Commonwealth writers' meet at Delhi

Hira Chhetri with senior writers (above) and Hira and Bimal with Girish(below)

Bimal Rai with Girish

Winter greeted in Kalimpong with silvery sky and grasses

Historical legacy and writing in commomwealth

KalimNews, New Delhi, October 8: 200 Younger generation writers of 71 countries were present in the opening day of the 3 days’ literary meet on historical legacy and writing on Commonwealth at New Delhi. The meet is presided over by Sunil Gangopadhyaya, president, of Sahitya Academy and attended by chief guest Girish Karnad, veteran Kannad playwright and Jnanpith award winner. Other dignitaries to attend the programme were SS Noor, MG Vasanji, Harish Trivedi and conducted by Alok Bhalla.
In the first half of the programme the writers from various c'wealth countries like Britain, Bangladesh, Kenya, Jamaica, etc presented their papers on the present literary trends in their respective literature. It was followed by interactive session which was taken part by most of the invitees.Over 200 young writers belonging to the age group 40-45 took part in the programme which was followed by presentation of self composed literary writings by the prominent commonwealth writers.
The Indian Nepali language was represented by two young generation writers Bimal Rai, Bureau Chief of Himalaya Darpan of Darjeeling and Hira Chhetri, a writer and Journalist member of Kalimpong Press Club who also happens to be Honourary Managing Editor of Kalimpong News. The duo Nepalese writers distributed a leaflet to the representative writers on the development of Nepali language in India. They appraised Girish Karnad about the development of Nepali language in India. According to these young Nepali writers, the recognition of Nepali as commonwealth language is an achievement in the field of literature of Nepali speaking Gorkhas of India as it has been selected as one of the Indian National language. Since the kingdom of Nepal does not fall under the commonwealth countries, the representation of Nepali literature in such a platform categorically clears the doubts of many and confirms the recognition specifically as one of the recognised Indian National language. It further affirms that there is no confusion about the Nepali language spoken by the 12.5 million Gorkhas in this country with that of other countries.
The seminar will continue till 10th October at Rabindra Bhawan, Sahitya Academy, Ferozshah Road, New Delhi.

Flower show And Competition organised by Dansberg Club in Kalimpong 

KalimNews: 3 days' Flower show and Competition was organised by Dansberg Club in Vrindavan School of 12 mile Kalimpong. It included photo exhibition of Chinlop Fudong, Samten Kabo, Nripendra Ghatani and Anamika Lama as well as flowers exhibited by  Eco Clubs of different Schools and individuals. In the category of Inter school Competition Rockvale Academy was adjudged first while Vrindavan School and Saptashree Gyanpith were declared 2nd and 3rd respectively. DB Pradhan was the Chief guest of the programme while Manoj Pradhan conducted the show. Pravakar Dewan, Kalyan dewan and Dr. Dhakpa Sonam were the judges.

सिलीगढी ८ अक्टोबर; नेपाली साहित्यमा अगावै तीनवटा गजल सङ्ग्रह दिइसकेका सुवास श्रेष्ठको शुक्रबार चौथोबाल गजल सङ्ग्रहको विमोचन गरियो । उत्तर बङ्ग विश्व विद्यालयको नेपाली बिभागमा सम्पन्न उक्त कार्यक्रममामुख्य अतिथिका रुपमा डा घनश्याम नेपाल उपस्थित थिए भने विशिष्ठ अतिथिका रुपमा क्रमैले प्राध्यपकनरेशचन्द्र खाती, प्राध्यपक के आर घतानी, प्राध्यपक पुष्कर पराजुली अनि अतिथिका रुपमा गजलकार असीमसागर उपस्थित थिए । कार्यक्रमको अध्यक्षता डा मोहन पी दाहलले गरेका थिए । कार्यक्रममा बलराम सापकोटा, दिलकुमारी छत्री अनि गजल पठन गरियो । यस अवसरमा कार्यक्रममा मुख्य अतिथि डा घनश्याम नेपाल, कार्यक्रमका अध्यक्ष डा मोहन पी दाहल, विशिष्ठ अतिथिगणको बाहुलीबाट बाल गजल सङ्ग्रह 'फूलबारी' को विमोचन गरियो । कार्यक्रमलाई सम्बोधन गर्दै मुख्य अतिथि डा घनश्यम नेपालले गजलकार सुवासलाई उनकोकार्यप्रति सराहना गरे । उनका गजलहरु राम्रा छन् यद्यपि अझ राम्रो लेख्ने प्रयास गर्नुपर्छ -थप उनले भने । सोहीक्रममा प्रा नरेशचन्द्र खाती, प्रा पुष्कर पराजुलीले पनि सुवासको गजल प्रति सराहना गर्दै भविष्यमा अझ राम्रा लेख्नेसुझाव दिए । सोही क्रममा कार्यक्रमका अध्यक्ष दाहलले लेखनमा प्रौढता आउनुपर्ने बताए । नेपाली साहित्यमाआजको सन्दर्भमा गजल फस्टाउँदै गइरहेको बताउँदै लेखन कार्यलाई निरन्तरता दिनुपर्ने थप उनले बताए । यसअवसरमा 'फूलबारी' का बाल चित्रकार जुबीन रामुदामुलाई सम्मान पनि जनाइयो ।
Bimal big money talk before next round - Morcha hopes for hefty hike in grant

A paraglider above Chowrastha in Darjeeling on Thursday. The glider took off from near St Paul’s School in Darjeeling and was on his way to Lebong, 6km away. Picture by Suman Tamang

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Oct. 7: Bimal Gurung today said he was looking for a “heavy amount” ranging from Rs 1,500 crore to 2,500 crore as financial package for the proposed interim set-up for the hills, vamping up the stakes before the next tripartite talks on Monday. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief said he was not looking at an amount like “Rs 22 crore”, using the DGHC grant figure to hint that the Centre should allot a more hefty amount for the new body. According to the DGHC Accord of 1988, the Bengal government pitched in an equal amount (of Rs 22 crore) under the head of “state matching grant”.
Apart from the central assistance and the matching state grant, the DGHC also used to receive funds for implementation of central schemes like Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana, Indira Awas Yojna, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, etc. It was estimated that the annual budget for the council hovered around the Rs 170-200 crore mark.
I have told the Centre that a lot of money is needed for development and they should give a heavy amount to the interim set-up. The interim set-up must be given anything between Rs 1,500 and 2,500 crore,” said Gurung at the Morcha’s third foundation day celebration at Chowrastha. Complete with paragliders and marching school bands, the show extended till after 4pm because of which the cultural programme to mark the opening of the tourist fest could not be held. However, the cultural programme for tourists will be held daily at the Mall or Chowrastha from 3pm to 6pm, starting tomorrow. The Morcha is one of the main organisers of the month-long fest to be held after four years.
Gurung’s big money talk is expected to give the hill people an idea of how powerful the set-up will be financially. If the Centre agrees to Gurung’s demand, the inflow of funds to the hills is likely to be unprecedented.
The Morcha leader, however, said he was not in a hurry to sign the agreement for the interim set-up. “I will make people read the document 10 times before it is finalised.” He hoped that the final agreement would be reached after one or two more rounds of political- level talks. The official-level talks on October 11 are expected to focus on issues like the composition of the interim set-up, it’s mode of selection and the transfer of the tauzi department, which keeps records of tea garden land.
Gurung, however, emphasised that the interim body should only have members nominated by the Morcha. “We are clear on this issue. We do not care if someone falls on the ground crying but the interim set-up should only have members nominated by the Morcha.”
The Centre and the state want the members to be elected either directly or indirectly through proportional representations on the number of seats a political party wins in the panchayat and municipality polls.
"We are not afraid of elections but since this arrangement is only for two years we are not interested in elections. We will go for elections only when there is a permanent solution to the problem,” said Gurung adding that he, or the central committee members of his party, would not be part of the interim body. “The interim set-up must be seen as a step towards fulfilling our 103-year-old dream (statehood).
“We have capable members who are part of our study forum and they will run the show. If I attach myself to the interim set-up, the demand for Gorkhaland will be diluted. I will carry on with the Gorkhaland agitation even after the interim set-up is formed.”
Gurung also tried to impress the crowd with the legislative powers that the new body would yield. “I have promised the casual workers that their jobs will be regularised and in the interim set-up we will have legislative powers. We can easily create jobs and I will ensure that their jobs are secure.” He said he had accepted the interim set-up “as a challenge” and to show how well it could be administered.
“Once the set-up is finalised, I can be free to pursue the Gorkhaland issue. At the moment we have to look into every aspect.”
Gurung added that the interim set-up would be answerable to the governor and would hence have a direct relation with the Centre. “We will have all the powers and we can also bring about a legislation and use GL (Gorkhaland) number plates,” he added. The party had earlier asked the hill people to replace WB (West Bengal) with GL (Gorkhaland) on the number plates on vehicles.
While Gurung welcomed Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee’s initiatives for Darjeeling, he underscored that the real dream of the hill people was Gorkhaland and not a “Switzerland created out of the hills”.
“Switzerland is not in India. We want Gorkhaland to be created within India,” he said. Mamata had during her tour of the hills at the end of last month said she would convert the region into Switzerland.
Celebration snub
The Jalpaiguri district administration did not allow the Morcha to hoist a flag on a school ground in Jaigaon where a function had been organised by the All Transport Action Committee affiliated to the party.
Present for the foundation day celebration in Jaigaon were the president of the core committee of the Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha Asha Gurung, Kalchini MLA Wilson Champromary and Morcha study forum member P Arjun.
70 join ABGL
TT, Kalimpong, Oct. 7: The ABGL continues to get a fillip in its mass base in the Kalimpong subdivision with 70 youths joining the party at Pedong yesterday.
All the new entrants to the ABGL were with the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha earlier. “We were very active supporters of the Morcha since its inception as we had entertained the dream of Gorkhaland. Now the situation has changed, and we feel that we were only being used (by the Morcha),” said Uttam Bardewa, a local youth.
Bardewa and his friends were welcomed to the party by working president Dawa Sherpa and two top leaders in the subdivision, Tshering Sherpa and K. Subba, who had left the GNLF and joined the ABGL last month.
We welcome our new friends and will be holding discussions with them. In a democracy, anybody can eat food, wear clothes and join the party of his choice. However, it is sad people here are being stopped from exercising their democratic rights,” Dawa Sherpa said in an oblique reference to the Morcha. Sherpa said his party had been working on its own towards realising the goal of a separate state. “Gorkhaland, not an interim arrangement, is the one and only dream of the people in the hills We will work towards the goal without inconveniencing the people here and by planning Delhi-centric programmes,” he said.
On September 19, about 30 youths had joined the ABGL in Kalimpong. Before that, the party had got a big boost when more than 500 people, mostly associated with the Morcha, had joined the organisation at Nimbong and Borbot villages.
“The people are joining us spontaneously. Many people in the urban areas have also approached us and expressed their intention to join the party,” said Pratap Khati, a central committee member of the ABGL.The ABGL has been carrying out an exercise to strengthen its base at all levels in the subdivision. Only last month, the Kalimpong branches of the party and its youth wing were revamped with new office-bearers.

Medals Tally BRIEF

Country                                   Gold        Silver        Bronze     Total

AUSTRALIA	47	24	27	98
INDIA	20	16	12	48
ENGLAND	19	37	20	76
CANADA	14	5	20	39
Republic of SOUTH AFRICA	7	5	6	18

	COMPLETE RESULT till 07.10.2010

Men				Women				Mixed				Total
	G	S	B	T	G	S	B	T	G		S B	T	G	S     B	T
AUS - Australia	22	9	16	47	25	15	11	51					47	24	27	98
IND - India	13	9	8	30	7	6	4	17		1		1	20	16	12	48
ENG - England	12	24	7	43	7	13	12	32			1	1	19	37	20	76
CAN - Canada	5	2	7	14	9	3	13	25					14	5	20	39
RSA - South Africa	5	3	6	14	2	2		4					7	5	6	18
NGR - Nigeria	1	1	2	4	4	4	6	14					5	5	8	18
MAS - Malaysia	3	5	3	11	1		3	4	1			1	5	5	6	16
SIN - Singapore	1	2	3	6	2	2	1	5					3	4	4	11
KEN - Kenya	1	1	1	3	2	1		3					3	2	1	6
JAM - Jamaica	1	1		2	1			1					2	1		3
NZL - New Zealand		8	3	11	1	5	2	8					1	13	5	19
SCO - Scotland	1	2	2	5		1	3	4					1	3	5	9
CYP - Cyprus	1		1	2									1		1	2
NRU - Nauru	1			1									1			1
BOT - Botswana					1			1					1			1
UGA - Uganda	1			1									1			1
WAL - Wales						5	4	9						5	4	9
TRI - Trinidad and Tobago			2	2		1		1						1	2	3
NIR - Northern Ireland			1	1		1		1						1	1	2
SRI - Sri Lanka		1	1	2										1	1	2
CMR - Cameroon						1	1	2						1	1	2
PAK - Pakistan		1		1										1		1
SEY - Seychelles						1		1						1		1
PNG - Papua New Guinea		1		1										1		1
SVG - St. Vincent & The Grenadines						1		1						1		1
IOM - Isle of Man			2	2											2	2
BAN - Bangladesh			1	1											1	1
GHA - Ghana							1	1							1	1
NAM - Namibia							1	1							1	1
GUY - Guyana							1	1							1	1
Total:	68	70	66	204	62	62	63	187	1	1	1	3	131	133	130	394

XIX Commonwealth Games-2010 Delhi: Dola Banerjee, Deepika Kumari and Bombayala Devi of India won the Gold medal in Archery (Women’s Team Recurve), during the medal presentation ceremony, at Yamuna Sports Complex, in New Delhi on October 08, 2010. PIB

XIX Commonwealth Games-2010 Delhi: Gagan Narang and Imran Hasan Khan of India won the Gold medal in (Men’s) Shooting Rifle 50m pairs, during the medal presentation ceremony of the event, at Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, in New Delhi on October 08, 2010. PIB

XIX Commonwealth Games-2010 Delhi: India's Gurpreet and Omkar win Gold in 10m Air Pistol Shooting event, in New Delhi on October 07, 2010. PIB

Toilet trauma for Commonwealth cops

Women security personnel at a Games venue. File picture

Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, TT, New Delhi, Oct. 8: Policewomen from all over the country guarding Delhi during the Games don’t have toilets to use during their long duty hours.

“We have come here for the first time. There are hardly any toilets nearby and it is so embarrassing to have to go to restaurants,” said a woman constable from Uttar Pradesh, posted at the Connaught Place metro station.

“Our colleagues deployed on the roads and outside markets face major problems. Nobody seems concerned,” she added.

Another woman constable said there were a few mobile toilets in different parts of the city. “We are not familiar with the city…. But even these mobile toilets are in unhygienic condition. Most of the time there is no water,” she said.

Around 6,000 policewomen have come from across the country, many from Orissa, Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. For the first time, a women’s contingent from Nagaland is also in the capital.

Nearly 600 women from the women’s battalion of Nagaland police are guarding Games venues, metro stations and the city’s roads. Fresh out of a nine-month training programme, the girls aged between 18 and 25 are equipped to handle .303 rifles, 7.62 self-loading rifles, AK-47s, 9mm pistols, light machine guns, carbines and Insas rifles.

A woman constable from Nagaland said: “We get low-quality food and the government has not made any arrangement for treatment if any of us falls sick. Everybody is concerned about providing the best food and facilities to foreign players and their families.”

Rajan Bhagat, the spokesperson for Delhi police, said: “We are trying to address the problems.”

“The government should have made arrangements for basic needs, such as toilets, especially for the policewomen. They work long hours but the food provided to the cops is not up to the mark. We have asked the government to look into the matter,” a senior Delhi police officer said.

An official of the Delhi Municipal Corporation said in the rush to clean and beautify the city, the authorities forgot to set up more mobile toilets. “This is a genuine problem but nobody thought about it,” he said.

Nearly 100,000 security personnel have been deployed across the city for the Games. Fifteen bomb disposal squads and 200 specially trained dogs are also on the job.