News

Dress code crusaders hit town

The Telegraph

Kurseong Oct. 15: The youth and the women’s wings of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today went all over town requesting residents to wear traditional attires as part of the “cultural movement” in the hills.

“We have asked shopkeepers to adhere to the dress code and at the same time told them to pass on the request to their customers. Since the motive of our agitation is to show that our culture is different from the rest of Bengal, it is imperative that we wear our traditional attires,” said Prava Chettri, a central committee member of the Nari Morcha, the women’s wing of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

“However we did not force anybody. Today even minority communities wore their traditional attires. In that case, it would be a shame if the Gorkhas did not wear the dress identifying their community,” said Chettri, adding that the campaigns would take place everyday.

Those people who said they could not afford to buy the traditional attires were told to contact the campaigners. “We found eight such persons and took them to the shop and bought them the clothes,” said Chettri.

Some members of the Yuva Morcha said journalists should also wear traditional attires to contribute towards Gorkhaland. Asked about it, Chettri, said the press should be “exempted as they are the persons who have to be clean and neutral”.

“I have spoken to the vice- president (of the youth wing), Pardeep Pradhan, and he has agreed to talk to the members,” she said.

© 2008 The Gorkhaland Chronicle.