This refers to the article, “Gain in translation” (July 21). The genesis of the demand for a separate State of Gorkhaland stems from the fact that the region and its Nepali or Gorkhali-speaking population does not identify itself as ‘Bengali’. The approximately 18 lakh people who are inhabitants of the region have a culture different from the rest of West Bengal. The trigger for the current round of protests was the government’s announcement that Bengali would be made compulsory, which people from the region saw as imposition. It is their battle to preserve their own culture, identity and language that had made them aspire for a State of Gorkhaland.
K.M.K Murthy,
Secunderabad
