The X Files starring Subash Ghising

The story of Ghising8217;s extraterrestrial obsession is getting curiouser and curiouser. Just before the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council polls, he talked of his 8220;divine visions8221; and the 8220;horoscopic future8221; of the hills. This prompted a rival political leader to say: 8220;He8217;s getting crazier by the day.8221;

Now that the polls are over and he8217;s firmly in saddle for the third consecutive term, Ghising has recently let his fancies roam higher and wider.At a gathering of schoolkids in Darjeeling on April 30, he rattled off his theories of creation, space and the environment. The most stunning8211;or batty8211;theory of his has been his 8220;cosmic8221; story of twowell-known stones of Darjeeling. The two huge stones, the Ram Dhunga at Tindharia and the Halhanney Dhunga at Sourini Dhunga in Nepali means stone, have traditionally been revered by local residents as 8220;divine objects.8221;Indeed, so holy is the Ram Dhunga that even the British are said to have left it untouched when they built the Hillcart Road connecting Darjeeling to Siliguri over 100 years ago.

Now Ghising says these aren8217;t stones but meteors. And they will return to space in 2028. But meteors fall to the earth, not rise up in the sky, said some only to be dismissed scornfully.

Last week, Ghising organised a puja at the place and announced that a temple would be built near the stone at Sourini, which happens to be close to his native village Manju which is also his constituency in the DGHC polls. The problem is that many Ghising supporters take him seriously. 8220;Haven8217;t some of his predictions come true?8221; asks his secretary B C Mukhia.

His admirers cite two examples. Before the March elections tothe DGHC, Ghising had 8220;predicted8221;during public meetings at Kalimpong and Kurseongthat the 8220;horoscope8221; foretold a dark time for Darjeeling hills from March 28. It so happened that one of his trusted aides from the Gorkhaland agitation days of the mid-1980s, Rudra Kumar Pradhan, was killed on March 28.

Then came the long spell of drought which dried up Darjeeling town8217;s only drinking water source at the Sinchal Lake. Last week, Ghising organised pujas all over the hills and the rains came pouring. Finally, he has been telling his flock that they needed the help of 8220;divine powers8221; to achieve the separate Gorkhaland State. 8220;No, he can8217;t talk to you about these things on the phone,8221; Mukhia told The Indian Express. 8220;But meet him when he comes to Calcutta in the first week of June and he8217;ll be happy to answer your questions.8221;