The Gorkhaland Movement in Darjeeling (English) (Paperback)

 This book is, as is clear from its title, about The Gorkhaland Movement in Darjeeling. It traces the history of Darjeeling and the ethnic groups living there. It deals with the evolution of the Gorkha identity and how it has changed its boundaries over time. Starting with a simple demand for a separate administrative set-up raised first in 1907, the book looks at the series of political demands culminating in the demand for a separate statehood called ‘Gorkhaland’ by redrawing the political map of West Bengal.  The book evaluates various macro and micro theories to explain the emergence of the Gorkhaland movement. It provides a blow-by-blow account of the fratricidal violence and counter-violence that engulfed the villages and tea gardens of Darjeeling hills and Dooars. It also assesses the impact the movement had on the economy, ethnic relations, education, cultural activities, etc. in Darjeeling. Finally, it critiques the roles played by Nepali, Bengali and other Indian journalism in reporting about the violent incidents and the people of Darjeeling. In short, this book provides one of the most comprehensive accounts of the Gorkhaland movement and hence it may be useful for those who want to know about the history and people of Darjeeling, especially about the Gorkhaland movement, and about ethnic movements generally.

About The Author

Tanka B. Subba

Tanka B. Subba retired as a Professor of Anthropology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India in April 2022. Earlier, from 2012 to 2017, he served as the second Vice-Chancellor of Sikkim University. He received awards like the Homi Bhabha Fellowship (Mumbai), Dr. Panchanan Mitra Lectureship and R.P. Chanda Centenary Medal for 2015 (Asiatic Society, Kolkata), DAAD Guest professorship at the Free University of Berlin, and Baden-Wuerttemberg Fellowship at the South Asian Institute, Heidelberg University. He served as a member of the Advisory Boards of the National Museum of Mankind, Anthropological Survey of India and the INTACH. He has authored and edited 18 books and published over 80 articles on various issues related to the Eastern Himalayas. His recent publications include, as Sectional Editor for Northeast India and Bangladesh, Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Religions of the Indigenous People of South Asia (Brill, 2021 Gen. Ed. Marine Carrin) and, as Co-Editor, The Routledge Companion to Northeast India (Routledge, 2022, Lead Editor Jelle J.P. Wouters). He is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of North Bengal, Siliguri and an Adjunct Professor at Taylor’s University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.