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RAJEEV RAVIDAS

The photograph shows Lady Edwina Mountbatten and her daughter Pamela standing beside the Ford V8 as a young Diyali looks on from the driver’s seat. (below) Diyali now.
Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Aug. 14: A few days before the stroke of midnight ushering in 1947 and Indian independence, a stroke of good fortune visited a young driver-cum-owner of this hill town. He got to drive Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of the last Indian viceroy Lord Mountbatten, and their daughter Pamela in his 1935 vintage Ford V8 Tourer car.

Sixty years later, Harka Bahadur Diyali, now 83, still remembers those days vividly, though the dates escape him. A framed photograph showing the then 23-year-old Diyali on the wheel of his car with Edwina and Pamela standing next to it has pride of place in his house at 10th Mile.

“It was sometime in the first half of August before Independence that we had gone to receive the Lady and her daughter at the Bagdogra airport,” recalled Diyali. “We” meant a group of drivers from Kalimpong, who went down to Bagdogra in their cars under instructions from the administration, which wanted a full convoy.

“I had bought my car from a man in Kishanganj about two years earlier for Rs 3,000. I used it as a taxi, plying between Kalimpong and Siliguri. At the airport, the Ford V8 Tourer was almost at the end of the queue, but to my surprise the lady and her daughter opted to ride in my old car instead of all the new cars that were there at their disposal,” Diyali remembered fondly.

However, the demands of protocol almost deprived Diyali the privilege of driving the Mountbattens.

“The aide-de-camp of the lady handed me a small Union Jack and asked me to fix it on my car. Now, my car did not have the provision to fix a flag. However, I rummaged through my toolbox and found a steel rod and a bit of wire. I quickly hung the flag to the rod and used the wire to tie it to the V8 logo in the front,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

That done, Edwina and Pamela hopped into the open-hooded car and drove up to Kalimpong at the head of a convoy of four or five vehicles. During the two-hour drive, the two refused to pull the hood even when it started drizzling at Tarkhola. “Instead, they nonchalantly opened their umbrellas and we carried on,” said Diyali.

During the three days the Mountbattens stayed at Dr Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong, it was Diyali who drove them around. “From here they went to Sikkim, and it was I who drove them up to Rangpo. On their return from Sikkim, I again brought them back from Rangpo. Then they went to Darjeeling and I dropped them at the Teesta bridge from where they got into one of the cars waiting for them on the other side of the bridge,” said the 83-year-old.

At the Teesta bridge, Edwina asked him if he wanted anything, but Diyali did not know English and only nodded his head. “It was the police inspector present at the spot who later told me about the offer the lady had made,” said a smiling Diyali, his face betraying no trace of regret.

And why should he? After all, the ladies did actually shake his hand, an honour that even the English-speaking police officer did not have!

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Kalimpong, Aug. 13: Independence Day celebrations is the hill town’s biggest “festival”, and this year will be no different.

Kalimpong is unique in that it celebrates the occasion on two days: August 15 and 16. The “festivity” is held on such a large scale that even people from neighbouring towns gather here to witness the spectacle.

Already 80 per cent of the hotel rooms in town are booked. “Many of the visitors are parents of students in different residential schools here,” said Sanjay Mintri, a member of the Hotel and Restaurant Owners’ Association.

Students participate in the “fest” in large numbers. The marching band display by school contingents is one of the highlights of the programme. All education institutions remain closed for three days. The last day is to allow students to rest after weeks of toil.

Prakash Pradhan, the director of Rockvale Academy, said the grandeur here must be seen to be believed. “They say if you want to watch Republic Day celebrations, go to Delhi. But to watch Independence Day programme, come to Kalimpong.”

A special committee, comprising people from various walks of life, oversees the preparation of the celebrations. This time it met under the leadership of GNLF leader Dawa Sherpa.

All the events, including football matches, are held at the Mela Ground over two days. However, only a lucky few hundreds manage to get in the ground, the remaining lot flood every nook and cranny of the town. Such is the rush that vehicles are not allowed to enter the town.
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Statesman News Service
SILIGURI, Aug12: The six-kilometre stretch between Lava and Algara in Kalimpong sub-division in the Darjeeling Hills is one of the world’s prominent bird watching zones.
Thanks to the availability of different species of birds throughout the year, birdwatchers from across the country and abroad make a beeline for Lava and Algara. However, the hunting of birds with the help of catapult has taken its toll on the population of birds in the locality. A large number of birds fall prey to the “leisure time” activities of the Hill people.
“The people of the Hills, especially students and youths, kill the birds using catapult. For them, this is nothing more than a fun, as they neither eat birds nor use the carcass for any other purpose,” said one of the members of a Siliguri-based NGO. Though bird hunting is nothing new in the Hills, it has increased manifolds in the recent times. The environmentalists fear that the “Mecca” of birdwatchers might run short of birds if the situation remains like this.
To save the rare birds, social activists have launched a drive to discourage use of catapult in the Hills. A Siliguri-based NGO is planning an innovative way to convince them of giving up the traditional’ practice of hunting fowls with the help catapult.
“We are organising meetings involving students and teachers in the area and telling them that they should give up bird hunting. At the same time, we are gifting T-shirts, caps and toothbrushes to the students in a bid to persuade them to surrender their catapults,” one of the members of the NGO, said.
He claimed that the Hills would be made a catapult-free zone within two years.

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Gangtok, Aug. 10: The Sikkim government has once again appealed to members of Affected Citizens’ of Teesta (ACT) to give up the fast and attempt a resolution through talks.

Chief secretary N.D. Chingapa, who heads the high powered committee dealing with the issue, today wrote to ACT members and reiterated that the government was committed to protect the sanctity of Dzongu and the old laws of the state.

“The state government assures that all genuine concerns will be addressed and ACT is welcome to state their case before the appropriate authorities” the letter reads.

The fast led by Dawa T. Lepcha and Tenzing Gyatso entered the 52nd day today with both of them still admitted to Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital where they are being fed through Ryle’s tube.

Both the members have refused to take food orally.

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Kalimpong, Aug. 7: Over a hundred children in Lava and Algarah today exchanged their catapults for gifts and vowed never to stone birds again.

The Siliguri-based Association for Conservation of Tourism (ACT) organised the programme at Algarah and Lava, 16km and 34km from here respectively. The area is well known for its avian fauna and is a major draw for nature tourists.

“The idea is to spread awareness on bird conservation,” said Raj Basu, the president of ACT.

Seventy-three schoolchildren in Lava and 42 in Algarah surrendered their catapults. In turn, they were given T-shirts, caps and toothbrushes. The area and the adjoining Neora Valley National Park are home to rare species like laughing thrush and trogan. Besides, birds like red and yellow-billed magpies, pheasants, tragopan pheasants and bulbuls are also found here.

The swap programme was conducted with the assistance of Kolkatabird.com, Delhibird.com and Bangalorebird.com, all websites run by bird lovers.

“The idea was mooted by Bijay Cavale, a Bangalore-based ornithologist, who had come to visit Lava and Algarah three years ago,” said Basu.

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The corner of King Thai where musicians will enliven the night. Picture by Chinlop Fudong Lepcha

Kalimpong, Aug. 6: The town will soon get its first taste of nightlife.

King Thai, a swanky new resto-bar spread over 3,200 square feet on the second floor of the Super Market here, is set to open its doors on Wednesday. Local entrepreneur Kingkong Huang’s dream project faces a simple challenge: change the town’s habit of going to bed at 8pm.

“It’s about time that happened,” said a resident.

The resto-bar can accommodate 150 people at a time in three different sections: restaurant, family room and bar. The two family rooms have tables to accommodate 15 persons each and will also have sofas for kids to recline and doze off if they feel like.

For the young at heart looking to jive, there will be live music on weekends. For this, a wooden dais has been erected in the far corner of the restaurant. Those enjoying their sundowners in the bar will not miss the live act either, because care has been taken not to obstruct their view of the stage.

Hand-painted portraits of famous musicians have been put up around the resto-bar to create the right atmosphere. Above the dais, glitter balls will roll once the music starts.

“Apart from local bands, we will also invite musicians from outside to play here,” said Huang, the director of King Thai, looking nervous as the D-Day draws closer.

Also nervous are members of the band, Garden of Souls, who could be the first ones to perform at the joint this weekend.

The food on offer is a veritable gourmet’s delight. Diners can take a pick from Chinese, Continental, Thai and Indian fares. “I have hired a chef from Thailand to ensure authentic Thai cuisine for our customers. I don’t think any restaurant in the hills serves Thai food,” said Huang. Other chefs have come from Calcutta and Delhi. (more…)

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Gangtok, Aug. 5: Two CPM leaders from Bengal today extended full support to the fasting members of Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) in their fight against hydel power projects in the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu in North Sikkim.

Bengal urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya and CPM Rajya Sabha MP from Darjeeling Suraj Pathak were here to attend a programme — commemorating 30 years of Left Front rule in Bengal — organised by the party’s Sikkim unit at Tashi Delek this morning.

“We extend full support to your cause. The rights of the indigenous Lepchas should be protected at all costs,” said Bhattacharya during his visit to B.L. House here. ACT members have been on a relay hunger strike there for over a month now.

Pathak also promised to take up the cause of the Lepchas in the monsoon session of Parliament.

Yesterday, Congress supporters burnt the effigy of Sikkim governor V. Rama Rao allegedly for not taking steps to resolve the issue. The effigy was burnt in front of the Congress headquarters on Jeevan Theeng Marg here. Two protesters were later arrested.

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Gangtok, Aug. 2: A member of the French parliament has come out in support of the protests in Sikkim against hydroelectric power projects in the Lepcha reserve of Dzongu in the North district.

The member, Jean Lassalle, is also the president of the World Mountain People Association, an international network of mountain-dwellers active in more than 70 countries.

Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), an NGO, is spearheading the protests here, which includes an indefinite hunger-strike by ACT general secretary Dawa T. Lepcha and member Tenzing Gyatso.

Lassalle, who himself undertook a 39-day hunger strike last year to protect jobs in his constituency in France, has expressed his “deepest sympathies” for the ACT members.

“Like you, I am an inhabitant of mountains and had…to go on an indefinite hunger strike to defend the future of the inhabitants of (my) constituency,” reads the letter. “Mountains are under constant threat from those who want to take advantage of their resources without any respect for their past, their present and their future.”

In another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sent yesterday, Lassalle has pointed out the contradiction involved in declaring a place a national park (Khangchendzonga National Park in Dzongu) and allowing its biodiversity to be destroyed by dams (the Panan hydroelectric project is coming up there).

In the letter, Lassalle also quoted the report of the third meeting of the steering committee on the Carrying Capacity Study for the Teesta basin held in April 2005, which had described North Sikkim as “geologically, seismically and biologically extremely sensitive and fragile”.

The mountain people association is garnering support for the protest movement through its website www.mountainpeople.org.

A senior official in the Sikkim government refused to comment on Lassalle’s letter.

Sikkim State Congress president Nar Bahadur Bhandari today broke his silence on the ACT protest.

“The (Sikkim) government has insulted the Lepcha community and the demand of ACT is sincere, genuine and positive,” he said.