The first post after a year long hiatus and I couldn’t have found a better topic to write on. 15th August may just be ‘the independence day’ for the rest of India but for Kalimpong it has long been a day of celebration, just as important and exciting as any festival. While people turn their televisions on to see the parade at New Delhi, we have our own colourful event in this small happy town. Weeks before the date, all the schools in Kalimpong begin practicing march-pasts. I remember being in the junior section and watching the seniors march the school ground in organized batches. The anticipation for 15th August grew as we grew closer to the day. When I reached the senior section, it was our turn to represent our school. Girls in my school ran around frantically searching for sunscreens and excuses before the practice started in the heat, rain, thunder, storm, hurricane, cyclone… One cannot simply avoid participating in the event for it is another grand festival in Kalimpong; people buy new clothes, organize parties, the main road is emptied of cars….my family sits on the dining table while my mom serves biryani…every year. The morning of independence day is an early one. Students who participate in the parade get dressed in neatly ironed uniforms and head towards their ‘assembly point’. People from all corners of the town come out of their homes with snacks and beverages, and sometimes small chairs, to book a place in the main town..somewhere they can get a clear view of the parade that finally enters the ‘mela ground’. Some stand at their balconies to see different schools march towards mela ground with the head boy/girl holding the Tricolour flag followed by their school flag. I can’t jot down words to describe how colourful and extravagant it gets. But the memories are now distant for me. It has been years since I last witnessed this fiesta. Living in a city far from home surely makes one proud of the ways and ambience back there. I originally intended to speak to people and bring their stories to our readers but since I’m away, I am trying to make the most of my memory. I realize the post is a week late but hey…it’s still August. :P
15th August always reminds me of my grandpa. He used to get very enthused about it. When I was small, he’d take my brother and I to a building in main road and stood us up on tiny tools so we could see the parade assemble and perform stunts in all grandeur through the window. He’d buy us one of those bubble blowers or flutes. All the kids would walk around with one toy or another in their hands.. quite a business the vendors made on the 15th , I’d think. Every year a chief guest would be named.. he’d give long patriotic speeches. I don’t remember listening to one of those, though. I’d usually not march because incidentally, my toenail would get infected around that time and I’d be forbidden to wear shoes. ‘No marching without shoes’, said our P.T teacher. I did march, however, when I was in 10th standard; and that feeling, I cannot explain. We collected a tricolor sash I think, white gloves, and a blue tam… some days before the event. The school band has a different uniform which was apparently much cooler. We also missed a lot of classes for the practice which was kinda liberating back then. From what I remember, S.U.M.I school’s parade was looked forward to by everyone in town.. they performed stunts on bikes, released balloons in the air, and left everyone wide eyed. They had awards for the best parade performance. A cultural event with different traditional dances and street plays followed. Oh and the football matches after the march!!
The year I had participated in the march past, it was no different. Like I said, people buy new clothes for one day..it’s THAT important. That year, like most 15th Augusts, it rained. We marched defiantly and proudly across puddles and stood in the middle of mela ground amongst other schools. I felt like a tiny speck looking at so many people around, watching us, cheering, dancing. The heat was unbearable after a point of time….some people passed out because of it. They were taken away for aid and the event continued.
The mighty crowd dispersed after the parading troupes marched their way out. On exiting the mela ground gate, most of us changed out of school uniforms and hung out with our friends till late evening. I suppose this tradition remains the same even now. But changes are inevitable. And in Kalimpong, this change came in form of a new mindblowing move this year, I hear. A flash mob seems to have charmed everybody in the town this 15th . All my friends there can’t stop talking about how amazing it was to see the young group dance in the main road and take everyone by surprise. And here we are, the rest of us, away from home, longing for home, looking at the pictures, wishing we’d taken the pictures…
Celebrating 15th August extravagantly is not a new trend in Kalimpong. The tradition has existed much before our generation, and there’s no space for doubting the end of it. The historic day has a significance beyond simple understanding in this small part of the country, and this day and its significance shall never fade to oblivion. And then there are people who doubt our ‘Indian-ness’. Phhhbbtt!
Picture Courtesy- Siddharth Goutam & Birat Chamling Rai. Thanks for the amazing pics guys!
