सच्चा प्रेम

प्रदीप चापागाईं – अन्त्य कि सुरुवात ?

लास
मुर्दा
गयो,बित्यो
सकियो
कानेखुसीहरु
एक हुल
सयौं आँखाहरु
फूलका गुच्छाहरु
अनि अबिर
गोबर,अनी लिपिएको भुईँ
चित्कार अनि रोदन
सम्झनाहरु
यस्तै माहोलबिच
सेतो कात्रोभित्र
चिर निद्रामा निदाएको
एउटा प्राणी
म !!

एकनाले बाँस
घाटको पर्खाई
चिता
आगो
ब्रम्हनाल
चिसो बतास
खोलाको सुसेली
अनि
राप रापमा जलेर
केही क्षणमै
खरानी हुने
सजिवता सकिएको
एउटा वस्तु
म !!

आकाश
हजारौं मान्छेहरुका
हजारौं अड्कलहरु
स्वर्ग, नर्क
त्यै एउटै थलो
चन्द्रमा
सुर्य
ग्रह
अनि ताराहरु
वायुमण्डल
सबैको घर
त्यही घरको बाटो हुँदै
अनन्त यात्रामा निस्किएको
एउटा शान्त यात्री
म !!

अनि
एउटा अनुत्तरित प्रश्न
यो एउटा घटना
अन्त्य,कि सुरुवात ? ?

स्रोत: आई नेपाल

Darjeeling Chowrasta: Pride of the Gorkha

If there is any place in Darjeeling, which every tourist is bound to visit, it is the Chowrasta Mall or simply the Mall. This flat piece of circular land on top of Nehru Road can safely be termed as the central point of the town.

In olden days, this was the place where the Europeans came for their walks. Today, the locals as well as the tourists come here to lounge and relax.

In a good day, one can also have a magnificent view of the Kanchenjunga or the Sewa Lungma as is known in Limbu language. Chow means four while Rasta means road, so at the Chowrasra four roads meet.

At the center of the ground, there is a huge golden color statue of the  great Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharya who wrote the Nepali version of Ramayana translating it from Sanskrit. Bhanubhakta Acharya is also known as Adi Kavi of Nepali language. The statue was originally erected on June 17, 1949 and reinstalled on July 13, 1996 by the Nepali Sahitya Sammelan,

The other important structure located in the place is  a beautifully designed an amphitheatre ,where cultural programs are performed to showcase the Gorkha Culture. It is actually an elevated stage beautifully designed to organize  cultural functions. There is a huge LCD screen beside the amphitheatre in which live Sports programs and TV shows are projected.
The audience is expected to watch the programmes sitting or standing at the mall.

One side of the mall is lined with pine trees through which you get wonderful mountain vistas; the other side is lined with lovely boutique shops of different kinds.

Some of the noted shops, restaurants and eateries in the area are Habeeb Mullick & Son, Curio Corner, Nathmulls Tea & Sunset Lounge, Golden Tips, Life & Leaf, Jolly arts and Bhutan Tibet Art Shop. The Bhutia Market, which is close to Chowrasta is another attraction for shopaholics.

Next to the Nathmulls Tea & Sunset Lounge is the famous Oxford book store and Stationery. The store has been selling books for almost seventy years. They have all sort of books, but specialize on the Himalayan states such as Darjeeling Nepal Tibet and Bhutan.

As Chowrasta  has restricted traffic movement, one can absorb the scenic beauty of the Kanchenjunga and take a leisurely stroll at the mall road. It's a moment you'll relish forever.

© Vineet Ramananda, Mighty Indian Gorkha 2016

Gorkhas in Darjeeling and the Gorkhaland Movement

Some parts of present-day North India were under the kingdom of Nepal before it became a part of the East-India Company during the British Raj. This included the Darjeeling District of West Bengalwhich was a part of Sikkim and for some time a part of Nepal. 

E.C.Dozey in his 'Darjeeling Past and Present' writes, 'Prior to the year 1816, the whole of the territory known as British Sikkim belonged to Nepal, which won it by conquest'.

The official language of this district is Nepali while the official state language (of West Bengal) is Bengali. Most of the locals including Bengalis, Biharis even Kashmiris and Tibetans speak Nepali for their day to day communication. Although almost all understand and speak Hindi as well. The Gorkha population in the region includes some workers, traders and businessmen from the border areas of Nepal and Bhutan.

The CM of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee included Nepali as one of the six "second official" languages of the state. However, till date Nepali is not offered as an optional subject in the West Bengal Civil Services Examination.

In April this year, when the State Bank of India included Nepali in the revised list of official languages for its recruitment procedure in West Bengal, the Gorkhaland movement in North Bengal received boost of sorts.

Since 1907, the Gorkhas of north Bengal have demanded a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling, and the Nepali language has played an important role in the scheme of things. Even in this year’s Assembly Election, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, the most prominent party of the area, has actively campaigned on this very issue.

The quest of the Indian Gorkhas for a distinct Indian identity has given rise to the demand for a state of Gorkhaland within theConstitution of India under Article 3(a).

The Gorkhas believe that with the establishment of a state for the Gorkhas within India, every Indian Gorkha would have an Indian address that would quell any doubts of their Indian citizenship.

The proposed state of Gorkhaland comprises the district of Darjeeling and the adjoining areas of the Dooars in North Bengal.

Two mass movements for Gorkhaland have already taken place under the Gorkha National Liberation Front (1986–1988) and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (2007–to date).