I love Kalimpong.

Dewaker Basnett

Durga Aunty of Durga hostel says that I was 2.5 years when I was brought to her hostel, adjacent Benjamin's Garden Nursery Home at Atisha Road. Whenever I go there (sometimes) she fondly tells me that I should call her "ama" as she has snuggled me in her arms and taken care of everything including "potty" care.

I love her and through her I will always love Kalimpong.

The next reason why I love Kalimpong is it's homes filled with flowers. The Azaleas of the place and how they adorn each home, small, medium and big - for me that's out of the world. I have always felt that God has gifted something special in the mothers of Kalimpong to have such amazing green fingers.

These are my two distinct love for Kalimpong apart from the several friends and cousins around town. I like visiting the town like how many people from Kalimpong like visiting Gangtok or Pakyong or anywhere in Sikkim.

The affection for most starts and ends at a definitive. Just like, in no ways do i want a piece of the Kalimpong pie or do I want to meddle or interfere in the political ongoings of the land.

The space is distinctly unique than ours and I have no intent or interest in making myself a part of Kalimpong. Am sure the case is the same with most common people, in either of our lands, be it Sikkim or the neighbouring hills.

But there are some who, for their own identity crisis, seem to look at Sikkim, a land which has always supported the cause of the neighbouring hills, whenever the need has arisen.

There are thousands of people in Sikkim who have come to study or earn a decent living in Sikkim and who belong to the neighbouring hills of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Doars and the periphery.

Many have family ties of marriages and thereby the added family structure in Sikkim and the neighbouring hills. When voices like the ones who are aggressively looking at Sikkim as their own political relevance gains traction, am sure there are most who feel apologetic for the demands put forth by a few voices which malign our decade old relationships .

Our brothers, sisters and friends who are from the neighbouring hills, would never want the relationship between them and Sikkim to come under an ambit of suspicion.

Am sure majority of them appreciate and love Sikkim for whatever it has given to them and would be very nervous about whatever a few jokers have been desperately trying to make a case of the apparent Sikkim- neighbouring hills context.

Everyone who have been our guests know well that our hospitality is our biggest asset. A few of them have tried to take advantage of the goodness that we are and am sure many from the neighbouring hills working in Sikkim are feeling apologetic of the same.

I suggest sane voices of our neighbourhood do speak up against such ideas of merger and wholeheartedly reject the idea of what has been propounded by a few people looking for their own political identity and relevance.

Sikkim has our support towards our neighborhood and we shall be in support whenever the need arises.

But for a subject pertaining to a merger, maybe the context is stretched a little too far.

Sikkim does not want it and neither does majority of the neighbouring hills. It is some of these voices who need to be given a rationale and befitting reply, not only by Sikkim but also by the ones who respect and appreciate whatever Sikkim has given and done for them over the years.