Darjeeling, Sept. 26: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has asked its supporters not to bring party flags to this year’s phulpati procession. It also requested the cultural and community organisations to refrain from carrying their banners during the procession to maintain the “apolitical” identity of the Dashain celebrations.
Phulpati is the beginning of the Gorkha community’s Dashain (Dussehra) celebration and it falls on October 6. During the procession, people collect flowers and leaves from their houses and bring them to a common place of worship to offer to Goddess Durga.
“Although the Morcha will take care of all logistics in organising the procession including deployment of volunteers, we do not want our supporters to carry the party flags. We also request the various communities and village samities to refrain from carrying their banners. Let it be an apolitical programme,” said Binay Tamang, the party’s media and publicity secretary.
Till last year, the GNLF-governed Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council had been organising the event. However, the idol of Durga had to be worshipped according to the whims of Subash Ghisingh.
This time, the Morcha has decided not to organise any Durga Puja in town and has left it to the people to choose their own form of worship.
Phulpati processions will be organised in various places across the hills, Terai and the Dooars and will be coordinated by the Gorkha Kala Sansthan, a cultural organisation.
The Morcha said the Sansthan would organise a month-long cultural programme for the tourists in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik from October 8. Various organisations would perform during the festival everyday.
The hill party also decided to decentralise its foundation day celebration on October 7. “Bimal Gurung, the president, will attend the programme in Darjeeling, while other central committee members will go to eight places to mark the occasion,” Tamang said.
On that day, the Morcha will felicitate 72 rafters who had taken part in the flood relief operations in Bihar recently and the 200-odd party supporters who had participated in the hunger strike for the past one month.
