The Gorkhas’ demand for a separate state is fuelled by a desire to establish their political identity as Indians. As the over two-decade long struggle acquires a never before seen urgency, many in Darjeeling believe the time has to come realise their goal. Subrata Nagchoudhury reports from the battlezone

Even as dusk descended on a riot-hit Siliguri town on Thursday under the marching boots of security forces and with army units standing by, Darjeeling witnessed a different spectacle. Thousands of Gorkha men and women, youth and the elderly, marched in silence along the streets of Darjeeling to converge at the Mall, enveloped in mist under a moist monsoon sky. They all held candles close to them and each held a wish that has been long cherished and buried in the Gorkha consciousness: a separate state of Gorkhaland. Their aspirations spoke through the silence. Occasionally, a microphone burst into life with a vibrant, pulsating tune: “Hamro mang, Gorkhaland/ Gorkhaland, Gorkhaland/Sabko Mang Gorkhaland/Gorkhaland (We all want Gorkhaland)”.
This is a tune the Gorkhas of Darjeeling have been chanting for decades now. But this time, somehow, somewhere there appears a lurking hope and a silent determination that the time has come to realise their goal.
Ashish Tamang, a student of Class VIII of the Municipal Boys’ School, and Adith Chhetri of the Arya Morning High School were among the crowd. Tamang and Chhetri do not know exactly what Gorkhaland would get them. The two were not even born during the turbulent days of the 1980s when Subhas Ghising led the earlier agitation for a separate state, but both realise that it is a passion that binds them all and that Gorkhaland is something that has to happen.
P.T. Sherpa, a leader of the Darjeeling Hills Planters’ Labour Union, however, has a clear vision and practical reasons for a “just” struggle for Gorkhaland.
“People within India often ask me if I am from Nepal. We are always taken as Nepalese from Nepal. It immediately gives us a feeling of alienation. Once we have a state of our own we will hopefully be spared this humiliation,” says Sherpa.
And the man who has set a specific timeframe to achieving this goal—Bimal Gurung—is the winner of a million hearts in the hills now. 2010 is the year by which the Gorkhas would have their dream realised, says Gurung.

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