BOOK REVIEW

Since the beginning of June, Darjeeling – the beautiful hill station in north Bengal, famous for its tea and toy train – has been in shutdown mode, over renewed demands of Gorkhaland. The protests this time, marked by riots, arson, and deaths, were sparked by an announcement of the West Bengal government making Bengali mandatory in all schools of the region. The announcement, later withdrawn, was greeted as an affront by the mostly Nepali-speaking people of the region, and the agitation has continued, affecting every aspect of life in