Hill Cart Chronicles–Post #5 Welcome to Hill Cart Chatter, a monthly feature under Hill Cart Chronicles. In this space, I 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,…
Hill Cart Chronicles–Post #4 Today is Nepali Language Recognition Day, a day that marks the recognition of Nepali as one of India’s scheduled languages. It is a day of pride for millions of Nepali-speaking people in the country—a celebration of their literature, culture, and identity.But whenever this day comes around, I cannot help but think…
Read more On Nepali Language Day, Remembering Siliguri’s Fragile Unity
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…
Hill Cart Chronicles–Post #2 “When the rains started on a Saturday, we’d say it would last a week. If it began on a Tuesday, it would go on for three days.” That’s how 90-year-old Suhas Basu of Subhash Pally described the monsoons of his youth. Back then, Siliguri saw two seasons, he said—rainy season and…
Hill Cart Chronicles–Post #1 As part of my ongoing research into Siliguri’s past and present, I recently visited Siliguri Town Station—the original railhead that once marked the beginning of this town’s story. Accompanying me was Raj Basu, or Rajda, as many of us fondly call him. A phenomenal figure in the field of tourism and…
Read more The Forgotten First Stop: A Visit to Siliguri Town Station
Anuradha Sharma 