This is a book reviewed by myself, published in 2011. I thought to present to the readers and admirers of Darjeeling. Darjeeling ‘A Favoured Retreat’ was written by Prof. Jahar Sen and published by Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi, in 1989. This book is significant to know about Darjeeling from different dimensions.

We know Darjeeling is a popular hill station or tourist place. However, the author presents the multi-dimensional approach of Darjeeling in this account. He reveals the historical background of Darjeeling, with its strategic considerations for defense and trans-Himalayan trade and the development of the Nepali language and literature.

The most exciting part of this book is that Prof. Sen extensively used Archival sources and the records preserved in the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Darjeeling. I met him many times, and his love for Darjeeling is fascinating. The author has furnished four elaborate chapters with some valuable appendices.

A Favoured Retreat:

 In the first chapter, ‘A Favoured Retreat,’ the author discusses the importance of Darjeeling as a ‘Favoured Retreat’ with its prior history. The author explains the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-16) drew the British directly into the Himalayas. The British relationship with Sikkim also had its origin in the Anglo-Nepalese War.

Due to its strategic location, the British sought the help of Sikkim during the war. By the treaty of Titalya, signed in 1817, the British gained many advantages. The author also narrates the development process of Darjeeling since its origin in 1835.

Read more to discover the history of Darjeeling

An Entrepot of Trade:

In the second chapter, ‘An Entrepot of Trade,’ the author presents the most fascinating role of Darjeeling as an ‘Entrepot of Trade.’ Entrepot Trade is the trade-in one center in the goods of other countries. An entrepot is a trading post where goods are imported and exported. Import duties are not paid, and it often generates profit. Many reports and records speak about the trade between Darjeeling and Tibet. It further expressed a hope that Darjeeling was the gateway through which commerce and culture of the West could reach Central Asia.

The author reveals to us that the works of B.H. Hodgson on the Himalayas, Campbell’s paternal anxiety for its development, and the findings of the Jackson Report added a dimension to the importance of Darjeeling as a Centre of transfrontier trade. From 1861 onwards, Darjeeling as a commercial center attracted the attention of the mercantile economy due to the growth of the tea plantation industry. Even Bengal was deeply interested in the tea trade.

The British government took many formidable steps to encourage Trans-Himalayan trade. The author furnishes information about the striking aspects of Darjeeling as an entrepot of transfrontier trade with Nepal, Tibet, and Sikkim. The imports and exports of these trans-Himalayan countries were discussed. This book reveals the unexplored adventure of Entrepot trade, subsequently, which would lead to the growth of the Trans-Himalayan Trade between Tibet, Sikkim, Bhutan, and Nepal, molding the socio-economic conditions of Darjeeling.

Read more to know about the history of trade and commerce in the Darjeeling hills

The Strategic Considerations:

In the third chapter, ‘The Strategic Considerations’, the author explains that the strategic considerations compelled the British to secure and develop Darjeeling. Some of the annual reports of the Deputy Commissioner, Darjeeling, contain interesting information as to the purpose of the recruitment work. For instance, from 1866 to 1904, Darjeeling recruited 27 428 Gurkha soldiers.

On the other hand, Anglo-Bhutan relation was not cordial throughout the nineteenth century. There were frequent raids and intrusions. The British were compelled to safeguard Darjeeling from the aggression of the Bhutanese. That’s why the frontiers of Darjeeling should be patrolled. Military considerations caused the development of communication.

The author cites a reference that, in a booklet, The English Stations in the Hill Regions of India: Their Value and Importance with some Statistics of their Produce and Trade (London: Trubner, 1881), he (H.Clarke), stressed the development and importance of the hill stations not only as health resort but also for transfrontier commerce and defense of the northern frontier of India. In the same context, Major-General D.J.F. Newall strongly advocated military colonization in his report on the ‘Military Defence of Darjeeling’ dated 4 January 1872 and his book, ‘The Highlands of India,’ of the hills.

In Search of a New Horizon:

In the final chapter, ‘In Search of a New Horizon,’ the author depicts the picture of Literature (especially of Lepchas) and the Culture of Darjeeling with a brief historical background. The author gives some interpretations of the Lepcha language. An article by A. Campbell, Superintendent of Darjeeling, contains the first reference to the Lepcha language. Again, the author adds that the Lepcha language and script must have been very much used at Darjeeling in 1848 when J.D. Hooker visited Darjeeling. However, the author admits no records are available to tell us whether the Lepchas are indigenous people of Sikkim or immigrants from the east or the west and how long they had been in Sikkim.

Sprigg points out with some illustrations that military recruitment and military service, both inside and outside Nepal, contributed to the spread of the Nepali language. Kumar Pradhan has made a comparative study of the role of the Nepali language in the configuration of Nepali society in Nepal and India.

The author explores the pioneering role of Christian Missionaries and the British Government in education in Darjeeling. Many schools opened for vernacular education. Rev. William Macfarlane, in 1869 supported the cause of vernacular education. Due to these early initiatives, the West Bengal Official Language Act 1961 makes Nepali a second language alongside Bengali in the three hill sub-divisions of the district.

The author also reveals the contribution of newspapers and journals circulated in the Darjeeling district in 1892. The first journal published in the Nepali language in India was Gorkha Bharat Jivan (1886) with the appearance of Gorkha (1945)-the mouthpiece of the Gorkha League- many Nepali figures aroused in literature.

Therefore, to conclude, the author gives his best to reveal the extraordinary survey of primary data regarding Darjeeling, which would depict the best picture of Darjeeling to the scholars and readers for a better understanding and clear horizon. This book deals with a study of diverse aspects of the history of Darjeeling.

Read the book review of ‘Darjeeling: In Search of People’s History of the Hills’

Eventually, the author closes the book by quoting these inspiring words,

“The history of Darjeeling, spanning four generations, is a story of transformation from the delusion of tradition to the disillusion of modernity. A search for a new horizon is a quest for an expensive horizon.”

DARJEELING ‘A Favoured Retreat’, Jahar Sen, Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1989

(Note: Darjeeling: A Favoured Retreat, Jahar Sen, Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1989 originally reviewed by Kishan Sirswal published in “Darjeeling and the Indian East,” Salesian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Salesian College Publication, Darjeeling, Vol. II, No.1, May 2011)