The Darjeeling region of Northern India used to be part of the Kingdom of Nepal. Today, the Darjeeling region lies at the northernmost part of the Indian state of West Bengal. The majority of people in Darjeeling speak Nepali as their first language. The Nepali people are made up of many different ethnic groups such as the Chettri, Magar, Rai, Tamang, Limbu, Brahmin, Newar, and several others. In India, the political term that is used as a "catch-all" to refer to all these different Nepali people groups is Gorkha. Gorkha is actually a very old military term from Nepal. For centuries, soldiers from Nepal who fought in the Nepal armed forces, or in the Indian and British armed forces, were called Gorkha or Gurkha soldiers. All Nepali people living in India, whether they have a military background or not, are referred to as Gorkhas.
For decades now, the Gorkhas in the Darjeeling region have been struggling to get a separate state. The desire of the Gorkha peoples is to have a separate state in the Darjeeling region called Gorkhaland. Recently, Jared took some pictures of a peaceful demonstration that took place for the cause of Gorkhaland.
Pictured above, a human chain of thousands of people holding hands
stretches for miles throughout the different cities, towns, and villages
of the Darjeeling region.
Gorkha women, dressed in semi-traditional Nepali clothing, stand
in front of the Darjeeling train station holding a Gorkhaland flag.
Another group of Gorkha women stands clustered together on the
main road that travels through the city of Darjeeling. Supporting the
greater community is an important part of Gorkha culture, and at least
one person from every family comes to join in the demonstration.
Men also join in the demonstration as well. These men are each
wearing a "topi", the traditional Nepali hat for men. They are also
wearing the "darwa sural", which is the traditional Nepali shirt and
pant combination.
Three local Gorkha women stand together on the main road.
The woman in the middle wearing the blue saree is our friend Rena.
Rena spotted Jared whiled he was taking pictures of the demonstration.
She said, "Oh, Jared bhai! (which means little brother) Come and take
our picture." We became friends with Rena some time ago. She is married
and has children. Her family is Hindu. She is a very friendly person, and it
is always a pleasure to spend time with her. Recently, she attended a
prayer meeting in our home for the first time.
Posts
