Dadheló

25/11/2025

Pipe Major Lee Moore of the Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust is exploring a Highland–Himalayan school twinning, his Kalimpong visit forging a cultural bridge through the bagpipe.

Pipe Major Lee Moore of the Scottish Schools Pipes & Drums Trust is exploring a Highland–Himalayan school twinning, his Kalimpong visit forging a cultural bridge through the bagpipe

19/11/2025

Who was Ataullah Siddiqui?
(Seated left of British Prime Minister Tony Blair)

A Kalimpong boy.
A proud SUMI alumnus.
Someone who probably walked the same lanes, read the same books, and shopped at the same stores as we do today.
Yet destiny had bigger plans.

In 1982, Ataullah travelled to the UK to join the Islamic Foundation as a Research Fellow.

He eventually co-founded, and became Vice-Chair of the Christian–Muslim Forum, an interfaith initiative launched by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Anglican world’s equivalent of the Pope.

In 2007, the British Government entrusted him with a national review to assess and improve Islamic Studies in UK universities.
His book, Christian–Muslim Dialogue in the Twentieth Century, remains a cornerstone of modern interfaith scholarship.

But Ataullah wasn’t just a scholar.

He was a bridge-builder, a gentle visionary, and one of the early pioneers of the interfaith movement in Britain.

He passed away on November 8, 2020, but his light still guides many.

From the hills of Kalimpong to the halls of Lambeth Palace,
Ataullah showed the world how far wisdom, humility, and quiet brilliance can take you.

One of the greatest scholars ever to emerge from Kalimpong.

19/10/2025

I am starting to think the universe is actively trying to turn me vegan. It all started with a meeting with Jerome Patrick Flynn, yes, Bronn from Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister’s sharp-tongued sellsword and sidekick. Off-screen, he is a proud vegan who is less about swords and more about soy.

After that, I encountered Lama Kunzang Dorjee, abbot of three monasteries, one in Kalimpong and two in Bhutan. Gentle, wise, and entirely vegan, he radiates compassion and nonviolence in a way that makes your bacon-wrapped breakfast feel almost offensive.

Finally, I found myself in the kitchen with Narhari Gupta, trained at Michelin-starred Restaurant 108 in Copenhagen. He whipped up an Ema Datshi without a shred of cheese and somehow made it even better than the original. I was so impressed that I immediately told my wife we should cut dairy from our son’s diet.

12/10/2025

Techung inspires Kalimpong’s youth to rediscover Tibet’s lost musical heritage.
Techung Tibetan Performing Arts

At the Indo-Tibet Buddhist Cultural Institute in Kalimpong, New York-based artiste Techung called on the younger generation to reconnect with the lost rhythms of Tibet’s performing arts heritage

10/10/2025

The Sherpa gathering in Kalimpong

The scenic Kalimpong Science Centre near Deolo Hill turned into a riot of colours as men and women draped in vibrant chubha, the traditional Himalayan robe, gathered to celebrate Global Sherpa Day. Since its founding in 2017, the day, observed annually on October 8, has become a unifying event for Sherpa communities across borders.

This year, more than 1,500 participants from Sikkim, Jaigaon, Nepal, Kalimpong and beyond came together in a spirited display of cultural pride. The occasion, rooted in the idea of unity, seeks to preserve Sherpa heritage, language and identity.

Amid the music and laughter, Dorjee Sherpa, president of the Global Sherpa Association (GSA), reflected on the community’s growing bond. “As Sherpas, we felt the need to unite globally and connect with our people living in different places. Such gatherings give us space to plan our future. We are even in talks to build a guesthouse and gompa in Bodh Gaya for our community,” he said.

Women in jewel-toned chubhas joined hands in the rhythmic ghorshey, the traditional Sherpa circle dance of joy and togetherness. The air shimmered with songs, colours and the quiet conviction of a people keeping their traditions alive.

A deeper story on the Sherpa community is on the cards.

Passang Gyali Sherpa Sherpa Global Sherpa Network (विश्व शेर्पा सञ्जाल)

10/10/2025

Joash’s stirring take on ‘Jana Gana Mana’, now featured on Times of India’s Instagram
The Times of India Jocelyn Susanna Ashwin Khan Kanta Rai J S Rai Joshua Shemer Aruna Khan

Times of India features Joash Jeremiah Khan’s viral video on its Instagram handle after six million views

07/10/2025

As I tried to make sense of the recent spate of floods and landslides across the hills, which tragically claimed lives, I was reminded of a meeting held last year at my uncle Praful Rao’s home. A retired Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force, he had invited mostly family members over for hot chai and samosas, and shared his observations about the unnaturally heavy rainfall in Kalimpong and the surrounding hill areas.

He spoke passionately about cloud formation, weather patterns, and, most importantly, how to stay safe during a disaster. He advised us to keep an emergency bag ready, stocked with essentials like medicines, important documents, and, of all things, a whistle.

“Why a whistle?” he explained. “If you are swept away by a landslide, it can help rescuers locate you.” Fantastic advice! I must admit, but I was a little skeptical. I couldn’t imagine myself, or my family, ever needing to use a whistle in real life. In fact, I was tempted to joke, “Mama, should we also keep two bottles of Jack Daniel’s in the emergency pack, just in case the liquor stores get wiped out?”

Yes, we do tend to undervalue the foresight of those who warn us, don’t we? My uncle is the founder, president, and convener of the Kalimpong-based NGO SaveTheHills (STH). He is widely respected regionally and nationally for his advocacy on landslide awareness and climate resilience.

For anyone, especially journalists, tasked with covering the recent floods and landslides in North Bengal, I strongly recommend reading his blog: https://savethehills.blogspot.com/2024/06/. His insights are invaluable.

29/09/2025

Three distinguished alumni of Dr. Graham’s Homes, a century-old school tucked in the Himalayan foothills of Kalimpong, have returned to celebrate its 125th anniversary and to reflect on the improbable journeys that began there. As children, they often stayed behind during the long winter vacations, unable to afford the train fare home. Yet from those modest beginnings, they rose to remarkable heights: one became a Padma Shri recipient and chairman of the Union Public Service Commission; another, a pioneering neurosurgeon in the Northeast; and the third, a leader in the upper ranks of banking. They credit not wealth or privilege but the compassion they received at school, and its distinctive philosophy of teaching, for the successes that followed.

Marking 125 years, Dr. John Anderson Graham’s school in Kalimpong stands as a testament to lifelong bonds, seen through the journeys of three distinguished alumni in education, medicine and finance

25/09/2025

Chapter II

When Michelin-trained chef Narhari Gupta takes Bhutan’s beloved ema datshi and reimagines it with mushrooms instead of cheese, it’s more than a recipe twist, it’s a bold step in bringing vegan favours to the Himalayan table.

With star-chef cooking, vegan talks, and soy innovations, Bhutan’s Jangsa Animal Trust and its Kalimpong chapter are reimagining the future of food in the Himalayas

12/09/2025

Five bulls escaped the slaughterhouse in Kalimpong and made their way to Jangsa Dechencholing Monastery, seeking refuge. What happened next is a story of compassion you won’t believe.

The path to compassion was set in motion when five doomed bulls sought shelter at the sanctuary’s gates