Seminar to throw light on history of Hill people

Darjeeling: A seminar is all set to pen the people's history of Darjeeling.

Funded by the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi, the seminar "Darjeeling in Search of People's History of the Hills" is expected to shatter many wrong notions and instead compile various forms of history of the Darjeeling Hills.

"There is an outsider's view that Darjeeling came into existence in 1835.

However, excavations show that people lived in Kalimpong area 6,000 years ago in the Neolithic age. Excavations at Tashiding and Sankhadhunga in Kalimpong have revealed stone tools and pottery of the Neolithic age. The seminar plans to compile research works on these lines," said Dr Binay Chandra Rai, department of history, Southfield College, Darjeeling.

The seminar that aims to focus on the history of people in Hills will be held on September 5, 6 and 7 at Southfield College in Darjeeling.

It is being organised by the history department of the College. "There is very less published history of Darjeeling. We will compile all this. There will be more than 70 papers presented at the seminar along with 20 renowned resource persons attending," added Srikanta Rai Chowdhury, of the history department.

Professor Isamuddin Sarkar of the North Bengal University will deliver the keynote address. Professor TB Subba will also be addressing the gathering.

"It will be a multi-disciplinary approach. Oral traditions, oral history will be documented. International publishing house Cambridge Scholar's has already agreed to publish volumes on the seminar," said Rai Chowdhury.

The Southfield College in Darjeeling was founded as Loreto College in August 1961 as a women's college.

It was handed over to the West Bengal Government in 2009 and was rechristened as the Southfield College.

"It is very important to deconstruct history at times for history to be rewritten. The seminars aims to do that too," said Diwakar Thatal of the history department.