Biography of Hum Jayega (Dal Bahadur Gurung)

Quick answer: Dal Bahadur Gurung, popularly known as Hum Jayega (1922–1992), was born at Marebong Tea Estate, Darjeeling, and became a legendary figure of humour and folk tales across Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, eastern Nepal, Assam and Manipur. He worked as a cab driver after returning to Darjeeling in 1948. Many stories about him are oral tradition, so some are exaggerated.

Written and reviewed by the Search Darjeeling editorial team · Last updated: 31 October 2026

Key points

Born March 1922 at Marebong Tea Estate, Darjeeling; died 1992.
Ancestors came from Makluwa, Panchthar district, Nepal.
Ran away to Calcutta in 1936 hoping to become a pilot; returned to Darjeeling in 1948 and became a cab driver.
Many popular jokes are folklore rather than verified history.

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Dal Bahadur Gurung, popularly known as Hum Jayega (हम जाएगा) (1922–1992) is a legendary person often cited as a funny character in folklores and jokes in Eastern Nepal, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim, Assam and Manipur.Because of several unrealistic jokes and tales about him, many people still consider him as an imaginary person. He was born in Marebong Tea Estate of Darjeeling, India in March 1922. His ancestors were from Makluwa, a hamlet in Panchthar district of Nepal. Hum Jayega’s great grandfather Dhaujbeer Gurung migrated along with his family in 1814 AD.

In 1936, he ran away to Calcuttato become a pilot but it was not possible due to his poor academic background. With hurdles and economic hardships, he hanged around an engineering college and learned driving with a professor who was fond of his jokes. In 1948, he returned to Darjeeling. With his driving skills,

he became cab driver with a post second world war short-chassis Land Rover. He was the first driver ever to take a vehicle to the summit of Tiger Hill, Darjeeling and Tumling. In this new circle of friends he was popular by his nickname Hum Jayega. Whenever the tourists asked who will go to the muddy underdeveloped roads to the hills, he used to answer “hum jayega” (meaning “I’ll go” in Hindi) and this is how he got his nickname.

His famous jokes were available as three booklets but some pirated versions were also published. Currently, his jokes are popular over the Internet and several facebook pages. Most of these jokes are in Nepali, lingua franca of Darjeeling, Nepal and surrounding areas but many of them have been translated to English. In early 1980s he was screened for about two minutes in a popular Nepali movie Kusume Rumal and it cleared that he is not just an imaginary character.

He continued working as a driver until he was 53 and engaged in publishing booklets of his jokes. His daughter remembers him as a responsible father who looked after children even after his wife’s death. He was concerned about good education and future of the children and grandchildren.[2] He was a father of seven daughters and three sons. However, it is also said that Hum Jayega lost all his wealth due to his drinking habit leaving his family to live in poverty. But the misery was never able to estrange Hum Jayega from laughing and making others laugh. He died in April 1992.

Source:

Wikipedia

Humjayega.com

From the hills, for the hills

Sandeep Khati

Editor, SearchDarjeeling · Founder, India Job Alerts

Sandeep grew up in the Darjeeling hills and writes about the places, people, festivals and everyday news of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Mirik, Kurseong and Sikkim. Every story is checked with local sources and official notices before it goes live. Looking for verified government jobs in West Bengal, Sikkim and across India? He also runs India Job Alerts.

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Frequently asked questions

Who was Hum Jayega?

Hum Jayega was the nickname of Dal Bahadur Gurung (1922–1992), a Darjeeling-born cab driver whose real-life humour grew into widely told folk tales.

Was Hum Jayega a real person?

Yes. Because so many of the stories about him are exaggerated, some people assume he was fictional, but he was a real person born in Darjeeling.

Where was he born?

At Marebong Tea Estate in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

How reliable are the stories about him?

Biographical facts such as dates and birthplace are widely cited, but individual jokes and anecdotes come from oral tradition and should be read as folklore.

How we keep this page reliable

This biography draws on widely cited accounts and local oral history. Facts such as dates and places are separated from folklore wherever possible; if you have a reliable source that adds or corrects a detail, please contact us.

Check official sources before you go: Darjeeling district administration.

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Hum Jayega (Dal Bahadur Gurung): Biography of the Darjeeling Folk Legend (1922–1992)