Ghisingh remembered by close aides and relatives

EOI, DARJEELING, 30 Jan 2015: Those who knew Subash Ghisingh from close quarters will remember him as the man who propounded the identity of the Indian Gorkhas to the world and an authority on the very word “Gorkhaland”. Others will remember him as a soft spoken, simple father-figure when not immersed in politics. His death has brought to the end an era in the politics of Darjeeling. 

“He was humble and very simple at home and loved us like his family. My parents died when I was very young, but I feel like an orphan only now,” said Shivraj Thapa, the Darjeeling Sadar II convener of the Gorkha National Liberation Front. Thapa, in his late forties now, joined the GNLF in 1986 to take forward the struggle for a separate state. “I was maybe 17 or 18 when I joined the GNLF party. It was Appa’s personality and dedication that drew me to him,” he said.

Thapa also remembers Ghisingh as a man who kept politics away from his personal life. “He never spoke ill of anyone, even his political adversaries. He always asked us to wait for the right moment and concentrate on

our own agenda instead of indulging in mud-slinging. These are traits one hardly sees in other leaders nowadays,” remarked Thapa.

Ghisingh’s niece, Durga Limbu, is still to get over the shock of his uncle’s death and rues not being able to be by his side when the end came. “I last spoke to him in October when he was admitted in a Delhi hospital. He was very simple at home and never talked about politics with us. He was not a strict person and he never spoke a lot. He would always give us advice with references of real life,” recalled Durga today at the GNLF president’s Dr, Zakir Hussain Road residence where his body was brought from Delhi.

The GNLF chief was very health conscious and advised others to forsake non-vegetarian food and learn to meditate instead in order to keep the mind clear and focused. “Kaka always used to urge us to maintain our health by eating green vegetables. He used to meditate and read spiritual books and advised us to do likewise. I now realise why he was never agitated and aggressive even in the most trying of circumstances in his life,” said Saraswati Limbu, another of Ghisingh’s four nieces.

Former GNLF MLA Pranay Rai described Ghisingh as someone who would be remembered as one of the tallest leaders of Darjeeling. “He was a dynamic leader. It was because of Ghisingh that the hills witnessed a

political awakening. It won’t be wrong to say that Ghisingh is the authority who propounded the identity of the Gorkhas to the country

and the world,” said Rai.

Ghisingh has left behind sons Mohan and Sagar and daughter Uma. His wife Dhan Kumari died in 2010.