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1986 - BAS HARAYEPACHHI - is a best-seller Nepali non-fiction jotted down by well known journalist Babita Maden. She hails from Darjeeling and lives in Siliguri. Maden drew attention of readers with her political essays published in various dailies and magazines. She earned massive readership with her debut book 'Darjeeling: Brand Vyaparko Rajnaitik Bajaar', a non-fiction, published by Sangrila Books - India and Sangrila Books - Nepal simultaneously in 2018.
The book hovers around the violent Darjeeling hills of 1980s when the movement for separate state of Gorkhaland headed by Subash Ghising. The author recalls the violent conflict that took between two opposing forces - the Gorkhaland agitators and CPIM backed left force. The author writes her memoir when she was a little kid while the Gorkhaland agitation took place.
1986 - BAS HARAYEPACHHI was published by Sambodhan Publication and marketed by Buk-Ant, Siliguri in January, 2022.
Maden works as a freelance journalist in digital media.
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Gorkhaland movement is a campaign to create a separate state of India in the Gorkhaland region of West Bengal for the Nepali speaking Indians. The proposed state includes the hill regions of the Darjeeling district, Kalimpong district and Dooars regions that include Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and parts of Coochbehar districts. A demand for a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling has existed since 1909, when the Hillmen's Association of Darjeeling submitted a memorandum to Minto-Morley Reforms demanding a separate administrative setup.
In the 1980s, Subhash Ghisingh raised the demand for the creation of a state called Gorkhaland within India to be carved out of the hills of Darjeeling and areas of Dooars and Siliguri terai contiguous to Darjeeling. The Gorkhas have been demanding for separation from West Bengal since 1907 on the grounds that they are culturally, ethnically different from West Bengal. The demand took a violent turn, which led to the death of over 1,200 people. This movement culminated with the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988. The DGHC administered the Darjeeling hills for 23 years with some degree of autonomy.
A new violent movement for a separate state of Gorkhaland was started in 1986 by Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) led by Subhash Ghisingh. The agitation ultimately led to the establishment of a semi-autonomous body in 1988 called the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) to govern certain areas of Darjeeling district. However, in 2007, a new party called the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) raised the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland once again.
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Video © BukAnt Digital Productions 2021