Reflections

The Teesta River is one of the important geographical features of Siliguri. It enters the plains at Sevoke where the narrow mountain torrent opens up to form a wide river. It has been dammed at the Teesta Barrage a little lower on the course. However I bring up the Teesta because I was reminded of it by the recent change in course of the Kosi River in Bihar. The recent floods caused it to shift to a course that it had not followed for two hundred years. This has caused unprecedented havoc in North Bihar. I do not know if you are aware, but the Teesta did a similar thing similar in 1787, following a devastating earthquake and a major flood. This earthquake took place on the 12th of June that year. It was probably the same quake that also destroyed one of the towers of St Paul’s Cathedral in Calcutta. Previous to this the Teesta , when it entered the plains divided into three streams, the Karatoya to the east, the Punarbhaba in the west and the Atrai in the centre. This led to its name ...

Siliguri badly needs an image makeover. It is today known as the place you pass through in order to reach the tourist destinations of Darjeeling, Gangtok and the Dooars. You cannot fly to Siliguri though it has an airport (it is named Bagdogra), nor can you take a major Mail or express train to Siliguri (its main station is called New Jalpaiguri). Somewhat like Kolkata which never had a station to its name until very recently, Siliguri has a couple of stations but they cater only to the less important trains. It is imperative that two transport centres are renamed at the earliest. Siliguri however lies at the crossroads of South Asia. Within a radius of 50 kilometres as the crow flies there are four countries and four states of India. It is the gateway through which the Indian heartland communicates with the North Eastern states of the Indian Union. No wonder then it is the fastest growing small town in India. The superficial trappings of modernity have all arrived. It has large shopp...

Another update on GREEN. One of the projects we had taken up was the Siliguri Dumping ground near Don Bosco School. One of our members, Pratap Kedia first drew our attention this scandal. We discovered the road adjacent to the dumping ground was being used to drop waste including clinical waste. The road which was like a drain was taken by students of 5 schools in the area.All the children were passing through the area with their noses buried in their handkerchiefs! The entire place is permeated by a stink that penetrates the school premises as well. We took this matter up as a priority and we shot a video showing the place and its effect on the local residents and the school kids. We also met the Urban Develoment Minister who is from Siliguri and insisted that something be done. He gave us a patient hearing but we did not expect anything and were drawings up plans for a more militant movement. However we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Municipal Corporation has announced it...

Normally I hate eating my words. But this time I will do it with great pleasure. I am glad that the three musketeers of Beijing have proved me wrong in all counts. In my opinion it shows that changes are taking place at a rapid pace in small cities across the country. Bhindra’s case is different; he had the backing of his millionaire father. However the point is that infrastructure should be available for sportsmen so that they do not have to depend on individual largesse. It is now clear that even if the state fails, young men and women will make their way. If only the state helped, their life would have been so much easier. Perhaps it is the necessity for small town men to prove themselves that have made them more determined and capable of doing well. The table tennis players of Siliguri come to mind in this context. It amazes me that while the security apparatus for politicians are the best in the world, there is no third world excuse then, the excuse of lack of money is trotted out...

Its that time!The newspapers are full of the new champions who are very likely to win medals in the Olympics. In spite of the fact that no athlete has timings anywhere near the Olympic or world bests, the officials, parts of the media and of course crazy sport administrators keep insisting that so and so is bound to get a medal this year.I remember Anju Baby George. She came fourth in one World Athletics Meet, never came close to her timings after that, and everybody kept saying that she would win a medal. Not surprisingly she did not. The only medals that have come our way, one apiece in each recent Olympics, have been sort of flukes, nobody expected it and it just happened. In this Olympics if we do get our one medal it will be like that, some sportsman who was not thought of at all might win a bronze and become the next great Hope of Indian sport. It is ridiculous how puny achievements are played up as if they were world shaking achievements. Sania Mirza. She won a couple of matches...

Coming back to the doings of GREEN, our organization let me remind you, that works on environmental issues. Last Sunday was the beginning of one of our most ambitious ventures. We plan to plant 10,000 trees this year while the monsoon lasts. The land for this project was lent to us by The Army authorities. The programme kicked off on the 3rd August when we all went to the Army Cantonment at Sukna. The plantation this Sunday was at the banks of the Dakdakia rivulet, a tributary of the Balason. The opposite bank was thickly wooded; it is part of the Mahananda Sanctuary. We planted about 200 trees, our members and officers of the Army unit all pitched in. In this phase 2000 saplings will be planted. Subsequently we plan to plant the rest in phases. The saplings were obtained from the Forest Division of the Jalpaiguri District. The great advantage of having the Army with us is that we can be sure that the trees will be looked after well. We hope that with their active cooperation we will b...