पार्कमा यौन तमासाःप्रशासन र समाजको रमिता
मनोज वोगटी, कालिमन्युज, कालेबुङ, 27जून। नाम हो बङि्कमचन्द्र पार्क। जो टिनेजरहरूको निम्ति प्रिति साट्ने सुरक्षित ठाउँ बनेको छ। विहानदेखि बेलुकीसम्म नै यहॉं प्रेमालाप गरिरहेका दृश्यहरू देख्न पाइन्छन्। यो कालेबुङको यस्तो ठाउँ हो, जहॉं खुल्लम खुल्ला युवाजोड़ीले चुम्माचाटी मात्र होइन लेख्नै नसकिने अनैतिक कार्यसमेत पनि धक नमानी देखाउन सक्छन्। मुनिल्लोतिर छ कालेबुङ महाविद्यालय। जहॉं खिड्की खोल्नु नै ..लेलाई भन्दा देख्नेलाई लाज जस्तो हुने गरेको छ। कलेजमाथिको खुल्ला चउर र बेञ्चहरूमा जुन रङ्गिलो दृश्य देख्न पाइन्छ, जसलाई अलिकति पनि लोकलाज र मान मर्यादाको चिन्ता छ, उसलाई मरिकॉंट्टे पचाउने हुँदैन। सामाजिक मर्यादा र लोक लाजदेखि कोषौं टाड़ो रहेका आजका मोड्रन रोमियो जुलियटहरूले यो पार्कमा जुन तमासा खड़ा गर्छ यसको विरोधमा बोल्ने कुनै पनि सामाजिक संस्था अहिलेसम्म देखिएको छैन।
स्थानीय एक व्यक्तिको भनाइ अनुसार पार्क बनविभागको हो, यसकारण यहॉं कसैले कुनै पनि हस्तक्षेप गर्न मिल्दैन। प्रशासनलाई यसबारे अवगत गराइएको छ तर कुनै पहल छैन। आज नै पनि यहॉंको पार्कमा युगल जोड़ीहरू एकार्कामा हेर्नै नसकिने अवस्थामा देखिएका थिए। कलेजका एक विद्यार्थीले भने, आज त यस्ता दृश्यहरू कम्ति छ। छुट्टीको बेला रमितै हुनेगरी यस्ता दृश्यहरू देखिन्छन्, जुन दृश्य निलो चक्कातिर मात्र देखिन्छन्। तिनी अनुसार यहॉं यस्ता जोड़ीहरूमात्र आउँछन्, जसको नियत केवल आफ्नो यौन तिर्खा मेट्नु मात्र हुन्छ। दल बॉंधेर नै यौन क्रियाकलाप गर्नेहरू टिनेजर रहेका कालेबुङ महाविद्यालयका एक शिक्षकले जनाए। तिनी अनुसार बजारका नामी भनिएका स्कूलका विद्यार्थीहरूको टुड़ीखेल बनेको छ यो पार्क।
भन्नलाई कलेज पार्क भनिए पनि कलेज र पार्कको कुनै सम्बन्ध नभएकोले जोड़ीहरूलाई हस्तक्षेप गर्न पनि नमिलेको तिनी जनाउँछन्। यहॉं दिइएको तस्विर नै हेर्दा हुन्छ,एक जोड़ी निक्कै आपत्तिजनक स्थितिमा छन्। यस्ता मोठ पॉंच जोड़ी आज पार्क छेउछाउका झाड़ीहरूमा देखिएको थियो। जति पनि जोड़ी देखिए सबै टिनेजर थिए।
चिन्नेहरू अनुसार उनीहरू 14 देखि 18 वर्षभित्रका ठिटाठिटी हुन्। युगल जोड़ीहरू स्कूलका विद्यार्थीहरू रहेकोले एउटा कुरा छर्लङ्ग बनेको छ, यी विद्यार्थीहरू आमाबाबूको आँखा छलेर यहॉं प्रेमालाप गर्न आएका हुन्। बजार जाने निहूमा, साथीकोमा जाने निहूमा अनि स्कूल गएको निहूमा युगल जोड़ीहरू यो पार्कमा आइपुग्छन् अनि चाहेजस्तो प्रेमालाप निर्धक्करूपले गर्छन्। गर्भ् निरोधका सामाग्रीहरू यत्रतत्र छरिएको दृश्य त अहिले सामान्य भइसेकोको छ। जोड़ीहरूलाई आपत्तिजनक स्थितिमा देखिनु पनि उत्तिकै सामान्य घटना जस्तो भइसकेको छ। युवाजोड़ीहरूको यो खुल्लमखुल्ला यौन तामासालाई कसले रोक लगाउने? अहिले यो प्रश्न निक्कै महत्वपूर्ण भएर उठेको छ। पुलिस प्रशासनले शीघ्र नै हस्तक्षेप गर्नु त अनिवार्य छँदै छ सामाजिक सङ्गसङ्गठनहरूले पनि यो पार्कमा हुने अनैतिक कार्यहरूको विरोधमा बलियो कर्मसूची बनाउनु अनिवार्य भएको छ।
मुख्य गरी आफ्ना छोरा छोरीहरूलाई लिएर अभिभावकहरू सचेत बन्नुपर्ने देखिएको छ। छोरा छोरीलाई दिइएको स्वतन्त्रता नै अभिभावकको घॉंटीको पासो बन्न अघि नै अभिभावकहरूले छोराछोरीहरूलाई तइनमा ल्याउने काम गरिहाल्नु पर्ने देखिएको छ।
Kalimpong sport dreams get boost - Panel formed to develop Mela Ground
RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong, June 27: A cross-section of the society in Kalimpong has come together to transform the Mela Ground here into a modern playing arena.
A committee comprising representatives of the administration, sports bodies and schools and a few individuals has been formed to oversee the development of the ground, which is the only public venue for sports in town.
“The idea behind forming the Mela Ground Development Committee is to develop the field from all aspects. The ground is the only public venue for sport activities in Kalimpong and it is the responsibility of all residents to ensure its transformation into a modern sporting facility,” said Urgen Lama (Mini), a former footballer and the working president of the Kalimpong Sports Association.
Lama is on a seven-member technical sub-committee formed by the MGDC to suggest ways and means to develop the ground. Kalimpong subdivisional officer L.N. Sherpa is the head of the Mela development committee.
“We will look at the status of the ground and then decide what could be done about it. We will submit our preliminary report on July 9 and take it from there,” said Upendra Mani Pradhan, the convener of the sub-committee and a town planner.
The most important task before the ground development committee is to increase the size of the playing field to make it suitable to host football matches of international standard.
The Mela Ground is 107 metre-long and 59 metre-wide. The internationally accepted size of a football pitch is 105 metres in length and 68 metres in breadth.
“The length of the Mela Ground is not a problem, but the width is. Ideally, we would want the ground to be 64 metre wide,” said Lama.
The ground’s width cannot be increased beyond 64 metre because of space crunch.
Drainage is another problem area given that football matches are held in the hills during the monsoon. It is common to see matches being played under slushy conditions with pools of water in different parts of the ground.
“The water logging makes it difficult to conduct football matches,” said Pranay Mani Silal, the secretary of the KSA.
The Mela Ground has a sandy surface, not a grassy pitch.
Before the concrete stands were constructed in the 1980s, the sitting area used to be a grass land.
A dressing room for the players was built in one corner of the ground less than year ago.
“Yes, a lot needs to be done to improve the Mela Ground for both players and spectators. I welcome the initiative to develop the ground,” said Samten Kabo, a former footballer and treasurer of the Kalimpong Veterans’ Club.
The biggest challenge before Lama and the team would be to generate funds for the development of the ground. The Mela development panel members were not very forthcoming on how they would go about organising the money to carry out works. A member said once a development blueprint was in place, it would be easier to look for funds.
Siliguri mayor, chairperson resign
TT, AVIJIT SINHA Siliguri, June 27: The mayor and the chairperson of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation resigned today, paving the way for the formation of a new civic board to be run jointly by the Congress and Trinamul.
The resignation of mayor Gangotri Dutta means that the office of the deputy mayor as well as the seven members-mayor-in-council stand dissolved. The Congress and the Trinamul Congress will share equally the posts in the new 10-member board to be formed.
“Under the party’s instruction, I have dissolved the mayor-in-council and tendered my resignation at 2pm today. The chairperson, too, has tendered her resignation,” Dutta, who is from the Congress, told journalists after submitting her resignation. “From today, the civic body will be run by the commissioner and we will no longer enjoy the rights and privileges (that we were entitled to in accordance with the posts) as our resignations have been accepted.”
The Congress and Trinamul had contested as allies and won the Siliguri Municipal Corporation in September 2009 by smashing the Left hold that existed for 28 years. But the two parties did not form the board jointly because they failed to reach a consensus over the posts of mayor and chairperson. Both the parties filed nominations for the two posts, with the Congress emerging winners with the backing of 17 Left councillors who form the principal Opposition.
Since then, the Congress, despite having only 15 councillors, has been running the SMC. Trinamul with 14 of its councillors have been sitting outside. Last year, before the budget in April, the Congress had assured Trinamul that the mayor and chairperson would step down so that a new board could be formed. But no changes were seen.
“However, it was different this year. We made it clear that a concrete step should be taken by the Congress regarding the joint board formation to ensure that we back them in the budget. As part of the process, the mayor dissolved her council and both she and the chairperson submitted their resignations,” Krishna Pal, a senior Trinamul councillor, said. “We are waiting for our leader, councillor and state minister Gautam Deb to arrive here tomorrow and will then decide our further course of action.”
Trinamul sources said the party wanted the posts of four members-mayor-in-council and the deputy mayor. “For these posts, the names of Krishna Pal, Arindam Mitra, Dulal Dutta, Joydip Nandi, Ranjan Silsharma and Maitrayee Chakraborty are making rounds. The shortlisting would be done soon,” a Trinamul source said.
The source also said Trinamul wanted portfolios like PWD, urban poverty alleviation, conservancy and environment, electricity and sports, health and population project, trade licence, culture and education, general administration and vehicles.
SMC commissioner P.N. Bhutia, a WBCS officer, said he had intimated the secretary of state municipal affairs department in Calcutta about the resignations.
“We are awaiting instructions to pass the vote-on-account to meet expenses until the new mayor and chairperson assume offices. The full-fledged budget would be placed and passed then,” he said.
Darjeeling district president Shankar Malakar said the ball had finally started rolling and the portfolios would be distributed soon. Gautam Deb, the north Bengal development affairs minister, said over the phone from Calcutta: “Our intention now is to expedite the formation of the new mayor-in-council and see to it that the mayor, chairperson and deputy mayor assume their offices at the earliest.”
Parishad 6 join Trinamul tea wing - Leaders leave tribal outfit as ‘it cannot achieve labourers’ demands’
TT, Siliguri/Jaigaon, June 27: Six Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad leaders, including four state committee members, have joined the tea trade union of the Trinamul Congress “to bring in change in the socio-economic conditions” of labourers.
Although the six leaders joined the Trinamul Tea Plantation Workers’ Union, they will continue to be with the Parishad. They had never been part of the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union, the Parishad’s tea union.
“As the Parishad is a social organisation, its Progressive Tea Workers’ Union lacks the support of any political party needed to achieve labourers’ demands through collective bargaining,” Rajesh Lakra, the former state organising secretary of the Parishad, said today.
Apart from Lakra, three other state committee members of the Parishad — Jerome Lakra, Parimal Laghun and Amit Tirkey — also left the Parishad.
Lakra was the Parishad-backed JMM candidate in Birpara-Madarihat in the Assembly polls
“Considering the programmes announced by the new government and the chief minister, we are confident that Trinamul and its trade union can bring in a change in the socio-economic condition of labourers. For decades, we had been demanding better job conditions and socio-economic development of Adivasis in tea gardens. But the Left Front government paid no heed to our pleas.”
The Parishad had formed the tea union more than a year ago to address the grievances of workers in the Dooars. The tribal outfit launched its own union as it felt that the Citu and the Intuc were not doing enough to address garden dwellers’ problems. Most of the garden labourers in the Dooars are Adivasis.
Bipin Barla from Madarihat and Lawrence Ekka from Birpara are the two Dooars leaders who have joined Trinamul’s tea workers’ union.
All the six joined the Trinamul labour wing at an event organised by the Indian National Trinamul Trade Union Congress at Dhupguri on Saturday. Inttuc state president Dola Sen was also present at the event.
“The Trinamul trade union had almost no base in the brew belt in the Dooars before the Assembly polls. But a lot of workers have been attracted to the Inttuc because of pro-people policies adopted by the new government in the past one-and-a-half months. We have already formed units in 25 gardens in the Dooars and soon, leaders of the Parishad, Citu and other trade unions, expressed their wish to join the Trinamul tea union,” said Joakim Buxla, the Jalpaiguri district president of the Inttuc.
The Parishad leadership has refused to attach much importance to the departure of the six.
“None of these leaders were with the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union and were hardly active in organisational activities. Their induction into the Trinamul tea union doesn’t suggest the erosion of our base in the brew belt,” said Shukra Munda, the president of the Parishad union.
Parishad state president Birsa Tirkey said the organisation had no plans to take action against the six leaders.
“The Parishad is a voluntary and social organisation. There is no problem if any Parishad member joins a trade union or a political party. We can, however, think of action if their activities go against the interests of the tribal population,” he said over the phone from Calcutta.
मुख्य गरी आफ्ना छोरा छोरीहरूलाई लिएर अभिभावकहरू सचेत बन्नुपर्ने देखिएको छ। छोरा छोरीलाई दिइएको स्वतन्त्रता नै अभिभावकको घॉंटीको पासो बन्न अघि नै अभिभावकहरूले छोराछोरीहरूलाई तइनमा ल्याउने काम गरिहाल्नु पर्ने देखिएको छ।
Kalimpong sport dreams get boost - Panel formed to develop Mela Ground
RAJEEV RAVIDAS, TT, Kalimpong, June 27: A cross-section of the society in Kalimpong has come together to transform the Mela Ground here into a modern playing arena.
A committee comprising representatives of the administration, sports bodies and schools and a few individuals has been formed to oversee the development of the ground, which is the only public venue for sports in town.
“The idea behind forming the Mela Ground Development Committee is to develop the field from all aspects. The ground is the only public venue for sport activities in Kalimpong and it is the responsibility of all residents to ensure its transformation into a modern sporting facility,” said Urgen Lama (Mini), a former footballer and the working president of the Kalimpong Sports Association.
Lama is on a seven-member technical sub-committee formed by the MGDC to suggest ways and means to develop the ground. Kalimpong subdivisional officer L.N. Sherpa is the head of the Mela development committee.
“We will look at the status of the ground and then decide what could be done about it. We will submit our preliminary report on July 9 and take it from there,” said Upendra Mani Pradhan, the convener of the sub-committee and a town planner.
The most important task before the ground development committee is to increase the size of the playing field to make it suitable to host football matches of international standard.
The Mela Ground is 107 metre-long and 59 metre-wide. The internationally accepted size of a football pitch is 105 metres in length and 68 metres in breadth.
“The length of the Mela Ground is not a problem, but the width is. Ideally, we would want the ground to be 64 metre wide,” said Lama.
The ground’s width cannot be increased beyond 64 metre because of space crunch.
Drainage is another problem area given that football matches are held in the hills during the monsoon. It is common to see matches being played under slushy conditions with pools of water in different parts of the ground.
“The water logging makes it difficult to conduct football matches,” said Pranay Mani Silal, the secretary of the KSA.
The Mela Ground has a sandy surface, not a grassy pitch.
Before the concrete stands were constructed in the 1980s, the sitting area used to be a grass land.
A dressing room for the players was built in one corner of the ground less than year ago.
“Yes, a lot needs to be done to improve the Mela Ground for both players and spectators. I welcome the initiative to develop the ground,” said Samten Kabo, a former footballer and treasurer of the Kalimpong Veterans’ Club.
The biggest challenge before Lama and the team would be to generate funds for the development of the ground. The Mela development panel members were not very forthcoming on how they would go about organising the money to carry out works. A member said once a development blueprint was in place, it would be easier to look for funds.
Siliguri mayor, chairperson resign
TT, AVIJIT SINHA Siliguri, June 27: The mayor and the chairperson of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation resigned today, paving the way for the formation of a new civic board to be run jointly by the Congress and Trinamul.
The resignation of mayor Gangotri Dutta means that the office of the deputy mayor as well as the seven members-mayor-in-council stand dissolved. The Congress and the Trinamul Congress will share equally the posts in the new 10-member board to be formed.
“Under the party’s instruction, I have dissolved the mayor-in-council and tendered my resignation at 2pm today. The chairperson, too, has tendered her resignation,” Dutta, who is from the Congress, told journalists after submitting her resignation. “From today, the civic body will be run by the commissioner and we will no longer enjoy the rights and privileges (that we were entitled to in accordance with the posts) as our resignations have been accepted.”
The Congress and Trinamul had contested as allies and won the Siliguri Municipal Corporation in September 2009 by smashing the Left hold that existed for 28 years. But the two parties did not form the board jointly because they failed to reach a consensus over the posts of mayor and chairperson. Both the parties filed nominations for the two posts, with the Congress emerging winners with the backing of 17 Left councillors who form the principal Opposition.
Since then, the Congress, despite having only 15 councillors, has been running the SMC. Trinamul with 14 of its councillors have been sitting outside. Last year, before the budget in April, the Congress had assured Trinamul that the mayor and chairperson would step down so that a new board could be formed. But no changes were seen.
“However, it was different this year. We made it clear that a concrete step should be taken by the Congress regarding the joint board formation to ensure that we back them in the budget. As part of the process, the mayor dissolved her council and both she and the chairperson submitted their resignations,” Krishna Pal, a senior Trinamul councillor, said. “We are waiting for our leader, councillor and state minister Gautam Deb to arrive here tomorrow and will then decide our further course of action.”
Trinamul sources said the party wanted the posts of four members-mayor-in-council and the deputy mayor. “For these posts, the names of Krishna Pal, Arindam Mitra, Dulal Dutta, Joydip Nandi, Ranjan Silsharma and Maitrayee Chakraborty are making rounds. The shortlisting would be done soon,” a Trinamul source said.
The source also said Trinamul wanted portfolios like PWD, urban poverty alleviation, conservancy and environment, electricity and sports, health and population project, trade licence, culture and education, general administration and vehicles.
SMC commissioner P.N. Bhutia, a WBCS officer, said he had intimated the secretary of state municipal affairs department in Calcutta about the resignations.
“We are awaiting instructions to pass the vote-on-account to meet expenses until the new mayor and chairperson assume offices. The full-fledged budget would be placed and passed then,” he said.
Darjeeling district president Shankar Malakar said the ball had finally started rolling and the portfolios would be distributed soon. Gautam Deb, the north Bengal development affairs minister, said over the phone from Calcutta: “Our intention now is to expedite the formation of the new mayor-in-council and see to it that the mayor, chairperson and deputy mayor assume their offices at the earliest.”
Parishad 6 join Trinamul tea wing - Leaders leave tribal outfit as ‘it cannot achieve labourers’ demands’
TT, Siliguri/Jaigaon, June 27: Six Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad leaders, including four state committee members, have joined the tea trade union of the Trinamul Congress “to bring in change in the socio-economic conditions” of labourers.
Although the six leaders joined the Trinamul Tea Plantation Workers’ Union, they will continue to be with the Parishad. They had never been part of the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union, the Parishad’s tea union.
“As the Parishad is a social organisation, its Progressive Tea Workers’ Union lacks the support of any political party needed to achieve labourers’ demands through collective bargaining,” Rajesh Lakra, the former state organising secretary of the Parishad, said today.
Apart from Lakra, three other state committee members of the Parishad — Jerome Lakra, Parimal Laghun and Amit Tirkey — also left the Parishad.
Lakra was the Parishad-backed JMM candidate in Birpara-Madarihat in the Assembly polls
“Considering the programmes announced by the new government and the chief minister, we are confident that Trinamul and its trade union can bring in a change in the socio-economic condition of labourers. For decades, we had been demanding better job conditions and socio-economic development of Adivasis in tea gardens. But the Left Front government paid no heed to our pleas.”
The Parishad had formed the tea union more than a year ago to address the grievances of workers in the Dooars. The tribal outfit launched its own union as it felt that the Citu and the Intuc were not doing enough to address garden dwellers’ problems. Most of the garden labourers in the Dooars are Adivasis.
Bipin Barla from Madarihat and Lawrence Ekka from Birpara are the two Dooars leaders who have joined Trinamul’s tea workers’ union.
All the six joined the Trinamul labour wing at an event organised by the Indian National Trinamul Trade Union Congress at Dhupguri on Saturday. Inttuc state president Dola Sen was also present at the event.
“The Trinamul trade union had almost no base in the brew belt in the Dooars before the Assembly polls. But a lot of workers have been attracted to the Inttuc because of pro-people policies adopted by the new government in the past one-and-a-half months. We have already formed units in 25 gardens in the Dooars and soon, leaders of the Parishad, Citu and other trade unions, expressed their wish to join the Trinamul tea union,” said Joakim Buxla, the Jalpaiguri district president of the Inttuc.
The Parishad leadership has refused to attach much importance to the departure of the six.
“None of these leaders were with the Progressive Tea Workers’ Union and were hardly active in organisational activities. Their induction into the Trinamul tea union doesn’t suggest the erosion of our base in the brew belt,” said Shukra Munda, the president of the Parishad union.
Parishad state president Birsa Tirkey said the organisation had no plans to take action against the six leaders.
“The Parishad is a voluntary and social organisation. There is no problem if any Parishad member joins a trade union or a political party. We can, however, think of action if their activities go against the interests of the tribal population,” he said over the phone from Calcutta.
Day 21 - visit of CM Chamling
Prabin Khaling, KalimNews, Gyalshing, 27 June: On the 21st day of his village to village tour the Hon’ble Chief Minister Mr. Pawan Chamling started from Legship Sec. School to wrap up his tour of west Sikkim on 27th June 2011 . Addressing the gathering he said that he had basically come to gather the knowhow at the lowest of the work done and those yet to be done by his government and also to bring the bureaucrats to see the field reality. His village to village tour was an initiative to bring about direct democracy, he said. Talking on the education system of Sikkim, he said that it is not up to the standard required specially in subjects like English and math hence, in order the increase the efficiency of the teaching faculty, the government has initiated the policy of monthly “Evaluation of Teachers” by the students. Based on this evaluation good teachers will also be rewarded and at the same time drawback can also be traced. Further he said that it also becomes the duty of students to utilize all the good facilities that the government have provided to them and try to make their future by themselves.
He also stressed on the fact that the failure of the students is not only the responsibity of the teachers but the society as a whole. The police department was directed to be diligent in cases of drug abuse in the society, institutions and offices and anyone found indulging in such cases should be appropriately punished. He appealed to the public to shoulder the burden of making Sikkim a drug free State which has become the major problem of the state and nation.” Good citizens will become successful citizens” hence all students should try to be good from within. He said that knowledge should not be certificate oriented but value based with inputs of skill and capacity building.
Expressing his dissatisfaction over the low quality of computers being supplied to the schools, he directed the concern department to initiate departmental enquiry on the supplier and all goods supplied to the school should be of good quality. Henceforth, he directed the school heads not compromise on quality. Until and unless everyone is made responsible and answerable such discrepancies will occur. He declared that any MR employees attaining the age of 58 years shall be given one and a half year monetary benefits if they want to retire.
Referring to the employees he appealed them to dedicate their service at their best for the welfare of the people and the development of the society. Adding to it he said if anyone is not satisfied with his work they are welcome to resign. He reiterated that his government is working towards the goal of making Sikkim into a beautiful, self-sufficient and advance state by the year 2015 and its people self sufficient and prosperous.
The chief minister also condoled with the relatives of the victims of the landslide in which 16 lives were lost and a two minute silence was also observed for the departed souls. All depts. were asked to render whatever aid they could to the families and the houses destroyed would also be rebuilt.
He said that Sikkim is a peaceful state and it is the responsibility of every citizen to maintain this peace and development always. The chief minister also sponsored Miss Purni Hangma Subba of Langang JHS for the eye treatment.
Bijoy Gurung, TT, Gangtok, June 27: Gangtok’s pub culture has given space to heavy metal headbangers with a Darjeeling-based company kick starting a monthly festival at Café Live & Loud where local bands can jam up with national and international performers.
The first edition, Metal Mayhem, I saw electrifying performance by Kathmandu outfit Kaalo Din and Darjeeling’s Dark Murder Scheme on Saturday evening. The two bands were invited by Defenders of Metal, an event management company based in Darjeeling, to expose the Gangtok crowd to a rather dark genre of rock music.
“We are starting a pub festival in Gangtok. We will have big acts and people can experience good metal music which is slowly becoming popular here. We plan to organise the event once in three months initially. But if things go as planned, it will be a monthly event where bands from Sikkim and Darjeeling will perform side by side with top metal bands from other parts of the country and outside,” said Defenders of Metal’s events head Hojo.
In a three-hour performance, Dark Murder Scheme screamed and removed the monsoon-induced lethargy of a 100-odd crowd before Kalo Din took the stage and enthralled the people with symphonic black metal.
“It was nice playing here and we had fun. The crowd response was okay for a pub,” said Dark Murder Scheme vocalist Animesh Sinha. The other members of the band formed in 2008 are Abhigya Bharati (guitar), Reshav Khawas (bass) and Triratna Moktan (drums).
Sinha said heavy metal bands got limited options to play in Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills and it was always a welcome to get offers to do gigs in pubs. “We play only in such organised events. There is limited space for our kind of music,” he said.
“The objective is to have an exchange of music knowledge between bands of Sikkim and Darjeeling and others. We will bring in top bands and our local boys will also gain by sharing dais with them. There are chances that bands in Sikkim and Darjeeling hills will get invitations to play in other parts of the country,” said Hojo.
The Defenders of Metal has already booked Kalo Din for a performance at a Guwahati pub tomorrow.
“This is the first time we are playing in Gangtok. We have heard a lot about the natural beauty of Sikkim but we didn’t know that metal is popular here. Back in Nepal, heavy metal is an underground scene but is developing rapidly. We are happy to be invited by Hojo to play here,” said band lead guitarist Davin Shakya.
The other members of the band who played on Saturday were Sanjay Mahajan (vocals), Omeo (guitarist), Bikash Rai (bassist), Ashish Senchury (keyboard player) and Gobind Senchury (drum).
Kalo Din already has an album under its belt and is working on a second product to be released in October.
Defenders of Metal is planning a gathering of international metalheads in Darjeeling later this year. “We are organising another event titled Underground Unleashed from September 30 to October 2 in Darjeeling where 12 international bands from the UK and the USA, Poland and other countries will play,” said Hojo.
Tibetan struggle framed for Gen X
VIVEK CHHETRI, TT, Darjeeling, June 27: The Dalai Lama’s journey over the freezing Himalayas was an arduous trek but more than 50 years later, the stories continue to inspire the Tibetans as history captured in frames travels across the country in the form of an exhibition.
Since January 2010, the Dharamsala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has been unravelling the unseen stories of Tibet — before, during, and after the Chinese “invasion” through photographs.
In 1949, the People’s Liberation Army of China marched into Tibet’s eastern provinces of Kham and Amdo and seized control over the region. Two years later, a 17-point agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet was “forced” upon the Tibetan government and its people. Ultimately in 1959, the Tibetan uprising was crushed by the Chinese army forcing the Dalai Lama to flee to India with some 80,000 followers.
The purpose of “a photo exhibition on 50 years in exile – Tibet Experience” is to remind the younger generation, who have never been to their payul (fatherland), of the struggles of their community elders.
Tenzin Chemey, the in-charge of the CTA museum in Dharamsala, said: “We are trying to tell the stories of our community, the struggles of the elders and their feelings through this travelling exhibition. We have visited 19 places so far and the exhibition will end by September this year.”
Every aspect of Tibet’s history has been depicted: from the rare photographs of the marching Chinese army in front of the Potala palace — the seat of Dalai Lama in Lhasa — to the vignettes of a the full-scale guerrilla war in eastern Tibet raged by the fighters from Kham. The Tibetan fighters had started the Chushi Gangdruk (Four Rivers, Six Ranges) guerrilla movement in 1957.
Rare photographs of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet to his entourage’s entry into Bomdilla in Arunachal Pradesh escorted by the Indian army have been put for public display in the office of the Tibetan Welfare Officer.
“I had never seen these photographs, which are hair raising. My resolve to be part of the free-Tibet movement has become even stronger,” said Tashi Bhutia, a Tibetan who has never been to his fatherland.
The stories are however not just confined to the Tibet in the 1950s. The community’s struggle in setting up settlements — there are now 39 such centres in India and 19 in Nepal and Bhutan — and life in a different country too have been captured.
From a Tibetan’s life as a daily wage earner in road construction to the building of a community in terms of providing education, developing human resources and imparting skill development training, the exhibition is a complete story of the Tibetans.
“We are not just trying to present the 50 years in exile but also trying to look forward towards achieving our goals through this exhibition,” said Chemey.
Court martial begins
TT, Guwahati, June 27: The general court martial of former military secretary Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash, accused in the Sukna land scam, began at the headquarters of the Army’s 51 sub-area at Narengi in Guwahati today.
This comes seven months after another general indicted in the case, Lt Gen. P.K. Rath, was found guilty by a court martial in Shillong. Gen. Prakash has been charged with attempt to defraud, unbecoming conduct and abuse of military position while trying to favour realtor Dilip Agarwal for building an educational institute on a piece of land adjacent to Sukna military station.
Baby found
TT, Alipurduar: A one-and-half year old baby was found abandoned inside the Guwahati-bound Jhajha Express on Sunday night. The train guards handed over the baby boy to the GRP personnel in Jorai station. The child was taken to a hospital in Rampur for a check-up. Investigations are on to trace his parents.
Garden attack
TT, Alipurduar: Kandru Santhal, a resident of Chuapara tea estate, was mauled by a leopard on Monday. Santhal was working in the garden when the animal attacked him. He has been admitted to the Alipurduar subdivisional hospital.
Elephant raid
TT, Jaigaon: A tusker damaged four huts at Khasbusty in Nagrakata block on Sunday night. Foresters of Nagrakata range said the elephant has returned to a nearby forest after the raid.
Deer rescued
TT, Alipurduar: An adult barking deer was rescued from Goabarnagar village in Falakata block on Monday. Foresters of Dalgaon range later released the animal in the Dalgaon forest.
Vet for jumbo
TT, Alipurduar: S.K. Ghosh, the veterinary officer of Alipore Zoo in Calcutta, reached the Gorumara National Park on Monday to treat an elephant that was injured by a train on Saturday night. Two elephants were injured after being hit by the express train at Diana bridge near Banarhat.
Headbangers hit Gangtok
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| Darjeeling band Dark Murder Scheme performs in Gangtok on Saturday. Picture by Prabin Khaling |
The first edition, Metal Mayhem, I saw electrifying performance by Kathmandu outfit Kaalo Din and Darjeeling’s Dark Murder Scheme on Saturday evening. The two bands were invited by Defenders of Metal, an event management company based in Darjeeling, to expose the Gangtok crowd to a rather dark genre of rock music.
“We are starting a pub festival in Gangtok. We will have big acts and people can experience good metal music which is slowly becoming popular here. We plan to organise the event once in three months initially. But if things go as planned, it will be a monthly event where bands from Sikkim and Darjeeling will perform side by side with top metal bands from other parts of the country and outside,” said Defenders of Metal’s events head Hojo.
In a three-hour performance, Dark Murder Scheme screamed and removed the monsoon-induced lethargy of a 100-odd crowd before Kalo Din took the stage and enthralled the people with symphonic black metal.
“It was nice playing here and we had fun. The crowd response was okay for a pub,” said Dark Murder Scheme vocalist Animesh Sinha. The other members of the band formed in 2008 are Abhigya Bharati (guitar), Reshav Khawas (bass) and Triratna Moktan (drums).
Sinha said heavy metal bands got limited options to play in Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills and it was always a welcome to get offers to do gigs in pubs. “We play only in such organised events. There is limited space for our kind of music,” he said.
“The objective is to have an exchange of music knowledge between bands of Sikkim and Darjeeling and others. We will bring in top bands and our local boys will also gain by sharing dais with them. There are chances that bands in Sikkim and Darjeeling hills will get invitations to play in other parts of the country,” said Hojo.
The Defenders of Metal has already booked Kalo Din for a performance at a Guwahati pub tomorrow.
“This is the first time we are playing in Gangtok. We have heard a lot about the natural beauty of Sikkim but we didn’t know that metal is popular here. Back in Nepal, heavy metal is an underground scene but is developing rapidly. We are happy to be invited by Hojo to play here,” said band lead guitarist Davin Shakya.
The other members of the band who played on Saturday were Sanjay Mahajan (vocals), Omeo (guitarist), Bikash Rai (bassist), Ashish Senchury (keyboard player) and Gobind Senchury (drum).
Kalo Din already has an album under its belt and is working on a second product to be released in October.
Defenders of Metal is planning a gathering of international metalheads in Darjeeling later this year. “We are organising another event titled Underground Unleashed from September 30 to October 2 in Darjeeling where 12 international bands from the UK and the USA, Poland and other countries will play,” said Hojo.
Tibetan struggle framed for Gen X
 |
| The photographs in the exhibition in Darjeeling. Picture by Suman Tamang |
Since January 2010, the Dharamsala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has been unravelling the unseen stories of Tibet — before, during, and after the Chinese “invasion” through photographs.
In 1949, the People’s Liberation Army of China marched into Tibet’s eastern provinces of Kham and Amdo and seized control over the region. Two years later, a 17-point agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet was “forced” upon the Tibetan government and its people. Ultimately in 1959, the Tibetan uprising was crushed by the Chinese army forcing the Dalai Lama to flee to India with some 80,000 followers.
The purpose of “a photo exhibition on 50 years in exile – Tibet Experience” is to remind the younger generation, who have never been to their payul (fatherland), of the struggles of their community elders.
Tenzin Chemey, the in-charge of the CTA museum in Dharamsala, said: “We are trying to tell the stories of our community, the struggles of the elders and their feelings through this travelling exhibition. We have visited 19 places so far and the exhibition will end by September this year.”
Every aspect of Tibet’s history has been depicted: from the rare photographs of the marching Chinese army in front of the Potala palace — the seat of Dalai Lama in Lhasa — to the vignettes of a the full-scale guerrilla war in eastern Tibet raged by the fighters from Kham. The Tibetan fighters had started the Chushi Gangdruk (Four Rivers, Six Ranges) guerrilla movement in 1957.
Rare photographs of the Dalai Lama’s escape from Tibet to his entourage’s entry into Bomdilla in Arunachal Pradesh escorted by the Indian army have been put for public display in the office of the Tibetan Welfare Officer.
“I had never seen these photographs, which are hair raising. My resolve to be part of the free-Tibet movement has become even stronger,” said Tashi Bhutia, a Tibetan who has never been to his fatherland.
The stories are however not just confined to the Tibet in the 1950s. The community’s struggle in setting up settlements — there are now 39 such centres in India and 19 in Nepal and Bhutan — and life in a different country too have been captured.
From a Tibetan’s life as a daily wage earner in road construction to the building of a community in terms of providing education, developing human resources and imparting skill development training, the exhibition is a complete story of the Tibetans.
“We are not just trying to present the 50 years in exile but also trying to look forward towards achieving our goals through this exhibition,” said Chemey.
Court martial begins
TT, Guwahati, June 27: The general court martial of former military secretary Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash, accused in the Sukna land scam, began at the headquarters of the Army’s 51 sub-area at Narengi in Guwahati today.
This comes seven months after another general indicted in the case, Lt Gen. P.K. Rath, was found guilty by a court martial in Shillong. Gen. Prakash has been charged with attempt to defraud, unbecoming conduct and abuse of military position while trying to favour realtor Dilip Agarwal for building an educational institute on a piece of land adjacent to Sukna military station.
Baby found
TT, Alipurduar: A one-and-half year old baby was found abandoned inside the Guwahati-bound Jhajha Express on Sunday night. The train guards handed over the baby boy to the GRP personnel in Jorai station. The child was taken to a hospital in Rampur for a check-up. Investigations are on to trace his parents.
Garden attack
TT, Alipurduar: Kandru Santhal, a resident of Chuapara tea estate, was mauled by a leopard on Monday. Santhal was working in the garden when the animal attacked him. He has been admitted to the Alipurduar subdivisional hospital.
Elephant raid
TT, Jaigaon: A tusker damaged four huts at Khasbusty in Nagrakata block on Sunday night. Foresters of Nagrakata range said the elephant has returned to a nearby forest after the raid.
Deer rescued
TT, Alipurduar: An adult barking deer was rescued from Goabarnagar village in Falakata block on Monday. Foresters of Dalgaon range later released the animal in the Dalgaon forest.
Vet for jumbo
TT, Alipurduar: S.K. Ghosh, the veterinary officer of Alipore Zoo in Calcutta, reached the Gorumara National Park on Monday to treat an elephant that was injured by a train on Saturday night. Two elephants were injured after being hit by the express train at Diana bridge near Banarhat.
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