Kalimpong,18th Sept
A seminar on Gorkhaland and the demand for smaller states will be held on September 22 at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Auditorium, Teen Murti House. The seminar will begin at 10 am.
Among those who will be speaking on the subject are Congress Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar, Darjeeling MP and former union minister Jaswant Singh, former minister of state and Lok Sabha member Ajay Maken, former union home secretary RK Singh, politburo member and former Lok Sabha member Vinod Kumar and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha spokesperson and MLA HB Chettri.
There will be a second session on the issue of Indian Gorkha identity where the speakers are eminent cinematographer Binod Pradhan who has directed the camera for hits including Bhag Milkha Bhag and Rang De Basanti, former Indian hockey team captain Bharat Chetri,promising author Prajwal Parajuly (who has penned “The Gurkha's daughter”), Sonam Sherpa, lead guitarist of Delhi's most famous band Parikrama and senior journalist Joel Rai.
The seminar is organised by the Darjeeling Foundation, a think tank initiative formed with the support of intellectuals, academics, public figures and business leaders from Darjeeling as well as other parts of the country. It is conceived as a private, not for profit body to influence public opinion and mould views of the political class as well as executive on the issue of separate state of Gorkhaland comprising Darjeeling and surrounding areas. The idea is to help clear misconceptions relating to Gorkhaland issue through seminars, public discussion, debate, research and publications.
GJM MLA HB Chettri told that the seminar will definitely help our movement as it will be held in Delhi in presence of the Political figure of the country.