www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph
RAJEEV RAVIDAS

Kalimpong, Jan. 23: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today suspended the ultimatum it had issued to the state government on allowing its padayatra to enter the Dooars till January 26, a day after it holds talks with the Centre in New Delhi.

Morcha president Bimal Gurung also said the party would discuss only Gorkhaland, and not the proposed interim administration, at the meeting in which Bengal minister Asok Bhattacharya, too, would take part.

“I am a citizen of India. I am not engaged in any anti-national activity. The government, I mean the Bengal government, must explain why we are not being allowed to enter the Dooars,” Gurung told reporters at Kumai on the fringes of the Dooars. (more…)

The Telegraph
VIVEK CHHETRI

Darjeeling, Jan. 23: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has strongly condemned Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief’s opposition to the Gorkhaland demand with the hill party advising him to “concentrate on his movement instead of making unnecessary statements”.

In an interaction with The Telegraph that was published today, TRS chief Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao said: “I am against Gorkhaland. You cannot simply have a new state on an international border when the country is grappling with insurgency in the Northeast and militancy in Kashmir. It is too sensitive an issue.” (more…)

The Times of India
Joeanna Rebello Fernandes, TNN,
Jan 23, 2011, 03.16am IST

AR Rahman probably hasn’t cottoned on yet, but a fresh-faced orchestra from a mission school in Kalingpong does a sublime turn on his Jai Ho. They toss it around on their violins, cellos and violas and then they segue into other familiars: Bachna Ae Haseeno, Yeh Mera Dil and so on. But of course, they cut their string on Mozart.

The children belong to the Gandhi Ashram School Orchestra (GASO)—product of a Jesuit mission school in Darjeeling—and they will perform in Mumbai for the first time at a programme called Strings, a Xavier College Chorus production. The evening will present musical talent, both from in and out of the city and country—a promising lineup, counting the Xavier College Chorus of St Xavier’s College and accomplished singers and musicians including flutist Shirish Malhotra, Soprano Natasha Collaco, Contralto Zarin Ghadialy-Hodiwala, and Tenor Kersi Gazdar. But of course, the headlights are on the young orchestra from the North-East.

As they take their places on stage for a preview at St Xavier’s College, the youth range in height—from a four-foot 12-year-old to a couple of lanky teenagers. But audiences don’t unsettle them—they have toured Europe, playing to larger crowds. And last year, ten of them had a spot on the reality show ‘Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’, where they won the Spotless Performance of The Day title.

Gandhi Ashram School was born in 1993 of the seed of a simple thought: music can be the proselytizer to a better life. And so the school, started by Fr Ed McGuire, a Canadian Jesuit, brought into its fold poor and destitute children from the area and supplied them with an ICSE education and morning and noon meals, on condition that they learn a stringed instrument.

“There are about 300 children at the school. It is mandatory to learn the violin, from kindergarten to class eight, the final year after which they are required to move out to other schools, although they may return to GAS to continue their musical training,” says Valerie Tobergte, a 20-year-old German musician who is on a one-year residential at GAS, teaching its children the violin and piano. And although not every child wants to grow up to play for a living, music is for them a panacea for the troubled time of hard-up youth.

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www.kalimpong.info

Hindustan Times
Aarefa Johari, Hindustan Times
Mumbai, January 22, 2011

At home, their parents struggle to make ends meet by working as coolies or landless farmers. But in school, Bina Rai and her classmates feel more privileged than other children in their Himalayan town of Kalimpong, West Bengal. The children are students of the Jesuit-run Gandhi Ashram School, where
the notes of the violin, viola and cello are taught with as much zest as the regular ICSE syllabus. The school has given Kalimpong its only two string orchestras, and a team of 30 musicians has now travelled to Mumbai for their first concert in the city.

For their performance at St Andrew’s auditorium in Bandra on Monday, they will play a few Western classical compositions, some Nepali folk tunes and a grand finale of AR Rahman’s Jai Ho.

“I love music, so I feel really fortunate to be in this school,” said Rai, 14, a Class 8 student and viola player. Since Gandhi Ashram runs only up to Class 8, Rai will shift to another school next year but will continue her music lessons at the Ashram.

“Music comes naturally to the people of the region, and even the poorest of families own a guitar,” said principal Father Jayantilal Patel.

Jesuit priest Father Edward McGuire founded the Ashram in 1993. Today, it has 245 students who begin violin classes from kindergarten. Their senior orchestra has travelled to Delhi, Bhutan and Gangtok, and last year, 10 students came to Mumbai for the reality television show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega.

“The judges (Farah Khan and Anu Malik) saluted our teacher and said we were awesome,” said Class 8 student, Prajal Pradhan, who wants to be a violin-playing pilot. The group has been in Mumbai for six days and has given short performances at churches and colleges. But for Pradhan, the most exciting moment was seeing the sea for the first time. “I loved the beach and even swam in the water.”

(The musicians of Gandhi Ashram School and the Xavier’s Chorus will perform at St. Andrew’s College auditorium, Bandra, on January 24 at 7.30 pm. For tickets contact: Apoorva at 9970412004)

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www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph

Siliguri, Jan. 21: Siliguri has got its first full-fledged DJ institute, thanks to two youths who want to cash in on the new generation’s penchant for performance.

The North Bengal DJ Institute was opened on January 16 to train youths in the art of deejaying.

Ten candidates, most of whom are from Siliguri, Darjeeling and neighbouring Sikkim, have already enrolled in the institute run by DJs Max and Niraj.

The trainers said the growing interest among youngsters to pursue discjockeying as a career had prompted them to start the institute.

“Ten years ago, there was virtually no scope for deejaying in Siliguri where hardly any night club or pubs were open. The general notion at the time was that deejaying was not a feasible career and anyone interested in the art had to go to metros to get trained,” said DJ Max or Sanjeet Gupta, who has been in the profession for eight years. (more…)

The Telegraph
BIJOY GURUNG

Gangtok, Jan. 21: The transporters’ decision to ferry only essential items along NH31A during the ongoing strike has hit the farmers in Sikkim who deal in perishable items like cut flowers, oranges and condiments like cardamom and ginger.

So far, the Sikkim government and the hauliers have been giving priority to stocking up on essential commodities like food grains, vegetables and petroleum products during the bandh.

“Sikkim’s horticulture export has been affected by the bandh as there are no vehicles to ferry these items to Siliguri from where we forward them to Delhi and Calcutta. The supply has been hampered and the farmers have been affected,” said Simfed managing director Vijendra Swaroop.

Sikkim State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation Ltd (Simfed) buys agriculture and horticulture products from multipurpose co-operative societies and individual farmers in the state and sells them in Siliguri, New Delhi and Calcutta.

The Simfed buys 4-5 metric tonnes of oranges on an average a day paying Rs 3300 per 1,000 pieces of A-grade variety and 1,000 cut flowers which costs Rs 70-80 apiece. (more…)

The Telegraph

Jan. 21: The Union home minister has invited the Gorkha Janmutki Morcha and the state government for talks in the capital on January 25, a meeting that was expected in the face of ongoing agitation by the party to mount pressure on the government.

Although the Morcha said the invitation would have no bearing on its 27-day general strike in the hills, speculation is rife that the shutdown may be called off after the meeting.

The talks are also expected to defuse the tension in the Dooars where the party has threatened to enter forcibly if no permission is given for a rally. More than 1,000 Morcha supporters led by party chief Bimal Gurung have dropped anchor on the edge of the Dooars at Kumani More from Tuesday, waiting to enter the region.

Gurung has agreed to attend the Delhi meeting with his four-member team.

P. Chidambaram has also written to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to send urban development minister and Siliguri MLA Asok Bhattacharya to the meeting as a state government representative. (more…)

Hindustan Times
Press Trust Of India
Kolkata, January 21, 2011

The GJM today said it will stick to its demand for a separate Gorkhaland state during its political-level meeting with the Centre next week. GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said the party has been invited to Delhi for the meeting on January 25 where it will to press for its demand for Gorkhaland to be carved out from West Bengal.

“We will attend the meeting. We have received a letter addressed to our party president Bimal Gurung from the honourable Union Home Minister (P Chidamabaran) for a discussion on January January 25,” Giri told PTI over phone from Darjeeling.

“We expect the central government will clear its stand on our demand for Gorkhaland,” he said. Asked whether the GJM will pursue the constitution of the interim regional authority in Darjeeling to replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council, he replied, “Interim authority is their proposal. Our demand is Gorkhaland.” Asked whether the GJM would call off the ongoing, seven-day bandh since January 18 in the Darjeeling hills in view of the talks, he said, “That we have not discussed.”

Besides himself, a five-member GJM team led by Gurung would attend the meeting. The others would be central committee members Harka Bahadur Chetri, L B Pariyar and Dr Rohit Sharma.

Meanwhile, state Home Secretary G D Gautama told reporters that Chidambaram has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee informing him about the meeting. Urban Development Minister Ashok Bhattacharjee would represent the state government at the meeting.

Giri also said that the GJM chief’s padayatra from Garubathan in Kalimpong subdivision to Sankosh in the Dooars from January 18 has been stopped at Kumai on the fringe of the Dooars by Jalpaiguri Police.

The district administration has imposed Section 144 CrPC on the Dooars. “It is a peaceful padayatra, but the government is creating unnecessary hurdles,” he claimed.
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The Telegraph

Jan. 20: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today issued a three-day ultimatum to the state government to allow its contingent of marchers to enter the Dooars, failing which they would make a forcible entry.

The ultimatum starting tomorrow came even as Morcha chief Bimal Gurung with nearly 1,000 marchers dropped anchor at Kumai on the fringes of the Dooars.

In Darjeeling, the party’s youth wing threatened to bring out rallies across the areas it wants to be part of Gorkhaland. The Yuva Morcha is banking on the fact that the government may find it difficult to set up as many barricades as rallies.

Till today, the Jalpaiguri district administration has successfully managed to confine party president Bimal Gurung’s padayatra or “long march for Gorkhaland” within Darjeeling district.

Jalpaiguri district magistrate Vandana Yadav said one company of CRPF would be deployed in the Dooars tomorrow. A senior administrative official said the details of the deployment would not be divulged.

Nearly 1,000 marchers had started from Gorubathan in Kalimpong sub-division on Tuesday for Jaigaon on the Bhutan border. But the district administration had imposed Section 144 on the Dooars, halting their march.

Morcha spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chhetri said repeated attempts of the administration to block the entry of its marchers were undemocratic but the party preferred to show restraint.

“Ours is a perfectly democratic and constitutional movement but the government has been creating unnecessary hurdles. The government should not think that our democratic ways are our weakness. It should allow us safe passage (through the Dooars) under police protection. If it fails to do so within three days, we should not be held responsible (for whatever happens),” said Chhetri over the phone from Kumai, 20km from the nearest Dooars town, Malbazar.

Sources said the strength of the Morcha supporters at Kumai had swelled to over 10,000 during the day. But most of them were from neighbouring Samsing, Gairibas, Jholung and Jaldhaka and left late in the evening.

“We have not allowed our president within half a kilometre of any police barricade. Once he does that, there will no stopping our supporters (from breaking the barricade). We already outnumber the police force by 20 to 30 times. Even if the police resort to lathicharge and firing, our supporters will make their way to Jaigaon,” Chhetri warned.

Intending to join Gurung, another padayatra from Salugara in Siliguri reached Bagrakote in Jalpaiguri district today. Tomorrow, another group will march to Sonada from Darjeeling, the Yuva Morcha said. “Similar rallies will be brought out by the youths from Kalimpong too. Actually such rallies can be taken out from different parts of the Dooars and Terai tomorrow,” said Priyabardan Rai, general secretary of the Yuva Morcha’s central committee.

“We have taken out the rally to impart the message of peace and harmony and not to create any trouble in the Dooars,” said Shankar Adhikari, convener of the Morcha’s Terai unit who led the Salugara rally.

Adhikari said police had stopped them near Elenbarie Tea Estate, one of the entry points to the Dooars via Sevoke. However, the Morcha supporters broke through the barricade and headed for Bagrakote. The intention of the Salugara rally is to join Morcha chief Gurung in the Dooars.

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www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph

Bagdogra, Jan. 20: The stage is set for the introduction of the instrumental landing system at Bagdogra Airport after the government handed over 12 acres to the Airports Authority of India.

The AAI had given green light to the development of the ILS long time back, but the project could not be implemented because of the delay by the Darjeeling district administration to transfer the land.

The ILS helps planes land and take off at night and in poor visibility caused by inclement weather.

“We received a letter dated January 17 from the district administration, informing us that (Phansidewa) block land and land reform department had been directed to hand over 12.91 acres to the AAI. The land will be used to extend the existing runway wherein Category 1 approach light will be installed to guide planes during the landing,” Bagdogra airport director K.K. Bhowmik said this afternoon.

Long runway and approach lights are integral parts of the ILS. The length of the existing runway at Bagdogra is around 9,000ft. The new plot will be used to extend the runway by another 3,000ft.

Night landing facility is another key feature of the ILS. “If the facility is in place, planes can operate even if the visibility ranges from 800 metres to 1.2km only. Otherwise, visibility of 2.4km is needed for flights to land,” said Bhowmik.

The director hoped that once the night landing facility was put in place, the number of flights operating out of Bagdogra would go up.

Presently, nine services are available every day on an average.

The airport, a civil enclave located inside the Air Force Station, was handed over to the AAI in 1962. Even though half a century has passed, the airport is yet to be equipped with modern sophisticated facilities like the ILS.

“We got no objection from the India Air Force in 2009 to use around nine acres to install the ILS and approached the district administration for the rest of the land. The entire land needed for the ILS will soon be with us after the demarcation of plots,” said Bhowmik.

Bhowmik also said Air India had introduced direct flights between Bagdogra and New Delhi five days a week.

“Air India has started operating the flights from January 18. The services will be available on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The flight will depart at 10.10am and reach Delhi at 12.05pm. Apart from that, new flights on Paro–Bagdogra-Kathmandu sector will be operated by Druk Air on Mondays and Fridays from May 15,” he said.

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The Telegraph

Calcutta, Jan. 20: Calcutta High Court today asked the CBI to submit on February 17 a progress report on its probe into the murder of ABGL president Madan Tamang and the disappearance of Nickole Tamang from CID custody.

Last week, a division bench of Chief Justice J.N. Patel and Justice A.K. Roy had pulled up the CBI for not starting the case yet and had asked the agency to file an affidavit.

Madan Tamang was hacked to death in Darjeeling on May 21, 2010.

Nickole Tamang is one of the prime accused in the murder case.

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www.kalimpong.info

The Telegraph

Siliguri/Gangtok, Jan. 20: Drivers of several Bengal-registered taxis were allegedly harassed by local people at the Gangtok taxi stand today. The cars returned empty from Gangtok.

“This will only serve to strain the good relations maintained by the two states for so many years. If more such incidents occur, we will be compelled to stop all (transport) services from the Siliguri Nationalised Transport terminus in Siliguri,” said Samrat Sanyal, the president of Eastern Himalayan Travel and Tour Operators’ Association.

Some tour operators termed the incident as a “repercussion” of the blockade set up yesterday at the entry to SNT terminus in Siliguri to protest the sending back of about 30 vehicles with 600 passengers from NH31A. The protesters said alleged Gorkha Janmukti Morcha supporters had forced the Sikkim-bound Bengal registered cars to return to Siliguri.

While Sikkim tourism secretary K.T. Chankapa said “it is highly unlikely that this (today’s) incident took place in Gangtok”, East Sikkim police chief Mandeep Singh Tuli said he has received a faxed complaint from the Siliguri-based travel association.

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