Sunday, 26 May 2013 11:56
Rupnarayan Sinha, a giant and pioneer of modern Nepali literature, was born on Friday 10 February 1904 in a house by the side of Hill Cart Road at Sepoydhura, then a hamlet and still a hamlet, in the hills of Darjeeling. He passed his matriculation from Government High School, Darjeeling in 1924. In the School, beside others, Pandit Dharnidhar Sharma and Late Surja Vikram Gyawali were his teachers who inspired his writing prowess. He was an excellent student and was much loved and admired by the then Head Master Achutya Nanda Adhikary. One of his classmates was no other than the famous writer Mahananda Sapkotaji.
It was on September 9, 1945 in a small settlement of Ghoom Pahar, a baby girl was born. Surya Bahadur Lama and Sanmaya did least know that this little girl would one day become the voice of the Nepali people and would charm many a listener and get to be known around the world as the Nightingale of the Hills. Inspired by her uncle CB Lama she started to sing at the tender age of seven and never looked back from then. She won the Music Competition organized by the Gorkha Dukha Niwarak Sangh in the year 1956 at the age of 11. The great Ambar Gurung then groomed her since 1958.
Sardar Bahadur Sonam W Ladenla was born in Bhutia Busty, Darjeeling in 19 June 1881. He joined the police department in 1898. In 1921 he was appointed as Superintendent Police of Darjeeling. During his tenure of police service, he was awarded with distinguished honours like “Kings Police Medal”, (Sardar Bahadur) in 1917, C.B.I, F.R.G.S, ADC etc. He retired in 1931 after 33 years of his remarkable service in the Police department. He had also solved many legal cases during his tenure as the honorary Magistrate in the district Court of Darjeeling. He was also the first Planter from the hills.
