बाटो खन्दा भेटियो प्रागैतिहासिक हड्डी- सबैमा जिज्ञासा-के को दॉंत?
मनोज वोगटी,कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 28 अप्रेल। एउटै दॉंत यत्रो? के को दॉंत होला यो? कतै डाइनोसरको दॉंत त होइन? हो, बाटो खन्दा अत्यन्तै पुरानो अनि दॉंतको आकारको हड्डी भेटेपछि अहिले सबैले यस्तै प्रश्नहरू गरिरहेका छन्। सिटोङ-3 ग्राम पञ्चायतको रोलकमा सयदिने बाटो खनन् कार्यको अवधी भेटिएको पौराणिक हड्डीले सबैमा यस्तो जिज्ञासा उत्पन्न गरेको छ, जसले कालेबुङ क्षेत्रमा पौराणिक कालमा डाइनोसर जस्ता अति विशाल प्राणी थियो भन्ने कुरालाई इङ्गित गरिरहेको छ। 15दिन अघि भेटिएको यो हड्डी कुनै यस्तो प्राणीको दॉंत जस्तो देखिन्छ, जो अहिलेसम्म संसारमा रहेका विशाल प्राणीहरूभन्दा पनि अति नै विशाल थियो।
केवल एउटा दॉंत जस्तो देखिने यो हड्डी दुइकिलो दुइसय ग्रामको रहेको छ। यसको लमाई 23 सेन्टिमिटर रहेको छ भने चौडाई 15 सेन्टिमिटर छ। कुनै विशाल प्राणीको एउटा दॉंत यत्रो भेटिएपछि त्यो प्राणी कति विशाल थियो होला भन्ने अनुमान सबैले लगाइरहेका छन्। यो हड्डी ढुङ्गा होइन, दॉंत नै हो-हड्डीलाई 15 दिनदेखि आफूसित राख्दै आएका रोलकका डुपछिरिङ लेप्चा बताउँछन्। मैले यसलाई जलाएँ, यो जल्यो अनि धुँवा पनि निस्कियो। हेर्दा यो कुनै विशाल घॉंस खाने प्राणीको दॉंत जस्तो देखिन्छ। घॉंस खाने प्राणीको दॉंत यस्तो च्याप्टो हुन्छ- तिनले थपे। मासुमा गाड़िएको भाग निक्कै कुहिसकेको तर चपाउने दॉंतको भाग भने अझ पनि चम्किलो र कड़ा रहेकोले हेर्नेहरू सबैले यसलाई दॉंत नै हुनुपर्ने अनुमान त लगाइरहेका छन् तर यो के को दॉंत हुनसक्छ भन्ने प्रश्नको उत्तर कसैसित छैन।
रोलक भनेको लेप्चा भाषाको रतलोकको अपभ्रँश हो। यसको अर्थ पैह्रो गएर बॉंचेको ठाउँ हुन्छ। रोलकको अहिलेको जुन चित्र छ, आज भन्दा पचासवर्ष अघि यस्तो नरहेको बुढ़ापाका बताउँछन्, डुपछिरिङ रहस्य खोल्दै जान्छन्। तिनी भन्छन्, पहिले रोलक सम्म परेको मालभूमि थियो, अहिले डॉंड़ा-कॉंड़ा भएको छ।
यस्तो भएको कारण पैह्रो नै हो। डुपछिरिङको भनाइको आशय पौराणिक कालमा रोलकमा कुनै विशाल प्राणीहरूको बास हुनसक्थ्यो भन्ने हो, जो पैह्रोको कारण विलुप्त बनेको हुनसक्छ। अनि उनीहरूको हाडखोड़ जमीनमुनि छ, जो यसरी अहिले निस्कन थालेको छ। डुपछिरिङको भनाइलाई नकार्ने ठाउँ किन छैन भने कालेबुङको अहिलेको जनमुक्ति पार्कमा अहिले पनि यस्तो रूख जिँउदै छ जो विश्वभरिमा रहेको दुइवटा रूखमध्ये एउटा रहेको भनिन्छ। यो जीवित जिवाश्म हो जसको नाम गिङ्को वाइलोबा हो भने यो यस्तो रूख हो जसको घॉंस शाकाहारी डाइनोसरले खाने गरेको पत्तो लागेको छ।
डाइनोसरले घॉंस खाने रूख कालेबुङको पार्कमा अझ पनि जिउँदै हुनुले यही कुराको पुष्टी गरिरहेको छ कि यो क्षेत्रमा कुनै पनि समय डाइनोसरको अस्तित्व थियो।
तर यस विषयमा कसैले पनि गहिरिएर अध्ययन नगरेको वा डाइनोसर वा विशाल प्राणीहरूको अस्तित्व खोज्ने कार्य नभएकोले अहिलेसम्म सबै कुरा रहस्यमा नै लुकेको छ। रोलकमा भेटिएको यो दॉंत र कालेबुङको पार्कमा रहेको जिङ्को वायोलोबाको के कुनै सम्बन्ध छ त? यो प्रश्नको उत्तर खोज्न सक्छन् भने कुनै पत्रकार वा आम मानिसले होइन खप्पिस भुतत्ववेत्ताले नै सक्नेछन्। दॉंत हड्डी नै हो होइन, हो भने यो कति वर्ष पुरानो हो, के को हो? भन्ने प्रश्नको उत्तर पनि यसको कार्बन डेटिङ गरिएमात्र पत्तो लाग्नेछ। प्रागैतिहासिककालमा यो क्षेत्रमा कुनै विशाल प्राणीहरूको अस्तित्व थियो थिएन, यो दॉंत वा हड्डीले त्यसको सम्पूर्ण रहस्य खोल्न सक्छ सक्दैन न त डुप छिरिङलाई थाहा छ न त कुनै पत्रकारलाई। तरैपनि पाइएको हड्डीले पौराणिककालको गतिलो रहस्य बोकेको हुनसक्ने सबैले अनुमान गरिरहेका छन्।
Gingko tree in autumn |
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Gingko leaves |
KalimNews: A denture like object is found in Rolak above Lohapul under Sittong Gram Panchayat- 3, while digging a road under 100 days work. Workers found it about 15 days ago which weighs about 2 kg 200 gm and measures 23 cm X 15 cm and is now under the custody of Dup Tshering Lepcha. Lepcha said that he tried to burn it and it burnt a little producing smoke.
The denture is supposed to be of a grass eating huge animal. It is recalled that in the Janmukti Park area near Arts and Crafts center exists a Gingko biloba tree which is called the living fossil found very rarely in other parts of the world like China and cultivated in North America. Gingko is called maidenhair tree. Darjeeling hills is supposed to contain huge number of fossils and remains of fossils.
Free Tibet plea to China
Dalai Lama, Lobsang Sangay |
PTI, Washington/Boston, April 28 : The newly elected Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, has said his top priority is to restore freedom in Tibet and asked China to review its "hard-line" policy.
Sangay said the 76-year-old Dalai Lama would return during his lifetime to the Potala Palace he fled nearly 50 years ago.
The 43-year-old Harvard law researcher, with roots in Darjeeling, won 55 per cent votes in the March 20 election held around the world for the selection of the Prime Minister. Sangay's nearest rival was Tethong Tenzin Namgyal, who also went to a Darjeeling school.
Sangay who was born in Lamhatta in Darjeeling, had attended the Central school for Tibetans in Sonada followed by a stint in St Joseph's College. The third contender for the post of Prime Minister was Tashi Wangdi.
"We are already facing immense challenges including a critical situation in Nags and Andi with Tibetans being killed and arrested by the Chinese government. I urge every Tibetan and friends of Tibet to join me in our common cause to alleviate the suffering of Tibetans in occupied Tibet and to return His Holiness to his rightful place in the Potable Palace," Sangay said in a statement after the election results were announced yesterday in Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Asking Beijing to review its "hard-line" Tibet policy and take a "more moderate and liberal approach", he said if China wanted to become a new world superpower, it could not do so through economic or military might but would need to exercise moral authority in how it treats people. He said the decision of the Dalai Lama to transfer his political powers needs to be respected. "The Dalai Lama has decided to transfer political power to the Tibetan people by entrusting whom they have magnanimously chosen as the head of their exiled government," Sangay said in an interview to the Tibetan service of Radio Free Asia.
"We must respect the wishes and wisdom of His Holiness and find ways to implement his decision," he said in his first ever interview after he was declared the Prime Minister. In an address at Harvard two days before the election result was announced, Sangay had said his "number one priority is always and will always remain to restore freedom in Tibet...Domestically, improving education will be my number one priority".
On the issue of Chinese rule of Tibet, Sangay said he advocates a "middle way," or autonomy for Tibet within Chinese sovereignty."That is the Tibetan government's policy, and if I get elected, I must abide by the policy, and I will do so," Sangay had said in a Harvard release.
Sangay believes the election will give him legitimacy on the world stage as a Tibetan leader in a now-secular government, but China is unlikely to recognise his authority with some Chinese newspapers even labelling him a "terrorist". Sangay said he expects the Dalai Lama, who will "always be my spiritual leader and source of inspiration", to play the role of an "elder statesman".
"It's not so much to replace him, but rather to live up to his expectation and fulfill his vision which is that when elected, I should be the head of the government and become the political face and spokesman for the Tibetan people."
Sangay, who is currently in the US, will relocate in May to Dharamsala. He is expected to select his cabinet and hold office from August 15.
Split in Morcha casual staff union - New unit says it will not be a tool in hands of vested interest
TT, Kalimpong, April 28: A section of casual workers has broken away from a Gorkha Janmukti Morcha-affiliated union to form their own apolitical organisation, accusing Bimal Gurung's party of taking them for a ride over the years and doing nothing to regularise their jobs.
The desertion was not unexpected was evident as many Morcha supporters had been spotted in GNLF rallies before the election and the party had already issued a deadline for its straying lot to come back into the fold.
The Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Karmachari Sangathan, which has broken away from the Janmukti Asthai Karmachari Sangathan (JAKS), claimed that its priority would be the regularisation of the jobs of its members.
The split of the JAKS, which claims that all 6,000 casual workers of the DGHC are its members, took place in Kurseong yesterday where the subdivisional committee of the new faction was formed. The breakaway unit said it was splitting from the JAKS as the latter had failed to get the jobs of DGHC temporary employees regularised.
"We (the temporary employees) were only being used as tools but our grievances remained unaddressed," said Anil Rai, the spokesperson for the breakaway faction.
Rai said the new DGHC Sangathan would strive to become an apolitical organisation as past experiences has shown that all political parties used the casual employees as tools for their vested interest. "Our number one priority would remain the regularisation of our jobs. However, till that happens we want a hike in our salaries," he added.
The Morcha said it was not unduly worried by the split engineered by a handful of individuals with questionable credibility.
"In any case, we had already expelled Anil Rai from the party. As far as the job regularisation is concerned, the party remains fully committed to getting the job done. The government has already agreed to regularise the jobs and we will pursue the matter with the next government as well with our mandate reinforced (by the results of the Assembly election)," said Morcha spokesperson Harka Bahadur Chhetri.
The DGHC Sangathan dared the JAKS to act against its members.
Earlier, JAKS president Machendra Subba had set May 13 as the deadline for the return of contractual workers who had deserted the organisation.
A number of them had been seen supporting the GNLF during the recent election campaign.
Today, Subba sought to make light of the new faction. "We knew all along that these people are GNLF sympathisers," he said, claiming that only a handful of 200 employees was its members.
Rai said the strength of the DGHC Sangathan would grow in the coming days. "We will be forming our Kalimpong branch committee next, followed by the Darjeeling branch committee. Once we have all three branches in place, we will form our central committee," he added.
The 21-member Kurseong executive committee of the DGHC Sangathan is headed by Mitra Gurung as its president.
Observers said the formation of the breakaway faction of the JAKS could well turn out to be more than an embarrassment for the Morcha if a significant number of DGHC employees joined it.
"We still do not know the strength of the new organisation. Till then, we will have to wait and watch," said an observer.
The JAKS was formed months after the birth of the Morcha in October 2007. Its main focus was getting the jobs of over 6000 contractual workers regularised. Following an indefinite hunger strike by the workers, the state government had on September 17, 2009, given a written assurance to start the process to make them permanent. Similar assurance was subsequently given by B.L. Meena, the then acting administrator of the DGHC. However, nothing concrete has emerged from those assurances yet.
Morcha president Gurung had said during the campaign that the first priority of the three MLAs the party hoped to send from the hills would be to get the jobs regularised.
The spokesperson for the DGHC Sangathan, however, said there was too much political interference in the affairs of the temporary workers. "The JAKS used us only to carry the party (read Morcha) flag," he said.
Trapped, man dies in fire
| Devraj Gurung |
TT, Kalimpong, April 28:A 52-year-old man was burnt alive last night when he could not move out of his burning house on time because of his polio-affected limbs.
Mani Kumar Gurung said his family of nine, including his brother Devraj who died, was fast asleep, unaware that their house had caught fire. They were awakened around 11.30pm by the shouts of their neighbours in Ging tea estate, 10km from Darjeeling town.
"When I woke up I saw my house engulfed in flames. All of us rushed out immediately. We unfortunately could not save my brother. He could not walk and moved around only by dragging himself on his haunches," Gurung said.
The neighbours said the Gurungs had no inkling they their house was on fire.
"We were the first to notice the flames. It was only after we raised the alarm that they became aware and rushed out. By the time we realised that Devraj was still inside, the flames had engulfed almost the entire house," said a neighbour.
The villagers took more than two hours to douse the fire. After the blaze was put out the family members rushed in and took Devraj to the Darjeeling Sadar Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Gurung said Devraj, who had suffered 80 per cent burns, could not move out of the house because of his handicap. "The material loss I suffered does not bother me at all. What is causing me unbearable pain is the loss of my elder brother," he said.
Sources in the fire department in Darjeeling said they were not informed about the blaze.
Darjeeling bids adieu to Everester
TNN, DARJEELING, April 29: Nawang Gombu, 79, the first person in the world to scale Mt Everest twice, was cremated with full honors at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) in Darjeeling on Thursday afternoon amidst a drizzle. Family, friends and well-wishers, including prominent personalities of the Hills, reached Gombu's residence near HMI in the morning to pay their last respects to the legendary figure. The hearse carrying the Everester's body was decorated with flowers and a procession, led by Darjeeling police band, accompanied it to HMI.
"We not only shared a professional relationship but he was more like a father figure to me. Besides being a great mountaineer, he was also an explorer. His death is a great loss to the nation," said Bachendri Pal --close friend and India's first woman to climb the world's highest peak in 1984 -- who arrived in Darjeeling to attend the last rites. The divisional commissioner of Jalpaiguri was present on behalf of the government along with Darjeeling district magistrate for the cremation ceremony.
"He was a source of inspiration for the rest of us. His grit in the field and humility off it inspired a large number of the present generation to take up mountaineering and adventure activities," said Everester and brother-in-law Dorjee Lhatoo.
Even a sudden downpour could not prevent people from gathering on the basketball court, where the body was kept. The chief justice of Sikkim and representatives of the Indian Mountaineering Federation (IMF) were also present for the funeral. Besides, representatives of various political organizations attended the ceremony to pay their homage to the great climber. Gombu, at age 16, was the youngest Sherpa in the team that helped his uncle Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillaryto reach the summit of Mt Everest in 1953. After Norgay, Gombu was the face of the Sherpa community world-wide. He breathed his last following a brief illness on April 24.
Any Claim of Control over Rumtek Monastery is Unfounded and Misleading
New Delhi, Karmapa Charitable Trust (KCT), the legal administrative body established during the time of 16thGyalwa Karmapa which supports the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje,does not approve the statement made by the spokesperson of Uygen Trinley Dorje which trickled in media regarding the control of Uygen Trinley Dorje's camp on the Rumtek Monastery. As there is a court case pending on the real claimant of the Rumtek Monastery since 1993 so any claims made in this regard do not hold ground.
Lodreu Rabsel Rinpoche, General Secretary to His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje, says, "The statement from the spokesperson of Uygen Trinley Dorje is totally unfounded and misleading as the court case concerning the eviction of the unlawful occupants of Rumtek Monastery and recovery of the valuable sacred objects of the late 16th Karmapa which was filed in 1997 is still pending before the Court. Hence, Ugyen Trinley Dorje's administration cannot make any such statement, as they have no legal control over the monastery. KCT has full faith in the legal system and we are confident concerning its positive outcome and KCT does not approve of commenting on the subject that is pending before the highest judiciary in India."
Rumtek, the seat of the Karmapa lamas since the 1960s, has been the subject of dispute for more than a decade. At the death of the 16th Karmapa in 1981, the KCT assumed management of Rumtek, following the late Karmapa's stated wishes. This body which supported 17thGyalwa Karmapa, Trinley Thaye Dorje. But on 2nd August 1993, Situ Rinpoche and Gyaltsap Rinpoche with the help of their followers, including Dekila Chungyalpa and a few hundred armed troops supported by then the State Government of Sikkim attacked Rumtek Monastery and physically evicted all the residents, Trustees, as well as Rinpoches and Monks from there and confiscated the Monastery. The court case was filed by the KCT against Gyaltsab Rinpoche and the Sikkim State officials who were involved in this illegal act so that Rumtek Monastery could be returned to its rightful administration. Situ Rinpoche was not named in the suit because he had been banned to enter India at that point of time.
"The High Court of Sikkim in 2003 ruled that KCT is the legal administration established by the 16th Karmapa has full legal authority over Karmapa's estate, belongings, including Rumtek Monastery. In 2004, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Special Leave to Appeal filed by Gyaltsab Rinpoche and his secretary Tenzin Namgyal of the opponent camp, thus confirming the earlier decision of the High Court of Sikkim. The court denied the appeal on the grounds of significant contradictions in Tenzin's petition that Tenzin could not explain, and also on the grounds that Tenzin's group could produce no documents to show its management of Rumtek," confirms Lodreu Rabsel Rinpoche,General Secretary of 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje.
Karma Kagyu, or Kamtsang, is the largest lineage within the Kagyu school, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu is the Gyalwa Karmapa. The Karma Kagyu was founded by the first Karmapa, Jetsun Dusum Khyenpa. It is headed by the Gyalwa Karmapa, a reincarnate lama (tulku). Followers believe that the Karmapa's appearance as the first historical consciously reincarnate teacher was predicted by the Buddha in the Samadhiraja Sutra. The Karma Kagyu School belongs to the Vajrayana branch of Mahayana Buddhism.
The central teaching of the Karma Kagyu is the doctrine of Mahamudra, also known as the "Great Seal". This doctrine focuses on four principal stages of meditative practice.
About the 17th Karmapa His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Trinley (meaning Buddha activity) Thaye (limitless) Dorje (unchanging), was born in Lhasa (Tibet) on the 6th May in 1983. He is regarded as the highest authority in all religious matters of the Karma Kagyu Lineage. The transmission of the Kagyu Lineage originated with the great yogi Tilopa who lived in Northern India sometime around the 10th century AD. The Karma Kagyu Lineage was founded by the first Karmapa Dusum Khyenpa, who was the first consciously reborn master in Tibet. The lineage of the Karmapas is thus the oldest lineage of reincarnate masters in Tibetan Buddhism. According to a nearly 1000-year-old tradition of the Karma Kagyu Lineage successive incarnations of Karmapas and Shamarpas recognise each other. The present Karmapa was recognised by the Shamarpa at the age of 11, in accordance with the tradition.
Search and rescue squad for Siliguri
| The Siliguri fire station. Picture by Kundan Yolmo |
Bireswar Banerjee, TT, Siliguri, April 28: The state fire services department will form three 60-member teams for Siliguri, Calcutta and Durgapur to intensify search and rescue operations in emergency situations .
"We got a sanction for the new rescue teams in December last year. But because of the Assembly polls, the recruitment process got delayed. It will commence once the elections are over," said Udaynarayan Adhikary, the deputy director (north Bengal), state fire services department.
In all, 180 members will be recruited for the search and rescue teams (SRTs) in Siliguri, Calcutta and Durgapur.
"The areas have been chosen on the basis of importance. Calcutta being the state capital its importance cannot be questioned. Siliguri is a rapidly growing city that has emerged as one of the busiest commercial hubs of the state and has been recognised as the gateway of north Bengal as well as the northeastern region of the country. Durgapur is an industrial area, where emergency services are often required. After considering these aspects, the department chose the locations where the SRTs would be posted," said Adhikary.
The fire official said the members of the team will be appointed under different categories, like fire station officers, fire operators, sub-officers and leaders.
He added, the basic objective behind forming the units is to utilise the staff in different rescue operations by providing them training so that apart from dousing flames, they can also act quickly in case of disasters.
"There are different types of natural calamities like landslides and earthquakes and specific training is required to conduct rescue operations in such situations. But the fire officials have certain limitations. They are only trained to douse flames. Keeping this in mind we have decided to form the SRTs," Adhikary said.
According to the deputy director, once the recruitment process is complete, the department will arrange for training programmes for the selected candidates through the help of different agencies like the army, police and the BSF.
Mob assaults cop team
TT, Malda, April 28: A mob in Bulbulchandi assaulted four policemen today after they allegedly beat up a trader of the locality in a drunken state.
Malda police chief Bhuban Mondal, however, said the policemen who were on their way to Pakua on motorcycles, had accidentally rammed into the trader at Bulbulchandi More. They were then beaten up by the local people who locked them up inside the panchayat office. They were rescued by the Habibpur police an hour later. Sushil Biswas, the trader, has lodged a complaint with the police against the four men in khaki.
Special train
TT, Siliguri: The Northeast Frontier Railway announced on Thursday that it will run a special train between Guwahati and New Delhi to clear the rush of passengers stranded in the Assam capital because of the strike by Air India pilots. The 05635 train will leave Guwahati at 6pm on May 1 to reach New Delhi at 1.45pm the next day. The 05636 train will leave New Delhi at 9.30am on May 4 and arrive in Guwahati at 7pm on May 5. The trains will have general second class, sleeper class and AC three-tier coaches and will stop at New Bongaigaon, New Cooch Behar, New Jalpaiguri, Kishanganj, Katihar, Barauni, Chhapra, Varanasi and Lucknow.
Poll notice
TT, Raiganj: Forty poll officials in North Dinajpur have been showcaused for attending the training sessions and then not turning up for election duty despite having accepted stipends. The district administration issued the letters to the presiding and polling officers on April 25 asking them to return the money and to reply to the notices within a week. North Dinajpur district magistrate Sunil Dandapat said if any of them could not come up with a satisfactory explanation, action would be taken under the Election Commission rules.
Girl dead
TT, Malda: A 17-year-old girl of Mahananda Colony died at her home on Thursday after allegedly committing suicide. Police said Shilpi Pramanik had hanged herself after she was scolded by her parents.
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