Kalimpong set for I-Day `festival'... MARCH-PAST AND GAMES LINED UP FOR TWO DAYS

TT, 14 August 2019, Darjeeling: Kalimpong is ready to play host to the biggest Independence Day celebration spread over two days in the region.

The celebration is considered as a "festival" by the residents of Kalimpong and this year will be no different.

Amir Basnet, the general secretary of the 73rd Independence Day Celebration Committee, said: "The main attraction on Independence Day will be the march-past in which 24 schools will participate. Parnami Balika Vidya Mandir, which is celebrating its platinum jubilee this year, will perform a drill as well. Various clubs and dance academies will perform during the day.

"This year, we will felicitate Tapan Kumar Pradhan, director of Saptashree Gyanpeeth, in the field of education, O.B. Das, former president of Indian Red Cross (Kalimpong), and Aron Yonzone, founder of Who Cares (a social organisation), along with district toppers in various board examinations," said Basnet.

The Kalimpong municipality chairman, Rabi Pradhan, will preside over the function. Certain quarters have raised objections to the fact that Darjeeling MP Raju Bista has not been invited.

Basnet, who is also a leader of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha's Binay Tamang camp, however, said there was no controversy. "The committee usually decides who will take the salute and it had mostly chosen public representatives in the past. This year, the committee decided on the chairman of Kalimpong municipality," said Basnet.

Last year, Binay Tamang, the then head of the GTA, had been invited to do the honours.

Apart from the march-past and the cultural events, the finals of the Independence Shield and D.P. Upasak Memorial Cup (inter school mini-division) will be held on August 15.

"For the Independence Shield, we had 16 teams from Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bihar, Assam, Bangalore, and Pune, apart from the hills," said Narendra Tamang, the treasurer of the Kalimpong District Sports Association.

The Independence Shield is being played since 1947, said Tamang.

On August 16, an inter-school band competition will be held. Nine schools will take part in the competition.

After the band competition, the finals of inter school girls and inter-school "C" Division and Senior Division finals will be played.

On Independence Day, vehicles will be barred from entering the town. "However, a help desk will be set up by the Chalak Mahasangh (drivers' association) to tackle any emergency in the town. Vehicles to other places, like Siliguri and Pedong-Lava, will ply from 9th Mile and 11th Mile, respectively," said Basnet.

Joint Forum convener 

The Joint Forum, a conglomeration of 26 tea trade unions, except that of the Trinamul Congress, has clarified that it doesn't have any convener/coordinator for the hills.

Earlier, J.B. Tamang had held the post. He was the president of the GNLF's trade union but quit the party and joined the Binay Tamang camp of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha recently.

After his switch, the forum has decided not to keep a convener for the hills.

(Source & Courtesy: The Telegraph https://epaper.telegraphindia.com/textview_286594_10554662_4_1_10_14-08-2019_72_1.html)