Abstract:

     The Darjeeling Hills, the northern most district of WestBengal, but known world-wide for its famous tea and one of the most visitedsummer tourist destinations in India, has been on an indefinite shutdown since the 8th of June, this year. The shut down, was called by the GorkhaJan Mukti Morcha, the ruling party of the Hills, since its inception inOctober 2007 and headed by Mr. Bimal Gurung. However, within next ten days, the protests were beyond the control of a single leader, or a single partyfor that matter, and unfolded into a people’s movement with the demand for aseparate statehood within the Indian Union. This talk is an attempt to understand this recent series of events that has so far claimed nine livesand has left numerous injured.

About Speaker:

Prof. Pravesh Jung Golay teaches at the Department of Humanities and SocialSciences, IIT Bombay