Demand for Gorkhaland is linked to the identity of Gorkhas all over India

Rajesh Sharma, PR, KalimNews, Dehradun, 29 September 2013: The demand for Gorkhaland is not limited to Gorkhas living in Darjeeling and surrounding areas but linked to the identity of Gorkhas all over India, especially places like Uttarakhand which have sizeable Gorkha population, eminent speakers at a seminar organised in Dehradun said today. 

The issue of identity is not just confined to Gorkhas of Darjeeling hills but Gorkhas from all over the country ie Uttarakhand, Himachal, Assam and North eastern states and through the seminar an effort has been made to spread the voice in a proper manner. 

Ganesh Joshi, MLA from Mussoorie also asserted that a strong message from Uttarakhand should go in support of the legitimate demand of Gorkhaland and assured that he would lead a rally in coming days in Dehradun endorsing the demand. 

Addressing a packed audience at the Gorkhali Sudhar Sabha here, Kalimpong MLA Harka Bahadur Chhetri also said that emotional integration of Gorkhas across the country would lend strength to the demand for Gorkhaland. 

In the seminar organised by the Darjeeling Foundation and moderated by senior journalist Swaraj Thapa, he said that boundaries create identities and giving shape to Gorkhaland would therefore go a long way in ending lingering doubts about Indian Gorkha identity. 

Indian Idol Runner up Kapil Thapa, who also relegated the crowd with a song that he has composed on Gorkhaland, said every Gorkha would get the benefit of Gorkhaland directly or indirectly. 

He said he faced discrimination the first time he went to Mumbai for the Indian idol contest when he was asked if he hailed from Nepal. 

“I was never asked this question when I was in the Indian army. But as soon as I left the army and entered the Indian Idol contest, my identity was questioned,” he said. 

Enlightening the audience about the aspects of the Gorkhaland demand, study forum member P Arjun said the demand was being led by the GJM in a democratic and non violent manner in Darjeeling and surrounding areas. 

He lauded the historical role played by Gorkhas from Uttarakhand in the freedom struggle pointing that Shahid Durga Malla was one such example who gave his life for the country when he fought against the British. 

Mr Arjun said that we all share a common problem and the solution of the problem has to come through a collective. 

Swaraj Thapa said it was important for Indian Gorkhas living in Uttarakhand and elsewhere to understand that the demand for separate state of Gorkhaland would help in resolving the identity issue faced by them. 

“The demand of Gorkhaland is synonymous with every Indian Gorkha living all over the country” he said. He added that Indian Gorkhas should be equal stakeholders in the progress and development of the country and this can be fulfilled only through a separate state of Gorkhaland. It is very unfortunate that we have to clarify very often saying that we are Indians despite the fact that we have left no stone unturned towards our contribution to nation building be it in the sphere of security, sports, academics etc. 

Harka Bahadur Chhetri said that the reason for holding the seminar in Dehradun was to tell Gorkhas living in Uttarakhand as to how their security is linked to the movement of Gorkhaland. He said lack of communication was one evil among Gorkhas which had hampered the realization of statehood and there was an urgent need to bridge this gap. 

We are often connected to Bengal and sometimes even with China and it through the medium of interactive seminars and discussions that we will come closer to solutions and find answer to our problems, Chhetri said. 

Among others who spoke at the seminar were Col Bhupendra Singh Chhetri and Col VK Sharma. The president of Gorkhali Sudhar Sabha, Col Bhagwan Singh Chhetri gave the welcome address and presented bouquets to the speakers. Different Gorkhali organisations based in Dehradun were present at the seminar which ended with an interactive question and answer session Ranjan Sharma, media coordinator said that the event was successful and more than 400 people attended the seminar. 

We interacted with the youth who had come to the seminar and learnt that the fire of identity crisis is equally intense amongst the youth here as amongst the youth of Darjeeling. We through the medium of Darjeeling Foundation are attempting to connect the dots and fill the vacuum so that the distance between Darjeeling and Uttarakhand is reduced and all the Gorkhas speak on one voice, with a collective team effort.