‘Homeward Bound?’ – Assessing Gorkhaland as an Imaginative Geography and the Indian-Nepali Identity in Select Works

Presenter:

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Abstract

The Darjeeling hills, largely associated with the image of a quaint hill station, possesses a history of disenfranchisement from the Indian mainland. This discontentment found expression through the Gorkhaland movement, which demands a separation of the region from the state of West Bengal in order to form its own administrative province. The lack of unifying history and culture has resulted in the local populace perceiving themselves as ‘other’ to the dominant ‘mainland’ - sentiments which have occasionally culminated in mass civil unrest and violent clashes. This history has been underscored by a quest to establish a clear sense of identity. This paper focuses on how the idea of Gorkhaland has been employed in the discourse which has shaped a community’s identity and enabled it to appropriate the space for a territory yet to come into existence – how the borders of ‘Gorkhaland’ have already been demarcated despite having no political sanction. Following the argument of ‘imaginative geography’, the paper analyses how exploiting the emotional connection between place and people has legitimized the concept of a ‘regional identity’.

Further, this paper will also explore a selection of Nepali literature from this region in order to understand the Indian-Nepali identity. Themes ranging from the suffering of Nepalese migrants in early years to growing narratives of self-determination as the demand for Gorkhaland intensified will be explored from authors such as Indra Bahadur Rai and Agam Singh Giri amongst others. This will provide an insight into Darjeeling and its people, creating a review of the movement whilst reflecting on the present day and future of Gorkhaland.