Khalanga:The Goorkha British war 2

दक्षिण में शिवालिक और उत्तर में हिमालय की  पर्वतमाला का  घाटी की जैवविविधता को नियंत्रित करने में बड़ा योगदान है। साल ,तुन ,शीशम ,खैर ,सिरिस ,सैंज , ढाकऔर पीपल प्रजाति  के पेड़ समूची घाटी की शोभा बढ़ाते थे। सेमल के विशाल वृक्ष पक्षियों और मनुष्यों को समान रुप से भोजन उपलब्ध कराते थे। घाटी में कई झीलें  और तालाब थे जिनमें जोगीवाला की झील और नमभूमि सबसे बड़ी थी जोकि दो मील लंबी और आधा मील चोड़ी थी। सोंग और सुसवा नदी घाटी के उत्तरी हिस्से में और कई नम शेत्र बनाते हुए गोसाईंवाला झील से होते हुए गंगा में मिल जाती थीं। इसके अलावा कांवली ,भारूवाला और सहसपुर में भी तालाब और झीलें थीं। घाटी की झीलें अनादि काल से स्थानीय एवं प्रवासी पक्षियों को आमंत्रित करतीं थी और यहाँ के निवासियों के पीने के पानी का इंतज़ाम भी करती थीं। पहाडी उत्पत्यका होने के कारण कुऍं कुछ ही इलाकों तक सीमित थे। संपूर्ण घाटी में खेती पाती का इंतजाम इन्ही नदियों ,झीलों और तालाबों के माध्यम से ही होता था।   

khalanga:The story of Goorkha British war

अक्टूबर का महीना था। मौसम में परिवर्तन हो रहा था। बारिशों के लम्बे दौर के बाद सुबह शाम ठंड महसूस होने लगी थी। घाटी की सभी नदियां और नाले पहाड़ो से आने वाले पानी से भरपूर थे। चारो ओर हरियाली छाई थी और सभी पेड़ पौधे मानो स्नान कर मखमली धूप में चमचमा रहे थे। जहाँ एक ओर साल  के घने जंगल थे वहीँ हरी घास के मैदान घाटी की सुन्दरता में चार चाँद लगा रहे थे। गंगा और यमुना के मध्य स्थित दून घाटी का सौंदर्य अपने चरम पर था। पहाड़ों से आने वालीं बिंदाल ,रिस्पना ,टोंस और पहाड़ों के समानांतर बहने वाली आसन नदी पर सूर्य की किरणें सुबह से शाम तक अठखलियां करती तमाम घाटी के बाशिंदो की प्यास बुझाने का काम भी करती थीं। विभिन्न प्रजातियों के तोते आकाश में उड़ान  भरते नज़र आते बुलबुल और मैना की चहचाहट से जंगल और मैदान गूंजते रहते थे। जंगली जानवरों की आमद बस्तियों तक थी। शेर और गुलदार बेख़ौफ़ पालतू जानवरों को अपना शिकार बनाते और यदा कदा  आदमख़ोर भी हो जाया करते थे।  

contemporary history from one's life and times

My photograph taken by Goyal photo company in 1965

Khalanga Monument- Obleisk in Oblivion !!!!

It was American author David C McCullough who famously said, “History is who we are, and why we are the way we are,” a sentiment that appears to have made a deep impact on Puran Singh Gurung. A retired Brigadier of the Indian Army, and a prominent figure among the Nepali-speaking, or ‘Gorkha’ population in Dehradun, India, 67-year-old Gurung’s unwavering commitment to preserving the community’s cultural heritage speaks volumes about his attachment to his Nepali roots.
Dehradun is the capital city of the state of Uttarakhand, and was where Gurung’s grandfather—a serviceman in the Gorkha regiment of the Indian Army—had migrated to many years ago. Being that he was born and raised in the city itself and had spent most of his life away from Nepal, one wouldn’t have expected Gurung to harbour such indelible ties with the traditions and language of his forefathers. But harbour them he did, an affection that only grew with time, and today—12 years since he retired from professional service—appears to be at its height, and has induced him into wanting to pass on to younger generations a sense of devotion towards one’s origins.
Gurung remembers a time, just a few years back, when Gorkhas in India were hesitant to use their real surnames in public, which, he says, saddened him. “Without our roots, our identities are at a loss,” he explains. Currently also the vice-chairman of the Other Backward Class (OBC) Commission in Uttarakhand, and the first from among the Gorkha community in the state to hold such a position, Gurung believes that being able to preserve the unique identity of the Gorkhas would translate into more confidence, and consequently, more opportunities for his people. Even today, the Gorkha community is still mostly associated with stories of brave Nepali fighters, and Dehradun—which used to be part of the erstwhile Nepal in the early 19th century—still rings with these tales of valiant, disciplined and utterly devoted soldiers. The memorial erected by the British East India Company in honour of their deceased General Rollo Gillespie and their ferocious adversary Balbhadra Kunwar after the famous battle at Naalapani in 1814, still stands high in Dehradun. The inscription on the memorial reads: “This is inscribed as a tribute of respect for our gallant adversary Bulbudder (Balbhadra Kunwar), Commander of the fort and his brave Goorkas (Gorkhas) who were afterwards while in the service of Runjeet Singh shot down in their ranks to the last man by Afghan artillery.” Another memorial recently built is that by the political party, the Gorkha Democratic Front, and the Khalanga-Naalapani Bikas Samiti some two years ago on an adjacent hill. That hill was the same strategic fort from where Balbhadra, along with his troops, threw down boulders to stop a well-armed British colonial army from further proceeding into the Nepali territory.
It is unfortunate that although the Nepali-speaking population in Uttarakhand is nearly about eight percent of the total population—close to four lakhs in Dehradun along—no one from the community has gone on as a representative in the Legislative Assembly. But the door has been wedged partly open by the state government’s decision in 2003 to appropriate a 14 percent OBC quota for the Gorkha community, which is quite an achievement. What the reservation has done is encourage the Nepali-speaking groups to engage themselves in fields apart from army service; an example can be found in the fact that some 26 Gram Panchayats in Dehradun currently have heads from Gorkha community.
Positive effects aside, however,  obstacles do remain, preventing the decision from being fully embraced by the Nepali-origin groups. To qualify for the reservation, one needs to produce a principal residence certificate, allocated to those who have been living in India since the pre-1950 period. “This effectively deprives those who settled in the state after 1950 from making full use of the quota,” Gurung says. 
A perceived part of the problem is the passivity and lack of political activism in the community. For instance, almost 80 percent of the Gorkha community is enrolled in army service, while hardly any members opt for political careers. Instead of
choosing a representative themselves, these groups are seen supporting major parties that they trust and hope will address their concerns in the
elections. The Gorkha Democratic Front was formed in 1978 and still exists, but it was never a serious contender; after formally registering as a party in 2006, it participated in the legislative assembly elections and the bi-elections of the Lok Sabha in 2007, but failed to muster enough votes to win. Since then, it shied away from the 2009 parliamentary elections, instead supporting major parties. 
“The Gorkha community needs to be imparted some form of political education,” says Surya Bikram Shahi, president of the Front. Shahi believes that considering the already-present risk of discrimination and stigmatisation from more dominant groups like the Garhwali in the state, Nepali-speakers need to be more mindful of their rights. “Unless we’re politically aware and active, we will continue to be oppressed.” courtesy - Mahesh Acharya- Article in Kathmandu Post titled " Origin of Identity"

at port blair !!!

I smile o'er the wrinkled blue­
Lo! the sea is fair,
Smooth as the flow of a maiden's hair;
And the welkin's light shines through
Into mid-sea caverns of beryl hue,
And the little waves laugh and the mermaids sing,
And the sea is a beautiful, sinuous thing!

I scowl in sullen guise­
The sea grows dark and dun,
The swift clouds hide the sun
But not the bale-light in my eyes,
And the frightened wind as it flies
Ruffles the billows with stormy wing,
And the sea is a terrible, treacherous thing!
......................................................................the sea spirit by Lucy Maud Montgomery

When i thought to start a blog...these beautiful lines came to my mind to start this journey in the ether world.... for me ..its a start of the journey just like the sailors of yester year boarding the ship.. which find the journey both beautiful and frightened in the same go.... as for me ...too.

lets begin .... whether it is  bright or dark... high or low.... calm or furious ....i am on board !!!!!