NAME BAGDOGRA AIRPORT AS ‘BISHWABEER (VISHWAVEER) CHILARAI AIRPORT’

Off late, numbers of opinions are in the air regarding renaming one of the militarily strategic airports of the nation i.e. Bagdogra, located in the plains near Siliguri of Darjeeling district in West Bengal. Not going by the various names as suggested by mainstream people of West Bengal and people with vested interests which hold no much water, I wish to pen down my suggestion which is purely based on the sacrifices and contributions made by the local Rajbanshi people while constructing Bagdogra  airport during World War-II. As I heard from my late father, our forefathers were too glad to give their fertile lands to the Govt. of British India, free of cost, for construction of a military air base for the Royal Indian Air Force during World War-II. As the area was full of jungles with lush green trees where tigers used to roar in the nights, the air base came to be known as Bagdogra which connotes roaring of tiger in local Rajbanshi-Kamta language (Bag denotes Tiger and Dogra denotes roaring). Once the airbase became operational, as a good gesture, the Royal Indian Air Force authorities gave a free ride to some of our forefathers in their initial flights taking off from the newly constructed air base.
           Thus, Bagdogra airport has a sentimental attachment with our local indigenous Rajbanshi people. If at all, renaming of this airport is felt necessary, it must have a link to a historical figure of the forefathers of Rajbanshi people. As many of us are aware of the pristine glories of historical background of Koch-Rajbanshi people who were in absolute majority in entire present day North Bengal, Purnea & Kishanganj districts of Bihar, Morang, Jhapa & Sunsari districts of Nepal, major portion of Assam, Western parts of Meghalaya, Northern Bangladesh and some of adjoining areas.  Who else, except, the pride of Rajbanshi people, the great military commander and strategist who was instrumental in unifying entire north-eastern kingdoms with mainland Indian soil during great military campaign (1562 A.D.-1572 A.D.) led by Bishwabeer (Vishwaveer) Chilarai, the trusted younger brother of Koch king Naranarayan and the commander of Koch army during sixteenth century.
           The sons of the soil in the plains of the Darjeeling district undoubtedly are our Rajbanshi people. We have a grand history and feel proud to be progenies of Chilarai, the great general who was compared with great generals like Napoleon, the great and Marathi Emperor ‘Chhatrapati  Shivaji’. It will be a great national service and welfare work for the people, if local indigenous Rajbanshi people are honoured by renaming Bagdogra airport as ‘Bishwabeer (Vishwaveer) Chilarai Airport’.

Jai Hind!

Comments

  1. Dhalia22 November 2015 at 11:43

    Dear friends, mok darun khushi lagache,vishwabeer chilarai nam airport hobe,bagdogra cancel kora hoke, from, hari roy,slg.

    ReplyDelete

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