Touch of compassion

In Darjeeling-celebrated as the 'cloud kingdom'-Mamata Banerjee has been striving to consolidate Gorkha and other tribal identities, alongside development, through active and passionate engagement with the people

- JAYANTA GHOSAL

Darjeeling is what Darjeeling is. Clouds are home to mountain people. Upendra Kishore Roychowdhury (the grandfather of Satyajit Ray and writer of children's literature, musician, and artist besides being the pioneer of the Bengali printing industry) stated that Darjeeling is the "kingdom of clouds." The lower terrain is where we reside, with no clusters of clouds nearby. The main romanticism of Darjeeling is mountains and clouds. 'Dorje' is the root of the word 'Darjeeling'. The shrine is called "Dorje," where lightning and thunder can be observed. Besides, the word 'Ling' also implies place. In other words, lightning occurs in Darjeeling. On a mountain this elevated, is there any question that it will be struck by lightning? Beyond these amenities, however, it ought to be kept in mind that Darjeeling has been plagued by political issues and crises since its inception. The British Empire was the third party in the conflict between Sikkim and Nepal for Darjeeling. They fought alongside the King of Sikkim against the Nepalese Gorkha Samar troops. When the Sikkimraj later realised that the East India Company had defrauded them, they went to fight the British. The British Empire retaliated!

Gorkha soldiers from Nepal took Darjeeling. The Gorkhas of Nepal were attacked by the British once more. There have occasionally been accords between Sugauli and Titalia in this turbulent political environment. At last, Lord Bennett restored the status quo in Darjeeling. They dispatched two officers. They were so amazed that they addressed it as the healthiest place to live. The gentlemen had just returned from London and were struggling to stay cool. For them, Darjeeling turned into a desirable vacation spot.