Echoes of Identity and Resistance: The Role of Literature in Shaping Human Experience in the Indian Gorkha Community

2. Methodology and Data Source

This research paper employs an analytical descriptive methodology to examine the role of literature in shaping human experience within the Indian Gorkha community, with a focus on late Indra Bahadur Rai’s novel, There Is Carnival Today. The study is based on a thorough review of secondary sources, including both published and unpublished articles, scholarly literature, and historical texts that explore the colonial and post-colonial history of Darjeeling and the Gorkha community.

3. Results and Discussion

In today’s world, there is a universal desire to safeguard and enhance individual identities. Every community, regardless of size, strives to assert its distinctiveness in terms of people and culture. This inclination partly arises from the fear experienced by different cultures of losing their identity in a globalized world dominated by mono and meta cultures.
Literature, a timeless expression of life, has transcended epochs, dating back to the dawn of civilization itself. Even before the advent of structured language, narratives existed in the stars, the seas, and the heart of nature. Engraved upon stone tablets and etched into the walls of ancient civilizations, stories served as humanity’s earliest form of communication and understanding.
At its essence, literature possesses a profound capacity to delve into the subtleties, idiosyncrasies, and intricacies of everyday existence. It serves as an enduring odyssey through the boundless realms of printed pages, offering readers a kaleidoscope of experiences from which to glean insights into life’s manifold teachings.
What makes literature truly remarkable is its universality; it acts as a literary time machine, effortlessly ferrying readers across epochs and perspectives. Through these immersive experiences, individuals not only traverse different eras but also gain deeper insights into themselves and the myriad facets of humanity.
Modern life is full of complexity, with constant changes occurring across all aspects of human activity. Literature helps individuals navigate these complexities by offering guidance and insight through its written words. In today’s world, literary works must address the mysteries and challenges of our highly polarized environment.
Literature serves as a catalyst for revolution, offering a powerful means to address and resolve injustices worldwide through its expressive form. The impact of written words transcends that of spoken language, underscoring the profound practical significance of literature. Thus, written literature emerged as a transformative force, giving rise to a multitude of genres.
In her book The Golden Notebook, Doris Lessing aptly observed that fiction often conveys truth more effectively than other forms of expression. With its expansive reach across nationalities, cultures, and beliefs, fiction meets diverse human needs in profound ways. For example, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee explores themes of racial injustice and moral growth in the American South. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez reflects on Latin American culture and history through magical realism. 1984 by George Orwell delves into the dark realms of surveillance and totalitarianism, while Beloved by Toni Morrison addresses the haunting legacy of slavery and its impact on identity and family. These books illustrate how fiction can reveal deep truths and resonate across different backgrounds and experiences.
Fiction has the power to energize, rejuvenate, motivate, and inspire people. Novels are a crucial part of literature, and the genre has been continually defined and redefined. The English novel began to take shape in the eighteenth century, influenced by several key works. Notable early examples include Robinson Crusoe (1719) and Moll Flanders (1722) by Daniel Defoe, The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678) by John Bunyan, and Oroonoko (1688) by Aphra Behn. Earlier works like Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory and The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer also laid the groundwork. Another significant early novel is Gulliver’s Travels (1726) by Jonathan Swift, which satirizes human nature and parodies travel stories such as Robinson Crusoe. The rise of the novel as an important literary form is closely tied to the growth of the middle class in England.
Before the Romantic period, literature largely centred on royalty and nobility. Romanticism shifted this focus to everyday life, celebrating ordinary people and their experiences. Poets like Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Shelley highlighted the importance of nature, music, and folk traditions, finding beauty in simple scenes and common experiences. Ordinary figures, such as a solitary reaper or a mariner, and everyday imagery, like clusters of daffodils and the autumn season, became central to their work.
Recently, cultural studies have flourished within literature, with both literature in general and novels in particular serving as unifying agents across cultures. Novels capture the complexities of human experiences, express cultural values, and explore the characteristics of various social, ethnic, racial, class, gender, and religious groups. They often focus on the lives of ordinary individuals, and “Tea Garden literature” specifically addresses tea garden and utility workers. This paper examines the Indian Gorkhas, their stories, and their history and culture from Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal, India. Since the majority of Indian Gorkhas live in this region, the narratives, particularly in the novel There is a Carnival Today by the late Indra Bahadur Rai, translated by Manjushree Thapa, delve into the intricacies of their culture, their struggle for justice, and highlight the significance of their experiences within the broader societal context. Tea garden literature, with a special emphasis on the tea garden and its laborers, remains a fitting genre and medium for portraying cultures, people, and their quest for identity and historical recognition. This genre is particularly prevalent in postcolonial writings due to its ability to represent the middle class. Through the lens of regional writers, novels within this genre encompass a wide array of characters, intricate plot developments, and deep explorations of character motivations and complexities.
The translated novel, There is a Carnival Today, gains its momentum by virtue of exhibiting social realities and historical occurrences. As Peck and Coyle note, “Most novels are concerned with ordinary people and their problems in the societies in which they find themselves. Novelists frequently focus on the tensions between individuals and the society in which they live, presenting characters that are at odds with that society” (107–108).
Colonialism represents the West’s efforts to assert dominance over other nations by exerting sovereign control over their populations. Many European powers, with Britain playing a leading role, established colonies across the globe, often focusing on exploiting the material wealth of nations like India through trade and ventures such as tea gardens.
This concept of colonialism was employed by Western powers to portray their culture as superior to those of the East, resulting in significant political and social transformations. In Tea Garden Literature, writers from the region act as cultural historians, shedding light on the predicaments and lived experiences of the local people and working to preserve these experiences as historical records. This is particularly important given the lack of comprehensive historical documentation about the Northeast, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong, especially prior to 1920.
One of the objectives of this study is to explore the potentialities and possibilities of popularizing the Nepali language and Indian Nepali literature. To this end, we can learn from how regional languages and literatures are being approached in general in India. Indra Bahadur Rai (b. 1928), a prominent figure in Indian Nepali modern literature, received recognition through the Sahitya Akademi Award for his literary criticism on Nepali literature in 1976. However, despite his accolades, Rai’s work hasn’t reached a wider Indian audience due to the limited readership of Nepali outside the Northeast. Nevertheless, through recent translations, his novel There is a Carnival Today is now accessible to Indian readers, offering them an opportunity to explore the insightful and emotionally resonant world of Darjeeling.
Darjeeling was ruled by Sikkim and Bhutan before Nepal won it in 1789 in an expansionist drive across the Himalaya. In 1816, following the Sugauli Treaty, Nepal ceded it, as well as all of the territory between the Mechi and Teesta Rivers, to the British East India Company, and its eventual absorption into West Bengal resulted in complex cultural dynamics and ongoing political struggles. The Gorkha community’s journey from being part of the Nepalese kingdom to becoming a minority in West Bengal highlights the challenges of identity, governance, and autonomy in the postcolonial context.
In the novel, we initially find the male protagonist, Janak, an idealist highly influenced by Gandhian philosophy, after learning of his father’s death, decides to return to Darjeeling rather than participate in the Dandi March in Colonial Kolkata, where he was pursuing his graduation. This decision reflects the emotional and social complexity faced by many individuals in the Gorkha community during this time. The Dandi March (also known as the Salt March) of 1930 was a significant event in the history of Indian nationalism and played a pivotal role in the Indian independence movement. Led by Mahatma Gandhi, this act of civil disobedience marked a turning point in India’s struggle for independence from British rule. Similarly, while India celebrated its independence on August 15, 1947, for many people in Darjeeling, particularly the Nepali-speaking Gorkhas, the day was not solely about celebrating newfound freedom; it was fraught with anxiety about their place within the newly independent nation. The fireworks that lit up India’s skies stood in stark contrast to the uncertainty felt by the Indian Gorkhas. The memory of the freedom struggle and their participation in it was one layer of the identity these communities had to contend with. Yet, their deep concern was about their future in a nation that, while offering independence from British colonial rule, had yet to address the distinct needs and aspirations of its diverse ethnic and linguistic communities. These historical events, such as independence, are remembered differently by various groups based on their experiences and social locations.
The leaflet calling for the establishment of a statue of Bhanu Bhakta, a revered figure in Nepali literature, in every square in and around Darjeeling reveals a strong desire to assert Nepali identity in India. This was not just about commemorating a literary figure, but about ensuring that the Nepali language, culture, and identity were not marginalized in a country where the majority language and culture were overwhelmingly Hindi and Sanskrit-based. The call for statues of Bhanu Bhakta represents an attempt to create a tangible memory that would preserve the unique cultural heritage of the Gorkha people in the public spaces of post-colonial India.
At the same time, the petition to promote Nepali culture and language must be understood in the context of exclusion. The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) of 1956, which redefined state boundaries in India, did not create a separate state for the Gorkhas, nor did it grant the Nepali language the status of an official language at the national level. This was a key point of frustration for the Gorkha community, whose historical and cultural ties to Darjeeling and the surrounding areas were deeply embedded in their identity, yet their demands for a separate state or linguistic recognition were disregarded.
The absence of recognition for the Nepali language in the Indian Constitution and the failure to create a separate Gorkha state led to widespread unrest in the community. As the Indian government struggled with defining national unity post-independence, the diversity of regional languages, cultures, and aspirations posed challenges for inclusivity. For the Gorkha community in Darjeeling, the exclusion of Nepali language and culture from the national discourse felt like a denial of their historical contribution to India’s struggle for independence, as well as a threat to their continued survival in the postcolonial era.
“One day, fifteen or sixteen summers later, after a huge struggle, India became independent. Its liberated moments began ticking away from midnight onwards, when half the world was hushed and asleep. Millions of joyful banners were going to flutter from each house all over India the following day.” (Rai 2017: 5)
The question raised by Janak’s mother after she heard that the British had left, “Is our country really free?” reflects these anxieties. To this, Janak retorts, “That’s what they say.” (Rai 2017: 5) signifying a profound disillusionment with the idea of freedom, a freedom that seems more theoretical than real for marginalized groups like the Gorkhas.
I have undertaken a study of the interrelated challenges of democracy, development, and diversity. In India, unity thrives on its diversity. The ongoing interaction among diverse elements in Indian society shapes its distinctive political, social, and cultural landscape. Processes such as accommodation, integration, and assimilation are constant features of Indian society. Moving from one state to another necessitates engaging with varying socio-cultural dynamics, encompassing language, religion, ethnicity, culture, and social practices. When these differences are amplified in public discourse, they can lead to socio-political tensions.
Despite initially serving as a retreat for the British after acquiring Darjeeling (or Dorjiling) from Nepal through the Treaty of Sagauli in 1816, the region underwent significant economic development, including the establishment of missionary schools and tea gardens. However, the Gorkhas faced discrimination, and their cultural history has been marginalized. Today, the community continues to face struggles for recognition and dignity.
The goal of this paper is to elucidate how the linguistic and literary characteristics of the Gorkhas can be better understood and appreciated. It aims to highlight the cultural contributions and struggles of this community through literature, offering a deeper insight into their identity and history.

3.1 Tea Gardens in the Hill Society

The tea gardens form the economic backbone of the Darjeeling Hills. As mentioned earlier, the expansion of tea plantations by the late 19th century led to a significant increase in the district’s population. The history of Darjeeling tea shaped the experiences of various groups of settlers, including private planters and landowners in the remote areas surrounding the newly established tea gardens. According to Hunter’s statistical survey, some of the earliest tea gardens in the 1850s were owned by the Kurseong and Darjeeling Tea Company, as well as the Darjeeling Land Mortgage Bank. By 1860 and 1864, the Darjeeling Company Limited had become the largest tea enterprise in the district.

The interests of tea garden planters sometimes clashed with the general administration. For example, in 1917, there was a push to separate Darjeeling from Bengal, backed by the Planters’ and European Associations, overlapping with a similar move by the Hillmen’s Association. Initially, many tea garden authorities opposed missionary activities in primary education, but this stance changed over time, allowing for missionary involvement, particularly by the Scottish Mission.
Tea gardens in Darjeeling also became centres of anti-colonial protests in the 1920s, influenced by
Gandhian Nationalism. Dal Bahadur Giri played a key role in mobilizing workers to join the All India Congress, spreading Gandhi’s ideas of Swaraj, and facing imprisonment multiple times. In 1955, tea garden workers’ outcry against neglect from owners and the government led to strikes and arrests of leaders. A peaceful demonstration at Margaret’s Hope tea garden turned violent when police opened fire, killing several. This sparked outrage, leading to strikes across the Terai and Dooars regions. A government inquiry resulted in the acceptance of workers’ demands, including wage revisions and the abolition of punitive measures like arbitrary evictions.
This incident inspired a body of literary works, including poems and novels, known as “Tea Garden Literature.” This literature, often rooted in the concept of Jan Sahitya (people’s literature), reflects the experiences of tea garden communities and their struggles. Through Jan Sahitya, Tea Garden Literature explores themes of community, identity, and resistance, providing insights into the social and cultural fabric of tea garden life.
Jan Sahitya in Nepali literature refers to popular literature that reflects the lives of common people, particularly those who are uneducated. This is exemplified by Indra Bahadur Rai’s portrayal of Nepali society in the 1950s, focusing on the struggles of laborers in tea gardens. In this regard, I.B. Rai’s literary work demonstrates a profound affinity with the works of Charles Dickens. Much like Dickens in English literature, I.B. Rai, in Indian Nepali literature, emerges as an “angry young man,” dissatisfied with the prevailing social conditions of his time. The context of the tea plantations in Darjeeling serves as a poignant backdrop for exploring these themes. These plantations, characterized by labour-intensive production methods, heavily rely on a consistently underpaid, yet dependable female workforce, a phenomenon facilitated by the gendered distribution of work within the estates.
Despite this, the tradition of Jan Sahitya persists, and a popular Nepali tune called “Jhyaure” emerged in the late twentieth century. Associated with progressive writers from the 1950s onwards, such as Nanda Hangkhim and Buddha Kumar Moktan, this tune was used in modern khanda kavyas (long poems) like “Chiyabarima” (1992, 2nd edn. 2001) and “Kulli ko Geet” (2002), both of which depicted life in tea gardens.
Tea gardens in Nepali are commonly referred to as “kamaan.” These areas are often considered remote from commercial centers due to a lack of proper connectivity, medical facilities, and education. Both the tea gardens and the nearby villages are seen as less advanced compared to urban areas. However, despite this perception of being “backward,” these rural areas, including both the tea gardens and villages, have proven to be crucial in electoral politics in the Darjeeling Hills, serving as vital sites for mass mobilization even today. The population of kamaan and gaon-busti has seen upward social mobility with the spread of education and participation in political and economic activities, including teaching professions and other government jobs.
During the period surrounding India’s independence in 1947 and subsequent developments in the 1940s and 1950s, the literary landscape was characterized by its ideological stances on the concept of literature. Key figures and institutions actively embraced the nationalist fervour of the 1950s and 1960s. Writers and poet-activists engaged with themes such as ‘jati’ (community) and ‘jatitva’ (sense of community identity). Literature during this time saw writers aligning themselves with the struggles of the working class within Nepali society in India for the elevation of human life concentrated in this part of the world.
Indra Bahadur Rai’s first-hand engagement with politics during his tenure as chairman of the Darjeeling municipality allowed him to draw from a broad knowledge base. Through fiction, he addressed issues of Nepali migration and settlement during a period marked by intense debates over Nepali identity. His personal involvement with trade unions and the plight of tea garden workers in the 1960s and 1970s shaped the novel There Is a Carnival Today, illustrating a generational connection between the land and its people. From the 1940s to the 1970s, there was a pressing political focus on identity and self-determination among the Nepali population in India. This era can be interpreted as a subtle expression of class, caste, and identities that existed on the margins of Nepali society.

3.2 There is a Carnival Today

In 1964, Indra Bahadur Rai introduced the world to his seminal novel, Aja Ramita Cha, which was translated into English as There Is a Carnival Today by Manjushree Thapa in 2017. This literary masterpiece serves not only as a vivid portrayal of his beloved hometown but also as a profound reflection on themes of migration and displacement. Aja Ramita Cha is widely acclaimed as an exemplar of high modernist literature. An experimental endeavour in its own right, the novel’s unique contribution lies in its quest to provide a realistic cultural depiction of Darjeeling in the 1960s, thereby establishing a fresh and innovative literary foundation. It traces the emergence of social and political organizations in the 1940s and 1950s, raising critical political issues about self-determination for the Nepali population in India. Nepali historians have long studied the Darjeeling Hills as a focal point for the development of “Nepali nationalism” beyond Nepal in the early twentieth century. However, the concept of “Nepali nationalism” should also be understood within the diverse communities evolving within places like the culturally varied Darjeeling Hills.
The novel There Is a Carnival Today utilizes its narrative form to traverse history, fiction, and real human experiences, tapping into the radical politics of its era, which diverged from mainstream political currents. Literature, shaped by the historical and political debates of its time, delves into a personal realm of emotions and feelings. It recalls a past marked by turmoil and complexity, where literary works recount the tea garden protests against injustices that evolved into a labor movement and a community’s struggle for self-determination. This narrative embodies generational memories and individual dedication, emphasizing particular places, people, and events. It serves as a symbol of communal solace amidst adversity, despite the difficulties it entails.
The narrative style employed by I.B. Rai in There Is a Carnival Today offers a profound exploration of socio-humanist themes. Rai’s storytelling is marked by its effectiveness, emotional depth, and exceptional portrayal of various facets of political, social, personal, and environmental life in
Darjeeling. He achieves distinct clarity and vividness by depicting the realities of Darjeeling in straightforward yet evocative language. Within the psycho-social realities depicted in Rai’s fiction, readers follow the journeys of Indian-Nepali men who inhabit various roles in society. These characters, whether farmers, soldiers, businessmen, or fathers, grapple with the complexities of their existence in Darjeeling during the post-Independence era. The development of a cohesive Gorkha identity in post-independent India is central to Rai’s narrative, stemming from linguistic solidarity, collective social memory, legends of martial bravery, and a shared history of colonial rule. Despite this, the Gorkha identity is multifaceted and far from a one-dimensional martial stereotype. Rai’s characters, such as Janakman Yonzon and Ravi, navigate a spectrum of experiences, from trauma and shame to glory and survival. These nuanced portrayals challenge popular stereotypes and highlight the intersection of history, culture, and gender relations within Indian-Nepali subjectivities.
In this socio-humanist exploration, it’s essential to recognize the role of Gorkha women in Darjeeling. Traditionally situated in a patriarchal society, these women have played crucial roles in both social and economic spheres. The divergent life journeys of these two women— Sita, wedded to the idealistic Janak, and Babuni, the spouse of M.K., a resigned individual- provide deep insights into how marriage acted as a pivotal force in moulding their individual identities. Sita’s life unfolds in two discernible phases: the one prior to her marriage and the other subsequent to it. Her transition into Janak’s household and her subsequent role as a mother marked a profound transformation. It suggests that her married life provided her with a sense of fulfillment and contentment, reshaping her priorities and aspirations. Conversely, Babuni’s life took a divergent path. The dreams and ambitions she once cherished during her days as Chandra, a nurse, likely continued to linger within her. However, these aspirations remained suppressed, veiled in sadness, and concealed deep within her heart. This contrast underscores the profound psychological impact of their marital experiences, transcending superficial differences and evoking a metaphorical juxtaposition between light and darkness in their lives.
Despite facing gender inequalities and oppression, some Nepali women, as portrayed by I.B. Rai, actively participated in dismantling traditional shackles and contributing to social change through their involvement in the freedom movement. Rai’s depiction of women leaders like Sanamati leading protests and wives and mothers participating in demonstrations underscores the complex yet impactful position of women in Darjeeling’s socio-political landscape. Their resilience in the face of domestic oppressions further emphasizes the socio-humanist themes interwoven into Rai’s narrative. Through his storytelling, Rai provides readers with a window into the multifaceted lives, struggles, and aspirations of the people of Darjeeling.

3.3 The Tea Garden Workers’ Agitation in the Novel

Literature plays a pivotal role in disseminating and nurturing the societal, cultural, economic, and political ideologies of a community. Writers act as cultural historians, recording important events in the history of Darjeeling and using art as a tool to protest and dramatize the injustices inflicted upon the working class, who are often exploited by the capitalist elite.
In this regard, I.B. Rai’s literary work demonstrates a profound affinity with the works of Charles Dickens. Much like Dickens in English literature, I.B. Rai, in Indian Nepali literature, emerges as an
“angry young man” dissatisfied with the prevailing social conditions of his time. The context of the tea plantations in Darjeeling serves as a poignant backdrop for exploring these themes. These plantations, characterized by labour-intensive production methods, heavily rely on a consistently underpaid yet dependable female workforce, a phenomenon facilitated by the gendered distribution of work within the estates.
Laborers’ daily wages in the tea gardens of Darjeeling are often determined by factors such as time (hazira/roz) and piece (thika) ratings, with workers required to complete a designated amount of work within an eight-hour shift. Despite comprising over fifty percent of the workforce in Darjeeling’s tea plantations, few women progress beyond the estates to take up roles in factories, offices, or supervision. The historical context of Darjeeling’s tea plantations, rooted in colonialism, saw mass labour recruitment coinciding with migrations, particularly from eastern Nepal. Plantation women, despite their numerical dominance in the workforce, face marginalization within the realm of labour politics. In Darjeeling, women-centric union activities began before the 1986 Gorkhaland movement, which witnessed the emergence of communist party-led labour unions. During this period, these unions tirelessly advocated for women workers’ rights under the Plantation Labour Act of 1951. However, despite statutory provisions such as the Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, management hesitated to fully implement these measures until the late 1980s.
A pivotal juncture in the novel, June 25, 1955, at Margaret’s Hope Tea Garden, a historical bastion of the organized labour movement in West Bengal’s tea industry, captures the essence of the tea garden workers’ agitation. Rai artfully fictionalized an incident that mirrors a real-life occurrence. Tea workers, led primarily by demands for maternity benefits, wage hikes, bonuses, and the repeal of the oppressive Hattabahar system (a method for the arbitrary termination of workers), rose in protest.
In reality, the activism of plantation workers transitioned from labour-focused politics to identity politics during the sub-nationalist movement spearheaded by the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) under Subhas Ghising’s leadership. While the Gorkhaland movement found substantial support among tea plantation laborers, it did not vigorously champion the interests of the working class compared to the Communist Party of India (CPI)-backed unions.
Within the novel’s fictional realm, the arrest of seven workers under Section 307/34 on charges of indiscipline and insubordination serves as a catalyst for a full-blown protest, with workers from various tea estates joining forces alongside party members and common citizens. This power imbalance between tea workers and owners across 87 tea gardens sets the stage for an inevitable confrontation, resembling a master/slave dialectic. In the end, the cup of Darjeeling tea carries the weight of those workers who never taste the fruits of their own labour. I.B. Rai masterfully exposes the plight of tea garden workers and their challenges in the novel, shedding light on the inadvertent suffering thrust upon these marginalized laborers. The novel lays bare the cruel exploitations perpetrated by various tea estate owners and portrays how workers from different tea gardens in Darjeeling unite in protest marches to voice their resentment against injustice.
One of the remarkable qualities of Rai’s narrative style is its simplicity and naturalness. Rai avoids embellishing ordinary occurrences with unnecessary mystery, opting instead for an unadorned portrayal of reality. Even in crafting a fictitious love story like that of Janak and Sita, Rai refrains from indulging in extravagant descriptions or artificial expressions of love. Instead, readers are immersed in the everyday lives of the people of Darjeeling, as if witnessing events that commonly unfold in their reality. This authenticity allows readers to perceive Rai’s work as a reflection of real life rather than mere imagination.
Rai’s vivid depiction of Darjeeling’s social milieu is rooted in the region’s essential features. Set against the backdrop of nature’s embrace, the characters in the novel are shaped by their unique surroundings. The narrative provides readers with a familiar connection to the daily occurrences that unfold before our eyes, whether it’s the challenges faced by the hill cart road during monsoons or the enchanting descriptions of nature’s beauty in the Sailung and Jhapa districts. Rai’s use of regional dialect, such as “Tchee,” adds an authentic touch to his storytelling, enhancing its charm and realism.
While no work of art can capture the entirety of real life with absolute precision, Rai’s writing comes remarkably close to portraying a realistic picture. He offers readers a slice of reality that effectively mirrors and reflects real life. Within the psycho-social realities depicted in Rai’s fiction, readers follow the journeys of Indian-Nepali men who inhabit various roles in society. These characters, whether farmers, soldiers, businessmen, or fathers, grapple with the complexities of their existence in Darjeeling. In essence, I.B. Rai’s narrative style in “There Is Carnival Today” not only offers a realistic portrayal of Darjeeling’s socio-cultural milieu but also invites readers to engage critically with the socio-humanist dimensions of the story. Through his storytelling, Rai provides readers with a window into the multifaceted lives, struggles, and aspirations of the people of Darjeeling, making his work a valuable contribution to socio-humanist literature.
I.B. Rai’s literary oeuvre offers not merely a realistic portrayal of life but also an intricate expressionistic vision, deeply rooted in the realistic portrayal of lived experience. One compelling instance exemplifies this vision when Janak, the protagonist, encounters a peacock while returning from Nepal after visiting his in-laws. Janak’s act of chasing the bird back to Nepal unveils the characters’ bleak realization of their predicament and the psychological dilemmas they grapple with. In the midst of his rage, Janak exclaims, “Did you see what a wicked peacock! We are compelled to leave our homeland, but that peacock also wanted to go to the land of the Mughals, just like us! I chased him right around! I saw to it that he went back to Nepal. I left him with a stern: ‘We humans, we have to move abroad, but if the flora and fauna of the forest also start going abroad, how long can Nepal last?” (Rai 2017: 15)
This episode underscores the profound consciousness embedded in Rai’s work. It unveils the stark contrast between the geographical space, politically divided by humans, and the natural habitat, which transcends these man-made boundaries. Janak, in his pursuit of the peacock, inadvertently assumes the role of a colonial cartographer, imposing anthropocentric divisions that hold little meaning for the peacock.
Another instance that sheds light on Rai’s realistic portrayal of lived experience occurs after Ravi, Janak’s foster son, successfully passes his BA examination. During a conversation, Janak reminisces about the past when educated individuals were in high demand in Darjeeling. He narrates how individuals who graduated faced a multitude of job opportunities, with offices actively recruiting students on their way to school. Janak then laments the loss of these vibrant times, expressing the need for a novel that captures the essence of old Darjeeling.
Janak said, “My father used to tell us that in the old days, there were so many jobs in our very own Darjeeling, you couldn’t find people to work for you—so dire was the shortage of educated people! They would drag students on their way to school over to the offices and put them to work. Back then, even passing high school was a major achievement. The high school exams were held in the court; the magistrate would preside over them and police constables would stand guard; only three or four students would be taking the exam. A huge crowd would gather in the court’s front yard just to stare at or peek at those taking the “matric” test. If they passed, they’d put them on rickshaws and cover them with garlands: they’d parade each matriculating student with a five-piece musical band. He’d have to decide which job to accept. The advice not to work in the police—which you still hear sometimes—is an echo of that era, when you could choose from any job. The offices would send peons to the bazaar to look for anyone who had studied up to the fifth or sixth class.” (Rai 2017: 154-155)
Ravi enjoyed this a lot, and kept laughing: “They’d parade each matriculating student with a five-piece musical band!” (Rai 2017:155)
“Someone really ought to have written a novel about the old Darjeeling,” (Rai 2017:155) Janak said.

The quality of life that a person lives depends on where the person lives their life. The stark variation in social welfare policy and outcomes among subnational units within a single country like India, characterized by the same regime type, virtually identical legal, financial, and electoral institutions, and a broadly shared history of colonialism and a centrally trained and recruited bureaucracy, illustrates this point. Despite these commonalities, Indian states exhibit a striking variation in social policy and, relatedly, in levels of development. These divergences translate into dramatic differences in the quality of life for millions of people.
For example, the Indian Gorkha community, which constitutes just one percent of the total population, is significantly under-represented in political, cultural, and social spheres. Indian Nepali literature and the expression ‘Darjeeling’ often invoke an ethnographic monolith in the popular imagination, overlooking its multilingual setup, heterogeneous cultural contexts, and diverse literary traditions, many of which are unscripted, orally composed, and specific to individual communities. Hence, due to the lack of an authentic history of Darjeeling prior to the early 20th century, these literary creations should be read not just as literature but as records of an alternative way of reading history.