Hill Cart Chronicles–Post #3

Welcome to the first edition of Hill Cart Chatter, a new monthly feature under Hill Cart Chronicles. In this space, I’ll chat with people who live—or have lived—in Siliguri. They might be born here, or they might have moved here and never gone back. Some may now live elsewhere, but their hearts still beat for this ever-changing, ever-familiar town. The questions will be a mix—some constants, some variables—and the tone informal. Think of it as adda in slow motion.

Hill Cart Chatter #issue August, 2025

Kicking things off is Dr. Satyadeep S. Chhetri, academician, author and quintessential Siliguri-wala. He teaches at Nar Bahadur Bhandari Government College in Gangtok and divides his time between Sikkim and Siliguri. He is the author of Gorkhaland Diaries: Even Dreams… Uneven Lives and Sikkim: From Autocracy to Half‑Democracy. Here are his reflections on a town that shaped him.

Which part of Siliguri do you call home?
Jyotinagar, near Don Bosco School (Ward No. 41)

How long have you lived in Siliguri?
Since birth—52 years to be precise

You divide your time between Gangtok and Siliguri. Do you still see yourself as a Siliguri boy?
Oh yes of course. Totally. Siliguri is such a place that you can take yourself out of Siliguri but Siliguri can never go out of you. It’s magical.

How would you describe your relationship with the city?
I can proudly say we built Siliguri… rather the town grew with me.

What’s your earliest memory of Siliguri?
A small sleepy town where rickshaws and cycles ruled the streets. Where everyone knew almost everyone, where roads were dotted with small houses rather than big buildings or apartments. Bidhan Market used to be the heart of town where you bought everything you needed. Where Sevoke Road (supposedly ended at Panitanki More) and Hill Cart Road was known for its hotels and restaurants. Haggling for discounts at Eastern Book Depot and NB, watching Jatra and annual circuses in or around Siliguri, cricket and football matches in Ramkrishna Math and Tilak Maidan… and of course the curfew when Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984.

What’s a Siliguri phrase, habit, or quirk you think outsiders don’t understand?
“Chherey dey.” Let it go. It’s a problem-solver phrase—used to defuse an argument, stop a fight, or simply say “move on.”

What’s one thing about Siliguri that hasn’t changed, and you wish it doesn’t change ever?
The camaraderie among the old citizens, the few remaining standalone houses, Netaji Cabin, Arya Bakery and Taiwah, Mahabirsthan, food stalls outside the stadium, Ganga Sweets at Children’s Park, shopping in Bidhan Market and Hong Kong Market, watching plays at Town Hall… well, the list is endless.

What do you miss about Siliguri from yesteryears?
Ahh there are so many… many of the landmarks have been broken or converted, the old houses have gone missing, trees have gone missing along Sevoke Road… rather every road. Miss the old Holi, Diwali and Durga Puja (pandal hopping on foot), the long addas (nowadays everyone seems to be busy), squatting in College Maath (now walled and barricaded), Saraswati Puja and Jhulon Puja (this has disappeared), haggling for small discounts at NB Modern Agencies or Eastern Book Depot, having chop and Mughlai parotha at the old Parimal’s Hotel or singara at Sarada Mistanna Bhandar (both closed now). The list is endless… so many… I mean just so many.

What do you like about the new Siliguri?
Siliguri is a nondescript place in India and yet the city is a mix of the old and new. It has everything that a metro has to offer and yet it still has a small-town character.

What do you dislike about Siliguri (past or present)?
Absence of a unique cultural aspect. The politics of religion has made deeper roots into Siliguri. The city is bereft of a proper bookstore or a vibrant cultural hub.

What do you wish to see in Siliguri (happening/taking place/being built) in the years and decades to come?
Siliguri was known to be a traders’/transit town, which it still is. When people visit my place, all I can do is take them outside the town or to the new supposed developmental hotspots like the shopping malls. Siliguri now needs to grow beyond this. There has to be one cultural landmark in Siliguri that defines the city—just like India Gate/Red Fort/Qutub Minar in Delhi or Howrah Bridge/Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. We should create something inside Siliguri that captures its essence.

If Siliguri had a theme song, what would it be—and why?
Main Hoon Na. All said and done, Siliguri is a nerve centre for all the needs—health, education, daily essentials—for Bhutan, Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, the Dooars… rather the entire North Bengal and adjoining districts of Bihar.