Shadow of sorrow in Kalimpong with scaled down I-Day celebrations

Amitava Banerjee | MP | 14 August 2020 | Darjeeling: A cloud of sadness has descended upon the town of Kalimpong with the hill town having to scale down the unique Independence Day celebrations owing to the ongoing pandemic. Independence Day celebrations is a two-day affair in Kalimpong, nothing short of Dussehra or Diwali. 

"What Dussehra is for some places and Diwali for others, Independence Day is for Kalimpong. It heralds in the festive season. From early days, Kalimpong has been known for the two-day long celebrations. 

"However, this year we have scaled it down to a bare minimum, with a Prabhat Feri (early morning procession around town) and flag hoisting, maintaining social distancing and other protocols," stated Amit Basnet, convenor of the Independence Day Celebration Committee. 

"Earlier, local residents used to stitch new clothes and the tailors used to be busy well in advance. Now, it's the readymade garment stores. Earlier, hotels used to remain packed as people from Bhutan, Sikkim and even Nepal visited Kalimpong to watch the celebrations," stated Kailash Bagdas, a local resident. 

Independence Day means brisk business in the hill town. It is not just about celebrations. The local economy also gets a major boost owing to the celebrations. Many buy new clothes during Independence Day. 

Schools, colleges and other organisations usually present the salute at the Mela Ground in Kalimpong following which they take to the Dal Bahadur Giri Road, popular as the Main Road. 

Traffic is not allowed on the Main Road on August 15. Thousands of people line up on the roadsides and rooftops to watch the parade. Food stalls are put up all along the route. 

March past is the main attraction on August 15 along with the final of the Independence Day Football Tournament. 

On August 16, drill display and marching band display completions; cultural shows are held along with final of the school football tournament. 

This Independence Day, the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling, will be attempting to create a Guinness World Record. 

"In order to promote and popularise Himalayas, we are trying to create a world record through social media. 

"The record entails sharing photos taken on mountains by individuals between 4 pm and 5 pm on August 15, 2020. Photos have to be unique and could be selfies also," stated Group Captain Jai Kishan, principal, HMI. 

One has to register on the event in the "Mountains of India" page on Facebook to take part. 

(Courtesy & source- Millenium Post- Amitava Banerjee- http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/shadow-of-sorrow-in-kalimpong-with-scaled-down-i-day-celebrations-415517)