Madan Tamang's Assassination In Darjeeling – GJM’s Ugly Character Out In The Open

The real character of Bimal Gurung’s Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) – i.e. an ugly and nasty one – came out in the open with the dreadful murder of All India Gorkha League president Madan Tamang on 21st May 2010, in the picturesque hill town of Darjeeling in north Bengal.

GJM had already proved its ruffian character through the various acts of hooliganism that it was conducting in the name of Gorkhaland movement. It had already turned the “Queen of Hills” Darjeeling into a hell, turning this once darling of tourists into a nightmare for visitors.

But the terribly shocking assassination of Madan Tamang (who was hacked to death by suspected GJM supporters) is different from the other uncivilized activities of GJM. No, not in terms of the seriousness of the offence. The significance of Tamang’s assassination lies in the fact that Tamang’s All India Gorkha League actually belongs to the same “ilk” to which GJM belongs, i.e. both the parties are fighting for a separate Gorkhaland state. In that sense, Tamang’s party and GJM are actually supplementary to each other.

But still GJM supremo Bimal Gurung ordered his followers to kill Tamang. Why? Because he wants to keep only his GJM in the forefront of the so-called Gorkhaland movement, without letting any other party to come in the limelight. For Bimal Gurung what is more important is to establish himself as the one and only leader of the Gorkhaland movement, even if that results in the isolation of other similar groups, eventually resulting in the weakness of the Gorkhaland movement as a whole. This is because Bimal Gurung’s ultimate objective is not merely the establishment of a separate Gorkhaland state, but becoming the first Chief Minister of that state.

In fact, this is true about all the leaders of the so-called Gorkhaland movement. Whether it is Subhash Ghising (who actually started the movement in the mid 1980s) or Bimal Gurung, none of the Gorkhaland movement leaders has any headache for their Gorkha brothers and sisters. And they are certainly not trying to set up a separate state for addressing the so-called “discrimination” that the Gorkha community is facing in West Bengal. Actually all these leaders are fighting only for their own interests. Officially they are claiming that they want a separate state for the Gorkhas as only a state of their own can ensure the optimum growth and development of the Gorkha community of West Bengal. But in reality these leaders want a separate Gorkhaland so that they can have a fiefdom of their own, where they can lead the lives of demi-gods.

If at all the Gorkhaland movement becomes successful and a separate Gorkhaland state is set up, even then there will be no drastic development in the lives of the ordinary Gorkha people of Darjeeling. Did a separate Jharkhand bring any drastic change in the lives of the ordinary tribals, for whose development that state had originally been claimed?

And finally, a humble question for the educated and cultured members of the Nepali community of Darjeeling.

My dear brothers and sisters, will you people still continue to support a ruffian like Bimal Gurung? Do you people understand that voicing support for such a devilish person is actually disgraceful for yourselves? Can a hooligan like Bimal Gurung be really your leader? Just ask your own mind, and you will get the answer.

Kudos To Ms Gowri Mohanakrishnan For Her Blog - SEVENTH CHORDS

There are several bloggers whose blogs I like, and regularly follow. But one blogger whose blog I not only regularly follow but also love like anything is Ms. Gowri Mohanakrishnan. And the blog that I am referring to is “Seventh Chords – The Journal of an Indian Tea Planter's Wife” (link http://seventhchords.blogspot.com/).

Some background

So what exactly do I love about the blog? Actually Ms Gowri is settled in the Dooars area of West Bengal. It is that area which is blessed with exotic natural beauty in the forms of lush green forests, hill stations (one of which is the famous Darjeeling) and tea gardens. In fact, Ms Gowri’s husband himself is associated with tea plantation (as evident from her blog).

Now, I have a very special link with this part of West Bengal. No, not merely because West Bengal is my home state (though now I am settled in Delhi). But because my ancestral place lies in Jalpaiguri in the northern part of West Bengal, where Dooars and Terai are located. And like most of the “North Bengal families”, our family also has had a close link with the jungles, mountains, tea estates, etc. of this area. My grandfather was a regular hunter with the credit of various game huntings (from clouded leopard to deer and sambars) in the jungles of this area. My uncle (husband of my eldest paternal aunt) was in the Indian Forest Service of the West Bengal cadre, and eventually rose to the topmost position. Thanks to his job, since my childhood I have had so many opportunities to explore these areas, apart from other jungles located in the other parts of West Bengal. And I also had a good exposure to tea gardens, as one of my father’s close friends was a tea garden manager.

So this explains my close link with this area, affectionately called “North Bengal” by the people of West Bengal. Though my father had settled down in Calcutta even before I was born, and I eventually grew up in this city, I always enjoyed a close relationship with North Bengal. As since my childhood I used to regularly visit Jalpaiguri and other beautiful places in this region. This continued till 2001, when I shifted to Delhi for career reasons. Since then I have managed to visit North Bengal just once, in the December of 2002.

So precisely why is Ms Gowri’s blog so appealing to me?

While I always enjoyed the beauty of Dooars and adjacent areas, I was not merely content with it. I always had this wish to promote this exotic place beyond the boundary of West Bengal (and also beyond the boundary of India). Once I had tried to satisfy this dream by sending a write up to a West Bengal-based magazine. We were just back from an exciting trip to North Bengal, covering all the major jungles, hill stations, etc. I prepared a huge write up, and sent the same (with lots of photos) to the magazine's office. Unfortunately it was not published. Probably the quality of the write up was not at par with the standard of the magazine. Anyways, that marked the end of my effort to promote my dear North Bengal.

After that I have continuously tried to promote this area, but that has been mainly verbal promotion (i.e. talking about the area while having a chat with somebody). But the wish to make that promotion through media (magazines, travel web sites, etc) has remained unfulfilled. I in fact had nurtured the dream of having a blog on North Bengal. But I could not go ahead, as such a blog can be run by a person who either stays there or visits the area regularly (and as I said, now I hardly get the chance to visit the area).

And this unfulfilled dream of mine has been fulfilled by Ms Gowri. Through her blog she is sharing with the world the various interesting incidents, stories, developments, etc, in Dooars area, coupled with excellent photos. And so many people across the country are today getting the opportunity to know about this place. And hats off to her writing style. It is so attractive and juicy that it can turn even an insipid topic into a highly interesting one. Naturally, that makes her descriptions more interesting.

There are many who stay in exotic places. But most (not all) of them prefer to enjoy the beauty of the place themselves, rather than sharing the joy with others. Ms Gowri could have easily led a relaxed life, centered around her family and the social life confined within the tea garden executives and their families. But being a creative person, she preferred to share the joy of living in this beautiful place through an equally beautiful blog.

Madam, you are doing exactly what I had wanted to do. I had a long pain for not being able to do anything to promote my beautiful ancestral place, and you have given me a relief from that pain. I am so grateful to you.

Keep enjoying the beauty of North Bengal, and keep sharing the joy with the world. All the best!