Revisiting the Old Gorkha Thum Dorjeling - Then and Now: The Darjeeling Odyssey is a work of historical research on Darjeeling hills that serves as a historical tableau. It endeavours to present a glimpse into the past and present of the Darjeeling Hills from a historical perspective.
This book narrates the story of this ancient hill region–where our forefathers cleared forests and burned the undergrowth to establish human settlements. It is the land they earned through labour, where their blood and sweat were shed. The book is, in essence, a tribute to that legacy. It attempts, even if partially, to encompass both the oral and written histories of our people.
Over time, after traversing many bends and turns, history has brought us to the present moment. Within this span, the Darjeeling Hills have undergone significant socio-political and economic transformations. Alongside physical development, the rise of political consciousness in the region forms a distinct narrative explored by this book.
The central aim of the book is to shed light on numerous undocumented historical facts that every Indian Nepali-speaking native must understand and be aware of–contributing to a deeper awareness of their own land and identity.
Born in the year 1953 as the second son to parents Jangimaya Pradhan and Karna Bahadur Pradhan in Soureni, Prof. (Dr) Pratap Chandra Pradhan holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in both Nepali and English. He served as a professor for a total of 38 years at Tribhuvan University, Banaras Hindu University, and Sikkim Central University. He retired from his professorship in 2018 and is currently engaged in his own creative pursuits. For over five and a half decades, Prof. (Dr) Pradhan has been an active literary figure in Nepali literature, contributing significantly in the fields of literary criticism, short stories, songs, and memoirs.