PHE (water works) department under the DGHC, which is responsible for distribution of water to urban consumers from the Deolo reservoir, 4 km from here. “These measures, once imposed, will improve the water situation in town by 80 per cent,” said Kalimpong subdivisional officer Shakil Ahmed. He added that the administration, if needed, will appoint a magistrate to oversee the task. (more…)