This film traces the history of the Gorkhas in North Bengal. Focusing on their deprivation since the colonial times, the film brings to light how the demand for Gorkhaland transcends the demand for ‘development’ and develops into a movement for the right to identity of the Gorkhas. It is a quest for the Gorkhas to curve out a state to call their own, their motherland. Through this movement the people of the hills send a clear message, they are unique enough to demand a state of their own, their language, culture, clothes, food habits and even looks are entirely different. By no means are they Bengali and all of this reinforces their demand of separation from Bengal.
Indians Insult Gurkhas on TV Program “Idol.”
Gorkha Janamukti Morcha
(Gorkha People’s Liberation Front)
![[Gorkha People's Liberation Front]](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/i/in}gjm.gif)
image provided by Chrystian Kretowicz, 27 June 2008
Subhas Ghising is no longer synonymous with Gorkhaland. Two decades ago he and his Gorkha National Liberation Front began the struggle for their own state in the Darjeeling area, only abandoning it after the deal was struck with the West Bengal and Indian governments creating slightly autonomous Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council of which Ghising became a chairman. (Resigned in March 2008 as being irrelevant). Ghising’s flag is no longer predominant in Gorkhaland, since from October 2007 a new movement – Gorkha Janamukti Morcha – gained support of the vast majority of West Bengal Gorkhas. It is led by the former lieutenant of Ghising, Bimal Gurung, who is demanding nothing less then a full statethood within India for Gorkhaland (three districts of West Bengal around Darjeeling). GJM has a backing of, influential there, Communist Party of India-Revolutionary Marxist against the government of West Bengal (run by the Communist Party of India-Marxists) which is vehemently opposed to the idea of statehood for Gorkhaland. The Indian government suppreses the that idea as the precedent could open the floodgates of the demands for dozens of other ethnic autonomous states in otherwise patchwork of fragile nation states, who could potentially be Independent nations and members of the United Nations. The most recent surge in demands for statehood is attributed to the insulting comments on Indian national television addressed at the Gorkha, who won the “Idol” type of the singing competition – Prachanda Tawang. To many Gorkhas it was the last straw which pushed them to strongly demand self-rule in their homeland.
The flag of Gorkha Janamukti Morcha, widely waved across Gorkhaland, is:
Green at the top engraved at the left with Sun. White at the middle engraved at the left with Himalaya & Golden Yellow at the bottom engraved at the left with two crossed Khukuries, all three strips running parallel and equal in size.
Symbolic meaning and significance of the flag:
The green at the top symbolize the prosperity with knowledge of brightness. The white symbolizes peace and purity as Himalaya, and the golden yellow symbolizes the spirituality and pride of Khukuri.”
The flag submitted here is with the Latin script. Most flags visible on the multitude of photograph on the web are inscribed with the name of the party in the Nepali script, and some without any writing on them, as described above. The last ones, I presume, could be proposed flags for the (would-be or not) State of Gorkhaland.
Gurkhas are cheap mercenary cannon fodder for British & Indian Armies
The British have use them as cannon fodder. The Indian Army uses them as cannon fodder. The Gorkhas are the most ecploited people on earth. Their area is deliberately left undeveloped, so that ther no other means of livelihood for them, except serve as mercenary soldiers in th Indian and British Army. The are kept backward and illiterate. they are subtly brainwashwashed by propaganda, that they are a martial race. Truly, a scientigic fallacy and a type of racism to exclude people from getting the benefits of the 21st Century.
Keeping Gurkhas poor and illiterate, helps meet Indian and Britains Armed Forces recruitment quotas
The Indian and British youth are not interested in soldiering. The guided towards the fields of education, science like bio- and nanotechnology, economics, engineering, chemistry, physics, and in high tech institutes like Indian Institute of Technology or the Imperial College. But, not a single Gurkha has had access to these institutions. The philosophy of Indian and Britain is to keep Gurkhas ignorant, so they can be used for warfare, instead of Indian or British citizens, who are considered intellectually of a higher calibre and therefore, more valuable, a form of subtle racis.
Traditionally, Gurkha recruits come from rural areas and are illiterate. Nowadays, Gurkhas have realized that their ticket to freedom from exploitation by both the Indian and British armies is by being educated. They are acquiring high school certificates that include English proficiency and math skills.
Many attend cram schools, some of which over-train candidates, extract bribes and coach everyone to mouth the same answers.
Brainwashing and exploitation by Britain and India
“They’ll all come in saying ‘I want to be a Gurkha because I want to die for Britain,’ ” Bevin said. “It’s so boring you want to pull your hair out.” How many nationals of one nation make a ridiculous but “drilled in brain,” statement like.
Gurkhas homeland is occupied by India, parts of it are annexed by Nepal.
Others will say they want to join as part of a family tradition, even though no relative was ever a Gurkha soldier.
Although the pull is still strong, some military analysts and planners are questioning the Gurkhas’ future.
India and Britain use the Gurkhas, when needed, then discard them to the ranks of poor and unemployed
Britain will take just 126 this year and has seen 400 Gurkhas lose their jobs, reducing to 3,200 the number in active service, a tiny fraction of the 200,000 during World War II.
Here is a racist comment from the author of,”The Gurkhas: Special Force.” Chris Bellamy
“If you took them down much further, you’d risk ruining the mix,” said Chris Bellamy, a military historian and author of “The Gurkhas: Special Force.”
Gurkhas are poorly paid in India,but they are expected to die for India during War
Recently, British officers and Gurkha veterans groups have emphasized the extent to which Britain and India contribute to Nepal’s economy — up to 25%, by some accounts — through pensions and funding for Gurkha hospitals, schools in Gurkha communities and other welfare programs. (India employs more Gurkhas than Britain, although they’re not as well paid.)
“The government would have to think pretty long about turning that down,” Mills said.
But Moaist and communists are making inroads and winning Gurkhas hearts and minds. Gurkhas are begining to realize that they are being exploited by being kept poor and uneducated, so they can only do jobs as mercenaries in the Indian or British Armies.
Chandra Prakash Gajurel, a politburo member with the Unified Communist Party of Nepal, says working for foreigners in effect makes Gurkhas mercenaries.
“Yes, Nepal has unemployment, but joining someone else’s army isn’t a good solution,” he said. “And, no, the Communist Party does not envy Gurkhas.”
Gorkhaland: In Search Of Motherland
In Search Of Motherland
This documentary is about the ensuing agitation in the hills of North Bengal, carried out by the local residents or natives, demanding for a separate state, Gorkhaland. The movement has earned fame as the Gorkhaland Movement and has been the cause of much disturbance in the hilly regions around Darjeeling. We show the actual ground realities in the area through interviews and coverage of many incidents that have occurred since the beginning of the movement. We try to trace the beginning of such demands, the history of the place and its people.
This documentary is in English, with non-english conversations and interviews subtitled.
The Bengali (বাংলা) version of the documentary can be found here:
http://vimeo.com/9382289
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![[Flag of Bodoland]](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/i/in-bodo.gif)
![[Flag of National Democratic Front of Bodoland]](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/i/in-ndfb.gif)
