This one took a long time to come but not without a reason, reasons I may say. Firstly I took a one week off and went out on a vacation and then the following week I was coming in terms with the Delhi heat and my overcrowded desk. Now that I have finally overcome all hurdles, I will share my experiences from my one week trip to the Darjeeling or Gorkhaland as some people might want to call it.
Last few weeks have been pretty hectic for a regular Indian bloke who likes his share of prime time TV. With IPL and elections on his platter, he had more than one reasons to be happy. I wont get into the analysis of elections or the IPL.We have had enough posts on YouthPad and other websites on both of them. I am going to discuss a micro issue here. I have stayed in the North East India for four years. I always got a feeling that the people in North East India feel a little alienated and neglected by the Government of India. In my recent trip to Darjeeling, this belief was strengthened.
Darjeeling is a very pretty destination and I could not have possibly had a better respite from the Delhi heat. But in recent times it has been in news for all the wrong reasons. There has been a demand for a separate Gorkhaland from a certain section of the local population in Darjeeling. Their demand is not unreasonable. It is very convenient for us to sit in Delhi and comment on a situation in Darjeeling or Sri Lanka, but until and unless we can understand the complexity of the matter, we can never do justice to it. BJP says that it is committed to make smaller states in India, and in past have actually gone ahead in making Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttrakhand. In the recently concluded elections they made their support to the Telangana and Gorkhaland public. In an unprecedented move, Jaswant Singh contested from Darjeeling winning by an astounding margin. While I was In Darjeeling, I noticed posters of Jaswant Singh, GJM and BJP everywhere. Nowhere could you see posters of any other political party or leader. It speaks volumes of the pride and the fear which the Gorkhaland issue instills in the locals. Also, what catches immediate attention of the tourists is the 'Gorkhaland' banner put up outside all hotels and shops in Darjeeling. The shops and hotels are not allowed to operate without showing their open support to the Gorkhaland issue.After the victory of Jaswant Singh (and loss of BJP) the whole of Darjeeling was celebrating, not realising that the Gorkhaland issue would again take a backseat as the Congress has never showed any urgency to tackle this issue. The people of Darjeeling are desparate for a separate identity and their demand by no means is unreasonable. Darjeeling does not fit into West Bengal as a state and it is often neglected by the state government in their development plans.
Now comes the big question. What does it mean to be an Indian. How important is it for a citizen of India to have a feeling of belongingness to their state and India on a similar level. During the recent LTTE crisis, the people of North India were quick to play down the pro LTTE sentiments which were aroused in the people of Tamil Nadu. If we sit down and introspect, language plays a big role in binding people together. This is one big reason why Darjeeling, where a majority of people speak Nepali is a misfit in Bengal. The biggest challenge which India always faces is to maintain its sovreignty. Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel had done an incredible job in bringing together the states of India under one flag. Time and again there have been incidents which have threatened the sovreignty of India. But there is some binding factor which holds the country together. But if we spare a thought for the people who reside along the border areas, for them having positive or a negative feeling for either of the countries is very difficult. What was the feeling which actually brought down the wall of Berlin. Why did the people of two countries want to become one. If we think of these things in the Indian context, we could well have the following questions:
- For a person staying in Kashmir, Assam or Tamil Nadu for that matter, what feeling is more important, being an Indian or being a Kashmiri, Assamese or Tamil.
- What is it that holds India together?
- In an IPL or an Indian Idol competition, why does regional and linguistic affiliation overcome the nationalistic feeling, or is it that these individual feelings actually bring together the people of India.
- Can we actually list down atleast three reasons which makes us a proud Indians.
We had a very interesting discussion around the last question on YouthPad and it turned out to be quite a revelation for me because as many as seven 20 something Indians had a completely different approach towards nationalism. One cannot be judgemental about these thoughts but surely gives a lot of food for thought.
Coming back to the Gorkhaland issue, there might be cries of a separate state or even a nation, but it is the Gorkha Regiment which is often considered to be the bravest men in our army. I feel, Indian army is one of the reasons why India is tightly held together and if we look around, we would find a million other reasons. India has survived for 62 years and would survive for centuries to come, growing from strength to strength.
Jai Hind!
