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Are we the people of Darjeeling normal!!

By Upendra on November 11,2006

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ARE “WE • THE PEOPLE OF DARJEELING” NORMAL????

According to Zenneti, the famous social behaviour theorist, human beings can be broadly categorized into two groups, normal or abnormal. But unknown to him,there is a special group of people who do not fall in either of the category. That special group is us i.e. We- the people of Darjeeling; “If we belong to neither of the group, then what are we???” You may ask. But, I am not an expert on human behaviour to say what exactly we are - normal, abnormal or something else …… I leave the judgment in your hands.

Normal people have a threshold limit for tolerance, when pinched normal people tend to feel hurt and when pushed to a corner they tend to fight back. You cannot take normal people for granted, as they are intelligent, can take care of themselves and can demand and protect their rights if need arises. Normal people tend to act and react; they strive to make something better of their life and their surroundings, they set goals and targets and give their best shot to achieve it. If things don’t turn the way they had expected, they change their approach or they change their goals and targets. We - the people of Darjeeling, don’t do that, we don’t act in the first place, forget about reacting. We don’t bother to strive higher, and we don’t put in any effort to achieve anything. We - the people of Darjeeling, are immune to almost everything; and I sincerely and strongly believe that we are not “normal human beings” ask me why??? …

* Like a ping-pong ball, our fate and future is being tossed from end of the board to the other by, the Centre, State, Mr. Ghishing; from Gorkhaland - Hill Council - Sixth- Schedule-Article 371; what do we do??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Our people toil day and night in the tea gardens, to make profit for somebody who does not even know where exactly Darjeeling is; depending on his/her mood the owner shuts down the garden, rendering hundreds of our people jobless, with no money to feed their family…. Our people commit suicide as they are unable to see their family dying because of hunger… and what do we do??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Our demand for a Central University is negated by offering outdated Master’s course in English to two of the colleges, and the same demand for a Central University is made by the Chief Minister for Jalpaiguri; what do we do??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with our life.
* Our leaders demand income tax exemption, for hotels, resorts, precision engineering, biotechnology, flour and rice mills etc. How many of our people own hotels, indulge in findings from biotechnology, or precision engineering???? We don’t bother asking for whom is this exemption being asked and why??? We simply - Shrug our shoulders - and move on with our life.
* We have to celebrate a particular festival, in a particular style, we cannot pray to idols, we have to pray to stones and get drunk, as it signifies our tribal status, so comes the dictum from his highness (mahamahim) Mr. Ghishing; in our deepest hearts we laugh at his stupidity, even question how dare he??? But in reality we - Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* The free press, the fourth estate, the pillar of a democratic society, is threatened against writing anything about the tyranny, atrocities, stupidity. The press gets mad, crazy and they threaten lawsuit, but the ultimate out come??? We shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Landslide - so many of our people have lost their lives, almost every two years we have a tragedy, the municipality can prevent it by imposing stricter norms, but it does not bother, what do we do??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Water - We don’t have water to drink, or money to start a drinking water project... but somehow, somewhere there’s enough money to keep on building Bhanu Bhawan for past 7 years non- stop. Do we question how that’s possible??? What do we do??? We shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Our cinchona plantation and lives of thousands of people working in the cinchona plantations has been hanging in mid-air for past decade, how many of us are aware of the problem??? And those that are aware what did we do??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Most of the hotels/ travel agencies in our place are owned or leased by people from the plains, they earn the profits, our people are employed as cleaners, waiters, washers, watch men, the money meant for Darjeeling is drained back to the plains what do we do??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.
* Darjeeling is warming up faster than anyplace in the world, mindless urbanization, pollution, deforestation is taking its toll and the day is not far when it may not be possible to live in Darjeeling any more, how do we react??? Shrug our shoulders - and move on with life.

Don’t agree with me…. Well carry out this experiment… Try asking any one, why there’s no water in the house or why he did not shave or why he/she did not clear his/her exam this year or why he/she did not sit for WBCS??? Trust me, 9 out of 10 will give you this reason - “what’s the use??? System nai tyesto cha.... Hami lai ta victimize gardi halcha”. Perhaps the easiest way out of any question that involves answering to “WHY NOT???”

Tell me sincerely do you still think we are normal human beings????

For me I guess, we are Para-normal, we are a cut above the rest of human society; we are tolerant, friendly, easy to please and happy-go-lucky. We do not intentionally harm others, and if some how we offend some one else, we apologies profusely. May be that’s what makes ours a soft society, a society which is like a herd of sheep - easier for the shepherd and his dogs to control.

Lastly I leave you with immortal lines by Theodore Roosevelt “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat”.

Hope! I made some sense.

Upendra

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comment Comments (32 posted)
  • image The basic problem is there is no leader..then and now also.. If actually the centre gives Gorkhaland..wheather its gnlf or gjmm. what will the so called leaders do.. do they actually have the smartness to run a state.. ?? NO! Yes the bongs screwed up..but the locals were given a chance to prove they can run a govt.. what was done? Nothing.. nothing..nothing.. If ghising sat tight for so long... saying shrugging shoulders doesnt help.. People want answers.. Not strike after strike after strike!!
    (Posted by gobzallz, July 28, 2008, 11:50 AM)
  • image when a rubber is called a laabhar; a kettle a kilti; ginger biscuit a jhinjirey biskoot; a pant a pyant and richochetted = uchitindhai, then yes, i must endorse to the fact that something really is wrong with us, darjeeling pple.
    (Posted by dhara ko pani..(jigdul), July 22, 2008, 11:16 AM)
  • image IT MAY NOT SEEM NORMAL BUT…………………….It now makes sense to have BG of the GJMM faction to NOW send another team to Kolkata ………AS WELL!!!!!!!..............as part of a “La-La-Mo-Mo” team……….. For, according to reports in the press: “the WB chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s reply” to BG had also implicitly said ……………..”it would be “fruitful (HOW SO DELICIOUSLY FRUITFUL???…….. Sic*) if a meeting at the bipartite level” preceded the talks in Delhi”……(On one hand………….. it would be good to have the WB Govt’s…….so called………. “SUPPORT” on the Gorkha side for that is most necessary to sway the Centre --- no matter who comes to power at the Centre --- ………..but then again………….. the distrust runs deep…… so NOW, IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THE WB GOVT WOULD GO ABOUT TRYING TO ………..”derail”……. the GORKHALAND DEMAND and THE BG DELEGATION AGAIN…………..AS THEY DID THE SG DELEGATION 21 YEARS AGO,……… WHICH BG WAS A PART OF…………..for it is said that “history repeats itself” or rather “goes around in a concentric spiral”…..which could be upward or downward)…………. As, on the 13th of July 2008, A BG team left for Delhi on what party insiders described as a “confidential visit”………….. The five-member team, led by Amar Lama, a central committee member of the Morcha, reached Delhi 14th evening. The team, according to a “Telegraph” report, is expected to prepare ground work on two fronts……………. “At a time when the equations are changing at the Centre and relations are developed with a new set of people who matter most, it does make sense to send a team…………….. The team may not get enough time in this hectic situation to interact with all those it intend, but there is no harm in giving it a shot,” a party source is quoted as saying…………The report further added that: This also explains why the party is not too keen in publicizing the visit before something concrete emerges……………….. The decision to visit Delhi at this juncture is also important as Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has already written (ANYONE SURE ABOUT THIS???? OR THIS A STONEWALLING TECHNIQUE TO LET THIS AUGUST PARLIAMENTARY SESSION ALSO PASS------ Sic*) to the Centre for a tripartite meeting………… During its stay in Delhi the delegation would also prepare its groundwork for a seminar that the party would host here on July 21, the source reportedly said…………….The seminar, according to the report, is about the demand of Gorkhaland but the party is keen to get like-minded speakers from Delhi for it. “If non-Nepali speakers……… (MOST IMPORTANT and an absolute MUST) ……….. can be invited, it will be all the more better……. Moreover it will also be interesting to get Nepali-speaking people from other parts of the country for the meet. The team in Delhi will also be working on this front,” the source reportedly added…...........................………(AGAIN THIS MAY NOT SEEM NORMAL BUT……………….THIS IS WHERE THE BG faction ……. as they are all relatively new to the “connection factors”……….. should now consider the possibility of handing out the “Olive Branch” to the more well connected (and better fed……Sic*) SG faction………”BG’s currently erstwhile enemies” …………. Take the example of Jharkhand and Uttarakhand who were “totally united” and pulled “all the right strings” to get their STATEHOOD while GORKHALAND looked on “hooked” on the 6th SCHEDULE………Sic*).
    (Posted by Gorkhs Daju, July 16, 2008, 2:55 AM)
  • image In a normal world ...... anyone who stands out is considered abnormal....... Guess Upendra (kudos to him) has stood out....... that is "abnormally" NORMAL;.......... for, in this normally "ABNORMAL" world, the ABNORMAL will consider the so-called NORMAL as ABNORMAL..............this is just a play of words and NORMALITY does depend on one's own opinion and is not subject to anyone's OPINION............however, the dictum "SHRUG OUR SHOLDERS....AND MOVE ON" is no longer holding sway........ as the sheep seem to have woken up to the reality of the day and are demanding "GORKHALAND" as the ONLY FINAL SOLUTION ............ so, another question arises..."ARE THE SHEEP BEING LED TO THE PROMISED LAND or THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE??"........And Darjeeling Hill people will get exactly what they deserve........... while those in the rest of India look on in bemusement and........"SHRUG THEIR SHOLDERS....AND MOVE ON" ........ Frustrating!! isn't it????
    (Posted by A non-Gorkha Indian, July 12, 2008, 9:21 PM)
  • image nice article ..its good to know that u r very concerned about our community... though .the article seemed a bit pessimistic , yes we need to go a long way.. so first lets make ourselves the change we want to see ,then change will follow us.....ARISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT TILL THE GOAL IS REACHED.JAI ..GORKHALAND
    (Posted by sanjeev, July 7, 2008, 10:20 AM)
  • image bimal gurung.... since when did the people of darjeeling start following this thug or "badmash", i thought people of darjeeling were more educated and had good sense of humor............
    (Posted by gorkhe, July 5, 2008, 7:40 PM)
  • image very true words....that you have spoken out, upendra. WHAT WE GONNA DO ABOUT IT ?????
    (Posted by jordan, June 18, 2008, 4:44 PM)
  • image I think Bangalis are more abnormal than we are? Why? look at the state affairs it is one of the hopeless. It is believed that Bengalis are mostly educated intellectuals in comparison to other states in India but they are still playing in the hand of novice CPM. Perhaps they are being brain washed like Al-Qaida! They are going backwards and taking us with them “apan to gaya gaya jajman ko bhi leke gaya”. Therefore before get drowned we must have our Gorkhaland.
    (Posted by Rai Balali, May 22, 2008, 2:04 AM)
  • image VICK.. your comments thanks reminds me of myself and my own feelings right at this moment.. Miss home and miss Darjeeling.... well the article is quite old now where is Upendra?? not writing any more??
    (Posted by Ranjit, February 20, 2008, 3:25 PM)
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