Who are the Indian Gorkhas?

sam_sikkim · 22nd Dec 08, 12:42 PM

What is the basis of the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland?
It is the aspiration of Indian Gorkhas seeking their Indian identity, who want to live as Indians and die as Indians with a place to show where they belong to.
Who are the Indian Gorkhas?
The Indian Gorkhas are people who were assimilated into British India along with their land under the Treaty of Sugaulee of 1815 and also descendants of those people of Nepali origin who migrated to India since the pre-British era. They are fiercely nationalistic and have contributed to the Indian Freedom Struggle and nation building.
Why are they demanding Gorkhaland?
Since the Indian Gorkhas share similarities of anthromorphology, culture, language and ethnicity with the people of Nepal, they have always been misconceived and misconstrued as being outsiders, settlers and sometimes even foreigners. If they have a place within India that establishes them as being Indians, only then will these misconceptions and erroneous perceptions be forever resolved. That is why getting a separate state of their own is imperative for the Indian Gorkhas.
How old is the demand?
The first demand for a separate administrative unit for the Gorkhas was made in 1907 and reiterated many times until Independence. Even after 1947, the demand was raised on several occasions before different governments, both at the state and the Centre. It is now 101 years since the Gorkhas have desired a state of their own.
What is the proposed area of Gorkhaland?
The proposed state of Gorkhaland comprises the district of Darjeeling and the adjoining areas of the Dooars in North Bengal.

Why this area?

These areas were historically never a part of West Bengal. The district of Darjeeling formerly was a part of Sikkim, ceded to the British for a special sanatorium in 1835. And the Dooars belt was again ceded to the British by Bhutan in 1865 under the Treaty of Sinchula.
Demographically, the density of Gorkha population in this area is the highest compared with other parts of the country.
Culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and even geographically, these areas are different from the rest of West Bengal.
The Government of West Bengal has already recognised this area as being special and different to the rest of the state by setting up the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council since 1988.