Identity Crisis

The task for creating a blog was drawing near and yet I had not come up with any idea. I was bleakly staring at the blank page of my notebook which was desperately waiting for a trail of ink that would end its blankness. But like the page itself, my head also felt blank. Just then, my new roommate asked me which place I belonged to and what language I speak at home. Too much occupied by the trouble of creating a blog, I simply said I'm from Darjeeling and I speak Nepali. The moment I uttered the word "Nepali "she concluded, "Oh, you're actually from Nepal.” This was not something that I'd been through for the first time and so as usual I patiently explained how I am also an Indian like her. After that, I went back to where I was (futile effort of coming up with a blog).But then, I reflected on the identity crisis that Nepali speaking Gorkhas of India face. I remembered a funny incident from my childhood when I had gone for a vacation to Maharasthra (Pune). It was a dusky evening and I was playing in the nearby park of our guest house. There was a lady seated on one of the benches watching her child play on the grass. I went and sat beside her. She turned to me and asked from which place I was (as my non-Indian features usually makes people wonder which place I belong to).I said that I was from Darjeeling. The response that I got after that was hilariously unforgettable. "Oh, that is in China, right?"I shook my head."Then it must surely be in Japan."She made that statement with such confidence that even I was puzzled for a while about my "identity."I had to go back to my mother and confirm.

         Since my father is in the Indian Army, I've had the privilege of travelling almost every state of India, and so facing "Identity crisis" and explaining my nationality to every possible person has become as normal as breathing though it does get annoying or even humiliating sometimes. So, presently when my new roommate also forwarded that same age old question about my nationality, an idea clicked on my mind. Finally the blank pages of my notebook received its share of ink. All I needed now was to type it on my blog and hence, my blog is finally created to give a voice to the struggles of the Nepali speaking Gorkhas who despite being Indian citizens are always facing identity crisis and are termed as foreigners in their own country, who despite having their native land (That is Gorkhaland-a demand for a state within the Indian union) cannot claim it as their own. Gorkhas belong to the warrior’s race. They’ve significantly contributed to India’s security forces and many, sacrificed their lives. Yet we are still labelled as “Guards(Bahadur)” and even “prostitutes!” Just because we have slit eyes and Nepali as our mother tongue doesn’t mean that we are foreigners, guards or sluts! It’s as ignorant as saying all Muslims are terrorists! I do not intend to cause harm to any person, community or country through this blog. All I aim to do is raise a serious issue that has been neglected and suppressed for many decades.