First Darj MP, Christian leader ,no more

Reza Pradhan, SNS, 7 April 2020: Ninety-seven-year-old Reverend Theodore Manaen, the first Member of Parliament from the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituenry, passed away at his residenceat Pradhan Nagar in Siliguri yesterday.

According to his close friends he died of old age and that his funeral service also held today in Siliguri amid a low key ceremony due to the lockdown.
Leaders cutting across party lines in the Hills expressed sadness at Manaen's demise."I am deeply saddened by the loss of our brave hero Rev. Theodore Manaen, the first Member of Parliament from Darjeeling Constituency. Please accept my heartfelt condolences, as words cannot begin to express the sadness I'm feeling right now. He will be truly missed and I will include him in my daily prayers. God rest his soul." said Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader BinoyTamang.

According to Mr Tamang, Manaen represented the Darjeeling constituency twice from 1957-67.

"Rev Manaen was also the first General Sectetary of the All India Congress during former Prime Minister Pt Nehru's regime and was a strong pillar of the congres. During the oath-taking ceremony, when she became the Prime Minister for the first time, Indira Gandhi garlanded Theodore Manaen as a mark of respect," said Mr. Tamang.

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista took to Facebook to express his sadness and said, "I extend my heartfelt conclolences to the family and friends of Rev Theodore Manaen. Today we have lost an icon from our region. It's a great loss for our Gorkha community too. May his light always guide us towards a just and equal society."

Expressing his condolences, fugitive Morcha leader Bimal Gurung said his death was"the end of an era.""He did not only contributed to pollitics in Darjeeling, but also through religion showed a path to the people." Mr Gurung said in a press statement.

Born on 6 June, 1922, Manaen was elected Darjeeling MP as an All India Gorkha League leader. He later joined the Indian National Congress. Later, he left politics and served his church. In the early 90s, he was also a Pastor and coordinator for the Eastern Himalayan Church Council under the United Church of Northern India (UCNI). 

In the early 90s he was also a Pastor and coordinator for the Eastern Himalayan Church Council under the United Church of Northern India (UCNI). He worked in churches in Darjeeling, Mirik and Siliguri. He was also the Moderator of the EHCCC during the late 1990s."He was a good person and it is a great loss for us. ‘We are saddened by his death. After leaving politics he was very active in our missionary. Due to government directives that people shouldnot gather in large numbers, only a few people attended his funeral in Siliguri, but we will later hold a memorial service for him." said the Pastor at the St Columba Church in Darjeeling, Rev Bed Dhimal.
(Source, Courtesy: The Statesman - https://epaper.thestatesman.com/2625286/Siliguri-The-Statesman/8TH-APRIL-2020#page/2/1 )

[KalimNews: Son of Manbir Singh Manaen, Theodore Manaen was born at Kurseong, and studied at St. Joseph’s College and passed I.A from Calcutta University and had 2 sons and 1 daughter. Before joining politics he worked as a school teacher in Boarding School (Nepali Girls HS School, Darjeeling) and use to stay at Eden Chine, Kutchery Road, Darjeeling.
In the second Loksabha election held in 1957 Manaen from AIGL supporting INC was elected MP of Darjeeling constituency. He got  60460 votes while Ratanlal Bharhmin of CPI got 49786 and Jatindra Nath Mitra, Independent  got 29483. AIGL supported INC 
During the third Lok Sabha election in 1962 he contested from AIGL INC and again got elected for the second time. Manaen got 66,129 votes while Shri Ratan Lal Brahman of CPI got 57,702 and  Shri Chandra Kanta Tamang of AIGL 46,127, Shri Biraja Mohan Bhattacharjee of Jan Sangh 11,730 and Shri Ram Nath Dubey Independent 7,070]