The Chinese Riddle

As New Delhi resists China’s effort to marginalise India, it needs to be concerned about Chinese designs along its northern border.

The Sino-Indian relations have raced along two simultaneous tracks, unfortunately, around the same time: one forward and another backward.

The forward journey

The most significant positive development in the Sino-Indian relations after 1962 was China’s recognition of Sikkim as a part of India in 2003. It was followed by the opening of the Nathu La pass for trade in 2006. In 2007 India and China held their first ever joint military exercise. Several rounds of border talks were held in the meantime. Further, the Sino-Indian trade boomed from US $ 10 billion in 2004 to almost US $ 60 billion in 2010.

The backward journey

In the latter half of 2007, the reports of repeated incursions by Chinese army along the borders of Arunachal Pradesh, Leh, Ladakh and Sikkim started to trickle. The cases of Chinese incursions into Indian territory increased in 2008, and in 2009, the numbers further catapulted.

In 2010, it was no more about stray military incursions. The Sino-Indian relations was strained to the limits when China denied permission to Lt Gen B S Jaswal, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Udhampur-based Northern Command in August, 2010. The Chinese regime quoted that “he comes from ‘sensitive’ Jammu and Kashmir, which China has long considered as ‘disputed territory’”.

China also invited India’s protest when it deployed 7000-11000 of its army in the Gilgit area of Pak Occupied Kashmir to build high-speed rail and road links. In retaliation, India put on hold visits of Chinese military officials and the government said that China must be sensitive to its concern.That put to an end to the thaw in Sino-Indian relations.

The US angle

The lingering question is what caused China to derail the otherwise seemingly pleasant Sino-Indian relations?

There are many factors behind this but a hushed up reason was because of the growing warmth in the US-India ties. Beijing couldn’t tolerate the heat of the warmth. Ma Jiali of a Beijing-based Chinese Institute for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) recently told to a magazine that “China wants India to follow an independent foreign policy.”

According to many Indian experts as well, Beijing views India’s increasing partnership with the US as a threat. In a recent article in a journal, the former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran also accepted the US factor as the possible cause. “The US understood that even though India could never be an ally, it would nevertheless pursue, in its own interest, policies that would create a strong countervailing presence in the region supportive of the US objectives,” he was quoted in the journal.

One can hold different views about Chinese designs on India and whether India should have improved its ties with the US or not. But, whether our foreign policy’s independence should adhere to Chinese foreign policy’s satisfaction itself smells rot. After all China itself is improving its ties with the US.

Border dreams of China

Ginsburg and Mathos in their book Communist China and Tibet written after the Sino-Indian War in 1964 states: ‘He who holds Tibet dominates the Himalayan piedmont; he who dominates the Himalayan piedmont threatens the Indian subcontinent; and he who threatens the Indian subcontinent may well have all of South-East Aisa within his reach, and all of Asia.’

China seems to have learnt the lessons rather single mindedly.

There is a noteworthy pattern in China’s behaviour towards India for a long time which cannot go unnoticed. In the 50s Mao Ze Dong defined Tibet as the palm which had five fingers – Ladakh, Sikkim, Nepal, Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh. China’s activities in Tibet do not indicate any transition from Mao’s definition. As for Ladakh and Arunachal, the controversies keep cropping up; at times through incursions, and other times through building of roads. Also, China successfully opposed a loan proposal for Arunachal Pradesh early this year at the Asian Development Bank. China has tried hard in recent years to engage Nepal and Bhutan.

The reality is that China never lost its focus along its Himalayan south. It kept working aggressively on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway even while it was signing papers of accepting Sikkim as India’s part. In the next four years, it plans to link Lhasa with Xigaze or Shigatse, the second largest city in the southwestern Tibet. It plans to further extend it to the Chumbi Valley (Tibet-Sikkim border) and then to the Brahmaputra’s Great Bend (near the border with Arunachal Pradesh). On the other hand China is already carrying out feasibility studies for a 400-km line from Xigaze to Nyalam from where Kathmandu would be just about 120 km away. China is not going to let the plan remain on paper.

PS:

It is hard to believe that India would have enjoyed a perfectly harmonious relationship with the Middle Kingdom even if it had left the US altogether. It is not India’s ties with the US but India’s status in the world arena that will determine the dimensions of Sino-Indian relationship. India would only do well for itself to strengthen its position. The peace in the border states like Sikkim owes it to the halo of power and strength that New Delhi is able to build around it. And the aura, this time, can’t have Nehruvian rhetoric as its role model.

The story was published on iSikkim.com

Twosome fashion: Aparna & Norden Wangdi

In the ongoing Mumbai Lifestyle Fashion Week, the husband wife designer duo of Aparna Wangdi and Norden Wangdi are getting 20 minutes on the ramp to showcase their art and reach one more milestone in their glorious career. Known for their distinct look, the duo has carved out a name for themselves in the Indian fashion industry. But how much effort goes behind the glamour on the ramp?

Originally from Sikkim and MP, the Wangdis, who run a store in Gangtok by the name ‘Ollatin’, talked to Tilak Jha, at their home in New Delhi about their life, the challenges, and how they complement each other.

A classic fairytale of regional diversity. What is the fairy tale?


Aparna: We belong to different places in India. I am originally from a place in MP at the border of Rajasthan and Norden is from Darjeeling. But we do have very similar backgrounds. Both our parents were in administrative services. So one can say that we are technically diverse and at the same time we do have very similar background.

Norden: We are diverse in the sense that I am from the mountains and she is from the plains. There are lots of differences that we have having been brought up in two different climatic conditions with very different eating habits and many other things. At the same time, as far as design is concerned we are very much similar and we have worked together for so long.

In the Spring Summer 2011 collection to be showcased at the Lakme Fashion week in Mumbai you have chosen the theme of your collection as, “The New Tower of Babel”. The tower of Babel comes from Christian mythology in which God punished the people who were trying to build a tower to reach heaven (the tower of Babel) by making them unable to understand each others’ languages. How are you trying to depict this theme?

Aparna: We took this theme as we thought it to be something that is universally known. We would be using scripts, alphabets and characters from different languages in this. Some outfit will be in one language while in others it might be two or three languages. It deals with more of the fact that how the world is becoming smaller again (in terms of all languages coming together) contrary to what God would have wanted.

Do you believe that God would have wanted this?

Aparna: No, I mean in the whole story of Babel God was scared that man would become too powerful. But again man is making the world very small with technology.

How do you relate this theme with the use of different characters?

Norden: The story of this theme, as Aparna said, is that God made all these languages to divide humans so that they don’t become too strong and take over heaven. In this case we are doing everything that we normally do and we are doing different languages. Through different scripts from different languages on the gowns, we will try to do the same theme on the ramp.

Here we have two persons, one from MP i.e. Central India and another from mountains i.e. northeastern India going for themes from west. That makes the whole thing pretty global.

Aparna: Because of our backgrounds, we have been always moving. Since our fathers were in service which kept us moving around. So, it’s not simply about the way we lived. It’s that we have more of a cosmopolitan view in general. The label Free Falling that we used dealt with the mindset of the people. It’s about how our attitude makes our clothes. It’s just to let go of yourself; just to be free in your thought when you are wearing. When you wear our clothes you have to have that open mindedness in you.

Norden: Yes it’s about you having to be experimental and free. I am from Darjeeling and Sikkim but I was born in Shimla, studied in Delhi. So, when it comes to themes, we are very open to every language and religion. In the Lakme Fashion Week we are showing a lot of bridal gowns and especially Christian bridal gowns.

You have been into fashion for quite some time. How have you evolved over the years?

Aparna: The best achievement has been that we have stayed quite true to our design sense and we have not let ourselves swayed by the things going all around. There is a very fine line between going completely commercial and following your heart. We have tried to follow our heart as much as possible. Now, the markets are at a very interesting stage. Especially the Indian market, where people are bombarded with things from everywhere and they are willing to experiment and change. It’s a very interesting time for fashion.

New theme is something that comes with every Aparna and Norden Wangdi Colleciton. What is the thing that is common at a subconscious level in all your designs?

Norden: The look would always be the same but how we go around different colours and textures depends on the theme that we choose. It’s like when anyone sees something, they can say that it is by Aparna and Norden Wangdi but with a different feel.

Aparna: We pay a lot of attention to the garment stitching, detailing of the garment and to the cut of the garment. Our garments are not very simply cut. The detailing actually happens in the cutting. That is something we stayed true from the beginning. It is the cut of the garments that actually makes the difference. This is one thing which is consistent throughout.

Tell something in detail about your forthcoming collection in the Lakme Fashion in terms of cuts and details.

Norden: There are lot of scripts in different languages like Korean, Arabic and Russian. All these different scripts are incorporated in the garment in different ways through prints, texturing and fabric. The colour we are using is cobalt, grey, whites and blues.

How did you figure out scripts from all these completely different languages?

Aparna: A lot of research went into this. Internet is a great tool for all this. We also tried to get to the persons who know the language.

Norden: And it was not about language alone. Once we figured out scripts that we will use, we did a lot of research about music that will go along.

It must have been very exciting for you both to come across different languages, scripts and music. Is there any particular experience during all of this you would like to share?

Aparna: In one particular dress I wanted to use words from some other language which would mean Shiva, the destroyer. We came across so many names of his. At the end we didn’t land up with anything satisfactory and used Hindi and English. Because, it has to look nice, aesthetic and sound beautiful at the same time.

Again, in case of some Tibetan scripts, the embroidery was being done by a Bengali. He said that this looks like Bengali. I said that no this is Tibetan. And then when I looked closely, I felt like there is a closeness. All these little things that we came across were very interesting.

Your store in Gangtok, Sikkim has garments revolving around the theme of Baku, a traditional dress. There are different themes that you experiment with and you have stores all around. How do you design something with a global taste?

Norden: It depends. When we do the Wills India Fashion Week, we see the last couple of years. We study how the buyers have reacted. What one chooses is very connected to where the buyers come from. In India we do a lot of Spring Summer since we get a lot of customers from warmer climatic conditions. In such a case we design something that would be more viable for them. So it depends on buyer, stores and season but the whole design has to have a global appeal.

How do you complement each other in the project that you take up?

Aparna: Once we start a project we do a lot of brainstorming, figure out the theme and work out the general silhouettes and then we divide our work.

Norden: It depends a lot from project to project. We designed the uniform for the ONGC. Now, I come with a soccer background and they wanted it to be sporty. So, in that particular project I gave more inputs about how the outlook should be according to the comfort level on the part of our users.

Recently we had to work for Niharika Khan in the movie Band Baaja Baraat. It had a totally different kind of requirements. When it comes to colours, Aparna does it better than me.

Whenever we get a project, we divide our work. We know what we are good at.

One of the many projects you worked for was a French Opera set in Banaras.

Aparna: It was one of the most exciting things to do since it was a period drama. For a designer, a period drama offers much more excitement. It’s very interesting to work with old fabrics, brocades, prints. It was based on Banaras. Even silhouettes; period is very interesting to work on since there are so many little details that happened during the old days. You have to mix everything together.

Coming back to the same questions, when are the moment when you say Aparna or Norden, leave this for me.

Norden: Yeah! Colours!!! Anything to do with colours. I would say Aparna please.

Aparna: Once we decide silhouettes and all, I normally take care of the sampling, putting colours together and Norden would take care of other things. But when we are doing a show, you have to do a lot of things from accessories to music. The show has an impact when everything is right.

Norden: This industry is so diverse. You have to keep in mind all of them. Especially when you do a show you need to do all of them A1. The guest list, the media and the buyers are other very important things. And of course you have to take care of the music, sound, lighting, garment and choreography of the whole show. You get twenty minutes on the ramp to show all the efforts that you have been putting for three to four months. It becomes very hectic.

How often do you have a fight?

Norden: Very often (laughs). We are like two different personalities. I am a little pushier and she is always chilled out. We have a lot of differences in our thought process. Actually there is so much of work pressure that it just happens. But then we understand each other well. Now there is a fight and after two minutes we are back at work, because, there is always a deadline to be met.

What about the small issues?

Aparna: Which is why we have pretty different spaces! Norden keeps all his files here and there and when I clean up, he starts saying, ‘you messed up everything and I can’t find anything now’. I would say ‘I have just cleaned up’ and he would say ‘you have spoiled everything'.

Norden: We don’t match together because our way of cleaning places are different. I don’t want to keep my things here now and find it at some other weird cupboard at other time.

Aparna: At times like this, when we have a show around, I don’t do anything. I leave it. Let the place be dirty.

You talked about hectic. With so many fashion shows going around how do you strike a balance?

Aparna: We were able to manage but now we have two small kids now. One is two and a half and one is nine months old. We don’t leave our kids alone. When I go to the factory, Norden stays. We have made an office in our house. So even from home, we keep working.

Do you find time to go for a vacation?

Aparna: We make it a point to go for vacation as often as we can and the good thing is that we have a store in Sikkim and we always find excuse to go there. We definitely take a break from all our work for a month in a year.

Tell me how it all began. How you started and evolved and finally came together?

Norden: We started long time back. We met at NIFT and since then we have been working together.

Aparna: After we left the course we worked separately for quite some time. I worked for some textile projects in Himachal. I also worked on a little bit of theatre and furniture design. Norden, meanwhile, went to the US for almost three and a half years. Norden also worked in manufacturing and buying of garments. By the time we joined together, we had enough experience in design and business.

Norden: Understanding both sides of the business is very important. Being in the US, I was at a place where orders came from. It helped me know the business.

Aparna: In fashion it is very important to know both the production and design. If you don’t know production, designing is of no use and if you don’t know designing, production won’t help. That is how we pooled in our resources.

You joined NIFT in 1996-97. That was the time when fashion itself was not much in fashion. How did you decide to go for this career?

Aparna: Actually that was the time when fashion had started booming. By 2000, the fashion weeks had started. By the time fashion began catching up with India, we both had pooled in enough experience.

Norden: For me it was not something much planned. It just happened.

Were you very fashionable when you were young?

Aparna: I was very casual; completely jeans and t-shirt kind of person. Some people have fashion in them and it grows on you in case of others. Actually now I take more interest in terms of personal fashion. I love doing clothes but not much in terms of following them.

Norden: I did make extra effort to dress well. My style was more about being comfortable. But still you can say that I was a little bit more fashionable than Aparna was (laughs).

All that you are doing is a highly challenging and creative task. How do you learn from fashion and what fashion has learnt from you?

Aparna: It’s an interesting question. As I said earlier, there is a very fine line between fashion as an art and business. If you design for the pure love of designing and you are not able to sell, you will lose it. Same thing applies to business. You can’t sell if there is no art. There has to be a balance.

If you start thinking always, what would sell the best, your identity goes away. We tried it but we realized that it can’t happen. We want our buyers to be really happy about what they wear. And it can come through a balance only.

Thank You Aparna and Norden Wangdi. We wish you all the best for the Mumbai LFW and all other projects that you take up in future.

Thank You

The above interview was published on iSikkim.com

Thousands of Gorkhas march from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar

When was the last time you went to participate in a political rally with your entire family?

May be you would have read about the entire family working together for a political cause in books and heard of late in Egypt and Tunisia. But for those demanding Gorkhaland, it comes naturally. Since, for Gorkhas, their identity itself is at stake.

That’s happened for the last 14 days in Delhi, that’s happening in Darjeeling and Kalimpong for months now, and that is going to happen for, may be years in the times to come.

As the Gorkhas’ agitation in Delhi demanding Gorkhaland enters day 15, it has only become more widespread and determined. On Sunday, March 13, 2011 more than a thousand strong Gorkhas, from Delhi, UP, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Darjeeling, Sikkim and as far as Manipur, Nagaland and Assam, participated in the 7 km march from Rajghat to Jantar Mantar. Senior BJP leader and the current Loksabh MP from Darjeeling Jaswant Singh, wife of GJM President Bimal Gurung and Gorkha Janmukti Nari Morcha President Asha Gurung, Delhi Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Uttam Chhetri and Ex MP and President of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh Dil Kumari Bhandari were present during the march.

The entire leadership of GJM Delhi including media secretary Ranjan Sharma, GJM Youth wing’s Pankaj Chhetri, Robin Pradhan and Delhi GJM Nari Morcha’s Anu Das apart from others actively participated in mobilizing people for the demonstration.

Today’s march saw huge participation from young Gorkha boys and girls who work in call centers, restaurants and beauty parlors. “For them Sunday doesn’t mean a holiday. Many of them who are here will have to forego a day’s salary. Loss of a day’s earnings is more painful for those whose salary is less”, said Pankaj Chhetri who himself works in a call center. “In a world where money is everything for many of us, they all have come. Many of my friends jeer at me for all this but this is a struggle of our identity.”

After the march reached Jantar Mantar, GJM leaders in their speech repeated their demand for Gorkhaland and CBI enquiry into Sipchu killings. Senior GJM Delhi leader Uttam Chhetri stressed on the need for Gorkhas to keep the struggle on. In his fiery 18 minute speech Mr. Chhetri called Gorkhas to remain united. Uttarakhand Gorkha Janmukti Morcha General Secretary Aashu Lama said in her speech that Gorkhas won’t let Jaswant Singh until their demand for Gorkhaland is fulfilled.

The former Defense Minister and one of the most successful External Affairs Ministers of India, Jaswant Singh said that the demand for Gorkhaland is a just demand and he would serve the cause as long as he lives. When asked that how have things changed since when he first went to Gorkhaland in 1962 as an army officer, Mr. Singh said, “I find a terrible deterioration between 1962 and now. I do charge the Left Front for deliberately neglecting the hill areas of Darjeeling. It is a great pity and a great regret. I believe it’s an act of deliberate omission on the part of Bengal government.”

The above story was published on iSikkim.com

‘Up’Rising China

Why is the ‘peaceful’ rise of the Middle Kingdom a fiercely debated topic?

Beijing’s assertiveness is not simply about its effort to have its rightful place in the world. It’s about establishing military ‘supremacy’, technological ‘superiority’ and economic ‘hegemony’. Interestingly, the dimensions of supremacy, superiority and hegemony do not apply to the Chinese context literally alone per se.

The confusion is not about the rise of China but about what China wants to do with its enhanced status? What will it do with the military, technological and economic might it is furiously trying to acquire?

The jury remains out as far as predicting the Chinese plans are concerned.

Too many questions!

Does China want to settle its borders on its own terms with all its neighbours including India and Japan? Is China simply looking for opportunities to better the lives of its own people? Or will China be happy to have a global role; lending sail for the rest of the world’s economy, politics and resulting conflicts?

The questions are many. But the only answer we get every next time question is a new question.

How responsible China will be, if it is to ever come anywhere close to the USA’s 20th Century global standing? In that case, will China be playing a mediator’s role in conflicts of Israel-Palestine or in its own backyard in the Korean Peninsula? Or will China opt for peaceful ways of resolving its border dispute with India and reconcile its own people in Tibet?
The lone answer China has to all these questions as of now is growth.

It’s a very effective answer in the short term. China has not witnessed any major unrest after the Tiananmen Square massacre in the Chinese heartland. The only reason behind this is the scorching growth it has been able to register. The relentless rise and rise of China has brought millions of people out of poverty in China.

The ideological umbrella

At all points in the history of the world, the rise of a power is almost always accompanied by a new order of values. In case of the USA and the USSR it was capitalism and socialism respectively. Similarly, the rise of Britain and France in the 17th Century came with the idea of democracy, rule of law and Renaissance. These were values which advocated emancipation of humanity.

Though all of these ideals were full of flaws and were selectively implemented to suit national interest, still there was a semblance of values that bind.

What will be the Chinese wisdom for the world? What idea of China will inspire the man sitting at the fence? Probably China needs to be concerned most about such an umbrella of thought that will get it the respect and faith of mankind.

Beyond growth

When China will be the largest economy of the world, which is not far either (According to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimate in January this year, China could overtake the United States to become the world’s largest economy as early as 2020), it will have to think of something that will inspire Chinism. It is also true that the Chinese grow for ever at such ferocious pace. But what next? Will growth alone get China or a Chinese the respect of the world community?

We know from Chinese posturing over last decade that now Chinese are ready to explore military options to ensure safety of its business interests. It would happily send its army to secure its oil tankers across the Indian Ocean, if needed. China has been building parliaments in Malawi and Lesotho. China is building ports and roads in Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

If we ignore the strategic angle of these projects for the time being, these are great steps in nation building. But does China see it that way? At present more people seem to be uncomfortable with any similar idea. According to East Asia survey 2008 by East Asia Institute, almost 77 percent people in the developed world are uncomfortable with the idea of China being a leader in Asia. The stats in the developing world and especially China’s neighbouring countries are not very different. Will they be comfortable with China as a world leader?

The inference we can draw is that the rise of China is simply not ‘peaceful’.

Precisely this is what China needs to address.

The story has been published on iSikkim.com

A day with His Holiness the 14th Shamarpa

It was 10 am when we came to know about the 900 years of Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism’s month long celebrations beginning in New Delhi. One more hour of frantic searching on the internet and a couple of calls to a friend Jigyasa and we got an appointment with none other than H. H. the Shamarpa at 4pm.

I didn’t expect in the beginning that we will have an appointment with H. H. Shamarpa at such a short notice. The Shamarpa lineage is the second oldest reincarnate lineage in Tibetan Buddhism and Karma Kagyu is the largest lineage within the Kagyu School, one of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. H. H. the 14th Shamarpa is himself one of the most respected figures of international repute.

Until 4 pm, I had a doubt; are we gonna get him? At sharp four we were at the Karmapa International Buddhist Institute (KIBI) in the Qutub Institutional Area, Delhi. Situated amid trees and hillocks, sharing boundaries with some of the best business schools, the KIBI is a peaceful spiritual place visited by faithful people of all religion, across the world.
The KIBI appears a majestic Tibetan style red-yellow-white modern set up with an innate spiritual temperament. The subtle shades and the delicate carvings on the walls with terrace farms like roof tops, the KIBI is a clean place where the men and the animals, the trees and stones, the sensibilities and the spiritualities co-exist.

Entering the main gate, I saw a young white lady sitting in salwar-kameez with a couple of goats on the doorstep of the main hall. I couldn’t talk to her but I had in my mind that the 14th Shamarpa has constantly enunciated his views on animal rights and their humane treatment.
We head towards the lift and then towards the big gallery leading towards the main hall where His Holiness is sitting in his red robe. A unique blend of smile, sense and spirituality, His Holiness welcomes me and my friend Saurabh Sharma with folded hands. My whole self felt a bit embarrassed, a bit enthused but most of all grateful.

A spec of thought came, ‘Shouldn’t His Holiness have blessed us rather than wishing us?’ But as it goes, respect is commanded and not demanded and greatness lies in giving respect to the weakest and the most insignificant. We sat next to His Holiness and had some of the toughest answers and question which were far from the religiosity of the spiritual world.

Some of the answers would rattle many of us for the way we believe the world is. They were not necessary spiritual; rather they were all political for we had gone to do an interview on the Karmapa controversy. And came many controversial answers again which would need a separate column for a critical analysis.

But interaction with H.H Shamar Rinpoche was blissful. The aura was divine and by tying red ribbon across our neck, he blessed us with his divinity.

Cricket, Gambling and India

Gambling has gambled heavily on India. It’s appetite to enter Indian market, over the years, has shown only signs of strengthening. Now it has on its side some of the biggest moguls of Indian industry like Subhash Chandra (Zee) and Vijay Mallya (Kingfisher). Subhash Chandra might be famous as a media biggie but as early as in 2007 he earned almost as much from his lottery brand Playwin as the rest of his media, packaging and real estate businesses added together i.e. a cool Rs. 2400 crore.

According to Playwin website, the company has at least ten games to offer. The lotto & gaming brand of Pan India Network Ltd. claimed in June 2010 to have created 71 crorepatis and over 3,000 lakhpatis from all over India within a short span of 8 years since its establishment. Of course it doesn’t talk about the many people who would have gone bankrupt due to gambling.

But this is the visible picture. According to a story published in the Businessworld in 2008, unlawful betting in the IPL cricket season averaged $100 million per match in 2008. Indians bought over 30 million lotteries a day and the lottery market alone was estimated to be upto Rs 50,000. The total gambling industry was upwards of Rs. 100,000 crore in 2008 itself. There is hardly any doubt that despite all the recessions, the gambling industry has only gone up. Howsoever we frown at the moral aspect of gambling, it remains the most popular vice. That it can’t be stopped is clear. That it be regulated and made legal remains to be tried.

The most recent spate of events has once again highlighted the necessity to legalise it and make its tracking possible. On February 13, 2011, The Guardian reported Indian police being on alert as bookies prepare for betting bonanza duirng the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup.

Not a week passed and reports came of Indian police arresting nine men related to four cricket betting gangs with laptops and cell phones in Delhi and Mumbai. According to AFP, the gambling gangs took illegal bets during the cricket World Cup to the tune of $620,000.

The difficulty of letting gambling unregulated has serious stakes. Mint reported on February 15, 2011 through Enforcement Directorate officials that at least $US4.36 billion (Rs. 20,000 crore) will be gambled during ICC World Cup in India. On February 15, Mint reported through Reuters that an anonymous gambler has struck an £82,000 pounds ($132,300) bet with a London bookmaker on India winning the Cricket World Cup, one of the biggest ever laid in the one-day game.

While the amount of money is worrying, the bigger concern is its misuse. On September 6, 2010 the Daily Star reported that shady Asian cricket betting rings are directly funding Al-Qaida. In September 2010 itself, a Delhi court hearing an appeal for betting during the last World Cup 2007 suggested legalizing betting in India. Additional sessions judge Dharmesh Sharma remarked that legalising will at least help track transfer of funds and revenue generated can be used for welfare of public.

Judge Dharmesh Sharma said the ‘‘alarming” level of illegal betting in India was financing drug trafficking and terrorism. ICC is also favouring legalising gambling in India, as Sri Lanka has done in recent months.

It might be difficult for many of us to accept gambling as legal but experts suggest that legalizing would reduce the threat of betting becoming match fixing. Given the fact that betting is a closed door affair, it is nearly impossible to completely regulate and monitor and finally prove it in the court.

All of this becomes even dicier when politicians join the party. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Congress leader Arjun Singh who died recently was blamed for Churhat Lottery scam almost 30 years ago. More recently Pinarayi Vijayan of CPM is an accused in the power graft case and lottery scam in Kerala. In Sikkim, which is the only other state apart from Goa to have legalised gambling, there are unconfirmed reports of some people very close to political parties trying to make money out of gambling. It is for the courts to decide these case but the best advice to law makers in such matters of money would be to ensure transparent accounting.

The article has been published on iSikkim.com

Dharna demanding Gorkhaland enters week 2 in Delhi

What does a hundred and four years old struggle mean to you?

The word ‘104 years old’ in case of we mortals would mean dying or declining. But in the case of Gorkha’s struggle for Gorkhaland and an identity of their own, ‘104 years old’ means a struggle that is rooted into five generations. While there are not many struggles in the world which have survived for more a than hundred years, in case of Gorkhaland, it has not only survived but remains dynamically young. Meet any Gorkha from Darjeeling and they have a story that has descended from their parents and grandparents; a real story of survival, of perseverance, of struggle for identity, of being ignored and at times persecuted.

It’s not spontaneous or reactionary like in Egypt, Libya or Tunisia. It’s a sustained struggle done by people who are as faithful to the idea of India as any other Indian and want recognition for themselves democratically. One of the hundreds who has actively participated in the ongoing 45 days dharna at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, 63 years old Vinod Prasad Sharma from Karseong told iSikkim.com on Sunday, “The demand for other states like Telangana, Bundelkhand or Vidarbha is for socio-economic reasons but we want Gorkhaland to have a national identity of our own.”

Mr. Sharma quotes a letter written by Subhash Chandra Bose to Gorkha leader Dambar Singh Gurung in which he supported the demand for Gorkhaland. In the letter written on August 8, 1938, Bose writes to Gurung, “I was very glad to have a discussion with you regarding the grievance of the hill people of Darjeeling. The grievances as mentioned by you are legitimate and it is time for the government to remedy them. As far as Congress party is concerned, we will do our best to remove your grievances. Congress is party of masses and it is our duty to address the grievances of the masses.” Mr. Sharma says, “Our demand was supported by Bose and many other national leaders. This was because of the sacrifice we made for the cause of our nation. Niranjan Chhetri became a martyr for the national cause in 1897. Durga Malla and Dal Bahadur Thapa are some of the famous names among hundreds of others who fought and died in India’s struggle for independence. Almost forty percent of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s INA was made up of Gorkhas.” He adds, “We have a history of having fought for the national cause but when India became independent and the issue of resolving Gorkhaland issues came, we were termed anti-national and foreigners.”

Mr. Sharma, a veteran of Gorkhaland struggle was in Congress for 17 years until 1986. He decided to quite Congress thereafter since the Congress was considered the demand for Gorkhaland anti-national and was insensitive to the idea of Gorkha identity. Currently, he is a member of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

Ask the 63 year old Mr. Sharma how long he has been associated with the struggle for Gorkhaland and he says, “It’s has been an issue synonymous with our existence. My father and maternal uncle were freedom fighters. My father was a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. His father was so active in anti British struggle that he was ousted from home. He was called ‘Harka Bahadur’ (Harka in Nepali means someone who has been chased away). Gorkhaland is part of the consciousness of Gorkhas.”

Mr. Sharma’s generation is still active even as the new generation has stepped in, in their own possible ways. Dimple Kamal is working with ICICI bank in Noida for the last four years. Despite her busy schedule she has been able to make it to the venue more often than not. Talking about her own difficulties in adjusting in Delhi Dimple says, “May be I would have come to Delhi even if we had a state of our own but the feeling that there is no opportunity back home makes survival here more difficult. In any case it would definitely have been much easier to live alone in Darjeeling than here in Delhi.”

As Dimple tries to click another photo of the Gorkha women shouting at the top of their voice, I asked her how does she manage to come to Jantar Mantar while working with a private bank. An emotional Dimple says, “My parents have actively participated in the struggle for Gorkhaland for as long as I can remember. My maternal uncle Saran Dawal continues to be in jail for last ten years for being associated with this. This struggle is to me what I am.”

These columns won’t be able to tell the tale of the hundreds of Gorkha supporters who come to participate in the dharna at Jantar Mantar every day but that doesn’t belittle the need for the government to get up from its slumber and put its act together.

The article has been published on iSikkim.com

We are not safe in Bengal: Gorkha leader Roshan Giri

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha National General Secretary Roshan Giri tells Tilak Jha on the sidelines of Gorkha meet in New Delhi that Gorkhas don’t want to be part of West Bengal.

How today’s meeting come about?

Today’s meeting is to pay homage to the martyrs who gave their life for the Gorkhaland. Our people were indiscriminately shot dead by the West Bengal Police. We are demanding CBI enquiry into this matter.

Now that the unfortunate incident is almost two weeks old and the government has not yet responded. What will you do now?

We have asked our people to be prepared for massive protests at any time. We are also demanding the separate state of Gorkhaland. So, the protest will be for Gorkhaland and for justice to our people.

The Gorkhaland movement is more than a hundred years old. Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council was formed in between. Is it going to happen?

It has to be because we don’t want to be part of West Bengal. We are in West Bengal by an accident of History. The land was never part of West Bengal. Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) has become redundant. I don’t want to tell anything about Subhash Ghising. (Subhash Ghising was the leader of DGHC) and the way he handled our people. He was a sold leader. Over last three years after Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was formed, we have brought the movement alive. We are going to have our Gorkhaland sooner than later.

Should ethnicity alone be the reason to demand a separate state?

It’s related to our identity. India is a union of states. Our problems can’t get solved until and unless we have a separate state. It’s a quest for Gorkha identity.

You are now demanding Gorkha dominated areas in Dooar and Siliguri. There are many people in these regions who do not want Gorkhaland.

We are not demanding something new. This has been our demand since 1907. You see the Amra Bengali, Jan Chetana Manch, Jan Jagaran Manch and another association called Bangla Bhasha Bachao Samiti…the very name of all such organisations suggests that they are only concerned about Bengali language. Bengali is a very rich language but you can’t ignore the rest.

You have been living with the same Bengalis for hundreds of years now.

Tomorrow also, after Gorkhaland will be formed, they will be living with us. West Bengal will always be our neighbouring state. I don’t see any harm in that. When Uttarakhand can be carved out of UP, Chhatisgarh can be carved out of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand can come out of Bihar, what’s the harm if Gorkhaland is formed out of West Bengal.

What would you say to those who are concerned that their rights might be harmed in case Gorkhaland is formed?

Their rights will not be harmed. A Bihari, a Bengali or a Muslim will be entitled to similar rights as enjoyed by the Gorkhas in the new state. Now also they are with us. Many minority fronts of these communities are working under the banner of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

West Bengal elections are nearby. What will be your stand during this election?

There is still sometime for elections to happen. We have not yet decided about that. Whatever decision is taken by the central committee, we will follow that. We are concentrating on the demand for Gorkhaland.

It might happen in this election that Left Front government will not come back. Do you see greater hope from Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress?

Let the result come first. Anything can happen.

Do you believe that media has been unfair?

We feel that our movement is being portrayed in a different way. It’s a communal movement. It’s a violent movement. But that has never been the case.

But there have been case of violence.

It’s is not the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha. Some people with vested interests create problem and blame us. We are a demanding for Gorkhaland as per democratic means and according to the provisions of the constitution.

As a leader of the movement, did you feel at any point of time that there has been too much of violence and that you should give up?

You see the Sipchu incident. Unprovoked firing. Our people were carrying the national flag. What was the need of killing them? What was the need of imposing Section 144? We are not safe in Bengal. How can we give up?

The story was published on iSikkim.com

Gorkhas call for sacrifice

It was shock. It was shame. It was anger. And it was determination. The mood in the Gorkha camp in the meet on last Sunday at the Gorkha Bhawan in New Delhi was of the need to not let the sacrifice of those killed go in vain. Gorkha Janmukti Morcha national general secretary Roshan Giri called in his address for sustained and peaceful demonstration for Gorkhaland.

A week after his call, Gorkhas have started 45 days demonstration from 28th of February here at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Simultaneously dharnas (peaceful demonstrations) and hunger strikes are being organised in at least 8 sub-divisions of Darjeeling apart from Kolkata, Varanasi and at all other places where Gorkhas are present.

Around two hundred Gorkhas are sitting on dharna from this Monday at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Of them there are Gorkhas who have come from Darjeeling and all across India to express solidarity with the movement.

Priya Diskshit is an English teacher in Darjeeling. When asked about her non-Gorkha name, she said that, “My great grandparents migrated from UP to Darjeeling. Somehow this title crept into but I am a Gorkha.” Why has Priya come all the way from Darjeeling to New Delhi on her own expenses? She says, “West Bengal government never listened to us. I participated in peaceful demonstration back home in Darjeeling but we were met with force. Many of our children were brutally shot dead. So it became necessary to express our demand from other forums.” As her eyes become moist with tears, she adds, “My grandfather was in the army. My brother is in the army. We have fought for this country as anybody else. May be we will not have Gorkhaland now, but our future generations will rest in peace. We are not going to rest before we have it.”
Priya is not alone. The Gorkhas from across the country and cross section of society are in agreement with her.

Kishore Labar, originally from Darjeeling, is associated with Studio 55, an art gallery and has lived in Delhi for the last 13 years. He fell in love with a UP girl, married her and is settled in Delhi. How does he feel now about the demand of Gorkhaland now that he is practically an outsider? “I am not an outsider. I am still a Gorkha and would love to go back whenever I have an opportunity.” How does he feel working in the world of art where there are a number of Bengalis, the community with whom Gorkhas are in a tussle for Gorkhaland? Labar says, “It also applies to the Bengalis. I have some very good Bengali friends. Even they understand our sensibilities. They are not against it.”

Every single Gorkha who is sitting at the dharna has a story and a reason. It’s surprising why India’s oldest struggle for statehood never struck a chord with the policy makers of India.

Role of media

The role of mainstream media has also come under severe criticism from the Gorkhas and their leadership. The national media has been projecting the agitation of Gorkhaland as a violent secessionist movement. The ground reality has been markedly different. Despite sharing borders with the northeast, known for its insurgency movements, and open support from Maoists, the struggle for Gorkhaland has been largely peaceful, constitutional and democratic. “There have occurred sporadic incidents of blockade of roads and railways. Some of us have resorted to violence at times but those have been reactionary rather than deliberate. When West Bengal police resorts to indiscriminate violence, it is natural that some might get agitated. Even under Gandhi , some resorted to revolutionary methods”, said Ranjan Sharma, the media secretary of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, Delhi.

The fall of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and success of Maoist in Nepal in uprooting monarchy has been an inspiration for the Gorkhas. As the struggle for Telangana threatens to create a Tehreer Square in Hyderabad, Gorkhas do have the wherewithal to do one in Kolkata.

The story was published on iSikkim.com