Tracing The Origin Of Indian Gorkhas In Darjeeling And The Problem Of Their Identity Crisis

Abstract

Indian Gorkhas are the citizens of India who speak Nepali language which is included in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution. The term is used to differentiate the ethnic Gorkhas from Nepalis who are the citizens of Nepal. They are the indigenous people of Northern and North Eastern India. As far as the origin of the Gorkhas in Darjeeling is concerned, in 1860s, there was alarge amount of labour movement from Nepal to Darjeeling due to the rapid growth of tea plantation, commercial activities and the construction of the Darjeeling town. Apart from Nepal large Gorkha population from Assam also moved to Darjeeling. They were attracted by the greenery forests and large tracts of land for grazing. Further, in Darjeeling the hindu caste system hardly existed unlike in other places because all the Gorkha community were engaged in plantation works and were manual labourers. Thus, Darjeeling was more liberal, and comparatively freer without any social menacles and the Gorkhasstarted settling in Darjeeling and started identifying themselves as Indian Gorkhas. These Indian Gorkhas are the citizens of India, but they have been facing identity problems constantly. In many instances they have been labeled as an outsider or a foreigner. Thus, the Indian Gorkhas are continuously fighting for their common identification in a big country like India without being labeled as an outsider. The basic aim of this paper is to look into the origin of Indian Gorkhas in Darjeeling, their customs, cultures, and traditions and the problem of their identity crisis. The paper also discusses about the perspective of the Indian government with regards to the demands and challenges faced by the Indian Gorkhas. This study is based on the secondary data available from both online and offline sources, which has been subjected to critical evaluation and reviewed.