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LETTHEGAMESBEGIN

LETTHEGAMESBEGINTHE RITUALS

OVER, NOW, FORTHE POLITICSTO STEP IN

BRAVESTOFTHEBRAVE

THEGURUJI OF

SUDUNGLAKHAAND HIS

MIRACLES

THEGURUJI OF

SUDUNGLAKHAAND HIS

MIRACLES

TURN TO pg 6

FOR DETAILS

ASHOK CHAKRA FOR NAMCHI’S

COMMANDO

SANJOG CHETTRI

When Sanjog Chettri joined the prestigious 9-Para Commandos in 2001, he realisedhis childhood dream of becoming a soldier. On April 22, 2003, when he charged intoa terrorist lair at Surankot in Kashmir as part of Operation Sarp Vinash, he musthave known that his words uttered to his cousin before he left Namchi were aboutto come true. “I will not hesitate even once before laying down my life for thecountry,” he said. Sanjog died a warriors death that day. He took down threeterrorists [one with his commando knife] and inspired his colleagues to completelyobliterate the terrorist hideout. The nation has now recognised his heroic deed andconferred on him the Ashok Chakra, the highest gallantry award in peacetimeequivalent to the Param Vir Chakra.

- TURN TO pg 3 FOR DETAILS

DETAILS ON pg 5

in this issuea special 4-pg

pull-out

Independence DayRecollections

2; NOW! 20-26 August, 2003

42

ED-SPACEGANGTOK 20-26 AUGUST, 2003

NOW!SIKKIM MATTERS

SAFE HAVEN FOR CON

ARTISTS OF ALL TYPES

It has been notified, advertisedand patronised that Sikkim is the

land of peace, tranquillity, mysticculture, adventure and flora & faunawith eye catching natural beauty.However, along with this image,Sikkim is also seen as the land ofriches and fools!

Beyond the boundaries ofRangpo the image of Sikkim iscarved in such a way that it resem-bles the treasure island of fairy tales.Such is the advertisement that itattracts all the money-mongers.Those who want to make moneyby easy and unfair means chooseSikkim first. The innocence of itspeople can be exploited to makeeasy money for exploiters. For allthe religious guru-shopping firms,Sikkim is the first destination ofchoice. Such gurus from all sects,groups and religions hone in on Sik-kim and extort pots of money fromour big shots and God-fearing cor-rupt. Even the street-corners are notfree of such opportunists. Our peo-ple are conned by everyone fromthe labourer to the mason to thecobbler to the palmist to the jyotish.

It is to Sikkim that marketinggoons come with their china bazaarsand Expos and repeat the saga ofexploitation. From coaching centresto dance centres to research centrescome and leave once their pocketsare full. They do not procure li-cences from the authorities con-

Sikkim has no fear of spurious drugs. We have notcome across any such

cases,” informs Dr. DK Subba, Prin-cipal Director Health Services,when asked to comment on the situ-ation in Sikkim even as the entirecountry grapples with the spreadof spurious drugs. That informationwill be a relief to people here. Onlylast week, the Mashelkar Commit-tee set up to investigate the prolif-eration of spurious drugs, in its in-terim report proposed the deathpenalty for offenders who cause“grievous harm or loss of life”. Thegovernment promptly said it is likelyto introduce a bill in the current ses-sion of Parliament to provide forthe severest punishment.

There is hardly any place inthe country which is free from theevil actions of these death mer-chants. Walk into a chemist any-where in India and chances are thatone out of every five medicines onsale will be fake and even a poten-tial killer. The fake drugs – rangingfrom cough medicines and antibi-otics to blood pressure pills, oftenhave little or no potency, makingthem potentially fatal to peoplewith life-threatening ailments.Newspapers regularly reportdeaths which investigations findwere caused by fake drugs, butthere are no official figures on fa-talities and only a tiny fraction ofmedicines are tested after a patient

Where Did We Go WrongIt is embarrassing how discussions on communalism keepreturning to this section. After all, how effectively can a popu-lation of barely 5.5 lakhs be divided? And, into how maysub-groupings? Let us not deny that divisions exist withinthe Sikkimese society. Let us try and figure out why. Then,perhaps the anomaly [and communal divide is one] can becorrected.

Given that each of us belong to a particular community orthe other, it is an accepted fact that we are inherently commu-nal. Also, because we are social animals, this inherent com-munal streak seldom develops into paranoia or directedagainst other communities. This conditioning of social groom-ing, however, collapses fast when the leader of the packsmells blood – the possibility of making an issue emotiveand convincing a people that they are threatened. Few thingsmove off the counter faster than a fabricated conspiracy theory.The more subtle the fabrication, the more looming is thethreat perception. Years of shepherding a disinterested pub-lic has honed the skills of these leaders and they are onlyaided by the blunted perspicacity of the Sikkimese people.We have blamed the people enough, this time let’s strike forthe jugular, the so-called leaders of communities.

India perhaps has the best, most detailed Constitutionat hand for the protection of its minorities. Ironically, theminorities still feel perpetually threatened. It is unlikely thatany minority was ever threatened by the system in the past;it was the majority they feared. As time passed, this suspi-cion fermented into animosity and now teeters on the brinkof hatred. Who allowed this to happen? Surely not the peo-ple themselves. Our leaders failed us. This deduction holdsas true for Sikkim as it does for the nation. Those claimingto represent communities started becoming instigators in-stead of counselors. These leaders forgot that democracyoffers people the right to self-determination, the right to ne-gotiate, the right to harmonise. Instead, they allowed theirsupporters only the options of complaint, bickering and sus-picion. Someone who speaks for a community shouldbridge the communication gap with other communities. Itdoes not take a leader to whisper within the community, butit takes one to represent a cause with others. Leaders ofvarious communities in Sikkim should have been the oneswho lobbied support from other groups to address fearsand aspirations of their people. Instead, what we got inSikkim were representatives who restricted an exchange ofideas with others and kept leading their people away fromthe negotiating table. They fed on the fears that a shut-outcommunity soons start developing and pointed out a mon-ster in every shadow.

But why do they do that?That’s easy. In a democracy, the easiest option is to

complain. Much more demands are made on the intellectwhen it comes to negotiating. First, one cannot approachthe negotiating table without a solution. And then there isthe whole debate over whether such leaders actually wanta solution. With elections approaching, it is more conven-ient to have a demand simmering than announcing anagreement. Offering a solution would ebb the wave theyplan to ride into the elections on and here, Sikkim’s sizecomes into consideration again. After all, how many issuescan one keeping drumming up for a population that totalsbarely 5.5 lakhs and communities become but slivers if theissue is not emotional enough. The last year of an assem-bly term is always a tense time in Sikkim. While politicalbickering makes for an entertaining show, it starts gettingdistasteful when it starts intruding into the private spaces ofpeople. What is also sad is that there are some sane voicesin the milieu which get drowned in the election-year ca-cophony. But that is a travail of democracy we have to livewith. Something that we can still change will come with therealization that Sikkim already has a very weak voice at thenational level. We only make ourselves weaker by speak-ing in such a babble of tones. Sikkim stands the best chanceof getting heard only if all its people agree on a basic agendaand then pursue it in the right forum. But will the self-ap-pointed crusaders of “our” cause allow that to happen? It isfor us to decide.

Cheating HealthCounterfeit drugs

continue to kill inno-

cent people all over

the country.

Where do things

stand in Sikkim?

a NOW! FEATUREdies. According to the World HealthOrganisation, almost 35 per centof all spurious pharmaceuticaldrugs in the world are manufac-tured in India.

Typically, the “spurious drugs”are made with cheap, otherwiseharmless powders or liquids or arereal drugs past their use-by-date orstolen from government supplies.

Making fake drugs is simple,hugely profitable and easy to getaway with in a country with inad-equate controls, rampant corrup-tion and hundreds and millions ofilliterate consumers. And the gov-ernment simply doesn’t have ei-ther the resources or the equipmentfor reliable, widespread testing.Indeed, random checks have foundthat government warehouses havesome of the highest levels of coun-terfeit medicines.

In Sikkim, the Drug Cell wasset up at the Health Secretariat inthe year 1986. The cell is respon-sible for monitoring drugs enteringthe state. Presently the cell is

headed by Dr. Subba as the DrugController. There is a Deputy DrugController and one Drug Inspec-tor. That, two Drug Inspectorswould soon be joining the drug cellshould make work more easier.

So how do they go aboutchecking for spurious drugs?

“We take random samples fromthe market and from the districtsand send it to the Central DrugsLaboratory at Kolkata and till datewe have not found a single case ofspurious drug in Sikkim,” said theDeputy Drugs Controller TK Rai.He further added that the last timehe had taken samples from Gang-tok and Central Medical Store wasas recently as in December last year.

Talk to doctors and chemistsand they all say the same thing -No case of spurious drugs in Sik-kim. Although Sikkim appears tohave been spared, counterfeits con-tinue to kill all over the country.Can anything be done to stop this?

The Mashelkar committee hasrecommended the death penaltyfor spurious drug manufacturers.This has met with general acclaim,but it may not be enough. We shallstill need to ensure that the deathmerchants are caught, that their tri-als do not drag on forever and thatthe chemist, the crucial link on theretail side, is not exposed to thetemptations of buying cheap stuffand selling fake medicines withoutproper cash receipts.

cerned and ply and advertise theirbusiness without getting registeredwith the concern departments.They do not pay any taxes either.

Sometime ago, I came acrossan article on one such research cen-tre at Tadong. I was quite alertabout the said research centre be-cause only a few days earlier a dis-tant relative of mine had beencheated there. Eager to know moreabout the centre I visited it only tofind few people from Nepal. I en-quired what research was beingconducted there and was franklytold that they were here only tomake money before they left foranother destination.

I request the police adminis-tration and the concern depart-ments through your paper to re-main vigilant about the activitiesof such operators and their vaga-bond ways. I also request the peo-ple to become more alert and prac-tical about such scams.Sabina Subba, Pakyong

PRIVATE CELLULAR

SERVICE GOOD

This has reference to the letter“Who Cares” [carried in Ac-

tion Mail, issue date 06-12 August,Vol 2. No. 7] published in your es-teemed weekly about cellular serv-

ices in Sikkim. I would request youto kindly publish my views as un-der mentioned to the article pub-lished in your paper.

The private operator has beenproviding cellular service in thestate of Sikkim for the last 5 yearssuccessfully in spite of variousoperational constraints. Other cel-lular service providers like Airtel,Hutch, Spice etc. have not both-ered to provide their services in thisregion even after several rounds ofbidding for their cellular license.Other private service providers inmetro cities viz. Airtel and Hutchare also deducting 50% of rechargevalue towards access fees. I havepersonally experienced the qualityof service provided by operatorsin Delhi, Mumbai etc. It is diffi-cult to make a call during eveninghours apart from calls getting dis-connected frequently. I have notfaced these problems here. Havingexperienced BSNL services andalso that of the private operatoroperational in the state of Sikkimin terms of quality of customerservice, product availability I canvery well say that the private op-erator offers much better servicequality as compared to BSNL inall respects. I particularly feel thatthe private operator has done acommendable job by persistentlymaintaining good quality of serv-ice in the state of Sikkim.

As regard the SMS service pro-

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BOOMTAR, NAMCHI: Com-mando Sanjog Chettri made the ul-timate sacrifice for his country. Andthe nation has recognized his mar-tyrdom by conferring on this sol-dier of the prestigious 9 Para Com-mando regiment, the highest peace-time gallantry award - AshokChakra, equivalent to the Param VirChakra. Sanjog’s sister, Sangeetawill receive the award on his be-half next year on Republic Day.

It is perhaps apt that Sanjog’smartyrdom be recognized on Re-public Day. After all, it was twenty-one years ago on this day that hewas born in Boomtar, south Sikkim.

“Sanjog always wanted to jointhe army. His ambition neverchanged. All through his childhoodand teens, he dreamt of himself asa soldier. He often told me how hewanted to be a commando guard-ing the President and the PrimeMinister. He became a soldier anda commando. And look how heconducted himself. He laid downhis life or the country. Althoughwe all miss him, I am proud ofSanjog. In fact all of Sikkim shouldfeel proud of our son,” JB Rai saidwhile talking to NOW! Mr. Raiadopted Sanjog and his sister aftertheir parents passed away whilethey were still young.

Mr. Rai is right. Sikkim shouldbe proud. Not since Ganju Lamahas Sikkim produced a soldier whohas attained the highest gallantryaward. Sanjog’s heroics while bat-tling terrorists in the Surankot areaof Rajouri sector in Kashmir onApril 22, earlier this year, is thestuff that legends are made of.

An army statement detailingthe day’s events reads thus: “Thecommandos, while approachingthe terrorists’ hideout, drew ex-tremely heavy automatic fire. Sens-ing grave danger to his comradesSanjog attacked the cave, lobbinggrenades and firing from the hip,he killed one terrorist. In the in-tense fire he drew upon himself,Sanjog suffered gunshot wounds tothe right shoulder. But, unmindful

BRAVEST OF THE BRAVEASHOK CHAKRA FOR NAMCHI’SCOMMANDO SANJOG CHETTRIby TINA RAI

of his physical condition, hepressed on with the assault andkilled a second terrorist. He, how-ever, fell at the entrance of the cave.The terrorists had inflicted multi-ple gunshot wounds on Sanjog.

But that was not the end.Sanjog, in one last act of su-

preme valour, drew his commandoknife and charged into the hideout,killing one more terrorist in ahand-to-hand combat before finallysuccumbing to his wounds.

Inspired by his supreme sacri-fice, his comrades killed 13 terror-ists that night and captured a Pa-kistan-trained terrorist.”

While such salutations toSanjog’s valour are welcome, morepeaceful memories of their time withSanjog are the ones that moisten theeyes of the family he left behind.

“He was an obedient child andwe never received any complaintsfrom anyone regarding him. He wasalways charming. No wonder hehad so many friends,” Aruna Rai,Sanjog’s aunt and foster mother,recounts for NOW! She furtheradded that Sanjog was never verydemanding and was easily satisfied.“He was never fussy. He used toeat whatever was served and henever complained of anything. Hewas very fond of his cousins andsimply doted on his sisterSangeeta,” she added.

Sangeeta is away in south In-dia pursing higher studies, butNOW! caught up with his cousinPrabhat Rai to understand what

kind of a brother he was.“He was a gem of a person. A

perfect brother and a perfect gentle-man. Even when we argued with himsometimes, he never held it againstus. Having Sanjog for a brother meantwe always had a shoulder to lean onwhen we required support,” Prabhattold NOW!

Prabhat even recalls how be-fore he left Namchi to join duty,Sanjog told him that he was willingto even lay down his life for hiscountry.

“If anyone else had said that Iwould have shrugged it off as idlebombast, but I knew it to be truethe moment Sanjog uttered thewords. He has now proven that healways lived by his words. Godbless him,” he said.

Sanjog apparently always hada brave streak in him. His fosterfather maintains that even as ayoung boy, Sanjog never backeddown from a challenge.

As is apparent now, Sanjog’s21 years saw him imbibe many dif-ferent cultures. Born a Chettri,raised in a Rai family [related fromis mother’s side], Mr. Rai toldNOW! that Sanjog was heavily in-fluenced by Buddhism.

“Sanjog was deeply religiousand influenced by Buddhism. Hevisited monasteries on a regularbasis and even offered voluntaryservice there on special occasionslike Saga Dawa and other festivals.He even knew some Buddhistmantras,” Mr. Rai told NOW!

One wonders what professionSanjog would have chosen for him-self had he not been selected in2001 to join the 9 Paras, a unitwhich earned itself the label “Brav-est of the Brave” for its role in theKargil skirmish. The 9 Para is inci-dentally one of the four specialforces in the army specially taskedfor mountain operations. The eliteunit has so far won an unprec-edented three Ashok Chakras.Sanjog becomes the fourth for hisregiment and the first for Sikkim.

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GANGTOK: Independence Daycelebrations here were observedwith the usual fanfare and patri-otic fervour.

The Tashi Namgyal Academyground wore a colourful look withtricolours festooned everywhere. Asin previous years, the celebrationsincluded a March Past, colourfuldrills and cultural programme bystudents and cultural troupes andthe Governor and Chief Minister’saddress to the State.

Upon his arrival, the Chief Min-ister was received by the Chief Sec-retary, SW Tenzing, and the Direc-tor General of Police, TW Tenzingand escorted to the Saluting Base.The Tricolour was unfurled by theCM, who then inspected the Paradeand took the salute.

A March Past by contingentsof Sikkim Armed Police, SikkimPolice, Home Guards, Scouts andGuides and NCC from differentSchools, SSB and CISF followed.

The Chief Minister then pre-sented the State awards to 53sports-person who have broughtlaurels to the State in their respec-tive fields. The Chief Minister’s“Anna Dan Yojana” and the “Proc-ess of Decentralisation of Powers”to the Zilla and Gram Panchayatswere officially launched by the CMon the occasion.

The students of St. ThomasSchool, Gangtok presented a drill,which was followed by a colourfulcultural programme by different

POWER PLAYPOWER PLAY

This I-Day, Chamling identifies Communalism as Enemy No. 1CM welcomes nationalrecognition of Nepali

freedom fighter

a NOW! REPORT

GANGTOK: Former Chief Min-ister, Nar Bahadur Bhandari’s firstofficial engagement after takingover as the new president of theSikkim Pradesh Congress Commit-tee-I, was to march a delegation tothe Governor alleging “anti-demo-cratic and anti-social” activities bythe ruling SDF government.

The delegation, comprising ofworking-president, NamkhyaGyalsten, spokesperson, KNUpreti, Phuchung Bhutia, Hem LallBhandari, Jigme N. Kazi, OT Bhu-tia, Balchand Sarda, Dorji Tamang,CC Shangderpa, PR Subba andPintso Chopel Lepcha, led by Mr.Bhandari called on the Governor,V Rama Rao on 18 August and sub-mitted a memorandum seeking hisassurances that the “constitutionaland democratic rights of the peo-ple of Sikkim” will not be allowedto be violated.

At a news conference here aday later, Mr. Bhandari revealed

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cultural organisations of the State.Later, in his address to the State,the Chief Minister paid rich trib-ute to the “selfless services ren-dered by (our) warriors” from Sik-kim, Darjeeling, Assam andDehradun in the freedom move-ment. Mr. Chamling made refer-ences to martyr Durga Malla andother freedom fighters from theregion who laid down their livesduring the freedom struggle andwelcomed the decision of the Cen-tral government to install a statueof Durga Malla in the Parliamentcomplex, saying that it has giventhe people of the region “much re-lief,” since most of the freedomfighters from the region and theircontributions had gone largely “un-noticed.”

Mr. Chamling said that al-though Sikkim joined the nationalmainstream much later in 1975, ithad done “exceptionally well” incatching up in the past nine years.

“Sikkim has come to be recog-nized as an exemplary State and isin such a position now that otherstates can draw inspiration of ourachievements,” he said, adding thatthe momentum of this progress hasto be sustained and the pace ofdevelopment accelerated.

The visit of the Prime Minis-ter in April earlier this year, madesignificant difference to the imageof the State Mr. Chamling said.

“The PM was very impressedwith our sincerity and pro-poorpolicies and programmes. He an-nounced a special economic pack-age for the State and stayed for fourdays, which is a first for any PrimeMinister,” he said.

Mr. Chamling also appealedthat the people “re-dedicate them-selves” and “fight against all typesof communal forces.”

“Under a democratic frame-work, my government is commit-ted to granting freedom and equal-ity to the Sikkimese people. Com-munalism in any form is ournumber one enemy. It is danger-ous, dirty and dehumanising. Wehave been fighting it with all ourmight. Still, communalism keepsraising its ugly head to disturb thehealthy atmosphere of the State.My government has now adopteda policy of zero tolerance. We shallnot tolerate communalism. Wehave never resorted to communal-ism to garner votes and are deter-mined to uproot this malaise fromour society. For this, whateverpolitical risk and will are required,my government has the capacityto demonstrate that,” he said.

The CM also spelled out othersignificant achievements of his gov-ernment in the last nine years andannounced a number of new wel-fare schemes for the people on theoccasion.

that the SPCC [I] had drawn theGovernor’s attention towards the“deplorable acts of violence, omis-sion and commission, indulged inby the ministers of the State Cabi-net, Chairmen and certain govern-ment servants” on 13 and 14 Au-gust during the Congress’ KrantiJyoti Yatra in the State.

“We have taken strong excep-tions to the violent attack on ourparty supporters during the Yatrain West Sikkim, which was carriedout by the goons hired by themembers of the ruling party. Wehave informed the Governor of theinvolvement of the SDF govern-ment in such anti-social activitieswhich clearly shows serious break-down in the law and order situa-tion of the State and the failure ofthe SDF party in every aspect ofgovernance,” Mr. Bhandari alleged.

“Where is the freedom ofmovement and speech in the State?The very principles of democracythat the SDF government preachesare just eyewash and nothing else.The Kranti Jyoti Yatra was a na-

tion-wide programme of a nationalparty. The attack on our partyworkers who were coming to jointhe Yatra is totally undemocratic,”Mr. Bhandari alleged.

The Congress alleged thatsome SDF ministers were also in-volved in the attack on its sup-porters. “As many as 200 vehi-cles with Congress supportersfrom South and West were pre-vented forcefully from proceed-ing to Gangtok on that day,” thememorandum alleges.

The SPCC-I has also takenstrong exception to the recenttransfers of senior bureaucrats,calling it “political victimization.”It has said in the memorandumthat since the “State administra-tion has virtually collapsed, agrave situation for the impositionof Article 356 of the Constitutionin the State.”

Meanwhile, the SPCC-I is or-ganizing a “Sikkim JatiyaSadhbhavana Jan Jagran Abhiyan”on 24 August.

a NOW REPORT

Congress wants gubernatorial assuranceon protection of Sikkimese rights

pic courtesy IPR

20-26 August, 2003; NOW! 5

5

POWER PLAYPOWER PLAY

GANGTOK: Sangramis came fullcircle on 14 August, last Thursday.Nearly two decades after the Sik-kim Sangram Parishad was formedwhen former Chief Minister NarBahadur Bhandari led Sikkim Con-gressmen away in 1984 to form SSP,Sangramis pulled down the red andwhite flag and unfurled the Con-gress tricolour. The SangramBhavan at Development Area isnow Congress Bhavan and Mr.Bhandari uses a new vocabularywhile referring to the Congress lead-ers.

Donning his new avatar on theCongress state chief, Mr. Bhandaribegan a new chapter of his politi-cal life by paying “homage” toCongress stalwarts.

“Madam [Sonia] ko ashirwadsara Sikkim ra Sikkimeli janata kolagi cha,” Mr. Bhandari told the

combined gathering of long-termCongress supporters and the re-cent converts from his own party.

Addressing perhaps the mostpertinent question on everybody’smind, Mr. Bhandari justified themerger as the “need of the hour” anda “wish” of the Sikkimese people.In an obvious dig at the ruling party,Mr. Bhandari said that the present“lawlessness and rampant commu-nalism” in the State had promptedhim to join a “national party” whichwas the only option to “lead” Sik-kim in the right direction. Mr.Bhandari is also convinced that aftertwo terms in the Opposition, inCong [I] he has found the winningcombination for the assembly elec-tions scheduled for next year.

The merger has not been abso-lutely smooth. News of the mergerhas already prompted dissidencein the ranks with a section break-ing away from Mr. Bhandari and

announcing their decision to keepSSP alive. Striking out at his formercolleagues, Mr. Bhandari reiteratedthat those crying foul now were apart of the party resolution whichcleared the merger. “We had initi-ated the process for the merger along time ago with the consent ofall the party members. As thepresident of the party, I had beengiven the right to join a nationalparty by the party constitution,whenever the need arose. This wasnot my personal decision,” Mr.Bhandari defended. He then pro-ceeded to dismiss his detractors byreiterating that SSP ceased to existon 5 August and disclosed that theparty had been “officiallyscrapped” from the Election Com-mission’s record books.

Mr. Bhandari, whom themerger negotiations had kept outof political circulation for quitesome time, appears to also haverediscovered his sarcastic arro-gance which manifested in amplemeasure in his Congress Bhavanaddress. Launching sharp barbs atthe ruling party, Mr. Bhandaridelved lengthily on his critical ob-servation of the past nine years.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Bhandariarrived here from Siliguri along with

his supporters, many of whom hadreceived him at Rangpo. The AICCincharge for Sikkim, SalmanKhursheed, was also present for thehanding over ceremony which wascarried out amidst some strongsloganeering and many wide smiles.

Mr. Khursheed, in his address,referred to Mr. Bhandari as the“new energy” infused into the Con-gress in the state and disclosed thatCongress president Sonia Gandhiwould be in Sikkim soon to “fulfilRajiv Gandhi’s unfulfilled desire”to visit Sikkim.

Reacting to news that Con-gress supporters en-route to theGangtok had been waylaid in south

Sikkim allegedly by ruling partyyouth, Mr. Khursheed said,“Those in power at the momentshould remember that Congresswill come to power some day inthe State and at the Centre.”

While the political mileage themerger accrues for the parties con-cerned will unravel only with time,it was interesting to see the dictum“there are no permanent enemies inpolitics” get reinforced on the Con-gress Bhavan stage. Congressmenwho had ousted Mr. Bhandari in1994, and whom Mr. Bhandari couldnot tolerate till recently, shuffledtheir seats around the new centre ofpower for them – Mr. Bhandari.

by SARIKAH ATREYA

a NOW! pic

LET THE GAMESBEGIN

An aggressive Bhandari setsthe tone the SSP-Cong

merger is to take

WILL THE MERGER MAKE A POINT: The new SPCC(I) Chief Nar Bahadur

Bhandari at his 14 August welcome at Congress Bhawan

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6

RECAP SIKKIMRECAP SIKKIMKOPCHAY, SUDUNGLAKHA:More than hundred devotees lineup the path to the house of a faith-healer who is creating waves in theregion. His name is Nirmal Mangar,believed by all here, to be an incar-nate of Lord Krishna, gifted withdivine powers that can cure all ail-ments.

“My maid was admitted at thehospital. She was vomiting blood.We were certain she would die butshe was cured by guruji,” saysLeelawati of Rhenock. She herselfis here, confident in the belief thatthe guru can cure her of arthritis.

It has been two months sincethe Guruji displayed his miracu-lous powers. But while he’s com-fortable performing miracles, he’swary of the media.

“I refuse to increase my famethrough media. People will cometo know of me through their faithin me and when they get curedthey will spread my news throughword of mouth,” was his only re-sponse when asked for an inter-view. He also refused to be photo-graphed.

“You people are lucky he gaveyou a darshan. Many journalistshave been refused even a glimpseof Guruji,” said one volunteer there.

As the Guruji himself refusedto talk with us, it was from the pa-tients waiting outside that we gotto hear about the many miracles thathe has performed. Restoring visionto a blind man and curing a cancerpatient were some of those.

Babita Basnet, a resident ofPakyong said that when news ofthe Guruji reached her, with “im-mense faith,” she took her ailingmother, paralysed from the kneebelow to him. “I brought mymother on a stretcher, she wentback walking. Guruji is really anincarnate of Lord Krishna, he hastold me that he will cure people if

they have faith in him but if theyspeak ill of him then he has thepower to destroy them too. Heeven told me that he has the powerto burn Sikkim if he is made an-gry,” she said.

Such is the faith of the peoplewho congregate here.

FAITH HEALFAITH HEALFAITH HEALFAITH HEALFAITH HEALSSSSS

THE GURUJI OF SUDUNGLAKHA

AND HIS MIRACLESFaith defies all logic. While the city-bred might frown upon incidences of what

they see as superstition, Guruji [Nirmal Mangar] is attracting believers by the

hundreds everyday as he performs miraculous healings at his small hut at

Sundunglakha near Rhenock. Impromptu volunteers help control the traffic of

patients who throng to the Guruji and wait their turn through the day and night at

the fields which surround the Guruji’s house. TINA RAI & ANAND OBEROI visited

Sundunglakha to see for themselves the Guruji’s magnetism…

“Patients brought here instretchers return home walking,”reiterates Anil Subba, who has him-self witnessed the Guruji performmiracles.

Tulsi Pradhan, an elderly manfrom Aritar told us that his righthand had been useless for two

months but after he showed hishand to the Guruji he was able tomove it and now he has come againto cure it fully.

At the scene, are many volun-teers. Some are his neighbours,mostly young men and some whoare offering their time in gratitude

after Guruji cured their relatives andloved ones. Kunzang, one suchvolunteer who offered her serviceshere after her grandmother wascured by Guruji, told us that thedaily turn out of the patientscrosses 400. And sometimes theGuruji has to attend to patients till2 am in the morning.

People assemble here from 4 inthe morning and can be seen wait-ing their turn till midnight. Book-ings have to be made and an imme-diate “darshan” is rare. We metmany people who returned dissat-isfied as their turn never came. “Ihave been waiting since 5 in themorning, now it is 2 pm I can’t waitanymore. Nine hours of waiting ismore than enough, I am leaving,”said Dolma Bhutia who had comewith her husband and son.

“Since morning I can only hearonly one number being called outand that is number 19. My numberis 48, if it had not been for myfaith in Guruji I would have re-turned back,” said Teji MayaThapa of Rongli, who is sufferingfrom body aches and a lack of ap-petite. “Guruji is well known inRongli and Rhenock,” she adds.

Some of the devotees who re-turned after waiting for hours com-plained about the volunteers.“These people are only letting theirown people get an audience withthe Guruji,” said an angry man.

These outbursts of anger onlyunderline the immense faith thepeople here have in Guruji and hissupernatural powers. People arecoming not only from all cornersof the State, but many come fromas far as Nepal, Bihar and Bhutan.

Call it superstition or just blindfaith, but Guru Nirmal Mangar isattracting them by the hundreds.Poor and rich, all come here insearch of that “miracle.” AndGuruji is not letting them down.

A crowd of ‘darshan’ seekers outside Guruji’s hut at Sudunglakha. a NOW! pic

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GANGTOK: Reports of policebrutality are not uncommon in thecountry, but it is rare indeed whenthe police resort to brutality to “dis-cipline” their own juniors. On Sun-day night, at the Police TrainingCentre at Jalipool, 17 women train-ees were assaulted by members oftheir own force.

The girls were beaten withsticks and kicked till many sustainedmultiple injuries on the chest, ribsand face. According to TD Rinzing,IG [Training], Havaldar KrishnaDas Chettri and Writer ShovaMohra have subsequently beensuspended and transferred to Re-serve lines under suspension.

That will come as cold comfortto the girls still undergoing treatmentat Central Referral Hospital. Five

girls were rushed to the hospital fortreatment. While three were releasedafter medical aid, two of the girls havebeen admitted for more extensivetreatment. One of the girls has se-vere bruises on her chest.

According to relatives of someof the girls who were beaten up thatnight, the whole episode was trig-gered off by a minor fault of the girls.

Apparently, on Sunday, thetrainees were asked to clean the toi-let of their hostel. This was notdone to the satisfaction of Chettriand Mohra. As punishment, at10.30 pm, that night, they orderedthe 17 girls outside the barracks fora roll call. Here they were scoldedin abusive language. They were thenasked to do rigorous exercises andcrawl. When some girls lagged be-hind, the two police personnelstarted beating them with their ba-

tons. Even while the girls cried outin pain, the beatings did not stop.They were then taken indoors andbeaten some more with blows andkicks till some girls fainted.

It was only after the SP Train-ing, DB Giri reached the spot thatthe beatings stopped.

Speaking to NOW! the IGagreed that the girls should not havebeen beaten so much.

“It is ok to give physical pun-ishments to the recruits, but beat-ing them in such a manner is notallowed. We have issued a warningto the other instructors that if suchincidents occur in future, then ter-mination from active duty wouldbe the penalty. This is a very un-fortunate incident, I can just saythat this incident should serve as alesson and no such incidents shouldtake place in future.”

a NOW! REPORT

Trainees learn police brutality the hard wayJuniors land up in hospital, seniors in

Reserve Lines under suspension

20-26 August, 2003; NOW! 7

15

DATELINE NORTH SIKKIM

While Dorjee Tamang of Mangan could not find words to ex-press his feelings on having won the Centenary CelebrationRaffle [a Maruti Van], he did pose for a photo-op for us with hisnew possession. No. 17483 proved lucky for him, while 22624won a Bajaj Pulsar for Namgyal Pintso Kazi, the principal ofNorth Sikkim Academy. The winning numbers for the otherprizes are: 3rd prize [a Personal Computer] – 13639; 4th prize[Washing Machine] – 18666; 5th prize [Colour TV] – 11873;and 6th prize [Mobile Phone] – 29412.

Winner takes the Van

In Honour of the

“Lotus Born”

MANGAN: The pupils ofGnasang Sheda and the monks ofRinghem Monastery collaboratedin a grand manner to observe GuruRinpoche’s Trungkar Tsechu hereon 7 August. The celebrations ofGuru Rinpoche’s birth anniver-sary started at around 8 AM atRinghem Gumpa in the presenceof some 300 devotees from aroundthe area.

Talking to NOW!, AcharyaPema Dorjee of Ringhem Gumparevealed that the monastery startedobserving the Guru’s anniversaryin 2000 and that the rituals are car-ried out under the advice of KapcheDathup Rinpoche of Deorali.

This year, the Trungkar Tsechuprocession marched out ofRinghem Gumpa at around 9 AMand proceeded towards Pentokpassing through the town area,where local gentry and business-men received the procession andtook blessings. The procession thencircumambulated towards themonastery through the ManganSenior Secondary School.

What makes the observance ofthe day special for RinghemGumpa is that just below the mon-astery are footprints on a stone,which the devout believe to beGuru Rinpoche’s. Regular prayersare conducted at the spot by themonks at Ringhem and the spotholds special significance for thelocals too.

from OUR CORRESPONDENT

a NOW! pic

An out of theordinary

initiative atAam Dara

from OUR CORRESPONDENT

AAM DARA, DIKCHU: Freeeducation is now available for theunderprivileged in the area with theopening of “Aganbari” here at AamDara, Dikchu sponsored by NHPCLadies Welfare Association and setup by Sreejana Club, Marchak,Lower Tintek, East Sikkim. TheSchool was inaugurated on 16 Au-gust, last Saturday, by Mrs. BinaMittal, president NHPC LadiesWelfare Association.

The Aganbari had a good be-ginning with as many as 40 chil-dren getting enrolled on the firstday itself. Most of the studentshail from Marchak, Aam dara andNHPC labour colony.

The inauguration programmewas attended by the General Man-ager, NHPC, VK Mittal, ChiefEngineer [Dam], S Khatwa, Prin-cipal, Dikchu Secondary School,YP Nepal, Lower Tintekpanchayat president, Mrs.Chandra Maya Rai, and membersof various local NGOs.

SUTWA in

N. Skmfrom OUR CORRESPONDENT

MANGAN: The Sikkim UnitedTeachers’ Welfare Association,which has been holding a round ofexecutive body elections all overthe State arrived at Mangan lastweek. The north district executivebody of SUTWA now has KarmaBhutia of Mangan SSS as the Presi-dent and Lhagay Lepcha of KalayPS as the Vice-President. GK Ne-pal and Dawchung Bhutia, both ofMangan SSS, are the new Secretaryand Jt. Secy. Respectively whileMG Bhutia of Nampatam PS takescharge as the Treasurer with PWLepcha of Maling PS as the Public-ity Secretary.

Others elected to the executivebody are Chungtuk Lepcha, KumarSubba, ST Kazi, Pendup Lepcha,PT Bhutia, Tsering Norbu Bhutiaand KL Chettri.

from DEEPAK SHARMAMANGAN: The fact that theirtown is now a hundred years old,perhaps added to feeling ofbonhomie at the 57th IndependenceDay celebrations observed herelast Friday. Always a popular datewith the people of north Sikkim,this 15 August at Mangan saw aneven larger, more jubilant turnoutof some 6,500 people who startedcongregating at the Mangan publicground from early morning for theday long festivies. They did notreturn disappointed. The organis-ers packed in everything from themandatory march-past display topom-pom dances and a well foughtfootball finals for the audience.

The day’s festivities started at9 AM with the arrival of the ChiefGuest, Power Minister, HisseyLachungpa who hoisted the na-tional flag and took the salute froma smart parade contingent of Sik-kim Police personnel and studentsfrom local schools.

After a patriotic song renditionby students of Mangan Senior Sec-ondary School, the DC read outthe Governor and Chief Minister’sI-Day addresses and handed overthe dais to the area MLA, alwaysa popular speaker at local gather-ings. Mr. Lachungpa focused on the

sacrifices made by the freedomfighters in attaining Independencefor the country and exhorted thegathering to assure that the “azaadpanchi” which took wings in 1947soars ever higher.

The speeches over, the groundbecame a riot of colour with a cul-tural-fest, north Sikkim style. Tod-dlers from Play & Learn NurserySchool drew loud applause for

their mass drill to a Nepali tune.Pakshyap School followed with amass drill of their own and ManganSSS capped the segment with anexcellent mass drill which culmi-nated with the students aligning ina “Peace on Earth” formation.

Then came the dances. Tiny-tots from Ideal Nursery PrivateSchool entertained with their pom-pom followed by a more traditionalMaruni Naanch staged by the Lit-tle Flower Private School. RinghemSchool came next with a Lepcha

dance. A Nepali dance by Rang-Rang School set the audience upfor the lively Tamang Selo per-formed by the Pakshyap TamangClub. The dance routines endedwith a special fusion dance by stu-dents of North Sikkim Academyfor peace, unity and national inte-gration. The school also staged aNepali Sanskriti Jhalak.

The finals of the CentenaryFootball Tournament whichrounded off the day’s festivities.[turn to sports page for details]

I-Day celebration plays to packed audiences at Mangan

NORTHSIKKIM

Quizthe NOW!

Send your entries before 25 August to NOW!, Gairi Gaon, Tadong.

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North Sikkim

1. Which of the following is richest in Iron?

A. Rice B. Apple C. Pulses D. Orange

2. Which of the following banks recently went global?

A. State Bank B. Bank of Baroda C. IDBI D. Canara Bank

3. Which of the following currencies has the highest

value?

A. Franc B. Euro C. US Dollar D. Pound Sterling

4. Which of the following is used as a memory device

in computers?

A. Rectifier B. Flip-Flop 3. Comparator D. Attenuator

5. In which place was electricity first supplied in In-

dia?

A. Kolkata B. Darjeeling C. Mumbai D. Chennai

Name:Address:

1 2 3 4 5

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT - Students of Play & Learn school performing the Sunflower Drill, traditional

Lepcha costume clad Ringhim School band, a dance by students of the Rang Rang School and Chief Guest, Hissey

Lachungpa, Minister, Power receiving salutations at the parade. NOW! pics

8; NOW! 20-26 August, 2003

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South SHGs,panchayatsfelicitateChamlinga NOW REPORT

NAMCHI: In a program held hereat the Community Hall on 17 Au-gust, Sunday, the Zilla and GramPanchayats of South SikkimSahitya Parisad, Chelli Morcha andSelf-Help Groups of South districtfelicitated the Chief MinisterPawan Chamling for the success-ful implementation of PanchayatiRaj in Sikkim and his efforts in reo-pening Nathula for trade.

While speaking on the variousprogressive projects undertaken bythe government, the Chief Minis-ter disclosed that revenue had in-creased from Rs. 44.72 crores toRs. 300 crores and the per capitaincome which, in 1995-96, stoodat Rs. 9,000, has been more thandoubled to Rs. 18,353.

Further, he said that the Sik-kim’s net domestic product hadalmost stagnated at Rs. 300 crores,has now increased to Rs. 891 croresand added that the government hasset a target to raise the same uptoRs. 50,000 crores by 2014-2015.This, he reiterated, could beachieved only through the joint ef-forts of the government,panchayats and public.

The Minister RDD, GirishChandra Rai while praising CM’srural initiatives, claimed that maxi-mum developmental activities hadtaken place during the last nine yearsof SDF rule in Sikkim. Successfulimplementation of Panchayati Rajwas one noteworthy achievementof the government, he said.

The Chief Minister also gaveaway awards to six meritoriousNGOs and SHGs of South Sikkim.

NAMCHI: The new complex ofthe Government College atKamrang [pic left], about 3 kmsfrom Namchi, south Sikkim. Thenew college building, which tookfour years to complete wasinaugurated on 18 August,Monday by the Chief Minister,Pawan Chamling. The govern-ment college at Namchi will nowshift to the new premises, whichoffers ample space and should bea welcome change from thecramped confines of the collegebuilding at the south districtheadquarters. Officials engaged inthe project inform that work isunderway on taking a black-toproad to the college campus.

a NOW REPORT

Kamrang collegeinaugurated

a NOW! pic

vided by the private operator, ithas been observed that the serv-ices are pretty reliable and fast ascompared to others in the region.The efforts of the company in edu-cating us about the same have beenquite commendable and today weare deriving lot of benefits throughtheir SMS based services. Moreo-ver, as a customer of the privateservice provider and as a proud citi-zen of Sikkim, I strongly feel thatinstead of hounding the privateoperator we should appreciate thefact they have ventured into ourstate and have provided us withthe opportunity of convenientmobile communication. Keeping inmind the development of our statewe should try to usher in moreprivate service providers to cometo Sikkim and start their operationshere and provide a conducive at-mosphere for such operators toprovide their best quality servicesfor the people of Sikkim.A concerned citizen

Contd from pg 2ACTION MAIL

20-26 August, 2003; NOW! 9

SPLITANDPROFIT

Three o’clock is always too

late or too early for anything

you want to do.

Jean Paul Sartre

17

fresh everyday

ofSLICELIFE

Three o’clock is always too

late or too early for anything

you want to do.

Jean Paul Sartre

FOCUSFOCUS

GANGTOK: The Comptroller Au-ditor General’s Report is an embar-rassing document. What it does isdisplay for public scrutiny the dirtylaundry that the accounts sectionsof various departments hide. Al-though the current [for the year ended31 March 2002] year’s compilationis not very strong on revelations ofmajor scams, it is packed with in-stances of how department officialshave mastered the art of manoeu-vring around rules governing finan-cial propriety. One such instancerelates to the Power Department anda rather unique practice institution-alised there since 1989.

Officials at the Department,

the CAG Report reveals, blendedtwo illogical combinations whichprofited only the suppliers. First,the Department took the “issuerates” of store materials as thebench mark to decide on theprices it purchased goods at andthen, in an imaginative display ofingenuity, split work-orders intosmaller denominations so that thefile for approval did not have tomove beyond the Divisional orSuperintending Engineer levels.

Issue rates of store materialsare prices fixed for purchasesmade from the State Trading Cor-poration of Sikkim [STCS]. Whiledeciding this rate, the concernedauthorities factor in such allied ex-penses as storage charge, salestax, labour cost, transportation

HOW MUCH LOSS CAN A POWER DEPTT DEAND SE WRECK? RS. 38.96 LAKHS IN3 YEARS, THE CAG REPORT REVEALS

costs etc. Most of these additionsshould not be considered while plac-ing orders with suppliers. TheCAG Report is clear: “In no case,such issue rates could be taken as abenchmark for the purpose of pro-curement from suppliers,” it notes.

But the Power Department didso. And, even though Sikkim Fi-nancial Rules are explicit in theirorders that purchases costing morethan Rs. 5,000 be made throughSTCS and that open competitivetenders be called when purchasesfor lower denominations are madefrom the open market, the Depart-ment, in 1989, started the practiceof placing orders from local sup-pliers using the issue rates as abase. This, the CAG Report re-veals, “without ascertaining

reasonability of rates thereby vio-lating the codal provision”.

It appears that the 1989 ex-periment then got institutionalised.Scrutiny of records from 1997 to2001 by CAG office auditors re-veals that procurements worth Rs.2.38 crores were made under thisinherently flawed price structure.Their calculations reveal, that con-sidering just the STCS commission,storage charge and sales tax [whichshould not have been included inthe price fixation] resulted in ex-cess payment of Rs. 21.17 lakhs.Of this, Rs. 17.79 lakhs went to-wards sales tax alone which wasincluded in the “issue rates” withSTCS, but extras when it came tothe favoured suppliers. A total lossof Rs. 38.96 lakhs in just three of

the twelve years that the practicehas been in place.

The resourcefulness of the De-partment officials is best reflectedin how the Rs. 2.38 crore procure-ment over three years was pulledoff. Perhaps to avoid the files get-ting delayed or scrutinised in de-tail, the Divisional and Superin-tending Engineers at Power madethe said purchases through 914 [!]sanctions - splitting them insmaller denominations to avoidobtaining sanction from higher au-thorities. Interestingly, although theCAG auditors gave the Depart-ment eight months to respond andclarify the findings, the Depart-ment did not get around to doingso till the Report went to print.

GANGTOK: They won’t give usthe Chota-Coke which AamirKhan peddles in different avatarson tele for Rs. 5, but come newsof dropping sales and the suits atthe Coca Cola marketing divisionwill descend with multimedia pres-entations to defend the quality oftheir produce.

A Coke team led by Area Gen-eral Manager, Sriram S.Mahadevan, was in town recently

Freakaccidentclaims 2

NAMCHI: Two persons diedand three were seriously injuredin a freak accident here lastWednesday when a Nissan truckferrying stones from Rock Dara,Bikmit, to a construction site atKali Khola road dropped some1,000 feet into Andheri Kholawhen the breast-wall at AndhriBhir collapsed. The driver, SantaRam Subba, and a PWD labourer,Harka Bahadur, died on the spot.The injured are reported to be incritical condition and are beingtreated at Namchi hospital.

THE SUITS ARRIVE WHEN THEDHANDA GOES MANDA

a NOW! REPORT

to present Coca Cola’s side of thepesticide controversy ripped upby a damning Centre for Scienceand Environment report on “ab-normally” high pesticide contentin soft-drinks marketed by thecola giant.

“Do not pronounce us guiltywithout trial,” is Coke’s new de-fence, even as it, along with rival-now-partner in the pesticide crisisPepsi, awaits for the Centre’s re-port on the CSE findings is tabledin the Parliament.

The Coke team made a pres-

entation for officials from theHealth Department and membersof the media defending their pro-duce as being no more dangerousthat the water we get in the taps orthe colas westerners can pick upin the EU.

Coca Cola has based its vilifi-cation of the CSE findings on theargument that the CSE report“quotes extensively from an inter-nal study conducted in their non-accredited laboratory, just to cre-ate a media-hype and unilaterallydamn the soft drink industry.” It

a NOW! REPORT

has also questioned the methodol-ogy used by CSE for testing thedrinks, alleging that “serious de-viations from standardized testmethodology” adopted by CSEmade the results “unreliable.”

The Company is convincedthat with the parliamentary find-ings Coke’s position will be “jus-tified.”

But ask Mr. Mahadevan whyhis company withdrew its petitionchallenging the CSE findings andhe shrugs, “I am not authorized tocomment on that.”

Kutse SheguThe 49th Day Kutse Sheguof Late Jayangla Bhutia wholeft for her heavenly abodeon 5 July 2003 falls on 22August 2003. All friends, rela-tives and well wishers are in-vited to join us in offeringprayers for the departed soulat our residence at Govern-ment Quarters, Old WestPoint School, below theMasjid. We also take this op-portunity to thank all thosewho stood by us at our timeof bereavement and friefand regret the inability to doso individually.

Pasang Bhutia (son), Chung

Chung Bhutia (daughter-in-law)

and other sons, daughter-in-

laws and grandchildren.

Ph: 223144

10; NOW! 20-26 August, 2003

DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

18

LEARN Fine Arts, Oil Paints,Glass Painting, Fabric Painting, PotPainting, Artificial FLower Making.Contact: Upper Arithang, Ph -221587. mobile: 98320 33451

TUITIONS For Maths &Physics For classes IX, X, XI & XIIat Deorali. Contact: Ph 281039 /221587 mobile: 98320 33451

SERVICES

MOBILE PHONE REPAIR/EXCHANGE Repair or Ex-

change your Mobile Phone at Rea-

sonable Cost.New Handsets alsoavailableInternet Point, Yama House,Gangtok. ph: 222166

TO-LET TO LET A 40 X 30 flat suit-able for commercial purposes inthe heart of the town. Contact:NOW! at 270949 OR 223215

WANTED

A PRIVATE TUTORwanted to teach students of class5 and 2. Contact S. Thapa at226401.

A VOLUNTEER requiredfor Music classes being conductedby an NGO for children. Contact:224451

classifiedsNOW!the affordable option

call 270949 for details or visit any of the authorised collecting agents listed below

SPACE AVAILABLE AT DEORALIIdeal space available for Office, Institute, Stor-

age & other multi-purpose use at Deorali Bazaar.

Deorali School Road, near Five Ways on Four floors.

Interested parties may call at Ph: 281908 (R) or at:

Hotel New Castle, Deorali Bazaar

Ph: 281707 / 281742

WANTED A three-bedroomflat in and around main town area.Contact: 98320 14332.

FAST FOODFast Food Centre. P. S. Road,Gangtok. Ph: 228487, 227182.email: rffc_shrestha@sify.com

Rahul’s

EMPLOYMENT

VACANCIES Pelling’snewest luxury hotel requirespersons for the followingpositions.1. One Assistant Manager cumHotel Supervisor: Minimum threeyears experience in hotel line in asimilar position. Food andaccommodation provided. Salary7500+2. Two Receptionists: Minimum1.5 years experience in the frontoffice with good command overEnglish. Salary – negotiable. Foodand accommodation provided.3. Restaurant Captain: Mimimum1.5 years experience in a similarposition. Salary - negotiable. Foodand accommodation provided.Please contact Aatish at 94341-10091 or leave your bio-datasat Alphabets, opposite HotelTibet. Last date for bio-datasumission - 29th August.

CIVIL ENGINEER

REAL ESTATE

FOR SALE A 3-Storey resi-dential complex (20X30”) below AGOffice. Contact Pemba Bhutiaat 223515.

COMPUTER SERVICE ENGINEERExperienced computer engi-

neers wanted for a reputedfirm. Contact with bio-data:Ramesh & Brothers, NearSadar Police Station, TibetRoad, Gangtok. Ph:222190,221202 & 228327

A Civil Engineer with experi-ence is needed to supervisesite works for a non-govern-mental committee project.Work already commenced.Salary negotiable. ContactChetan at 284166/284353 after6 pm.

Classifieds advertisments can bebooked at the following collectioncentres: Porky’s, Deorali; Oberois,Naya Bazaar; Baker’s Cafe, MG Marg;Jainco, Metro Point, Blues, Tibet Road,Moti Mahal, Naya Bazar, Rahul’s FastFood, PS Road, Cafe Tibet, Below HighCourt

SIKKIM MANIPAL UNIVERSITYADMISSIONS AUGUST 2003

COURSE DURATION ELIGIBILITY

Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) 6 months 10+2(Pass/App.)

PG Diploma in Information Technology (PGDIT) 1 year Graduate(Pass/App.)

Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (B.Sc. IT) 3 years 10+2 (Pass/App.)

Master of Science in Information Technology (M.Sc. IT) 3 years Graduate (Pass/App.)

Diploma in Electronic Commerce (DEC) 6 months 10+2 (Pass/App.)

NOTE:

1. Candidates from any discipline can apply for the

above Courses.

2. Candidates failed or comparted in 10+2 can also

apply for DIT/DEC/B.Sc. IT

Courses. However, DIT/DEC/BSc IT Degree will be

awarded only on the completion of 10+2.For Course Details You Can collect Prospectus from The Center By Paying Rs

300/-COURSE FEES:

For E-Commerce Courses Rs.10,000/- per semester.

For DIT/PGDIT/B.Sc. IT/M.Sc. IT Courses Rs.7,000/- per semester.

Add: Examination Fees Rs.500/- per examination.

(One Semester= 6 Months)

MANIPAL I.T. EDUCATIONATTENTION COLLEGE STUDENTSDegree & Diploma

NO ADDITIONAL CHARGES!

Payments can be made in 3

instalments

For details contact: Queenbridge Institute, Ranipool, SikkimPhone: (03592) 251525 email: slg_queenbee@sancharnet.in

ADMISSION OPEN WITH LATEFEES TILL 31 AUGUST 2003

Kutse SheguThe 49th Day Kutse Shegu of our beloved daugh-

ter Late Lhadey Lepcha (known as Sangtok

Maata) who left for her heavenly abode on 5 July

2003 falls on 22 August 2003. All relatives, friends

and well wishers are requested to join us at our

residence at Namsor Lee, Sangtok, Lower Dzongu

in offering prayers for the departed soul. We thank

all those who stood by us at our time of bereaval.

Ledup Lepcha (father), Yangchi Lepcha

(sister), Mrs. Lamzey Lepcha & Mr.

Tshering Gyatso Lepcha (panchayat

members).

Ph: 94341 79290

GANGTOK: Chief MinisterPawan Chamling’s call to the Stateon Independence Day was forpeople’s participation in decen-tralisation of the democratic proc-ess in Sikkim.

“My government is for decen-tralised democracy. We havestarted the process of infusing theconcept of democracy at the grass-roots levels. The process of decen-tralisation of power has begun andis aimed at empowering the ruralpopulace,” Mr. Chamling said inhis address delivered here at TNAground last Friday.

“The government has nowdelegated more administrative andfinancial powers to thePanchayats. They have been givenadministrative control of all gov-ernment institutions like PrimarySchools, Primary Health Sub-Centres, Village Level Office Cen-

Decentralisation on the shouldersof the panchayats

tres, Libraries, Community Cen-tres, etc,” he said.

Every Panchayat in the GramPanchayat Units will now have theresponsibility to identify priorityareas, prepare projects, sanction,supervise and implement variousschemes in their respective areas,which will be discussed and passedin the Gram Sabhas in active con-sultation with the villagers, Mr.Chamling said, adding that the Stategovernment has thus made “everyindividual a partner in governance,policy-making and final implemen-tation of welfare schemes.”

Elaborating further, Mr.Chamling said that beginning fromJuly 1 this year, each GramPanchayat was provided an officein the villages. Mr. Chamling alsospelled out the “rights and respon-sibilities” of the Panchayats as en-visioned by his government.

“Panchayats will have to pre-pare the blue prints to utilise theavailable natural resources in the

a NOW! REPORT

area in the best interest of the so-ciety. They should also initiateplans on drinking water, aware-ness on modern farming methods,cash-crop cultivation, cottage in-dustries and land reforms, and as-sist the villagers in procuring goodquality seeds, market their pro-duce and provide loans in collabo-ration with financial institutionsand technical assistance wheneverrequired,” he said.

Panchayats will also be re-quired to create employment op-portunities at the village level forthe educated unemployed villageyouth so that the village to citymigration can be controlled, Mr.Chamling said.

“All this has been initiated toensure that the Panchayats act as abridge between the people and gov-ernment departments and agenciesfor the smooth functioning of localself-government,” he said.

“Decentralisation is basicallyaimed at making the people equalpartners in the art of governance.All that is needed is a sense of co-operation, mutual help and under-standing,” Mr. Chamling said.

GANGTOK: Addressing the In-dependence Day rally here at theTashi Namgyal Academy groundslast Friday, the Chief Minister,Pawan Chamling, updated thegathering on several new schemes,aimed at the welfare of the peo-ple, undertaken by the State gov-ernment. These, he said, were hisgovernment’s “gifts” for theSikkimese people.

Mr. Chamling announced thatfree electricity would be providedto the rural populace from Sep-tember onwards. Sops for the ru-ral populace continue with the de-cision that the Gram Panchayatscould prepare their annual plansfor Rs. 50 lakh budgets instead of

SOPS RURAL BOUNDa NOW! REPORT

Rs. 10 lakhs authorised atpresent. Similarly, the annual plansize for Zilla Panchayats has beenenhanced from Rs. 50 lakhs to Rs.5 crores from this year, he an-nounced.

Further, the Chief Minister’sAntodaya Annadan Yojana will belaunched from September this yearunder which poor Sikkimesehouseholds will receive 35 kgs ofrice as free monthly ration.

Mr. Chamling also announcedthe State government decision toenhance daily wages for MR em-ployees and daily wage earnersfrom April 1, 2004. They now stanto earn between Rs. 85 to Rs. 100per day.

In a significant move, the Stategovernment has also decided toprovide benefits to police person-

nel in the State. Calling the ben-efits “long overdue,” Mr.Chamling announced that themonthly ration allowance to Po-lice personnel has been raised fromRs. 200 to Rs. 400, adding thatthe uniform allowance for thecops will also be enhanced. TheCM also assured that all due pro-motions will be effected shortly,along with those for other govern-ment officials.

He also announced plans tostart reservations in governmentjobs for sportsmen and artisans ofthe State.

Under the Prerna Yojana, girlstudents topping the merit list inboard examinations in Class V,Class VIII and Class X will be pro-vided special scholarships, herounded off.

20-26 August, 2003; NOW! 11

BCCI official offers to lobby for Sikkim’s cricketing needs

19

SPORTSSPORTS

GANGTOK: The arrival of BCCI commit-tee member, Chitrak Mitra, to Gangtok onan official visit on 16 August, last Saturday,has raised hopes for the promotion of thegame of cricket in the State.

Speaking to NOW! Mr. Mitra said, “TheSikkim Cricket Association had requested theBoard for Cricket Control in India to helpwith its efforts at further development of thegame in Sikkim. All their requests are beingforwarded to the committee for appraisal.”

The Sikkim Cricket association has re-

Ganchung girls

and IRB boys

lift Pakyong

soccer trophiesa NOW REPORT

PAKYONG: The girls fromGanchung Junior High School dis-played some dexterous footworkat the finals of the IndependenceDay Open Girls Football tourna-ment to trounce the team fromLingkey Secondary School 3-0 lastFriday. Later, the team from IndiaReserve Battalion clashed with lo-cal club Sangam for the Independ-ence Cup [Senior Boys] Tourna-ment. The loosely fought matchended in favour of IRBn XI whichtook home the trophy after beat-ing the home-side 4-3.

GANGTOK: Burtuk Junior HighSchool celebrated IndependenceDay by conducting the finals ofthe Junior Boys Volley Ball Tour-nament and the Girls Volley BallTournament, along with the finalsof the Kala Memorial Volley BallTournament at the school premises,last Friday.

The finals for the girls tourneysaw a very close and excitingmatch. PNGSSS took on TNA andbeat them in straight sets. The firstset score was 25/22, with the sec-ond set ending in identical scores.

The finals for Junior Boys sawBurtuk Junior High School take onTathengchen Secondary School.BJHS beat TSS in straight sets, 25/16 and 25/18.

The open category of the KalaMemorial, saw Nayumas Six Bul-let and VIP Colony Six clash in thefinals. The match was a best of fivematch in which the VIP Six beat

GANGTOK: Everester NadreSherpa and mountaineer PhulmayaTamang, who recently created his-tory by being part of the first teamto climb the Argan Khangri peak atLadakh, were among the manyachievers from the State awardedin the recent Independence Day cel-ebrations held here at the TNAground last Friday.

Both received a cash prize ofRs. 50,000 each. Tarun Deep Rai,who secured a birth in the next Ol-ympics was awarded in the disci-pline of Archery. Biju Pradhan,Sabina Sundas, Pritam Thapa andBiren Pradhan were awarded fortheir respective performances inTaekwondo at the national level.

Sports personalities of the

by NIGEL CASHMOREquested for power-driven lawn mowers androllers for the cricket pitches here. Otherequipment which has already been sanc-tioned includes a complete set of exercisemachines which will be set up at the RangpoMining Cricket Ground within a month;complete cricket gear and equipment forpractice, which includes all the necessitiesfor the game like concrete pitches with boxnets. It is further learnt that the BCCI willbe deputing a curator for the maintenance ofthe Rangpo ground along with a coach fortraining local talent.

During his weekend meeting with SCAofficials, Mr. Mitra asked them to put for-

ward proposals requesting BCCI sponsor-ship for various cricket-related activities inthe State since Sikkim lacked local corpo-rate sponsors. A proposal for setting up acentre for the Sikkim team to practicethroughout the year was also advised.

While talking to NOW!, Mr. Mitra dis-closed that Sikkim will be included in theBCCI initiative - New Area DevelopmentProgramme - for non-Ranji playing statesin India.

As part of BCCI’s attempt at providingmore exposure for local cricketers, Mr. Mitrarevealed that local cricketers will soon besent to Kolkata to play with clubs there and

learn from experience. A tournament is alsoscheduled for early next year in Kolkata forteams from the northeastern states, he said.

Urging SCA officials to groom local play-ers well, Mr. Mitra pointed out that if Sik-kim did well at the junior level, there was noway anyone could deny Ranji status to Sik-kim at the senior level.

Officiating President, SCA, NamgyalWangdi, said that he was very thankful toMr. Mitra for his support and assurancesand for carrying forward SCA’s demands tothe board which had already helped in es-tablishing cricket in Sikkim.

THE NOW!

1: Which Indian institution was formerly called Moham-med Anglo Oriental College?

2: Which released album has collaborations with thefollowing:Not Musiq, Seal, Michelle Branch, Macy Gray, Dido,POD, Chad Kroeger and Citizen?

3: Can you name the band for which Courtney Lovecroons?

4: Which Govind Nihalani film was the first Indian filmto have won a Golden Peacock in the Indian Interna-tional Film Festival. The year concerned was 1981?

5: Munich celebrated the annual Oktoberfest. What isthe main reason for celebration?Hint: one word answer

6: Which famous poem has the following immortal line:In the room the women come and goTalking of Michaelangelo?

CHECK WHETHER YOU ARE READY FOR

The Dept. of Sports & Youth Affairs

and managed by: Midas Touch Inc.

Answers: 1. Aligarh Muslim University; 2. Santana’s Shaman; 3.Hole; 4. Aakrosh; 5. Beer; 6. Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock

AN EVENT PRESENTED BY

28th August, Community Hall, Gangtok

by NIGEL CASHMORE

PNGS girls lift volley-ball tourney

NS Bullets to lift the trophy. VIPSix also won in straight sets, 25/18, 25/23 and 25/16.

A total of 20 teams of both girls

and boys categories participated inthe three volleyball tournamentswhich were conducted at theBurtuk Junior High School.

State who had performed well atthe international, national and re-gional levels were awarded by theChief Minister, on the occasion ofthe 57th Independence Day.

Twenty-nine of the 53 sportspersons felicitated on the day, wereawarded cash prizes. Nikita Prad-han, Nirjala Dahal, Jeena Subba andTshering Eden were awarded fortable-tennis. Som Nath Chakrabortywas awarded for swimming whilefor boxing it was Rinzing Bhutia,Ganesh Chettri, Babita Gurung,Sabita Pariyar, Phurba Lhamu,Pratima Gurung, and BishalRamudamu. For Taekwondo,Permeshwar Burithoki, NinaChettri, Sabina Sundas, MeeraChettri and Diki Doma Bhutia weregiven awards. Leela Pradhan andLakpa Doma Tamang were awardedfor athletics.

a NOW REPORT

I-Day felicitationsfor achievers

GANGTOK: Bharat SancharNigam Ltd. [BSNL] Sikkim, is pre-paring a massive plan for theinfrastructural development of tel-ecommunication network in theState in view of the reopening oftrade through the Nathu-La pass.

General Manager, Telecom,MK Seth said that the BSNL hasprepared a detailed plan to improvethe existing telecom facilities in theState in time for the resumption oftrade over Nathula.

“We are expecting a heavy traf-fic during the infrastructural devel-opment phase preparing for theNathula trade, and even more oncethe actual trading begins. We aredetermined to assist the various

State and Central government agen-cies with all the telecommunica-tions facilities needed during theperiod,” Mr. Seth said.

BSNL is gearing itself to en-sure that the State is prepared tohandle increased telecom traffic.Mr. Seth said that upgradation andchange-over of exchanges in theState have already begun.

Mr. Seth said that that the de-partment is expecting a huge increasein the demand for lease line connec-tions from Gangtok to other partsof the country, as well as the borderswith China in the East District.

“We have already simplifiedthe procedures and we will beshortly providing faster lease lineconnectivity to 2048 KB per secand even higher in the shortest timepossible to assist in theinfrastructural development proc-ess,” he said.

SALE United Colors of Benetton, MG Marg,

announces its Summer Sale beginning 15th

August. Discounts upto 50% RUSH

a NOW REPORT

BSNL chalks out its rolein Nathula trade

Catering for parties.Contact: Pavitra @ 280178

PNGSSS volley-ballers strike a pose

12; NOW! 20-26 August, 2003

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Choice International, Daragaon. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

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A compact disc capturingthe rare moments of EastBengal’s historic Asean

Cup win in Jakarta has hit thestands in Kolkata.

The 45-minute CD tells theentire story of East Bengal’s Aseanconquest starting from the pre-tour-nament tune up at a five-star hotelin Kolkata up to the tumultuousreception given to the team on itsreturn to the NSC Bose Interna-tional Airport with the trophy.

MANGAN: The finals of the first-ever Mangan Centenary Footballtournament, played here at theMangan SSS ground on Independ-ence Day, last Friday, lived up tothe expectations it had drummedup. Manik FC and the Sikkim Po-lice team which clashed in the fi-nals showed that they deserved tobe in the final two.

The evenly matched skills ofthe two teams were evident whenthe first half ended without anygoals being scored. This was not forwant of attempts as the first halfsaw both teams lead impressive for-ays into the opposition’s half.

The Manik FC defence finallycollapsed under pressure shortly intothe second half with Daulat Thapaof Sikkim Police striking home and

taking his team ahead 1-0.Now, the match was poised for

an even bigger clash. The Manikteam recovered its composure andtheir probing attacks through theSikkim Police XI bore fruit about15 minutes after the first goal whena Raj Kr. Nirola blazer rested onlyafter it had bulged the Sikkim Po-lice net. Despite ferocious displaysof footballing skills neither sidecould convert any further and theregulation time ended with a drawon the scoreboard.

The match proceeded into ex-tra-time. Both teams pulled out allstops as all the 22 on the field real-ized that a golden goal would de-cide the winner. It was to be ManikFC’s day in the sun on 15 Augustthis year. Barely three minutes intoover-time, Lhendup Lepcha out-maneuvered the Sikkim Police de-fence and struck home a classic

winning goal. Manik FC was tri-umphant. The prestigious trophyand the Rs. 10,000 cash-award wasfor them to keep.

While Rupen Subba bagged thebest player award, Santosh Lohia gotthe best goalkeeper laurels and SherapLepcha of Manik FC was adjudgedthe man-of-the-match for the finals.

The finals, which can get outof hand given the higher stakes in-volved, was sportingly played byboth teams and credit goes to theumpire [Karma Dadul] and thelinesmen [Galey Denpa and ShyamGurung] for their fair and wise de-cisions which kept the match mov-ing at a brisk pace without disrup-tions. The crowd was also allpraises for the Mangan FootballCommittee for hosting the tourneywhich attracted large crowds fromall over the district and put on dis-play some impressive soccer.

Manik XI lift Mangan Centenary Football Trophy

THE VICTORIOUS XI: Manik FC players pose with the Mangan Centenary Trophy after beating Sikkim Police 2-1

on 15 August, 2003.

a NOW! pic

by DEEPAK SHARMA

OFFER AVAILABLE ONLY AT:

1. Rajeev Electronics, P.S. Road, Gangtok223779 / 223590

2. Rajeev Electronics Pvt. Ltd,M. G. Marg, GangtokPh: 224879 / 221778

3. Rajeev DistributorsNational Highway, TadongPh: 231992 / 270583

4. Rajeev ElectronicsSingtam, East Sikkim233618 / 235202

Just for Rs. 17,990.00

(FREE CARPET)Samsung 20 CTV +Samsung175 ltrs.Refrigerator +Medal VCD

East Bengal’s Asean conquest on CDThe CD contains highlights of

all the matches played by the redand gold outfit at the Jakarta tour-nament, the practice sessionsthere, coach Subhas Bhowmicks’spress conferences before the finaland immediately after emergingchampions, making it an archivaltreasure trove.

Brought out by a private tel-evision company “Dus MiniterKhel” in association with ThreeCheers Entertainment, the CD alsoincludes several lighter momentsfrom the grueling Jakarta sojourn.

Soccer buffs will definitely

enjoy skipper Suley Musah’s ren-dition of the popular Bollywoodhit song Kuch kuch hota hai at aparty in Jakarta and the East Ben-gal players’ joy trip to Singaporeon their way back from the Indo-nesian capital, a company spokes-man said.

a NOW REPORT

August 28th,Community Hall,

Gangtok