Talk Sikkim Feb, 2013

Talk Sikkim February 2013 1

Note from the editor

Rai Bas Complex, Nam Nang, Gangtok, SikkimPh: 03592205196

Contact Editor: [email protected]

Talk SikkimTHE MONTHLY NEWS MAGAZINE Vol.6 No.1 February, 2013

` 50

Sachin Rizal

North Neglect / Confused Company/ The Making of ‘Nishaani’

Bandana Tewari

A NEW HOPEThousands rally behind PS Golay

Even as the first few results came in on 16 May, 2009, it was clear that the Sikkim Democratic Front was on a roll. In the end it turned out to be a complete sweep, giving the party all 32 seats. The initial resentment over

ticket distribution, which saw a majority of party heavyweights replaced with new faces, was quickly controlled. However, the disgruntlement of a lone MLA, who felt slighted by his leader, is now threatening chief minister Pawan Chamling’s two decade absolute rule.

Chamling’s decision to transfer PS Golay from West to East District, to the Upper Burtuk constituency should not really have come as a surprise. He had attempted to dislocate him from Chakung in the 2004 elections too but was forced to reconsider. In 2009 he was successful and Golay was brought to Upper Burtuk, leading to much heartburn between the two. An anonymous pamphlet against Golay, alleged to have been manufactured by people within the party itself, led to further friction.

Soon after elections Golay found himself excluded from the cabinet. A vigilance case that followed the ‘humiliation’ was the last straw. He absented himself from

the first session of the Assembly and thereafter did not visit his constituency ever again. His vacant seat in the Assembly fired the imagination of the public as a symbol of dissent, the seed around which the opposition against Chamling would crystallize.

Three years and two months later, the MLA who had not attended the House since 2009 appeared in the Assembly on June 25th, 2012 and the four-day budget session of the Assembly became a virtual battle field for the two men. Since his assembly outing, his most significant symbol of rebellion, Golay has continued to rule the public mind space.

But will Golay’s mantra of change be enough to dislodge Chamling. Plenty of potential pitfalls await before he can close the deal. Chamling being the consummate politician that he is wants to checkmate his fellow front seat SDF traveler by attrition. A politician in power can afford to live one day at a time. He can stall you like the famed Italian defence and then come election time use the State machinery to take the winds off your sail. Although the political momentum right now is seemingly with the challenger, the chief minister still enjoys substantial support, as demonstrated by the recent panchayat elections. But it is also true that for the first time since he took over power in 1994, Chamling faces a challenger who has the potential to rock his boat.

Today, as PS Golay stands on the threshold of carving out a new destiny for himself, the hopes of many rests with him. Notwithstanding how his own political fortune will fare, the birth of SKM could augur well for the state if it could offer a meaningful opposition with an articulate vision for its future. That this write-up is obsessed with two individuals is a sad reflection of the manner in which the politics of persona is played out in the State. SKM given its fresh beginnings has an opportunity to change all that. A shift way from the politics of pettiness to one of ideology is what the doctor ordered for this beleaguered State.

Is that asking for too much? Only time will tell.

EDITORMita Zulca

PUBLISHERDeependra Khati

SENIOR WRITERRanjit Singh

COPY EDITORRemuna Rai

DESIGN & LAYOUTRaju Khati

CORRESPONDENTSBirendra S

Anand OberoiBishal Cintury

Anuka Rai

ONLINE SUPPORTKushan Kaybee

MARKETING DIRECTORAaditya Cintury

MARKETING EXECUTIVESurya Sharma

SALES MANAGERAnil Chettri

PRINTED AT

December 2009

(Mita Zulca)

Cover Photo: Ratan Gurung

2 Talk Sikkim February 2013

18 Cover StoryBattle for 2014 begins

28 Special FocusConfused CompanyThe Companies Bill 2012 has worked up certain sections of the society here in Sikkim as it seeks to repeal an old law of the state.

14 North NeglectNorth Sikkim is plagued by bad roads, bad network and bad health facilities and the people are suffering.

36 Keeping ‘em in schoolNamcheypong Ashirwad Organization helps keep children in school

48 Etch a sketch!Mridul Wangdi Bhutia aspires to be a tattoo artist. One look at his brilliant illustrations and you will be happy to offer your skin as his canvas!

58 The Making of ‘Nishaani’Prashant Tamang stars in film shot at Sikkim

INSIDE

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TALKING POINT

Jigme N Kazi

Sikkimese Nepalese at the crossroads

Reservation of seats in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for Limbus and Tamangs on the basis of their status as scheduled tribes will hasten the death

knell of the distinct identity of Sikkimese Nepalese in the former kingdom of Sikkim. As has been witnessed, dilution of Sikkim’s special status within the Union has been a gradual process and New Delhi seems to be succeeding in its efforts to erase whatever is left of Sikkim’s past.

Despite its repeated emphasis on preservation of Sikkim’s special status as per provisions of Article 371F of the Constitution the political leadership in the State has unitedly demanded reservation of Assembly seats for the Limbu-Tamang community, who have been declared scheduled tribes in 2002. Is this move a bid to appeal to the Limbu-Tamang vote-bank or is our political leadership confused and directionless?

Interestingly, the Limbus and Tamangs, who belong to the Nepali community and were earlier bracketed among the OBC (other backward classes) in the State, themselves are vociferous in seeking Assembly seat reservation for their communities. Only last month (Jan 2013), the All Sikkim Limboo Krantikari Yuva Sangh called for an indefinite ‘Sikkim bandh’ to press their demand on the seat issue. The Sangh has appealed to all political parties, including the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), and social organizations to support its demand.

It may be recalled that in 2006, the Sikkim Limboo Tamang Tribal Forum (SLTTF), while urging its representatives in the Assembly to protect the political rights of the two tribal communities, regretted that even after obtaining ST status they were yet to be given seat reservation in the State Assembly. The Sikkim Limboo Tamang Joint Action Community (SLTJAC) blamed the Chamling Government for not doing enough to ensure that seats in the Assembly are reserved for the two communities.

The demand for reservation of Assembly seats for Limbu and Tamang communities was raised in the Lok Sabha by BJP MP Balkrishna K Shukla, who was in-charge of Sikkim, in May last year.

BJP State unit President Padam Chettri said the people

of Sikkim are grateful to the BJP for raising the issue in the Parliament. He alleged that even the two MPs from Sikkim have not raised the issue in the House and have “completely ignored the burning issue.”

Interestingly, in reply to Shukla’s question on whether the UPA government is aware that the Sikkim Legislative Assembly does not have seats reserved for the Scheduled Tribes of Sikkim and what action is being taken to “preserve and protect” the STs in the State Assembly, former Union Law Minister and senior Congressman Salman Khurshid said the 12 seats reserved in the Assembly were meant for ‘Bhutia-Lepchas’ as per the historic 1973 tripartite agreement between the Government of India, the Chogyal and political parties of Sikkim. Seats were reserved for the Bhutia-Lepchas on the basis of their ethnicity and not because they were tribals, Khurshid informed the House.

Khurshid, who is now the Union External Affairs Minister, said Assembly seat reservation for STs in the State would depend on the population of the Limbus and Tamangs on the basis of 2011 census. “Any increase/decrease in the present status could be considered only after wider debate from all the stake holders in the State of Sikkim,” Khurshid said.

It may be noted that the Sikkim Limboo-Tamang Joint Action Committee had in 2005 sought deferment of the process of delimitation of Assembly constituencies in Sikkim till a special census is conducted to ascertain the population of the two tribes. In a memorandum to the Delimitation Commission, the Committee President PR Subba urged the authorities not to go ahead with the exercise till a census to update the population of the Limbus and Tamangs was taken up.

In 2009, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram stated in the Rajya Sabha that any proposal for reservation for Tamang and Limbu tribes in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly can be considered only after compilation of results of the 2011 census

‘’At present no authentic population figures for Limboo and Tamang communities are available. If reservation for these communities is to be considered as per proportion


of their population in the state, as recommended by the state Government, the same can be available only after the results of the 2011 census are compiled,’’ Chidambaram informed the Rajya Sabha.

The Minister also said there had been a proposal from the Sikkim Government to increase the number of seats in the Legislative Assembly, from the present 32, to a minimum of 40. A resolution passed by the State Legislature of Sikkim on September 16, 2004 also said that reservation be provided for Limbu and Tamang communities.

During his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last November Chamling stressed the need to address the issue for early resolution of Assembly seat reservation of the Limbu-Tamang community.

It may also be recalled that in July 2008, Chamling tabled a White Paper in the Assembly on efforts made by his government in securing ST status for the Limbu-Tamang community and to secure Assembly seat reservation for them. It now appears that another Assembly polls, scheduled for 2014, will come and go without seats being reserved for the Limbus and Tamangs. The UPA Government has stated in the Lok Sabha that until the population figures of Sikkim

are made available on the basis of 2011 census the seat reservation issue would linger on. Even if the population figures are made known now more time will be needed to formulate a new seat arrangement in the Assembly, which will be followed by fresh demarcation of Assembly constituencies in the State.

Perhaps this leaves us enough time to think over what we really want. Do the Sikkimese Nepalese prefer to be divided and gradually disintegrate in the near future? Or do they want to preserve their special status while also embracing their constitutional rights? The ball is in their court.

Assembly seats traditionally reserved for Sikkimese Nepalese were done away with in 1979. Ever since, Sikkim’s political parties have been demanding restoration of their political rights. Why are our politicians speaking in two voices now?

[The writer is editor, Sikkim Observer & Himalayan Guardian. He is the author of Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide and Sikkim for Sikkimese. For news and updates check jigmenkazisikkim.blogspot.in]

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Hitting out at governments for allegedly stopping advertisements to publications

over “critical” articles, Press Council chairperson Markandey Katju has said it will not tolerate such behaviour and shall take suitable legal action. Stopping advertisements or drastically reducing them merely because a critical article has been published, is totally undemocratic and shows pettiness of mind, and is totally unacceptable in a democracy, he said, asserting that such actions infringe on Freedom of Speech.

In a statement, the PCI chief said that newspapers and journals must be given a hearing by issuing them show cause notice if the concerned authorities decide to curtail advertisements to them. Katju said he had been receiving several complaints from newspapers and

Markandey Katju warns of legal action if press wrongly denied govt ads

“The Press Council of India will not tolerate

any further this kind of behaviour on the part of any

government.”

journals that the advertisements which were being issued by them by central or state governments have at times

officials,” he said.Katju said that advertisements were

the main form of revenue for newspapers and journals and such actions violated Press freedom.”The Press Council of India will not tolerate any further this kind of behaviour on the part of any government, its ministers or officials, and shall take suitable legal action in the matter,” he said.

The PCI chairperson said that the people, including the Press have a right to criticise the government, and this is a part of the freedom of the speech under Article 19 (1)(a) of the constitution of India. Governments, Ministers and Officials must develop tolerance and must have the strength to stand up to criticism, he said.

In his statement, Katju opined that once it has been decided to give advertisements to a newspaper or journal, stopping or reducing it without giving the publication an opportunity of hearing amounted to violation of the principle of legitimate expectation and natural justice.

“I therefore, direct all central/state governments including ministers or officials and statutory bodies/ public sector undertakings that if it is proposed to stop the advertisements of some newspapers/journals, or curtail them, then a prior show cause notice must be issued to that newspaper/journals mentioning the charges against it and giving it opportunity of hearing,” Katju said.

“Thereafter a reasoned order must be passed giving the reasons of such decision, and this must be communicated to the concerned newspaper/journal,” he added.

The PCI chief also said in case of advertisements by the Central government, the New Advertisement Policy of the DAVP should be followed in letter and spirit, he said.

suddenly stopped or drastically reduced without assign any reason. “Sometimes this is done because of the newspapers/ journals publishing material critical of a government or some of its ministers/

Press Council chairperson Markandey Katju


A revised version of the electronic voting machine (EVM), complete with a

printing unit to generate a voter verifiable paper trail, is set to be cleared by the Election Commission. The expert technical committee, which examined the viable EVM prototypes that enable a paper trail of each ballot cast, has completed the trials and zeroed in on the final model that will cost an additional Rs 8,000-9,000 per machine

Around 6 lakh EVMs, all procured in or after 2006, will be fitted with a printer that will have a drop box to store the paper trail of the votes cast. This is expected to alleviate concerns expressed earlier by the opposition led by BJP over possible tampering of EVMs to favour a certain candidate.

The cost of updating the existing 6 lakh printer-compatible EVMs is estimated at around Rs 540 crore. Incidentally, over 10 lakh EVMs need to be deployed in a Lok Sabha election. According to EC sources, the new-age EVMs will be introduced in a coming assembly bye-election and,

EC ready with new-age electronic voting machines with printing unit

Teesta Stage 1V given EC

“It will have serious ecological and environmental

impact in the region” Dawa Lepcha, environmental

protection secretary, SKM

The disputed 520MW Teesta Stage 1V power project in North Sikkim has received the green signal

despite a controversial public hearing preceding the application. The project was accorded clearance by the Forest Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment & Forests along with similar mega projects totaling to 2500 MW proposed in other states.

The NHPC is developing the 520 MW power project over Teesta river which falls in Lower Dzongu and parts of Mangan subdivision. The project, costing Rs 3594 crores, is proposed between the 2009 commissioned Stage IV 510 MW project in East district and under construction Stage III 1200 MW project coming up over at Chungthang in North Sikkim..

“The project had been opposed by all residents of Dzongu, particularly the area MLA cum power minister, panchayats and our members. Grant of environmental clearance based on incomplete public heaing is a violation of basic rights of the Sikkimese people and spirit of the environmental policies of the country”, said ACT working president Tseten Lepcha

depending on the results, its use may be widened to a Lok Sabha by-poll, in case a vacancy arises. However, holding the 2014 general election fully with the new EVM prototype is ruled out, as the gigantic democratic exercise is barely 14 months away and the logistics of arranging over 10 lakh new-age EVMs is virtually impossible.

In any case, the EC is contemplating going in for a completely new set of EVMs with built-in hardware to enable a paper trail. A Venezuelan prototype, which has the facility to record a paper trail, is being studied as a model for the next-generation EVM. For now, the existing 6 lakh compatible EVMs will be fitted with a printing unit that generates a paper trail of each ballot. This paper trail can be seen by the voter soon after he casts his vote, after which it will automatically sever from the printing roll and drop into a box.

The EC had some concerns over the size of the slot in which the paper trail was to drop, with officials pointing out that it was big enough for a voter to manage a look at details of the last vote cast. The slot is now being made smaller.


Protesting against “unnecessary politics” over setting up of Lepcha Development Council

(LDC), a group of 50 Lepcha leaders with hundreds of their supporters sat on a hunger strike unto death in Kalimpong from 7 February.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) which called for a bandh in the Hills on February 9 to protest the state government’s decision had vehemently opposed the idea terming it as an attempt by the government to divide and rule the Hills. However, the Trinamool Congress government went ahead and gave nod to the setting up of the council, which will have its headquarters in Kalimpong.

“Mamata Banerjee is trying to implement a ‘divide and rule’ policy on us. Under the GTA Act, there is no provision for a Lepcha development council. Moreover, the name of the council, Mayel Lyang, means ‘my land’. The state announced its decision without consulting GTA,” said Gurung.

“How can the government declare the Lepcha development council. If needed, we will move the Supreme Court on the issue,” he added.

Bhupinder Lepcha, convener of Lepcha Rights Movement, said, “We will sacrifice our lives here in Kalimpong. We have been demanding it for several

Identity politics threatens to divide the hills

years. But now with a political interest, the government has approved the council. The government and and the political parties of the Hills (read GJM) are doing unnecessary politics over our identity and our lives. We do not have a demand. We have realized that our lives do not have value in the state. And that is why we want to sacrifice our lives through hunger strike.”

Stating that the Lepcha community has never demanded for a separate territory, the leader said: “We are innocent people and we are not into politics. We only wanted right to education, employment guarantee and preservation of our culture. But we are seeing how the government and the local political parties are doing politics over our rights.”

Meanwhile, Banerjee met Bharti Tamang, widow of slain Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang. Several GJM leaders were named in the FIR related to Tamang’s murder. While Banerjee had earlier refused to meet Bharti Tamang, she has promised her support now.

The decision to form the LDC comes in the wake of GJM’s threat to quit Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) and launch a fresh movement demanding separate statehood of Gorkhaland. The state government’s

latest move, political observers say, will create more trouble in Darjeeling.

The council will be named Mayel Liang Lepcha Development Board and will be registered under Societies Registration Act. It’s headquarter will be set up at Kalimpong sub-division of Darjeeling district. “The objective of the council will be to ensure overall development of the community and development of the culture, language of Lepcha community,” said the government note. Economic development of the Lepchas through farming, animal husbandry and tourism will be the focus areas of the council, it said and added that the new council will construct houses for people of the community and arrange proper education of the children. The state finance department on November 5 last year had approved the Backward Class Welfare Department’s proposal for setting up the council.

The Lepchas constitute just about five per cent of the population of the Darjeeling district. They have supported the Gorkhaland movement all along. But, on the one hand, they have found that this movement could not fulfill their aspirations and on the other, the gains made by the movement have made them feel the need for a political organisation of their own.


to ensure a better society and a better nation as a whole. She iterated that the nation is in need of good leaders and the youth too should join politics with positive mindset and put the nation to the path to progress in every respect. She also expressed her gratitude to Chief Minister Pawan Chamling for giving Sikkim a good leadership and also for giving her a chance to serve the people of her constituency.

The Indian student parliament is an annual event organized in the form of a forum floated by the MIT School of government (MITSOG) to provide a platform for student representatives from universities and colleges across the country to participate and put forth their views on key issues related to democracy, governance, education and society.

Ms. Rai did her schooling from Rinchenpong Secondary School and Bermiok Senior Secondary School and later joined Sikkim Government College, Tadong. After her studies, she served as a Teacher in a government school. Later, she gave up her teaching profession and joined politics with an aim to support principles and ideologies of Sikkim Democratic Front party. She got elected as Panchayat Secretary from Tadong Rinchenpong Gram Panchayat Unit in the year 2002. She is married to Ganesh Kumar Rai, Panchayat President of 22-Melli Dara Paiyong GPU. She was elected as Member of Legislative Assembly from Melli Constituency in the year 2009 from Sikkim Democratic Front Party.

Tulsi D. Rai, MLA, Melli Constituency was conferred with “Aadarsh Yuva Vidhayak

Puraskar” at the 3rd Indian Student

“Aadarsh Yuva Vidhayak Puraskar” for Melli MLA, Tulsi D. Rai

Parliament (Bharatiya Chhatra Sansad) by MIT school of Government in Pune on 11 January, 2013 for her leadership and contribution in service of the people. The award was conferred at the hands of Dr. Charanjit Singh Atwal – Speaker, Punjab Legislative Assembly in presence of social activist and film actress Shabana Azmi and film maker Subhash Ghai. She is one of the two MLAs selected from the North Eastern states in this edition.

The MLA, in her address to the youth highlighted the importance of youth in politics and underlined the fact that politics plays a pivotal role in nation building and the same must be done

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Just returned as silver-medalists at the under 19 CBSE National Basketball Championship at

Jaipur, the EMRS basketball team are disappointed for not having retained their championship title. They had won the National Tournament at Chennai in December 2011 and were on a similar road to glory when a few things including the officiating went against them in their final game.

Viewed as underdogs at Chennai in 2011, the young Sikkimese Girls fought against all odds and swept aside the well reputed schools of the different states of the nation including a number of Middle East Nations. They clashed against state players, junior as well as senior players of the present Indian Basketball Team and beat them with their speed, skill and most of all their spirit.

The captain Nima Doma Bhutia (of Tashiding) had been awarded the ‘Best Player’ at Chennai in 2011-12 and had been awarded the Chacha Nehru Award by CBSE Delhi in 2012. She once again awed everyone at Jaipur with her flair and once again was awarded ‘Best

GANGYAP STYLEEMRS basketball team notch up a silver this time

Player’ for the 2nd consecutive year. She will be awarded the Chacha Nehru Sports Award again later this year for repeating the feat.

This EMRS basketball team comprising Nima Doma Bhutia, Rinchen Doma Bhutia, Tshering Eden Bhutia, Diki Doma Bhutia, Nim Lhamu Bhutia (The Super Starting 5), Manita Subba, Pem Choden Lepcha, Binu Hangma Subba, Bimochan Tamang, Lakchung Lepcha, Deechen Bhutia, Tashi Tshering Sherpa, Kinzang Chomo Lepcha & Kinchumit Lepcha have created history by being the 1st and only team to win a ‘National Level Championship’ in basketball without being affiliated to the Basketball Federation of India. In November 2012 they won the 1st North East Under 19 Championship at Aizwal beating Meghalaya 98 -19 in the grand finale. Since 2010, they have consecutively lifted the under 19 CBSE Cluster I (North East Region) at Guwahati three times in three years (2010, 2011 & 2012) beating all opponents comprehensively and convincingly.

The last National Championship saw the EMRS team take down Hyderabad, Varanasi and Harayana in their League Stage. In the pre-quarter they defeated a strong Delhi team packed with senior national and even two international players (including one who had been under the NBA for 2 years in the USA) 60 -42. They went on to beat a tough Jaipur team in the quarter final and a very fast and experienced team from Madhya Pradesh in the semi-final. Unfortunately things didn’t go as planned in the final against Noida whom they had defeated in the final last year at Chennai. Unfair refereeing calls turned the tide against the Eklavyians from Sikkim as shooting guard Eden fouled out early in the game and EMRS were constantly being called for foul trouble. The Eklavyians had defeated the same unit from Noida by 14 points a year before in the finals of the National Tournament at Chennai.

The team plans to work harder this time and hopes that they can practice on a proper basketball court this time especially as this is the last year for the seniors of the team are in class XII.

Silver Medalists Under 19 Nationals at Jaipur 2012-13 Champions of 1st NE under 19 Nov. 2012



OPINIONAddress ST Seats Issue in Earnest

Pema Wangchuk

Sikkim never felt the need for Assembly seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes until the year 2003. The only communities [until 2003] from Sikkim

in the Scheduled Tribes list – the Bhutias and Lepchas – already enjoyed community-specific seat reservation. That year, however, two more communities – the Limboos and Tamangs - were included in the ST list and with the inclusion, earned a right mandated by the Constitution of India to seats reserved for them as Scheduled Tribes. Their inclusion in the ST list never threatened the BL seats because the latter are part of a unique-to-Sikkim community-specific reservation. All fears of any erosion of BL seats to meet the requirements of new Scheduled Tribes are unfounded for two reasons – one, the BL seats are also a Constitutional commitment [like ST seats for the Limboos and Tamangs], and two, touching the BL seats is a political tinderbox which no party or government will risk. As things stands, 15 of 32 Assembly seats are already reserved [12 BL seats, One for Sangha and two for Scheduled Castes]. Reserving even two more seats [and a proportional representation for Limboos and Tamangs through ST seats would require more than that] will result in a combined population of barely [on a very rough estimate] 40% securing representative berths [as MLAs] in excess of 50% which would not be fair on the remaining majority which be squeezed into minority representation. A proportional representation for Limboos and Tamangs through ST seats will skew the representation format by much more. As a result, Sikkim is confronted with a mathematical quandary which offers no easy solutions; and this is borne out by the fact that nine years since the two communities became ‘tribal’, Assembly seat reservation for them remains awaited. With an Assembly election little over a year away, the issue is bound to heat up again. The process has already begun, and now it is time to get earnest about it, not just confrontational.

At the cost of repetition, let’s go over the facts on the listing of the two communities as Scheduled Tribes again – they automatically start enjoying all the benefits earmarked for STs in India. Since the reservation of seats is guaranteed for them by the Constitution, they will get that too in proportion to their population ratio. It is here that granting the demand becomes tricky in Sikkim. In other states, Limbus and Tamangs, along with other communities included in the ST list recently, can automatically contest from seats already reserved for STs there. Although the number of seats reserved for STs elsewhere also needs to be reworked since the population composition of STs changes with the new inclusions, there is no rush for the same since some seats are already reserved for STs and open to the two communities as well. There is, however, no such reservation

in Sikkim where seats are reserved for Bhutias and Lepchas and not for STs. Here, fresh seats need to be carved out for STs. The first requirement for this will obviously be the latest census figures on the population composition of STs in Sikkim. It gets further complicated when one bears in mind that even BLs will be included in this figure since they too are STs. Then, the decision-making bodies will need the constituency-wise breakup of ST population in Sikkim to earmark the constituencies to be reserved. This again cannot be tabulated with LTs in isolation and will probably have to include the BLs as well. That is another tricky situation. It is only after this and several other administrative nitty-gritty’s are ironed out that a proposal can be drafted on how many seats should be reserved for the STs [let’s not forget that the new reservation will not be on the basis of community, but for STs] and where. And we are still talking only about the administrative requirements. Eventually, the Representation of Peoples Act will have to be amended to record and authorise reservation for Scheduled Tribes in Sikkim which will cover the constitutional safeguard of political rights of the Limboos and Tamangs in their present avatar as Scheduled Tribes. These are but processes, and offer nothing to resolve the mathematical challenge of reserving seats without disadvantaging any other community or population group.

Needless to add, the various aspects at play here and the legacy of existing reservations makes the issue of reserving seats for LTs very complicated. It is not something that can be decided and cleared in a hurry. It is in the interest of every community involved that the ground realities are first identified, the problem points reasoned out and a consensus arrived on the structure of reservations. It is all very easy to say that Limboos and Tamangs deserve a particular number of seats and that the same should be reserved immediately for them without undermining anyone else, but it’s not as simple a task when one tries to work around the existing reservation system and find a solution acceptable to all sections of the Sikkimese society. It also goes without saying that these seats, since they are guaranteed by the Constitution, cannot be denied to the two communities and will eventually come their way. All that is required is some patience and some clear thinking so that no community, including the Limboos and Tamangs, ends up feeling short-changed. At present, the only proposal on how this can be achieved has been presented by the State Government with the option of increasing the number of Assembly seats to 40. As for the rest, all one hears from them is what cannot be done, but no one has so far offered a formula on what could be done…(The writer is Editor NOW!)


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At a fairly recent meeting in New Delhi – actually a few months back - among officials

of various agencies including the army over the state of affairs in the northern part of Sikkim the army is purported to have reiterated its lack of interest in the development of the region owing to security concerns. The key word here is reiterated. Reiterated because this has been a kind of longstanding ‘policy’ of the army establishment which also serves as an excuse to ‘maintain’ the bad roads and poor connectivity and communications in north Sikkim in order that the Chinese are not handed an advantage in the event that they flirt with an effort at invasion.

In fact in the past too, during one of the Coordination meetings among security agencies in the state which includes the state and central intelligence agencies, RAW and the army the latter had been accosted with the question of bad connectivity issues in north Sikkim. That time, too, it had been sought to be explained by army officials that it was a kind of policy to keep north Sikkim underdeveloped. Apart from serving as a deterrent to any kind of invasion ideas the Chinese may be toying with it would, in the eventual event of an invasion,

North Sikkim is plagued by bad roads, bad network and bad health facilities and the people are suffering, writes Ranjit Singh

North Neglect

Emergency offices of the district do

not have functional telephony in addition

to the bad road conditions

slow down the march of the Red Army, too. During one of the hearings at the high court here over connectivity issues of north Sikkim for which the Border Roads Organisation had been hauled up the court had lightheartedly wondered over such an attitude of the army. In short, north Sikkim, in the eyes of the army establishment, seems to be playing the role of a buffer. And on the basis

period by bad roads, bad communication, bad network and bad health facilities. All these “bad” issues have been brought before the notice of the high court.

It is inconceivable that in this day and age of hi tech gadgetry and mobile telephone etc there is not a landline phone which works in north Sikkim especially upwards from Chungthang. The Chungthang police station has a landline which does not ring; both Lachung and Lachen police stations have landlines which do not ring at all. Same for the administrative offices in these towns and at the health centres. It has now become a matter of mundane surprise that emergency offices of the district do not have functional telephony. And this is in addition to the bad road conditions. BSNL services are a sham here and one would be lucky to catch someone on their mobile phones either. So, after having taken up PILs against the army agencies on the matter of poor roads, against the state for poor health facilities the high court of Sikkim has now taken up 5 PILs, all in one go, on issues related to telecom services in north Sikkim. The very fact that the high court has had to intervene in all these areas of essential services for the common people of north Sikkim amply

of this wild, runaway idea of a security cover the rest of us are supposed to sleep peacefully at night.

What about the people of north Sikkim? It is the largest of the four districts in the state and has a population of about 45000 as per the census of 2011. Whether or not it is due to the attitude of the agencies and the government together the people are suffering from and have been afflicted for over a long

Photos: Wangchuk Bhutia


North district has faced

neglect when it comes to even infrastructure and essential

service delivery

indicates that the agencies which have a primary presence here have failed or these are not their concerns. The two agencies which have a primary presence in north Sikkim are the government and the army. The latter controls a major part of the district.

In late November, 2012 the High Court of Sikkim admitted five Public Interest Litigations and the dominating theme of these petitions was the connectivity woes of north Sikkim including bad roads, telecom and banking services. Banking services per se may not have much to do with security but the enabling communication network which allows for such services which may be perceived to be undesirable.

The chief justice, P Kohli had been on a tour to the district in November during which he had been approached by the public of the district with their grievances. No doubt the same people would have been approaching other authorities as well with the same set of grievances over the past so many years. It is a matter to wonder about. GREF and BSNL were accused for having neglected the roads and telecom services which is today considered an essential service in Lachung. The roads being their only link the GREF maintained roads in Lachung were shown to be under developed and in disrepair; this despite that the PIL concerning road conditions of north Sikkim has been in the court for a couple of years now. However in contrast to the so called ‘policy’ of the army the people were of the opinion that poor roads compromise national security since they

are the lifelines for the army personnel stationed in the border regions as well. BSNL, the telecom service provider for these remote areas, is also similarly charged of neglect. In their second complaint, the people of Lachung as represented by the “Committee, Army Occupied Land Dispute Lachung, North Sikkim”, sought immediate intervention

of the High Court to resolve the Army occupied land issue which has remained in limbo since 1976. Another complaint of the people of Lachung is against the Energy & Power Department, which, they inform has remained unable to provide regular and dependable power supply to the people under Lachung Dzumsa ever since the 18 September 2011 earthquake. Power is usually available only after 9 pm when all have gone to bed.

In Chungthang the major grievance was the extremely poor BSNL telecom service which apart from affecting normal communications had hit the

banking services as sought to be provide by the State Bank of India branch there. “The bank is unable to make alternative arrangements and BSNL is very careless in the remote border area to provide Link and network to the bank for proper functioning. Even the network is very poor and no internet continuously at all since past 14 months. The people of Chungthang area are facing difficulty to send money to their children studying other parts of State and outside state and even the petty contractors are having difficulty in cashing their cheques,” the complaint letter details. AirTel has also come in for some stick by the people of Chungthang. The company has installed a tower there but has not been able to provide connectivity services in the area.

It is not just the attitude of the army establishment but that of the state government too which is inexplicable when it comes to north Sikkim and the prevailing conditions there whether it is roads and other communication networks or even medical services. Public Services of any kind are almost a myth in those regions. The thought that the army may be viewing north district as a kind of shield to thwart deeper incursions by the Chinese is distasteful. It is unbecoming of any democratic institution and tradition. Even otherwise it is a shame that north district has faced neglect when it comes to even infrastructure and essential service delivery. The Chinese, on the other hand, have no such qualms when it comes to infrastructure development that side of the border.

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No one’s really sure how it originated. There’s nothing official about it but no one’s

denying it unofficially either. Sikkim – Darjeeling merger, is it an ace up the sleeve of the UPA government or something to while the time away till next elections. Right now we can just sniff at the smoke which this non existent fire has wrought up. But as the saying goes – there’s no smoke without a fire or no news without a source – this news too, for what it’s worth, does have a source – no less than the union Cabinet Secretariat, Oscar Fernandes and Ghulam Nabi Azad, notwithstanding.

The next question is – what’s really up? Simple, just a couple of old Congress hands playing a new ball. But as the ball continues to exchange more hands the matter could just pick up more pace to get everybody here sweating. Mamta for one, already is. It’s just an idea, this merger theory and everybody is allowed to have ideas, especially the union government. And the union government has got the screws on all those who matter- be it Mamta Banerjee, Bimal Gurung or Chamling.

“I’m not aware of it” said L Felleiro, the Congress Sikkim in Charge and former Goa Chief Minister but at the same time he does not condemn or deny it. State Congress President, NB Bhandari says the same, “As SPCC president we have no knowledge in our party high command and there has been no meeting in our forum on this”. But no denial either. A senior state bureaucrat says “It’s a very political and very sensitive issue” at the same time assuring that there has been no official communication on the matter with the centre”. But the issue has been let out in the public domain intentionally; the intention being to get a debate and discussion on the matter running.

The Sikkim – Darjeeling merger idea, at present, is more of a mischievous intent of the centre to give both Mamta

The Sikkim – Darjeeling merger theoryWhat’s really going on?

Banerjee, the chief minister of Bengal and the advocates of Gorkhaland, something to chew about should they not fall in line. Mamta has been a permanent itching spot of the UPA government even attempting to bring about a no confidence motion against it on the FDI issue with a paltry 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha apart from her last minute to ditch Manmohan Singh at the meeting between him and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh in Dhaka on the Teesta river water sharing issue. This stone in the dark which the union government seems to have thrown is also aimed at hitting Mamta to get back at her. Mamta reportedly went crazy when the news first broke out in a Sikkim based Nepali daily and its sister English edition. She’s been uncharacteristically mum since.

There are other birds too which the central Congress leaders seem to be aiming with this stone in the dark. Gorkhaland as an issue refuses to die and the idea of Gorkhaland remains alive as ever with the GTA not having seemed to have diluted this ambition of the Darjeeling based political outfits. Many claim GTA of being a sell out and a compromise on the part of Bimal Gurung and his GJMM. The union government may be seeing the merger theory as a panacea to this hill trouble-spot as well. After all, if the centre wants to, it can shove the idea down the throats of many of the hill leaders including Bimal Gurung what with the Madan Tamang murder case still on the balance and the centre known to be holding on to a key player in the case. The Congress is known for its (blackmailing) politics but it is not any lesser interesting that the merger news tip came from the Cabinet Secretariat. Apparently the Home Ministry is also tiring of the same old noises.

Besides Gorkhaland, these noises also include the oft repeated special status of Sikkim and Article 371F and the IT exemption related and other

alleged discriminations. A merger with Darjeeling would co opt into Sikkim a larger general populace who may be Nepalese or Gurkhas but devoid of Sikkim Subject Certificates or Certificates of Identification thus making the very idea of such identity and special status irrelevant and thus liable and even necessary to be struck down. As for the larger population of Sikkim, there has not been much of a reaction either way on the merger issue but which is nothing new either. Lately the public here seem to have lost its social conscience and the centre would be banking on this to push its agenda through. On the other hand as much as 70% of the people here, including government employees, have family connections in the Darjeeling hills which again, can be a pliable factor.

“The entire debate about merger is politically motivated by vested interests. We have merged once we do not want to submerge” – Nar Bahadur Bhandari, former Chief Minister and State Congress president


“The union government could find it has bitten off more than it can chew should it decide to further explore the theory of Sikkim – Darjeeling merger” - Tseten Tashi Bhutia, SIBLAC Convenor

But Sikkim is a special category state and would it be right for the centre, if it’s true, to attempt a merger with Darjeeling? Says Tseten Tashi Bhutia, SIBLAC Convenor and among the few torchbearers committed to the idea of Sikkim and its unique cultural and traditional history “I don’t believe the centre is serious about the merger but should it go ahead I can say that there will be serious consequences”. For one thing he says, rather than merger his demand then would be to ‘unmerge’ meaning to separate from the union. A greater Sikkim would also mean closer proximity - culturally and socially – with bordering Nepal with its Maoists inclinations which could lead to a security situation, not the least among them the demand of a Greater Nepal sometime down the line as well.

At the same time he says there has been a systematic genocide being perpetrated on the Sikkimese culture and tradition. “The only thing we have left to show of our unique culture is our Dharma and our attempt has always been to demand our rights within the framework of the Constitution”, says Tseten Tashi. Sikkim merged with the Indian union of its own choice and on its own terms, says Tseten, which need to be respected.

In fact the union government could find it has bitten off more than it can chew should it decide, if it does, to further explore the present nascent theory of Sikkim – Darjeeling merger, claims Tseten. While Sikkim has been existing as the 22nd state of India since 1975 and a part of the union for all practices and purposes there seems to be the lingering technicality that ‘Sikkim still enjoys international personality in international

law’. In fact this has been claimed and reported by none other than a former Chief Justice of India who later went on to become the Vice President of India, M Hidayatullah. When in 1975 the Prince had sought his legal opinion the former CJI and VP is reported to have opined “…status of Sikkim, in international law before and after the constitutional amendment in India remains exactly the same. Sikkim’s international distinct personality is unaffected and it is a protectorate as before.” As per him India – Sikkim relations vested entirely on the Treaty of 1950 and so “…Sikkim enjoyed an international personality and still does so although sovereignty is shared… this continues inspite of the events of 1974 and the amendment in the Indian constitution”.

Much water has flowed down the Teesta since then, as many would claim, and Sikkim is today an integral part of the country. So who wants the merger? There have been several voices from various political outfits in Darjeeling in favour of this and the very idea of a separate Gorkhaland is actually based on economic prosperity which can be realized through a separate state.

But as Bhandari, former Chief Minister and State Congress president says these are non existent parties and their clamour for merger is futile. “The entire debate about merger is politically motivated by vested interests” says Bhandari. “Sikkim is a part of India and this is a fiat accompli. We have merged once we do not want to submerge, as I have often stated” is Bhandari’s stand on the matter. The 8th May Tripartite Agreement and Article 371F neither can be touched, he says. On the other hand he has also been an active proponent of

Gorkhaland. At a recently held conclave on the issue in Siliguri by the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, Bhandari was the Chief Guest and the meet resolved to continue the demand for Gorkhaland with Darjeeling and Dooars. There was no mention of Greater Sikkim.

But how far is the centre willing to push the issue? Does Bimal Gurung see an opportunity of a lifetime here, an opportunity to get out of the discussion of the GTA being a compromise settlement? Maybe a chance to be a bigger leader? What about Chamling, does he see an opportunity to be an even bigger leader and more years in power? What about Sikkim and Sikkimese? What about…?

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COVER STORY

Photos:Ratan GurungPrabin Khaling Pabitra Bhandari Raju Khati


After months of eager anticipation, and much to the joy of his supporters who were beginning

to get antsy, rebel MLA PS Golay finally launched his own political party. Although technically and officially he is still not a part of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha, there is little doubt about the leadership of the new party.

Excitement over the announced launch had been building over days. In offices and homes, speculation and political gossip kept the conversation going. Will he resign finally, who all will attend the event, what will be the colours of the flag, what will the party name be, and finally the most frequently asked question – will you be going to Soreng.

So it was not surprising that when D-day came, the crowd at the Soreng school ground in Golay’s native village of Singling in Soreng-Chakung constituency in west Sikkm ran into several thousands. The size of which must have surely caused some consternation in the ruling camp. It is not

The Dam Has BurstThousands attend launch of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha

often that opposition parties here inspire so many to attend an anti-government gathering. But getting his supporters to come out on the streets has never been a problem for Golay and there in lies his strength and bargaining power. Whether it was at the many Rolu picnics or his assembly outing last year, Golay has not faced any problems on that score.

Through the day Golay stayed out of the dias and sat with the crowd but all attention was invariably on him. It was clear that a new power centre was emerging in the state’s politics. At the auspicious time of 11.15 am decided for the official announcement of the new party, retired bureaucrat KP Adhikari, who chaired the function, announced the name of the party ‘Sikkim Krantikari Morcha’. Former East Zilla Adhakshya and former OBC chairperson Bharati Sharma was declared Working President of the new party. She later unveiled the party’s flag and released several booklets including its constitution. Recitation of prayers by spiritual heads of various faiths was conducted.

Names of sixty-three key party functionaries were also announced and administered oath by Mr. Adhikari, as the new party flag fluttered in the air.

Former MLA Bhoj Raj Rai, now a vice-president in SKM dedicated the new party to the Sikkimese people. ‘From 2009, you all have been working for change and waiting for this occasion. Your patience has been rewarded today. We have formed the party to save Sikkim from being plundered and to unite the fragmented Sikkimese society,’ he said.

The Burtuk MLA and for all practical purposes the leader of this new political outfit did not address the gathering directly but a message from him was read out towards the end. “Due to political compulsion, I am compelled to have an indirect presence with but when time comes, I will appear directly before you…from today onwards a result-oriented battle has started. It is the war cry for the victory of good over evil and to save Sikkim from exploiters. This is a movement for change in system,” he said.


For all the public announcements and perceived initiatives about women’s empowerment in the state, it was the appointment of Bharati Sharma, former Zilla Adhyaksha

and Chairperson of the OBC board as the working president of Sikkim’s main opposition party, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha that has sent a real message of respect to women in Sikkim.

Even though women have made some strides in their quest for equality in the political realm here in the state, they still had not represented such an important political office.

The unexpected announcement of ‘The working president of SKM is Mrs. Bharati Sharma’ surprised all and evoked an

Bharati Sharma Makes Historyemotional response from Ms. Sharma herself, who had only recently resigned from the ruling Sikkim Democratic Party.

“We have several brave women who have struggled for our movement but seeing how the SDF party has denied women their rightful position, we wanted to give a strong message to it by having Ms. Sharma as our working president,” announced Jacob Khaling from the dias, as the newly appointed WP exchanged Khadas with PS Golay, unofficial leader of SKM and moved centre stage.

“This is a revolution for political equality,” said some excited women supporters present at the event.

COVER STORY

Appointed Working President SKM


“Due to political compulsion, I am compelled to have an indirect presence but when time comes, I will appear directly before you” – PS GOLAY


Working President: Bharati Sharma

Vice President: Bhojraj Rai, TN Dhakal, Phuchung Tshering Bhutia, Tseten Lepcha

Secretary General: MK Subba

General Secretaries : Kala Rai, MN Dahal, Sonam Lachungpa, Phuchung Bhutia, Dilip Rai, Navraj Gurung, Kiran Chettri

Treasurer: Pema Wangyal Bhutia assisted by DP Upreti, Lalit Kumar Rai

Secretaries: Dilip Pradhan, Pawan Gurung, Jacob Khaling, Ugyen Namgyal Bhutia, Ashok Gurung, Nima Theeng, Tashi Bhutia, Dawa Lepcha, Tshering Palden Bhutia, Bhanu Pratap Rasaily, Menchung Bhutia, Ramesh Sharma, Ashok Subba

Frontal Organization Heads: Padam Sharma (Shramik Morcha), Mingma Lhamu Bhutia (Nari Morcha), Roshan Shrestha (Yuva Morcha), Karma Tshering Bhutia (Vidhyarthi Morcha), Kelu Chettri (Chalak Morcha), Sajan Agarwal (Vyapari Morcha),Saran Subba (Bhutpurva Sainik Morcha), Sonam Tshering Bhutia (Karmachari Morcha), Chuni Doma Bhutia (Retired karmachari Morcha), YT Lepcha (Krishak Morcha).

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha flag is Saffron, Red, and Green. These symbolize the three stated principal expressions of the party.

Saffron: purity of thought and deed

Red: probity of duty and commitment

Green: surety of holistic growth and grandeur

COVER STORY

Team SKM


Sikkim Krantikari Morcha. Name selected, party registered, constitution ready and supporters

brimming. Golay had a blasting opening of the SKM and for the first time in recent history a party other than the SDF organized a mass gathering. What about Chamling? That’s an interesting question. Quite honestly, it’s a one man show for the Sikkim Democratic Front and has been for long. Well, as of now, the old man seems unperturbed.

For the first time in recent history is there any viable opposition to the ruling front. It is a kind of poetic justice that this opposition had to have its origin within the SDF itself. The daggers are out officially now and finally after years of ambiguity and confusion the people know for real who is with Golay. There is no room anymore now for shifting loyalties. The large numbers of resignations from the SDF party preceding the official launch of the

Battle for 2014 beginsSikkim Krantikari Morcha vs Sikkim Democratic Front

GAME ON

SKM are actually no big deal in that these were known faces crossing over. What is significant is that there were no such mass resignations before either to the State Congress or any other party so what it means is that party workers, however disgruntled they may be, now

the state worth its salt and the only one expected to pose a challenge, in every sense of the word, to the ruling party. Challenge is a better word than Opposition in political terms otherwise an opposition political party becomes more of an opposition, opposing everything under the sun, rather than a keeper of constitutional values and social conscience. In these terms the people of the state need someone to challenge arbitrary and superfluous policies and diktats which have become the norm rather than the exception under the garb of expedience especially as the media is not doing a very good job of it.

The state needs someone to challenge the crippled and totally misplaced White Paper on the September 18, 2011 Earthquake tabled in the Sikkim Assembly recently. A college student would have done a better professional job of it. The state needs somebody to question the need for resolutions tabled

The formation of the Sikkim Krantikari

Morcha is a watershed moment

in the social and political story of the

state.

see an alternative. Going by visibility and impact the

SKM, barely a few days old, is already the only opposition political party in


in the Assembly for the second time as in the Limboo Tamang resolution. There needs to be someone to pull the garb off the state government when it comes to the repealing of the Sikkim Companies Act, 1961 when it is already with the central government on this subject. Most of all

there needs to be some sort of semblance of administrative jurisprudence in the moving of files, framing of laws and policies so that they do not end up with a title like Public Order bill or the Black Bill, in the mass transfer of officials of every department every now and then

and finally some moderation in the extent of corruption taking place. Is there anybody to question the government on the corruption cases registered on two retired Power Secretaries when the chief minister was the Power minister during their tenure? Or on how the state government is feeding 54000 today employees when only a few years ago the number was of 40,000.

The final announcement of SKM was a long time coming. In fact since last October, when Golay had first hinted at an imminent launching of a new front. It was not easy to get the party registered. The Election Commission of India (read ruling front) put up as many technical obstacles as it could to delay the launch. A possible alternative name of the party was hijacked by political greenhorns who made an apologetic launch of their Sikkim Swatantra Manch and there were objections raised to the names offered for the party registration. At the same time

For the first time in recent history

a party other than the SDF organized a

mass gathering

Golay and his group also had to get their party constitution right and align it within the wide parameters of the Constitution of India and ECI norms. But the turn out at Singling where on 4 February the party was declared was probably most impressive given that this party is now the main challenger to the ruling SDF and a big opening was important as it was necessary. The sight of thousands of people at a gathering may not translate to the eventual votes that SKM desires but it shows that people are interested in what SKM has to offer.

The formation of the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha is a watershed moment in the social and political story of the state. The individual constituencies of the Morcha may be of the same colour as the ruling party but at least they are giving the impression

COVER STORY

MK Subba Bhojraj Rai


that they want to wash that colour off. A strong opposition party is a necessity for a robust democracy and we should be able to look forward to that in the coming days and months.

Last couple of months seemed like it was an open season for formation of political parties, the kind of entity which is synonymous with laziness, inactivity and opportunism in Sikkim. We had the Democratic Alliance of Sikkim, the Sikkim Swatantra Manch and another couple of other groups including ASESUA announcing their interest to open a political front like it was a logical next step in a non existent career.

DAS has wanted Golay to join them ever since their opening meeting in December, 2012. The strange thing about DAS is that their second meeting itself in a hotel in Gangtok was held under the banner of DAS when the Alliance had not even been proposed among the members present. The other thing strange about it is its ambiguity – on several fronts actually. Is it an alliance of political parties or individuals. There are more than one members of a couple

of political parties who are members of the Alliance. In fact, Bhandari said it best during one of their meetings that all those present, apart from himself, are probably the only members of the party they represent. In this connection Tseten Tashi Bhutia of SIBLAC put it even better when he questioned the presence of a stalwart leader like Bhandari among such (non) political entities. SIBLAC wisely stayed out. According to Tseten Tashi the alliance only has a name as of now with no set of issues, agenda or programme. DAS does not even have a common minimum programme and so does not have any agenda as such. Bhandari earlier stated something about seat sharing in the context of a coalition of opposition parties challenging the ruling front. “This is the age of coalitions, no one can form a government alone in Sikkim, we need to unite to fight the SDF”, he had stated. How many seats would he be willing to share with parties like the BJP, CPM or even SNPP or SHRP? DAS as an alliance is almost a joke and the alliance knows that only Golay can lend it some amount of

credibility. The state Congress party is in danger of becoming a joke too. Already there is an exodus among party members towards the Golay group and this is likely to continue. Ugen Nedup, JB Darnal and others have switched sides and it almost seems with the tacit support of the party president. Bhandari has not made any statement on the exodus or whether he would like to stop it. It seems he couldn’t care less.

The question that remains is how long will Golay remain an SDF MLA. By the look of things he is not about to resign in the next few weeks at least. Chamling had no choice but to call the Assembly session in February, the first time since June 2012 and over 7 months since. As per rules Assembly session has to be called at least once in 6 months. That is why we need an opposition party – to ensure our Constitution has a place too. Some believe it was the apprehension that Golay would create another scene that the session was delayed. Golay might yet resign but not till he has created that scene – likely during the budget session.

Jacob Khaling


A Rai

COVER STORY

After much fanfare and at the astrologically opportune moment a new party was

announced in Sikkim. Of course in a democracy (Sikkim is a democracy) such things happen. However Sikkim is no ordinary place for politics. There is no opposition party in the House. That lone voice, the last time it was heard belonged to a monk. Yes article 371F allows for such anomalies as the Ecclesiastical Affairs Ministry and the Dharma seat. But now with the birth and the curious christening of SKM the strangeness has compounded.

The party which everyone expects to make up a sizeable chunk of the opposition and give the SDF a good run for its money (of which there is always a plentiful supply) in the next elections belongs to PS Golay. The only problem is that PS Golay still belongs to the SDF. SDF hasn’t of now expelled its apostate member. PS Golay hasn’t resigned from the party either.

But then very few local (Sikkim and Darjeeling) politicians in power resign. One notable exception was R.B. Rai the nominated Rajya Sabha MP from CPI. Rai resigned because he was (or he thought and perhaps still thinks) fighting for a cause. For people driven by such

idealism the politics of sacrifice is a given. But Golay doesn’t seem to have such heroic compulsions. His seems to be at best, a cautious political game. He waited for a long time to engineer a coup from within the SDF. When his backroom maneuverings to effect a regime change did not bear fruit, the next best option was to have a whole lot of people jump ship.

Though it is premature to divine in which direction the winds of political fortune are blowing in the State, One cannot yet bet on Golay or the SKM. The problem is Chamling is no (or at least not yet) the Bhandari of the 80s. He hasn’t yet made too many mistakes that could precipitate this nascent show of dissent into a full force gale of opposition. And elections are still very far away.

Unlike in Darjeeling, where Gorkhaland can make or break leaders, Sikkim doesn’t have an emotive issue of comparative seismicity. Here it is just the mundane matters of governance, corruption etc in which case it could simply be a matter of the pot calling the kettle black. But still stranger things have happened. It is instructive to note that as far as electoral politics was concerned, GNLF were the absolute champions in

There is ample scope for the Butterfly Effect.

Perhaps there is one in the offing for

Sikkim too?

Darjeeling. Then two things happened. One was of course serious. Ghising perhaps with the best of intentions (we can give an old man the benefit of doubt) wanted DGHC to make way for the Sixth Schedule. This wasn’t as simple as he had envisaged. Non-tribals sensed that this new dispensation would give them a raw deal. Vocal and politically erudite community leaders took up the mantle of challenging Ghising. This would have of course turned out into a damp squib, had another less serious thing not have happened. But it did. Prashant Tamang, singer of mediocre talent for some reason (actually it was just lots of SMSs) found himself a startled front runner to win a National Level Singing Contest. Enter Bimal Gurung and the rest as they say is history. So what started out with a young policeman entering into a contest on a whim ended up in uprooting the strongest party the Darjeeling hills have ever seen. What happened in Darjeeling is a sober lesson for Chamling and Golay and everyone of their ilk. One can only at ones peril afford to be deterministic about the manner in which political affairs will turn out. There is ample scope for the Butterfly Effect. Perhaps there is one in the offing for Sikkim too?

Countdown 2014


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When the Finance Bill of 2008 brought in the glorious exemption from paying

income tax for individuals in Sikkim holding Sikkim Subjects or Certificates of Identification who knew it could one day lead to the repealing of an old law of the state, namely, Registration of Companies Act, 1961?. But then no any one thing happens in isolation these days of global phenomenon and impact and so with one thing always leading to the other, there is this new Companies Bill 2012 in Parliament which also seeks to repeal the old law. Should the state and its public or politicians be much worked up about it is another matter.

Today the high court of Sikkim is faced with a clutch of petitions filed by about 7-8 companies of Sikkim all seeking exemption from paying the central income tax. [The companies include Teesta Rangit Pvt Ltd, Oriental Industries, Everest Industries, Yuksom Engineering Works, Denzong Albrew and Mount Distilleries].

This matter has been taken up seriously by the high court which during one of the hearings directed that it be assisted by the state Advocate General. These companies have received notices from the income tax authorities demanding assessments and filing of returns. In fact in the case of one such company which has approached the court the income tax authorities are alleged to have entered the premises of the company and carried out a survey after working hours at around 8 pm which continued up to 9 am the next day. This was in December 2010.

The fact of the matter along with the simple truth is that when there are two sets of rules the one thing there is bound to be is confusion. For starters all

The Companies Bill 2012 has worked up certain sections of the society here in Sikkim as it seeks to repeal an old law of the state.

Confused Company

companies in the state, whether started by Sikkimese or those opening branches or new offices with headquarters in other parts of the country are required to register under the Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act, 1961. In other words those companies which are coming from outside the state, apart from having to register under the Companies Act, 1956, which is the current central Act governing companies, are also required to register under the Sikkim Act of 1961 when they open up branches here. As for Sikkim based companies they are only required to register under the state Act of 1961. As a result the confusion is that there are some companies registered under the Act of 1961 and others registered under both, Acts of 1961 and 1956 and so it is difficult for anybody to say the rules of which particular Act applies on them.

The other confusion, which lately seems to have disappeared, is the registration of non banking finance

companies such as Tina Finlease, Bharosa etc, which were all done under the state Act of 1961 and did some historical bungling here. The central Act demands more checks and balances especially against fraud than the state Act.

However most immediate and pressing issue is the claim of companies owned by Sikkim individuals here that they should also be exempt from paying income tax. An argument forwarded in favour of this is that the Income Tax Act defines Companies as meaning Companies registered under the Companies Act, 1956 and other Acts. Another contention is that their companies or industries had been established as per the Sikkim Companies Act of 1961 which was prior to the merger of Sikkim with the union of India. In this regard their contention is that they are protected under the old laws particularly Article 371F clause (k). Clause k of Article 371F states that “all laws in force immediately before

SPECIAL FOCUS

Ranjit Singh


the appointed day in the territories comprised in the State of Sikkim or any part thereof shall continue to be in force therein until amended or repealed by a competent legislature or other competent authority”.

In effect what the companies are really seeking is that the central government view their companies as individuals and the turnover of the companies as the income of an individual. As such, the insertion of clause 26AAA in the Finance Act of 2008 granted exemption from paying income tax to Sikkimese individuals. As per this clause a Sikkimese individual is exempt from paying tax on income from any source in the state or income by way of dividend or interest on securities. Interestingly in the explanatory note attached to this clause gives the reason for such exemption as granted is “… to promote socio-economic development’.

In its response to the claim and arguments put forward by the Sikkim based companies to be exempt from paying the central income tax the centre as well as the state government has been vague. No clear stand could be made out either on the part of the centre or state government on this issue despite, as per information, that this matter had been discussed by them in the run up to the insertion of Clause 26AAA in the Finance Act, 2008.

Then came news of the central legislation, namely the Companies Bill, 2012 which seeks to repeal the old Registration of Companies, Sikkim Act, 1961 and it seems apparent that among the various reasons for this repealing, is also one to bring the Sikkim companies under the ambit of income tax, if they are not already. The vagueness of the state and central responses to the arguments of the companies in the court also seems demystified now. However the matter is in the court which will decide on the issue but it will be interesting to see how the state respondents argue the issue now that there is a change in the situation.

The argument on whether it is bad or good in terms of an old law being diluted seems more political. The central act has better checks and balances including punishment against fraud and also accords powers to inquire, investigate and auditing. However on the other hand Section 462 of the new Bill states that the centre may in the public interest direct that provisions of this Act (a) shall not apply to such class or classes of companies or (b) shall apply to … companies with such exceptions, modifications and adaptations as may be specified… At the same time there is a whole section 465 under Chapter 29 of the Bill which apart from stating that the Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act, 1961 shall stand repealed goes on to elaborate what it actually means.

For one thing, it specifies anything done or any action taken under the repealed Act of 1961, as far as it is not inconsistent with the present Act, shall be deemed to have been taken under the provisions of this Act. Secondly any rules, orders, notifications etc including appointments under the old Act, if in force at the commencement of this Act, will continue to be in force. Thirdly, and significantly, the incorporation of companies under the old Act shall continue to be valid. It also states that the application of section 6 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 will still hold as far as its effect on the Registration

Damage ControlThe Bill was introduced in Parliament on 18 December, passed the same day in the Lok Sabha and is expected to be passed in the Rajya Sabha in the upcoming session of Parliament. Chapter 29, Section 465 (1) clearly states that “The Companies Act, 1956 and the Registration of Companies (Sikkim) Act, 1961 shall stand repealed.” The State Government, recognizing that old laws evoke strong passions in Sikkim, has now engaged a Constitutional Expert to study the repeal of the Sikkim Registration of Companies Act, 1961 with the passage of the Companies Bill, and help draft an appropriate response for the central government. Engaged in this study is the constitutional expert along with the two Members of Parliament from Sikkim, PD Rai and Hissey Lachungpa from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively. They have been formed into a kind of committee to study the repealing of the Old law from the legal and constitutional standpoint.

The Opposition in the State which has been accusing the State Government of diluting the special status of Sikkim, protected under Article 371F of the

Constitution, has accused the ruling party of doing away with old laws of the State.

Former chief minister and State Congress President N B Bhandari said this was another instance of betrayal of the Sikkimese people by the Centre. He said the State Government would be held responsible if old laws are repealed.

Sikkim National People’s Party (SNPP) President Biraj Adhikari said the enactment of the new Bill is “illegal” and would not be accepted by the Sikkimese people.

BJP Sikkim unit President Padam Chettri has urged the Centre to withdraw the Bill and the Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad (SHRP) said attempts to do away with Sikkim’s old laws was an act of “conspiracy” and the party would oppose it.

Opposition targets Chamling on repeal of old laws

CM not committed to protect old laws and assurances regarding the repeal of the Companies Act 1961 was mere eyewash to mislead the people.

“” PS Golay


of Companies, Sikkim, Act, 1961. What this new bill does is also bring

government companies under the ambit of the act and adhere to its provisions including any rules and notifications that may be subsequently issued including the timely submission of audit and annual reports etc. Here Government

Company also means those of the state government where not less than 51% of the paid up share capital is held by the state. The old Act made no mention of government owned companies.

In effect the only other significant thing which the state of Sikkim stands to lose, apart from the argument of immunity from paying central income tax by these companies, with the repealing of the old Act is the power of the state government to refuse to register any company if it considers that the objects of such a company are not in the interests of Sikkim as stated by the old law of 1961. There was no appeal that could be made against this decision. However looking at the plethora of hydel projects mushrooming in the state it is obvious that the state government never took this clause seriously or acted upon it. The amendment of 2008 whereby it was required that companies wanting to set up here in Sikkim have 50% locals in their board of directors worked more as a deterrent to the industrialization process of the state. While the intention of the government may have been good it was not taken too well by outside companies who actually found it difficult to abide by this for various reasons.

SPECIAL FOCUS

• Companies already registered and operating under the old law [of 1961] will continue to be valid and deemed registered• Privileges and exemptions enjoyed by companies registered under old law will continue.


Understanding not alienationMaitreyee B Chowdhury

I was in a class of 35 children, all looking wide eyed at the pretty, young Geography teacher. The time was the late 80 s. Unlike other Geography teachers she taught

us about distances through little stories. Mobile phones and terms like, ‘the world is a global village’ had not yet come to the fore. Our young teacher had finished her Master degree from the Delhi University and instead of staying back in the city; she decided to come back to the little township called Digboi, in Upper Assam and teach children there. The particular story that she narrated that day, left us wide-eyed. Pointing at the globe she told us why it was so necessary to understand the maps and read about different places, or else we would have no idea about their identity and bear misconceptions throughout life. She narrated a story of how, she had been severely ragged in college and teased several times since she was from the North Eastern parts of the country. ‘They expected me to be wearing the bark of trees and have head gears made of leaves probably!’ was her remark, all this for a woman who was even then poised with remarkable sophistication. The story was to remain with me as a reference point, even many years down the line.

Simplicity is sometimes the most misunderstood of traits in human nature, and no one perhaps knows it better than those belonging to the North Eastern parts of India. By nature people in the North East are easy going, simple, music loving and happy go lucky. Traits perhaps that might have little or no use for a world so busy in chasing success, finding it and spending millions then in the illusive search for contentment in rejuvenating centers around the world.

When people from the North East move to other destinations for jobs or education, they carry with them the same human nature and though everyone would agree that they make good friends, are cheerful and helpful people, yet they are often perceived as weak, either for their politeness or even stupid, because they may not be as well read.

Every race and community is made up of its own idiosyncrasies and if India is one of the most diverse polities, it is because it houses a huge number of people who come with their own behavior and trends and yet all of this makes one cohesive whole. The simple nature of the people of the North East has often not only been taken advantage of but been exploited too. In matters of protest or issues that are needed to be made aware of, this side of the planet has probably suffered the most, in terms of neglect.

A case in point is Manipur’s activist Irom Sharmila Chanu, who has been on a fast since the last 12 years and yet her steadfast resolve and dedication barely highlighted, apart from sporadic mentions in the media. Perhaps this has to do more with people’s lack of understanding of the North East

as an entity and the issues that govern those areas? Manipur being far removed, from the political nerve centre in the capital, has to bear the brunt of the government’s apparent reluctance to even understand the demands of this lady. In many ways it is the same story of lack of the geo-political importance of the North East and its people as an Indian entity.

Irom Sharmila’s protest is in many ways, typical of the trend of the people of the North East who may not necessarily be in the studio spotlights or speak the language of complicated minds and yet it is a voice that needs understanding and affinity.

The people of the North East understand nature, brake into a song while walking to work and sit down sometimes on the roads to play the guitar, these are traits of people, who have not forgotten to live. Their connect with nature, is their biggest strength and yet it is the same connect that is often made fun of, misunderstood, even ridiculed!

In Bangalore, a teeming city full of migrants from everywhere, a large chunk of the population is from the North East, they contribute their skills in various sectors and yet there have been incidents that have marked them as clear outsiders, as if they did not belong to the same country or the same democracy!

It is evening time one day, when I find myself standing in front of a small grocery near my house in Bangalore, two students from Manipur in their college uniforms squat on the ground and open their guitar case slung on their back and break into a song. The store owner, rudely comes out and rebukes them, he says their songs will distract his customers and shoo s them off! The boys look offended, murmur something and vanish. Incidentally I am the lone customer in the shop; I look at the man and tell him that since he does not have the decency to speak to people politely, I refuse to buy goods from the shop. The man is stunned and the boys wave to me even as they walk off still strumming the guitar.

While not everything in the North east is hunky dory like in the rest of India, there are little lifestyle changes or things that we can do to make the people from this part of the country also feel welcome and part of the regular Indian life. Making fun of their small eyes, or accent or calling them names and pointing fingers at their intelligence is perhaps pointing a finger back at one’s own lack of sophistication and sensitivity in understanding one of India’s most beautiful and happy people.

Understanding not alienation is perhaps the answer![Maitreyee B Chowdhury is an Assam born writer based in Bangalore. She is a poet and columnist and author of ‘Reflections on My India’]


One of the most picturesque villages in North Sikkim, Rum-Mom is the newest to join the eco-tourism wave in Sikkim. Located in upper Dzongu, the Lepcha

village is 55 kilometres from the North District headquarters, Mangan. It is accessible by road till Toong police checkpost, after which it is a two kilometre walk to the village.

Nestled among lush green hills with cascading waterfalls, streams and rivers and breathtaking views of the mountains, Rum-Mom holds a rich heritage of nature and culture within its boundaries. The short trek to the village offers rare sightings of wildlife and pristine waterfalls like the Sunbun falls, one of the longest in India, located in upper Rum-Mom, the Santyeak falls, Lachu falls and the Songum falls. The village also offers breathtaking views of Mt. Kanchendzonga and Mt. Sinolchu. Apart from its natural treasures, Rum-Mom is also known for its zealous preservation of the Lepcha culture and traditions. This is manifest in the annual Namsoong festival which marks the Lepcha New Year, when the entire village comes together

Rum-MomBy Deepak Sharma

for a celebration seeped in traditional rituals and customs. Craftsmen like Thongtuk Lepcha and folk singers like Dayzom Lepcha, Pema Lepcha and Namdup Lepcha have further helped keep various Lepcha art forms in the village vibrant and alive.

The village recently launched its official website: www.rummomecotourism.com to promote Rum-Mom as an eco-tourism destination in the state and boost its local economy by providing employment and self-reliance opportunities to the locals. The website has been developed by Veterinary Officer Dzongu, Dr. CP Rai and was launched during the Rum-Mum Eco-tourism Festival held from December 15-16, last month.

With the Chief Minister, Pawan Kumar Chamling himself keen on development of the village through tourism and self-reliance of the locals, the people of Rum-Mom looked forward to the fruition of assurances from the area MLA, and the ward Panchayat, Dawa Doma Lepcha, that the place will be a priority on tourism development plans in the days to come.

Sikkim’s newest eco-tourism destination

TOURISM

©www.rummomecotourism.com


Two representatives from Travel Agent’s Association of Sikkim [TAAS] attended Vibrant Gujarat 2013 - The sixth Global Summit from 11 to 13 January in Gujarat. The Association

was represented by general secretary, Barap Namgyal and secretary (North), Karma Palgey Lachungpa who interacted with dignitaries from different parts of the world. The TAAS representatives highlighted the tourism potential and products of Sikkim tourism industry and made a presentation on plans and policies of Government of Sikkim in making tourism a vibrant and propriety Industry in Sikkim.

The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, in a short interaction with TAAS representatives appreciated the effort of Chef Minister, Pawan Chamling and his government in shaping “Char Dham” as a pilgrimage tourism destination in India. TAAS representatives extended an invitation to Mr Modi to visit Sikkim who also shared his idea of opening a “Sikkim Tourism” office in Gujarat.

TAAS will be actively deputing more members to attend various Tourism related fairs and seminars such as SATTE, TTF, Buyer’s &

Sikkim Ornithological Society (SOS) launched the second edition of its calendar titled ‘Feathery friends of Sikkim 2013’ in a simple function held in the presence of its chief patron, retired IFS officer, KC Pradhan at his residence at Tadong 6th Mile on 31 December

2012.The calendar consists of photographs of twelve extremely beautiful birds of Sikkim and

with this SOS hopes to promote and arouse interest in birds amongst the younger generation of Sikkim. SOS has discovered a new species called ‘terek sandpiper’ at Gurudongmar lake, North Sikkim which was recorded for the first time in this region, the picture of this rare bird is also highlighted in this edition, the release mentions.

This international standard calendar costs Rs 150 and is available at various leading outlets of Gangtok. For bookings and information please contact: Pempa Tshering 9547558545, Niraj Thapa 9434867082, Karma Tempo 9933442275, Chewang Bonpo 9735900165.

TAAS at Vibrant Gujarat 2013

SOS launches 2013 calendar

Sellers meet and Tourism Road shows to recover the loss incurred by the 2011 Earthquake and last year’s flash flood in North Sikkim and also to further promote the State of Sikkim in new & potential tourism markets.

A melting pot for a wide variety of local cuisines from the region, 9’INE serves authentic local fare for a global palette. Subtle & tastefully done up interiors allow for an intimate experience, the focus of which is naturally the delicious food.


13 students from various schools across Sikkim who travelled to The Village International

School, Kerala as a part of the students cultural and intellect exchange program organized by 24hours Inspired relished their learning experiences at Kerala. One of the first of its kind interventions for the students of Sikkim, each one of them feel that they have been value added by the entire experience.

Says Ashwin Dahal, a student of TNA, “The experience has been fantastic. The Village International School was one of the most disciplined schools I have ever seen. From the time we got down from the train till the time we left, I have learnt so many good things which will only

EXCHANGING LEARNING From God’s Abode to God’s own Country

help me grow as a better student. Adds, Simran Bhutia, a student of Deorali Girls School “Discipline and effective time management is what I have learnt from the experience. Everything in the school was so well co-ordinated and everyone truly understood the value of time, be it students or teachers”.

Talking about teachers, Amber Bahadur Bishwakarma, a student of Yuksom senior Secondary School states, “The teachers were so wonderful. They were always there to assist and guide us whenever we need any help and the best part is that, they are always smiling and polite.”

Their day would start at 5.00 a.m. with a morning exercise and end at 10

p.m. with diary writing, journaling all the learning of the day. In between they have had varied enriching activities like Students Counselling Sessions, Thot’s lab, English Enrichment classes, Leapstart, Cookery Class, Craft Class and other sessions which helped them in value adding their learning. Also, an added class on Malayalam was the highlight of the class room sessions.

Apart from the classes, the students were also taken out to experience and learn the various facets of Kerala. “I experienced my first ship cruise ride of my life and I enjoyed it thoroughly. We laughed, danced and made merry at the cruise, says Rinzing Bhutia, a student of Bahai School, Tadong. The students were also exposed to the various culture of Kochi city by providing them an opportunity to visit the places of historical significance. A special celebration of Onam was also recreated exclusively for the students of Sikkim.

Says Dewaker Basnet, Chief Learning Officer, 24hours Inspired, “This was a first of its kind experience for the students of Sikkim and we are optimistic that brought back a lot of positive learning from The Village International School and will implement in their respective schools. We are also thankful that the parents understood our vision in exposing their children to the world outside so that they become smarter, confident and worldly wise. I am also very thankful to the Chairman, Principal, teaching staff, non-teaching staff and all the students of The Village International School (TVIS) Kerala for their wonderful hospitality and going out of the way to facilitate learning for the students. We are looking at more programs like this for the students of Sikkim in the near future and look forward to have more schools involving in the process.”

The exchange program started on the 18th of January and the students returned back on the 1st of February 2013.

EDUCATION


Do you have a Sikkim Subject? Time: Early December 2012. Place: Deorali, Gangtok Location: Local Barber’s shopProtagonists: Three boys averaging 14 years

As I sat down for my shave and cut, the boys too entered the barber’s shop. They were in some animated conversation as they zoomed in. They

seemed to be in jolly good spirits. One friend needed the cut and he made the request to the barber to style him in the latest fashionable hairdo, while the others pulled him and suggested that their friend be given an “army cut”. Nothing much to talk or notice about!Three boys enjoying their moments of laughter and fun with each other! Just like friends do. Their bonhomie and conversations went on in the same manner as the barber started using his expert hands in his quest for a fashionable hairdo. My attention too, gradually drifted from them, when all of a sudden I was made to refocus on the three teens, barely in their early 14 years and their conversation. Here’s how the conversation shaped up - Boy 1 – Hey, do you have a Sikkim subject?Boy 2 – Why do you ask?Boy 1 – First tell me do you have a Sikkim subject or not?Boy 2 – I don’t know. Maybe, I’ll have to ask my parents.Boy 1 – Go and check with your parents. You should have one, because if you do not have a Sikkim subject, you will not get a job in the future.Boy 3 – What about Darjeeling and Kalimpong?Boy 1 – No chance. They will not get a government job in Sikkim.Boy 3 – (with pride in his voice) I need not worry, I have a Sikkim subject!The conversation stretched for a while and then digressed to other topics including the condition of roads, the physical training teacher in school to the movies that were in town and the much awaited movies they wished to watch in the theatres nearby...My attention too eventually digressed. However the conversation did leave a lot to think about as I left the barber’s space. 14 years old talking about the importance of an identity is agreeable. But 14 years talking about the prospect of not getting a job if you do not have a piece of paper which authenticates you as a citizen of a particular geographical space is a shuddering thought!

In a time when the world has opened its arms for creative geniuses and an age where borders do not have much significance for deserving minds, young ones discussing his/her future and the role of a subject is indeed pointless to say the least. The questions that arise are the following – 1. At home and schools, have we been scattering the right thoughts in the minds of these young ones? 2. Have we been able to inspire the young ones to dream larger dream which goes way beyond geographies and thereby makes the connection of a subject-job irrelevant? 3. Have we been able to discuss with them that there is a life beyond government jobs and that they should strive for excellence in the areas of their interest rather than bother about them having a “subject” or not? 4. Have we been able to reinforce in these young ones that across the world, in terms of the employability and career progression there is nothing more satisfying than engaging their creative effort and time in private sectors?5. Have we been able to tell them that the young ones should be looking at chiseling their skills and refining their attitudes to think big and to play bigger?6. Have we been able to tell the younger generation that the legends that our state has produced (read Bhaichung Bhutia, Danny Denzongpa et al.) have all been legends not because of the Sikkim subject they hold but because of their sheer dedication, passion, determination and discipline they have had towards their area of interest? 7. Have we been able to non-glorify the issue of Sikkim subject and glorify the idea of becoming world champions and trend setters in the area of their choices? 8. At homes and schools, have we been able to put aside the “importance” of a “must have” government jobs aside and inspire children to compete in a global platform? There’s a lot of homework to do for each parent, school and society at large if we want to bring out more champions from our state in the years to come. And the first task at hand is to make your child believe in himself/herself and equip him/her to become relevant across borders and become a “global subject holder” rather than just a Sikkim subject holder! (The writer is Chief Learning Officer, 24hours Inspired, a leadership development and personality enhancement firm headquartered in Bangalore. He can be reached at [email protected] Website: www.24hoursinspired.co.in )


EDUCATION

With education made a fundamental right, it has certainly become easier to send children to school. The bigger feat though is keeping them in school. This is where an initiative like that of Namcheypong Ashirwad Organization comes truly as a blessing

For the last six years, the non-profit has been working towards motivating children in the rural

pocket of Namcheypong in Pakyong, East Sikkim, to stay in school, by way of free coaching classes and extra-curricular activities like yoga, singing and dancing. It even helps organize regular health camps.

The result of its efforts has been a 99% success rate! Of the 370 odd students who have been part of Ashirwad’s support education programme from 2007 to 2011, there were only two or three students who were not able to pass all their subjects in their first effort. That is an impressive achievement by any standard.

President of Ashirwad, Rita Chettri, daughter of the late Manbahadur Basnet (Kancha Mondal) and Sumitra Basnet of Pakyong and wife of Jt. General Manager SNT (retd) Mr. Meghraj Chhetri talks about the idea behind the organization.

“Despite numerous facilities provided by the government, such as free education, free books, uniforms and


food, and despite it having one of the best student-teacher ratios, Sikkim still has one of the highest drop-out rate in the country. The encouragement and the environment at home play a major role in keeping a child in school. When we started Ashirwad, our goal was simple: to provide support education and ensure the students spend more time doing what they should be doing than doing that which takes them away from education.”

Ashirwad was started in March 2007 and registered with the government a year later. During the summer of 2007, it started with daily tuition classes from 5 pm to 7 pm. The following year, the attendance swelled to 50-60 students. With limited seating space, the students had to be divided into two batches – the morning batch for student up to Class IV, and the evening batch for students up to Class X.

“Over the years, our experience has shown that the children are really keen to study and do well when their minds are channeled in the right direction,” says Rita.

Realising the burden of costly coaching classes for the board exams (Classes X and XII), Ashirwad started its own winter coaching for Class X students in 2007. The response and the result were phenomenal. There were 85 enrolments. Every single one of them cleared the exam on the first attempt!

“That speaks a lot for the efforts of the students and the teachers,” adds Rita. The winter coaching classes which begin at 9:30 am and end at 4 pm, provides the students with refreshments during a 45-minute break in between. During the break, the students and teachers also go over a quick revision of the subjects taught.

In 2008, Ashirwad introduced extra-curricular activities into its programme – singing and dancing on Sundays and yoga on Fridays. “The yoga classes used to be conducted by the late LP Adhikari who was the Namcheypong School headmaster. He was a huge inspiration to all of us and his demise is a great loss to us and to the society he so ardently sought to improve,” says Rita.

Medical camps are also regularly conducted with help from the Central Referral Hospital Manipal, the Lions Eye Hospital and Dr. Nethra from STNM Hospital, Gangtok. The students, on their part, have been very reciprocal, informs Rita. “They are dedicated and they show up every single day, even during the heavy rains in the monsoons – always spirited, always smiling. Even five-year-olds are eager to learn! The children are the biggest source of inspiration for us to go on.”

Nonetheless, despite all its good intentions and work, Ashirwad is not without its share of constraints, especially in funding. “We have never had a constant source of funds or an organized plan to raise funds. In this, we have been lucky so far to have had someone who is generous enough to help us out each year – from within our family and our circle of friends. For the first few years, funding was solely from within the family. In 2009, we had seven post-graduate teachers staying with us for the winter coaching. We sold our car


to raise funds for their stay. From 2010 onwards, we have had help from our cousins as well for the winter coaching. Among others, Sushmita and Seema Basnett have been supporting our work consistently,” informs Rita.

During 2008 and 2009, Ashirwad started classes in Samsing, Aho, Karthok and at Manipal Rangpo (which was supported by the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology), in addition to Namcheypong. However, the branches soon closed down due to shortage of funds. Limited accommodation for the classes has been another constraint, especially with increased enrollments

every year. “We currently run the classes in an open shed and we hope to have a proper enclosed space in the near future. We also want to get a vehicle to ferry the children during the monsoons since most of them travel through treacherous roads to attend the classes,” she shares.

Ashirwad’s future plans also include introducing visual learning aids like projectors and the free online Khan Academy learning classes. Speaking on the journey so far, Rita shares, “It has been very satisfactory. Everybody talks about changing the system, but you cannot change a system at once, what you can so is work towards changing

its future. And we want to be that agent of change. Of course, it has not always been smooth. We have had our fair share of challenges, but we never lost faith in ourselves and our work. The family has been hugely supportive – we are fortunate to have a large family and our children, nieces and nephews have made our work possible. At the end of the day, when you see the smile and the enthusiasm of the students, you know it has all been worthwhile.”The NGO can be contacted at:Meghraj Chhetri / Ashirwad Pariwar+91 9563620734Namcheypong, Pakyong, East Sikkim

EDUCATION

Apart from local teachers, Ashirwad has found support from regular volunteers from abroad. Usually travelers seeking the India undocumented by glossy travel guides, these volunteers found a purpose in dedicating time and effort to teach the students at Ashirwad, and even learn from them:

“Each and every one of them (children) is ready and willing to learn and has a drive for knowledge that is not often displayed in people of their age... Mr and Mrs Chettri have created a community of students who are happy to be there, constantly smiling and diligently doing their work... From start to finish, this has been one of the best experiences of my life.” - Adam Volk, New Jersery, USA, the first foreign volunteer at Ashirwad

“Getting up at 5 am to teach is not my normal idea of fun, but somehow you think about the nine-year-old who has already walked a couple of miles that morning and is full of energy and desperate to know what a ‘ghost’ is… all of them (children) want to be at Ashirwad...”- Jenni Smout, England

“Volunteering at Ashirwad was the absolute best way to spend my time in Sikkim...The students were equally welcoming, smiling every minute as I helped them with their studies. They are some of the most eager and intelligent students that I have encountered in my life...”- Jessica Brandeisky, USA

Volunteers Share


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Dist- Darjeeling


Sachin Rizal lives firmly by this belief and the last five years is testament to this. Since 2007, he has been working with Sense International

India SI(I), the pioneering and the only organisation that works for people with deafblindness in the country. He joined the organization as India’s first official deafblind interpreter, becoming the eyes and the voice of deafblind people in the country. Using the Tactile American Sign language, he helps them express themselves to the world, while also working for advocacy of their fundamental rights.

Today, Sachin is a Senior Programme Officer at SI(I) and his work has moved beyond assisting and interpreting on to identifying the needs of the deafblind and training adults, children, parents and special educators. He works closely with 45 partner organisations in 21 states in the country He trains Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) master trainers to work with deafblind children and develops learning materials for them. He also supports and provides technical inputs to the partners of SI(I) in Bangaladesh and Nepal and is an active figure in Sense International (India’s) work and events across the globe. He was part of Sense International UK’s fund-raising Grand Gala Ball which had Sir Jeffery Archer as the auctioneer and the BBC’s Louise Minchin as the host and which raised £75,000 in a single evening.

Ever since a child, Sachin found himself drawn towards the needy, feeling compelled to help them. “There was no motive – I just liked to help people no matter who they were or where they came from.” He recalls how as a young schoolboy in his hometown Namchi, South Sikkim, he would rush to the help of accident victims whenever he could, sometime even carrying them to the nearest hospital, and visiting them later. “I would talk to them and boost their will to live…” I guess, these were a reflection of the values that my mother instilled in me and my brother from the very beginning.

Sachin’s steadfast pursuit of ensuring proper care and support for such patients often evoked the ire of the hospital staff. He recalls an incident which he says is forever etched in his memory.

“A girl was bleeding profusely from her mouth, so much so that the blood was beginning to block her air passage and she

Sense and SensibilitySachin Rizal works to help the people with deafblindness express themselves to the world, and in doing so, has found his own voice, his calling.

I believe that in order to bring a change, you have to be the change first.

“”

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was choking. After we found her, I and my friends rushed her to the hospital.

The blood was taken out of the girl’s lungs and she was hospitalized for a week. We were told that she had chronic tuberculosis and the disease had reached its final stage. My friends and I visited her everyday in the hospital while she was there… There were several such incidents which changed the way I looked at life and left a strong imprint on my desire to make a difference, a desire which got stronger every day.”

After graduating in Hotel Management, Sachin started a business venture in a partnership with his friend. After sometime, his friend expressed his desire to go study at the Helen Keller Institute for Deaf and Deafblind (HKIDB) in Mumbai. Sachin decided to accompany him and also thought he would do some part-time work to support their education.

At the institute is where Sachin discovered his calling. “The first few months were difficult. Though I had worked

with visually challenged boys when I was in school once, I had never seen disabled children before at such close quarters. Their helplessness made me uncomfortable, but I was more frustrated at my inability to do something to help them out of their cruel fate. I was ready to quit when the Diwali holidays came. I decided to find some work while my friend went home, and quit then. But the next 15 days changed my life forever.

When the programme coordinator for the deafblind at the institute, Anuradha Bagchi found out about my decision to quit, she used all her strength and wit to hold me back. When

she saw I was still adamant, she asked me to go see her at the institute as her son. I could never have refused such an invitation. The next day, I was back in the hostel with my bags! And since then, there has been no looking back.”

Sachin dedicated all his time, studying about the deafblind people and even interacting with them on field visits. Mahesh, an adult deafblind from Jharkhand, now 24 years old , when he was identified 4 years ago he was in a very critical situation. He was totally deprived from all the basic rights like education and socialisation. His role in life was to have food and go out into the jungle. His parents had no faith in him that he would also be like any other kids. When Sachin first met them, they were very negative about his rehabilitation and did not believe Sachin when he shared that Mahesh can lead a much more independent life with the right kind of support. In the next few months Sachin facilitated the appropriate training towards developing specialized communication channels between Mahesh and his family and the rest of the world through tactile language and signs. Mahesh was taught the basics of everyday life and to explore the world around him. All he needed was a trigger. With counseling and motivation form Sachin and his local educator, now things have changed, Mahesh is able to take care of his life by himself, he helps his parents by sitting in the shop. He dresses well and is making paper bags for a shop. If you go to meet him now you might find him and his family sharing a joke or a reason to laugh. “Deafblindness, in simple words, is a combination of vision and hearing impairment and

On site visit- Bangladesh


there may be deafblind people with associated disabilities like mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism and multiple disabilities. At SI(I), I also work very closely with deafblind children and make field visits to identify children with the impairment and guide educators to address their needs and problems. The journey so far has been very satisfactory and enjoyable.”

Especially so when Sachin gets a royal welcome each time he visits children like little Puja. A zesty 5 year old from Hazaribagh. Puja suffers from cerebral palsy in addition to deafblindness. Her parents had lost all hope and were confused on the way ahead Sachin recalls. One of the first things to do then was get clinical and functional assessments done. We found that the hearing was better than we thought with partial vision loss. With a clearer direction, Sachin recommended an individualized education and training plan for the child and her rehabilitation was started. First the recommendations

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Sachin’s prolific body of work since he joined Sense International India SI(I) in 2007: • Represented SI(I) at the Asia Pacific Disability Forum in Bangladesh.

• Evaluator for Cavin Kare Ability Awards 2009-10.

• Designed and developed the online course in Deafblindness for Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

• Member of the core group for web accessibility for disabled persons under the Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India.

• Developed Disaster Management protocol for disabled persons with Handicap International.

• Supported Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in developing module on deafblindness and MSI and trained resource teachers and master trainers in various parts of the country.

• Participated in Sense International UK’s fund-raising Grand Gala Ball , London.

• Published a book on Incidental Learning with support from SI(I),

• Supported the Government of Nepal, to sensitise and help officials from Department of Education understand the need to develop curriculum for disabled persons in the country; a 14-day training was conducted for the same.

were given to work on her basic needs, like activities for daily living , toileting , eating and communications. Puja’s mother cooperated a lot, she also worked hand in hand. It is always better when families understand and are encouraged to participate in this process. Says Sachin, so a large amount of my time is usefully spent in sensitizing and counseling the families and immediate communities including educators . After 3 years of regular intervention and support now Puja has begun to eat food on her own and can take the brush to her mouth with her own hand. She can communicate few things. Like when she is hungry. To the rest of the world these might be very small things, but for her these are important milestones and achievements. Now Puja’s mother feels more secured and has the same dreams n aspiration for her as well like any other mother. She dreams of Puja going to the school with her brother one day. It is this hope that keeps Sachin going as well.

Sachin credits his father as being a huge influence on his

Training for SSA state coordinators and district cordinators on multiple disability and deafblindness

With Lumlang a child with deafblindness- Shillong


life and his decision to work in this field.“I was always aware somewhere in my mind that I had to

do something worthwhile in life and carve an identity of my own in doing so. My father had this favourite dialogue which he would often repeat to me: “My father lives in a very small village, and I live here and the identity which I have created for myself and the respect and all the things around me have been earned by me alone, not by my father, and I have every right to live life as I please”. My father would tell me that if I wished to live life on my own terms then I had to create my own identity and enjoy with what I had earned myself.

Today it feels nice when forums such as Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan and National trust recognize my work and I get to

contribute substantially to decisions and actions that will effect a large number of people.

In the near future, Sachin hopes to extend his work to the deafblind and the disabled in Sikkim. “I have already discussed my ideas on this with my team at SI(I) and if all goes well, we will see the work in Sikkim as well.” Meanwhile photography remains his other passion. You would often find him behind the lenses capturing the beauty of nature wherever I am and whatever I do, supporting people with Deafblindness is my life’s mission. And I wish more and more people would join me in this journey. For more information on Deafblindness and Sachin’s work log on to www.senseintindia.org

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On site visit- Bangladesh


Four months of being one of two vets manning the birds treatment section in Gujarat around this time

of the year is an educational experience. Number 1 - It teaches you how to work with over 3000 injured birds – the kinds that make washing your car a complete waste of time, the kinds that peck very hard, the clawed kinds that will latch onto unsuspecting fingers and make them feel like they got stepped on by an elephant, and the kinds that will take one good look at you and promptly die. Number 2 - It teaches you the art of being patient; and patience when it comes to feathered patients can be as trying as it can be rewarding – try treating a Peregrine falcon with a torn wing and you will have to deal with sleepless nights thinking “this bird had better not have removed her bandage by next morning” and then finding the bandage shredded, and the bird having thrashed around the cage enough to ruin her pretty yellow nose. Number 3 - The experience teaches you how to try and adjust to several religious

Bird-brained Vet!By Minla Lachungpa

Prepping dead vulture for Post mortem Orphaned Baby Langur

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constraints that make our already tough job even tougher. Pure vegetarian rescue centres having to deal with (Gasp!) meat eating birds, and vets compulsorily (Gasp!) having to feed them exactly that no matter what, is a process fraught with genuine concern, several arguments (For the Birds! fists waving) that might escalate to dangerous levels, and eventual “dealing with it as we see fit” moments.Number 4 - It teaches you how to raise seven ear drum splitting baby birds to adulthood while also having to deal with daily medication and surgery of some 300 odd other birds with only one other equally tired vet. These birds might then decide that they do not want to learn to fly but want to follow you around noisily or make themselves at home on your shoulder with sharp young claws because you’re the only parent they now know.Number 5 – It teaches you to be able to carry a 4 kilo Eagle in your lap in a Maruti 800 while making sure that under no circumstance will you let go off

its head or feet and risk missing a strip of skin off your arm or face while also allowing it to happily share its lice with you.Number 6 – It teaches you to be tolerant of Vultures under treatment who might decide that their kidneys can no longer hold in all that fluid you’re pumping into them and spill their very warm, bordering on hot, contents onto your unsuspecting arm or leg. Sometimes you run out of operating tables and so have to literally hold on to your patient just so it stays put long enough to receive medication. You can’t move about much and end up with numb legs and arms.Number 7 – It teaches you not to house over 3 or 4 owls together, because no matter how cute or benevolent and straight out of “Legend of the Guardians” they might look they will not hesitate to make a meal of the weakest member, and while we think “at least they’re retaining their hunting instincts even in captivity” it’s not really the best thing when you don’t have too many of these guys in the wild either.Number 8 – Wearing important looking white doctor’s coats around wild birds and animals especially injured ones will literally scare the poop out of your patients. Literally! (refer to Lesson Number 6). Hence, Go Green!Number 9 – It teaches you that no


matter how glamorous your patient is in terms of size or IUCN status, or how cute and unbelievably soft an owl can be – as far as possible, minimize handling and keep the noise down unless you want to risk losing it and then practice taxidermy and scandalize the rest of the general population who will go – “how could you!”Number 10 - But all in all, when you see your first priority patients like our four critically endangered White Backed Vultures take flight after three harrowing months of treatments and heated discussions over ‘what next’ the feeling you get is nothing short of an almost teary, emotional and silent moment thinking in your head – “all that fighting was absolutely worth it”.

It has been a year since I had started my four month stint at Ahmedabad

with the birds and I actually miss the craziness that this time of the year brings to all the vets with birds getting cut left and right by glass coated kite strings.

P.S – Please do not support kite flying with glass coated strings and kite cutting contests. I know it’s not practiced in our state, but the consequences are as gory as all the bloodshed in SAW I through VII so a little protest and some gyan everytime you see anyone saying “OOO! Kite flying in Gujarat is a magical experience” would be well appreciated.

Working with birds taught me much, and enough to get the opportunity of being able to accompany Mr. John Corder, Vice President of the World Pheasant Association to the Pheasant Conservation Breeding Workshop at the Chengdu Zoo, China as a veterinary tutor. I was asked to deliver two presentations on Bird health management and Avian post mortem with the help of the Panda keeper who assisted as my translator. Mr. Corder is one of the best Pheasant breeders in the world and an institution in himself. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his animated presentations and later in the day, various anecdotes from his life. Lectures were given on the basics of Galliforme Keeping, Housing and Materials, Pest and Predator control, Basic Husbandry, Incubation and Rearing, Record Keeping and Studbook maintenance, Bird Nutrition and additional lectures on Herbivore

and Carnivore nutrition. Practical Demonstrations were based on making catching nets and travelling boxes for the Pheasants, and also on how to handle Pheasants correctly with minimally stressful techniques.

As fun and informative as the workshop itself was, the highlight of the trip was being able to cuddle two year old Giant Panda cubs at the Chengdu and Biefengia Giant Panda Breeding centres. The steps which the country has taken in conserving their national animal makes one quite envious. I am most grateful to Mr. Corder for having given me this amazing experience and also to Mr. Jai Shroff of United Phosphorous Ltd. For having sponsored me and making this trip possible.

As of late, I’ve been trying to get a few odd jobs done while also scrounging for scholarships to help fund my Masters which I plan to be doing soon. There’s also so many things I want to be able to do – work with birds at a bird park, work with our Himalayan Zoological Park, Conservation issues, Zoo Education… BAKE! One of the pressing issues in Sikkim is Man-Animal Conflict – Barking deer, Wild boar and Peafowl raiding crop fields, Civets and Squirrels

raiding fruit trees – our peaches were being demolished by civets until we decided to turn all the fruit to jam and leave enough to keep the wildlife happy; Domestic cats turning to wild birds for food, Stray dogs contracting diseases that could endanger our wildlife and Bear conflicts when they come out into the villages in search for food. As if

Aww-ing over a thankfully uninjured Spotted owlet

Hand feeding baby Parakeets that fell out of the nest


they didn’t already have to contend with local people raiding their natural foods like wild avocados “pomsi” (bleh!) and “kattus ko dana”. It isn’t surprising that they then have to resort to easier food in godowns and makai baari-s and then get rudely chased off or meet unfortunate endings. I hope to be able to help with such issues at some point.

I am now asked what next and each time I end up thinking “I need to get a life! – I need to socialise more” But then when I have to get my nose to the grindstone and am asked to write down something like this, I realise – I’ve had a pretty good one so far actually - worked with birds, snorkelled in the Lakshadweep for two weeks straight, been able to do some actual rafting down the Teesta when it was alive, been on Whale Shark Rescues and babysat elephant calves, been exhausted to the point of suddenly bursting into tears while working in Ahmedabad, watched our patients fly to freedom, cuddle baby pandas – It’s been pretty awesome up till now. I hope there’s other people who will be able to share similar experiences. I recently was thrilled to bits when I discovered that a 7 year old cousin wanted to become a veterinarian. A friend said – let her grow a bit and see what it involves. I say –YAY! you should absolutestly become a vet! It might not rake in the big bucks, you might have to deal with a bunch of bites and scratches, you might not get to go into town all nice and pretty on a daily basis but it definitely leaves you with the greatest of memories.

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Lecture at Chengdu Zoo

1.5 year old Ai-Lee at Chengdu Panda Base


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The 23-year-old’s sketches are already a rage on the online art portal, Deviantart.com, as well as social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Even as he is

waiting to finish his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Sikkim Government College Tadong, he is fine-tuning his illustrations for his career as a tattoo artist. While Mridul started sketching since when he was very young, his childhood dream was to become a cartoon animator.

“I would sketch cartoon characters as a kid. Later, I would sketch portraits of popular celebrities for my friends in school. They loved my work and that would always encourage me to such an extent that I would end up spending more time on sketching than on studying!” he shares. Mridul studied in Holy Cross School Tadong, Namchi Senior Secondary School and his Class XI and XII from Enchey Senior Secondary School. In school, he participated in almost every art competitions.

“All three schools have played important roles in motivating me as an artist, he adds.”

Mridul Wangdi Bhutia aspires to be a tattoo artist. One look at his brilliant illustrations and you will be happy to offer your skin as his canvas!

“But my mother was and is my biggest motivation. She always believed in me and my work,” he shares. Mridul is the son of Tenzing Bhutia and Dharma Dewan of 5th Mile, Tadong.

After finishing his school, in 2010, Mridul joined the Asian Institute of Gaming and Animation (AIGA) in Bangalore for an eight-month basic course. One day, during a casual conversation with an art teacher at the college, he realized gaming was perhaps not the field he wanted to make a career out of.

“Seeing my interest in illustrations, the teacher advised me to take up fine arts. He soon dropped out of the course. Then in a chance meeting, he met someone from Gangtok in Bangalore, who was a tattoo artist.

“I had always been crazy about tattoos, so I pestered him to teach me. Pretty soon, I was sketching on people’s skins instead of paper! I started to upload my works on Facebook and got a lot of positive response. I started using the internet as a tool to showcase my work. I also use Twitter and the


best art selling website, Deviantart.com. Since I am not yet a professional artist, I haven’t started having exhibitions. But I do look forward to it some day.”

One of his teachers from his alma mater, Holy Cross School Tadong, Mr. Shyam came across his work online and asked him if he could contribute to the annual school magazine. “I felt deeply honoured by the request,” he adds.

Despite a hectic college schedule, Mridul ensures he spends at least six to seven hours on his sketching in preparation for his impending career as a tattoo artist.

“It is my passion and I really want to get better at it. Since I am still in college, I need to prioritize my studies right now. As soon as I finish college, I plan to get into the process of becoming a professional tattoo artist. Making tattoos is not a joke since you are permanently inking someone’s skin, and I want to become a certified artist.”

Mridul feels that in Sikkim, art as a career choice is yet to gather momentum among youngsters.

“Parents here still want their children to become doctors and engineers, and they don’t give them a chance to try out alternative options like art. Parents play a very important role in realising the talent of their child. In Sikkim, many people still do not value art as a serious career. We also do not have proper platform which can encourage budding artists. There are several scholarships for different subjects, but hardly any

in the field of arts.” He also feels that tattooing as a profession does not hold

much promise in Sikkim.“People will pay a lot of money for costly mobile phones

and gadgets. But while they will want a great tattoo, they are not always willing to pay for it. But mindsets are certainly changing slowly now. Hopefully, there will be more encouragement for artists like us.”

To his fellow youth, he implores, “Don’t hold back – if you have a talent, come forward and showcase it. When you sketch or paint, you are bringing something to life with your bare hands – this is not something which everyone can do. Believe in yourself and the world will believe in you.”

Mridul expresses his gratitude to all the people who have helped him, encouraged and motivated him in his artistic quest: “I would like to thank my family, my teachers who helped me, Mr. Sagar from Namchi Senior Secondary School, Mr. Sudhir from AIGA, my friend Tshering, my sisters Madhumita and Tshering Peggy and my friend Thinlay Doma who always believed in me. I hope to go long way with their blessings.”

Mridul Wangdi Bhutia can be contacted on facebook and twitter.

Email: [email protected]: 8759536799...


Story & photos by Bishal Cintury

Phusingi Waiba is on the quest to make it as India’s fastest fingerstyle guitarist.

Sikkim has had no dearth in a steady flow of musicians making a mark in India and abroad. But

here’s someone who is on a quest for a rather unique kind of recognition. A school teacher by profession, Phusingi Waiba is all set to become the fastest fingerstyle guitarist (acoustic) in India. Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (picking notes with a single plectrum).

At the recently held audition for talent hunt, ‘Guitar Maestro 2- 2012’ in Darjeeling, he was adjudged ‘Fastest Finger’ by a panel comprising of popular band Mantra’s guitarist Pragya Lama, Aswant Rumba and jazz bass guitarist, Yugal Basnett. During the show, Pragya commented that he had never seen a faster finger guitarist in the acoustic category till date. Now, Phusingi is aiming for a roll of honour in the Limca Book of Records.

While Phusingi’s inspiration to get into music was his older brother Sonam who is an accomplished musician himself, he took to fingerstyle guitar playing after watching an 8 year old boy use the technique to perform Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a prayer’ on the internet!

Teacher by day, musician at all times

Phusingi who lives in Gangtok’s DPH locality, is a school teacher at the Bhusuk Junior Secondary School. In his spare time, he teaches music.

Phusingi started playing the guitar in 1994, when he was in Class VIII. “My brother Sonam introduced me to the

guitar. I was inspired by him, I used to watch his shows all the time. He decided to teach me. He was a tough teacher and I would get frequent slaps when I got the chords wrong! But it was all worth it and I am grateful to him,” shares Phusingi. Sonam earned the title ‘Magic Finger’ for his inimitable talent on the electric

guitar back in 1997. It’s only natural that his younger brother is now racing for the ‘Fastest Finger’ title.

Phusingi made his stage debut in 2002 with his best friend and drummer Mingyur Bhutia, at a show organised by the All Sikkim School Association (ASSA). “The only constant members

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in our band were Mingyur and I. We didn’t even have a name! But that show really boosted my confidence level and we went on to form a proper band and named it ‘Crusaders’. We performed with Girish Pradhan’s Anarchy and it was a huge success. We decided to have our own concerts after that.”

After his school, Phusingi put his music on hold while he went for higher studies. He joined Frankfinn Institute to train as a flight attendant. “Also, at that point, I couldn’t afford to buy a guitar so I had no choice but to stop my music for the time being.” Luckily, he got a chance to play when the institute asked him to perform at a show with the Darjeeling band, Adveda, after seeing his solo performance at SMIT Rangpo’s annual Kalrav Fest. “There were few tracks in the lineup so I gave a solo performance. The response from the audience was amazing.” After his performance, Phusingi was invited by the CEO of Frankfinn to perform at a show in Jharkhand.

Since then, music has been a constant part of Phusingi’s life. “By the time I

graduated in 2002, I could call myself a musician. That’s when I also decided to start teaching music to others. I wanted to teach others what I had learned and experienced, and do my bit for society.”

The Beat Contest 2005 and the Northeastern Rockers 2008 are among the various shows and competitions he has performed at.

Living on a prayerBefore he joined Bhusuk Sceondary

School, in 2010, Phusingi taught at a monastic school in Sumik Lingzey, a remote village in East Sikkim, where he taught English for a year. The experience at the school brought in spirituality to his life and into his music, he says.

“I found God there. People make many kinds of offerings to Guru Rimpoche. I offered him my music. Since then, my music has become my spiritual medicine. The experience has also made me calmer and more peaceful than before, and kinder to others.”

“One day, someone showed me the video of Sungha Jung, an 8 year old boy from Japan who played Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a prayer’ using the fingerstyle

technique. The boy was so good and I was fascinated by the technique. I got enough inspiration to go out and buy an acoustic guitar which cost me about Rs 10,000, and started practicing the fingerstyle technique. Today, I have my own guitar and I play blues, rock & roll, instrumental, fingerstyle and many more genres of guitar playing. I also work hard to create an individual identity for my music.”

Sharing his music In 2011, Phusingi with his brother

opened their music class. Without even advertising for it in the media, the duo got eighteen enrollments immediately. “My students had been following me and my fingerstyle technique for a while, so they were thrilled when we decided to start the music class. As much as they learn from me, I learn from them too. Within three months, my students will be able to play like me.”

Phusingi sees his biggest achievements so far, in one of his students, Bhusan Allay, becoming a music teacher at ATTC in Bardang, Singtam, and another, Keshav Pradhan

Sonam & PhusingiPhusingi with Students


having entered the finals of ‘Guitar Maestro 2 in Nepal’.

A musician’s struggles Ironically, Phusingi himself was

unable to go on to the same finals due to financial constraints.

A year ago, Phusingi missed out on another national level competition for the same reason. He was adjudged ‘Best Guitarist (Instrumental)’ from the Northeast and was due to perform at the competition in Bangalore.

“I needed a good guitar and accessory gadgets to perform in Bangalore, but they were too expensive. Since I would be representing Sikkim at the competition, I decided to approach the Department of Cultural & Heritage Affairs of the state government. My efforts were in vain. I was asked to write an application and made to run around, but nothing came of it. I was really disappointed. It also made me realise that if you are a budding talent, there is no provisions for support from the government. You got to make it on your own and try and not be dependent on anyone.”

‘If I wasn’t a musician…’“…I would probably be a monk.

When I was 12, I had wanted to join the monastic life.” Apart from music, Phusingi is also interested in Twaekwondo.

Hear ye youth of Sikkim“One thing I don’t understand is

the common occurrence of youngsters taking to drugs and alcohol when they get into music. Music has always kept

me fresh and occupied, because when you really get into music, there is little time to get into anything else. I wish our youngsters understood that music can be great without such evils.”

“I have also seen that the younger lot today is more attracted to things that will bring them instant gratification, as opposed to working hard and for long for something. They want everything quickly and easily, and if they cannot get it, they become frustrated and turn to the wrong solutions. I was unemployed for a year, since my teacher’s post was on ad hoc, but I never let that fact get to me. I waited and spent my time on my music and decided to start the music class. My experience at the monastic school has helped me overcome challenges in life.

Life is full of problems. Have patience and everything shall pass.”

In the near futurePhusingi wants to expand his

music school and has applied for its registration. He also plans to hold free winter workshops for young students who will be taught by his students. He is also working on some solo compositions in fingerstyle, including versions of ‘Serenity’ and other classic songs. “I plan to send the demos of these to RSJ (Rock Street Journal) next year.” Plus of course, there is the record that he plans to break.

Persons interested in learning guitar can contact Phusingi on 8609552614. Timings for classes: 10 am to 12 pm; 2 pm to 4 pm

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Phusingi with Students


Prabin Moktan

Ringing in the New Year

Newspaper editors are as a breed an optimistic lot. It wasn’t therefore any great surprise that the editor of Now succumbed to make positivity a mantra of his

new year editorial (http://sikkimnow.blogspot.in/2013/01/editorial-another-year.html).

Unfortunately for him there wasn’t much to be cheerful about. Hence he chose to make his write-up relevant by peppering it with the specific achievements of three young people. Unfortunately all of them were in a statistical sense outliers.

Two were writers who had honed their craft in foreign countries. The third perhaps more pertinent to that perky project was a doctor who had, thank god, been to a government school.

There was of course that inevitable mention of Bhaichung Bhutia, the permanent fixture in any journalistic feel-good endeavor of which perhaps this magazine is the primary votary.

The three aforementioned examples could be noted for the acutely ‘individual’ nature of their achievements. The state obviously could have played no role in those successes. They could not in a sense be replicated. Too many things should fall in place for those stories to happen again.

The editorial was therefore eulogizing what had happened in the fringes of the Bell Curve. It had tried to serve a fair purpose but the examples quoted made it sadly irrelevant.

Of course one cannot for a second, fault the editor for not having done his homework. The significant thing though was what he did not mention. However it wasn’t a sin of omission. No one, not even an editor can talk of something that doesn’t exist.

Yet it would have been more reassuring for the future wellbeing of the State had there been at least a young politician and a young entrepreneur that could have found a mention in the Now editorial.

It would have sent out a really warm, fuzzy message had the editor of even this magazine, whose antenna is forever cued-in to pick up even the faintest whiffs of success, been able to feature a local businessman , industrialist or a politician, worth their mettle in the pages of this glossy.

And that is where the sad story of the State I feel is situated. Somehow in spite of all the social upliftment that

is being currently engineered by the State, it doesn’t seem to be successful in creating leadership. Leadership of the kind that impacts people on the ground.

In that sense there is something dismal about Sikkim. It’s people don’t seem to be happy. Of course happiness is a loaded word and may mean different things to different people. Yet so many people wanting to end it all should make any thinking person sit up and wonder.

I was at Jorethang on the day of Maghey Sankranti. The highpoint of the Mela was the CM’s visit. It was difficult to escape his speech. It followed you through those strategically placed mikes. Even the TVs in the restaurants were playing it. It was pretty long too. Obviously much of it had stuff which someone like me who doesn’t belong to the state has no business commenting.

However there was something I wanted to hear him address- the suicides in his state.

Unfortunately he found time to mention everything- even the beauty regimen of his citizens (by his own estimate women do ‘facial’ after 40, men after 50) but not a syllable on the S-word.

It was as if the problem never existed.So like the rest I sought escape in the retail therapy that

the Mela offered. It was a curious, sad, ugly affair. If the stalls were offering what the citizens demanded then it sent out a strange signal. There were tattoo parlors side by side with those displaying organically grown pumpkins. And as if attesting to the CM’s felicity of words about facials- there was a dingy stall displaying bleaching ointments and breast firming creams (sudol ratan, sk. B oil and Stanya Shoshak Lep in the Heartland Hindi of the vendors).

This wasn’t the first time I had been to this Mela. A few years back I had really enjoyed the ethnic food stalls, where every jaati had appropriated the raksi and jaand as their own beverage. There had even been a bandstand where the cats of a Naumati Baja troupe were belting out one jazzy number after another.

This year was a pale shadow of that grand affair. In one of the stalls selling muda I discovered an apt metaphor for what Sikkim is or could become.

The seat of the muda was done in beautifully toned buffalo leather but the base was rimmed by an old , fading discarded tire.

That combination created a hideous thing.

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BOOKS

It is a three-in-one book providing much of information required to know of the Gorkhas in India as Indians. Book One deals with the Sociological and Anthropological

Study of the Gorkha people. Book Two is about Gorkhaland: A Geo-Demographic study of the proposed state of Gorkhaland. Book Three explains The Rise of the Demand for Gorkhaland: A Socio-Political study of the demand for a separate state.

Beyond being great soldiers, very few see the Gorkhas as a robust community of men, women and children, carrying a heritage which is quite outstanding for a minority community. Why are the Gorkhas referred to as a community and not a race or caste or class? Because the Gorkha people have a united identity of clans and castes, despite being scattered geographically in different locations of India. Barun Roy’s book seeks to provide all possible information on the social, anthropological and cultural diaspora. How many of us even know that the Gorkhas consist of two major streams of races---the ancient Kiratis and Khas? The Himalayan and sub-Himalayan Kiratis have 17 tribes and Indo--Gangetic Plains Kiratis have 5 tribes, with distinct features. The Khas consists of 7 castes. This ‘Who-Are –We’ and ‘Who’s Who’ of Gorkhas strives to cover the ethnicity of all Nepali-speaking people from across India in a never-seen-before effort.

Most of us are asked who we are and face intense scrutiny of our faces if we say we are West Bengalis or Uttarkhandis or Jharkhandis or Himachalis or Harayanvis or Assamese? It never seems to gel and neither is it wholly accepted. They dig deeper. So we say I am a Gorkhali from Assam. That seems to find acceptance to a degree, meaning must be a settler or migrant in Assam. But that’s not quite true. In today’s world, thinkers are dispelling old notions of being Aryan or Mongolian or Tibeto-Burman or Indo-Aryan. They are totally outdated with the mixing and matching of humans. The key word is genetic mapping. If your genetic mapping matches with the others of the place, you are a son or daughter of the soil. In that case the Gorkhali genetic mapping would match all on the sub-Himalayan belt from North-west to North-east and probably even further. Indians are today finding genetic

The Gorkhaland Journey

Gorkhas and GorkhalandA Socio-Political Study of the Gorkha People and the

Gorkhaland Movement

mapping similarities right up to Lithuania (a country in Northern Europe with Baltic ethnic origin near the Baltic sea). But the Gorkhas is still trying to convince that we belong.

The demand of Gorkhas to be recognized was sympathetically heard but ignored despite several new states and several Union Territories being reorganised by the 1953 States Reorganization Commission set up to look into ‘ways and means of physically reorganizing the internal boundaries of India.’ Gorkhas contributed majorly to the Indian Freedom Movement from faraway corners and from belonging to backward tribes also. The sense of nationality was always there from that time in this intense sensitive minority people. On 19th December, 1946, Dambar Singh Gurung, the lone Gorkha representative in the Constituent Assembly spoke at the Constitution Hall chaired by Dr Rajendra Prasad, the First President of India. He said “Sir, I stand here today as the only representative of 30 lakh (3 million) of Gorkhas in India. It is 30 lakhs near about the population of the Sikhs; still I am the solitary representative here in this House…Sir the problem of the Gorkhas is quite different. They are scattered all over India…They are very backward educationally…Sir the All India Gorkha League approached the Congress High Command to give adequate representation to the Gorkhas in the Constituent Assembly but our request was totally ignored, whereas as many as 3 seats were given to the Anglo-Indian whose population is only 1 lakh and 42 thousand in India. I do not think that Gorkhas will any more tolerate this kind of injustice…” This was sixty-six years ago. Since then the Gorkhas have been striving towards their goal of being recognized as a prominent Indian minority and not a sub-group. The recognition of the Nepali language and Nepali literature was another achievement where the Gorkhas of India united despite geographical dislocations.

Besides all the meat, there are interesting appetisers in Barun’s chronicle of events. On the 14th of August, 1947, some members of the Muslim League hoisted the flag of Pakistan over the Town Hall of Darjeeling, and also in Kalimpong and Kurseong. There was indeed a great deal of turmoil over the supposedly declaration of Darjeeling Hills belonging to East Pakistan. Ultimately, four days later the flag was replaced with the national flag of India amidst much jubilation. The whole idea of belonging to Pakistan was strongly opposed by the All India Gorkha League, of course to the relief of the Indian national leaders.

Tea today is a global brand with the consistent hard work of the Nepali-speaking people. The rise of the Darjeeling District

A review by Jyoti Thapa Mani

By Barun Roy


Committee of the CPIM Party by Gorkhas, Ratanlal Brahmin and Ganesh Lal Brahmin, brought to fore the pathetic state of tea garden workers. With political consciousness, there grew a spate of protests which were met with indiscriminate killing of the tea garden workers fraternity including innocent women. That was in 1955. Darjeeling Hills was never the same again as Gorkhas fought against exploitation and for self-determination and freedom. That’s when the realization of a separate state was strongly felt. For example, today, the Gorkha population consisting of any combination of the mentioned tribes or castes is highest in Sikkim, where Nepali is also the state language. However, the same Nepali-speaking people politically separated from Sikkim and included in West Bengal have been called foreigners or being forced to re-identify themselves as Nepalese national. The Gorkhas have been crying hoarse that they are not against anybody but want a statehood to establish their identity where their population was in majority. Yet their demand has been looked upon by many, including honourable ministers as separatist and anti-national. On 28th May, 1979, Shri Morarji Desai, the then Janta Party Indian Prime Minister of the self-urine drinking fame, even rejected a petition for the Nepali language by telling the Indian Gorkha delegation to submit it to ‘your King in Kathmandu’.

The authenticity of the Gorkhas has been dug beyond fruits, branches, roots, to determine whether they qualify to be Indian citizens or not. Most shovels have hit rock bottom. Read the whole story of the journey of the Gorkhas strive for recognition in the Darjeeling Hills. The journey remains

incomplete but plods on. There has been much angst in the Gorkhaland movement such as the violent attack on ex-servicemen protesting peacefully at Siliguri on 9th April 2008 or the indiscriminate police firing to kill on unarmed women protestors at Sibchu on 8th February, 2011. Barun has chronicled each and every detail in this book, a must reference for everyone to know about the Gorkhas in India and the courageous spirit of the Gorkhas for their fight of recognition and quest for statehood. The book answers all questions about the Gorkhas in the modern Independent Democratic Republic of India. It is a comprehensive book on modern Indian Gorkha History in the Darjeeling Hills. In addition, book 3 carries rare photographs of the brutalities suffered by the people post-2007 in the course of the movement. There are some flaws in Book One with the Joshua Report on the population presence of Gorkhas by clan in Indian states, but a start nevertheless. There is little coverage of Gorkha habitats away from the Darjeeling Hills. With two-thirds of the book based on the Darjeeling Hills, the cover is misleading; it should have flagged the specific location rather than make a sweeping statement.

[A graduate from the prestigious National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Jyoti Thapa Mani is Design Director of Businessworld, New Delhi. She has also been Design Manager of The Economic Times and Senior Design Editor of Business Today. A Gorkhaphile by interest, she has been researching and documenting the history of the Gorkhas for over 10 years.]


For some strange reason, Phurba kept staring at the empty blue sky that morning. Uneven lines crisscrossed the contours of his face, reflecting his discomfort at the sight

of his fields. The paddy that Phurba had transplanted stood dry and was withering in the sun; as the rains were late this year. To add to his worries, his wife was pregnant yet again. In frustration he kicked the sod with his bare foot. He didn’t realize that it was firm and hard. He let out a cry and the lines on his face became even more etched. He eyed his village with tired disdain.

The sleepy village of Ari lay snugly at the foot of the mountains floating in the clouds like rocky waves. The village seemed to stare defiantly at Gangtok. It was the last rustic bastion still fighting the attempts at urbanization. It also stood as a reminder of what the capital must have once looked like. Ari had undergone subtle changes over just a short span of time. It all started when the younger farmers began selling bits of their fields to the town folk, who came in their ‘big shiny cars’. Phurba even recalled a gentleman, who carried a cell phone that seemed larger than his youngest daughter’s tiffin box. Consequently, the young farmers sold their lands and also bought ‘small shiny cars’. Most of them stopped tilling the fields. You could say that Phurba was the last farmer standing.

Phurba hurried back home. The house looked dilapidated. The generations old large ant- eaten beams were somehow still holding it up. The sitting room; if you could call it that had one lumpy sofa and a couple of rickety beds. A small altar stood at the far end of the room. A 40 watt bulb dangled from the low ceiling. It was the only modern appliance in the house.

Today, Phurba was worried. He silently bowed his head and folded his hands in front of the altar; something he hadn’t done in a long time. The last time he had done this was when his infant son was burning with the fever. Saila Bajey, the village

The Two ParcelsKalden Gyatso

shaman had tried to exorcise the evil spirits inside the baby. Early next morning, his ten day old son had died. Looking straight at the altar his prayer was simple and direct. He simply asked the gods to bring down the rains.

Just then, he heard his wife moaning in the kitchen. He saw her hunched over the fireplace. “Are you alright?” he asked her.

“I can feel the baby coming.” She groaned.Carrying her on his back, he descended downhill to the

house of his own cousin, who owned one of those shiny little cars. But even now, Phurba just had to take one hurried glance at his fields. As he trudged downhill with his cumbersome burden, he couldn’t help recalling how beautiful they looked this time last year. He had thought the fields looked like butter lamps lit with green flames that sparkled in the water.

On the way to STNM Hospital, a massive jam at Amdo Golai strangled the traffic in a knot of

chaotic confusion. Inside the small shiny car, Mikchung had been drained of all her energy and control. She let out a groan which was muted by the frantic car horns. Phurba’s son was born right there in the back seat of the car. Just then, right on cue… there was a low rumble and rain splattered on the car’s bonnet.

The rain fell for more than twelve hours. Office goers cursed the rain because they had not carried an umbrella to work in the morning. Rain drenched students waited forlornly under the trees for the rain to let up.

On the way home, Phurba peered at his son. He glanced up at the sky from time to time. To him the clouds looked just perfect. Colourful umbrellas were in bloom everywhere, like water lilies waving gently in the monsoon rain.

The ‘Two Parcels’ that Phurba had waited for so long had finally arrived.

SHORT STORY

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Sikkim has once again proved its shining glory in successfully attracting a lot of domestic and foreign tourists, making it one of the favorite hot spot destinations

in our country. The beautiful landscapes, snow clad mountains

By T.Norbu Bhutia

ranges and peace loving people are a perfect blend to make this tiny Himalayan State worthy of its visit. Let’s give a “Thumbs Up” to the Government for making great strides in the tourism sector. Tourists from India and abroad have appreciated tourism infrastructure in the State and reminisce their experiences in travel journals and through other media.

Since a couple of years back, our State has earned its rightful place in the road map of tourist destinations with the visit of many actors, stars and celebrities from filmdom and other fields. Actor, Producer, Director & TV host Aamir Khan of bollywood fame visited Gangtok for the shooting of his TV production “Satyamev Jayate” at Rumtek. Ian Wright a renowned Globetrotter and a TV presenter also visited Sikkim to showcase his extraordinaire host “Invite Mr. Wright” in TLC

The making ofNISHAANI


that was shot at Rumtek Monastery. A series of film shootings further continues in various parts of the State bringing in artistes from Kollyood (Bengali) and Tollyhood(South) and Bollywood as well.

This time the beauty of Sikkim has captivated the Director of Nepali feature film Nishaani starring Indian Idol Prashant Tamang. Mr. Vinod Sereng, Director of Angaalo Yo Maya ko film, was here in Gangtok with his team for the shooting of Nishani. Film Nishani is indeed based on the true story of great Gurkha soldiers of 1/11 GR of Indian Army during the Kargil War 1999 who fought bravely for the country. The Director aims to highlight the heroic acts of those brave soldiers’ in defending the nation.

With this Nepali Motion Picture Production, it will once again refresh memories of the audiences back to the Great Living Legend of our Kargil War Hero who is no other than Col Lalit Rai, a recipient of Vir Chakra. A tale of his great heroic act during ‘Operation Vijay’, a widely known to everybody is once again being unfolded into the motion picture to mark his great era of Glory in the battle front.

To jot his brief cite, Mr. Rai, the chief of the Maratha troops of 17 Rashtriya Riffles who later took over the charge of the 1/11 Gurkha Riffles during the exigency of war time – fought pitched battles along with this force in the perilous terrains of Khalubar, Kargil and made atop of the ridge Khalubar, 18000 ft above sea level and successfully raising a tricolour flag after severely drubbing away enemy from LOC. Late Capt. Manoj Kumar Pandey who fought ferociously and laid his life in defending, later decorated with the country’s highest award: the Param Vir Chakra posthumously by the Indian Government.

In the film, Star Prashant Tamang has played a role of one of the brave soldier on the part of the story assisted by Actor Puran Subba is reprising the role of Col. Lalit Rai and the role of Late Capt. Manoj Kr. Pandey is done by a local talent, Gopal Chhetri of Sikkim Armed Police. Beside Prashant’s acting he gave his melodious song “Batasey Sara ra…” which entire song sequence shot at Pangthang, Gangtok.

Vinod Sereng said that this film has good romantic scene featuring two new budding actors, Miss Anu Gurung and Bishnu Chamzong of Nepal and also complimented by number of songs by leading singers inclusive of Prashant Tamang. The music of film is being scored by Mr. B.B. Anuraghi. The film Nishani was widely shot at Pangthang and its adjoining areas, where maximum logistic assistance was provided by the Sikkim Armed Police. Mr. Jhanak Gurung, Fight Director has also done an excellent job to incorporate a best war action sequence into the film.

In the Bollyhood film LOC, Director J.P. Dutta had also made his attempt to dramatize the epic of 1999 Operation Vijay – Kargil War on the same story line, unfortunately the film didn’t success commercially as expected. However, it is hopefully keeping our expectation high on this Nepali film “Nishaani” will deliver its best performance covering all the relevant characters incorporated in a perfect ambience for the audience. [The writer is SAP Commandant, Pangthang]


Mr. Vinod Sereng one of the best directors of the Nepal film industry was recently in Gangtok with the ensemble cast of his latest film ‘Nishaani’ being shot widely in Sikkim. ‘Nishaani’ is a nepali film starring Indian idol sensation Mr. Prashant Tamang and is the launch pad for Miss Anu Gurung & Miss Bishnu Chamzong winners of the Nepal Idol into filmdom.Mr. Sereng shared his views about his forthcoming film ‘Nishaani’ and his experiences

Can you share with the readers about your journey into the film world?I ventured into film making in the year 1986. My first assignment was as an Assistant Director to Mr. Pratap Subba- a veteran in the industry. I assisted him in making short films, TV soaps and tele films. Didi, Chaityang, Bhisma Pratigya are some of the films I worked as an assistant.

When did you start directing Nepali feature films?My first film as Director was Bagar, Sangarsha Zindagi Ko, Angalo Yo Maya Ko (2011) are my recent films.

Why did you choose to shoot ‘Nishaani’ extensively in Sikkim?Sikkim being a one of the beautiful State of India and having a majority of ethnic similarity with Nepal. So I opted to shoot this venture in Sikkim rather than Darjeeling and other place, because of Sikkimese people are extremely modest and also a great cinegoer. This State is also blessed with spectacular landscapes and range of mountains. Infact, ‘Nishaani’s script also demands same back-ground and required terrains similar to Kargil, Jammu & Kasmir. Could you elaborate on ‘Nishaani’?The film production is under the banner of Lalit Sereng Productions, Nepal and Cine Enterprises, Gangtok with a budget of Rs. 70-80 lakhs. It is based on “ Vir Gorkhali “ soldiers – heroes of Kargil War 1999 who fought for the nation with great bravery, ferocity and strength of character. ‘Nishaani’ aims to highlight the might of those great Gorkhalis, 1st 11th GR of Indian Army.

How was it working again wIth Mr. Prashant Tamang after Agalo Yo Maya Ko? I had no choice other than Prasant Tamang after the success of Agalo Yo Maya Ko. He is an extremely a good actor to work with and he carries a great personality as the only Nepali Indian Idol as well a good singer with large fan flowing in Sikkim,

West Bengal, Assam, Nepal and abroad also. What was your inspiration behind the story? And is there any special reason…I, being a son of a soldier who served in the Gurkha Regiment of Great Britain have always been influenced by the countless stories of Vir Gurkha Soldiers in various battle fronts and their great bravery, ferocity and strength of character. So, I have waited so long to work on the story of Gurkhas, and with ‘Nishaani’ I hope to realize my cherished dream.

Do you see any prospect for young local talents in Nepali film industry?I have given preference to local talents especially Sikkim Armed Police personnel. They have an opportunity to showcase their talents in the film. I have recently spotted few talented individuals such as Mr. Bikash Subba and Mr. Gopal Chettri.

Please comment on the prospect of Nepali films in the international market?We have a good market in Nepal as well as many parts of India because of Nepali communities. Film entrepreneurs are really showing positive signs in international level such as the countries like U.K., Singapore, Malaysia, Bangkok,Dubai, Hong kong etc. The film Angalo Yo Maya Ko has also done good business in above countries but a good film must be complemented with good story, action, romance and music.

Lastly would you like to share your experience in Sikkim?Firstly, I would like to extend my thanks to the Government of Sikkim, DGP Sikkim for providing all possible help and support during the entire period of the shooting. I owe deep gratitude to Mr. TashI Wangyal, Commandant of Sikkim Armed Police for providing logistic help. I on behalf of the entire team of Nishaani once again thank all the members of Sikkim Armed Police.I enjoyed working with the people of Sikkim. The people out here are humble and always ready to help.

INTERVIEW


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INTOWN

Offering shoppers a unique style statement, Gangtok’s newest fashion destination, ‘The Shopaholic’ brings in a range of hand-picked clothing items and accessories from places like China, Korea, Bangkok and New Delhi.

Vintage accessories and bags, tribal-print clothes, Wellington boots, Barbie lenses, spiked ballerina shoes, fake nails and eye lashes, Hello Kitty accessories

and Mary Kay cosmetics are some of the items up for grabs. The prices range from Rs 10 to Rs 3,500.

“For those who are young at heart,” says store owner Yangchen Tongden Lepcha of her customers. Yangchen unveiled The Shopaholic’s online store on Facebook on her birthday July 18, last year. Six months later, the physical store was opened, during Losoong, on Tibet Road.

“You may find few of the items in my store elsewhere in Gangtok, but every item here has been hand-picked to cater to the Sikkimese’s people’s unique sense of style and individuality; every item at The Shopaholic reflects my own style,” says Yangchen who is a full-time entrepreneur and also runs a travel agency.

She informs that the response has been good since the opening and she expects it to get better in the days to come. Yangchen also has plans of expansion for her business.

“An entrepreneur is what I want to be, and I am always looking to broaden my horizons and achieve all that I can,” she adds. The Shopalic is located at the Blue Sky Hotel on Tibet Road. Store hours are 11 am to 7 pm

ShopaholicsCalling


Marathon Men

Members of Sikkim Running Group [yes there is one] participated at the Amity half marathon (21 km) held at Kolkota on 3 February. Allen Targain, Neeraj Pradhan, Somu Balmiki and Basant

Pradhan along with other long distance runners from Sikkim successfully completed the race. SRG is looking forward to also participating at Corbett half marathon at Nainital and Airtel half marathon at Delhi.

Prajwal Parajuly’s dream run with The Gurkha’s Daughter continues. Launches all

across the country and positive reviews have created quite a buzz about the author’s debut book. The Mumbai launch was extra special with two successful Sikkimese in conversation together. Bandana Tewari, Fashion Features Director, Vogue India and Talk Sikkim cover girl for last issue interviewed Prajwal at the event held at Kitab Khana, Mumbai.

Dream HighUrban Inc have launched their new official video “dream high” from their upcoming album of the same name, which will be launching later this year. The hip hop/rap band is fronted by Thupden Wangchuk Bhutia and Tenzing Kekchola Dorji aka Thups and Leks. The video directed and edited by Popolaz is their second official video and can be seen on Youtube.

Akshay Kumar calls Danny Denzongpa, ‘The very man I have aspired to be for so many years, Danny you are the true

BOSS of my film & a man all men should be!!’ High praise indeed. The two men are sharing screen space in upcoming film BOSS, which also stars Aditi Rao Hydari, Shiv Pandit, Mithun Chakraborty, Johnny Lever, Parikshit Sahni and Ronit Roy, and is directed by Anthony D’Souza.

Sonam Bhutia from Sikkim has won the “Miss Glory of Asia 2013” title at the “Miss Glory of Universe” beauty pageant held at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh to raise awareness on world

peace and appeal for the release of innocent prisoners from jails across the world. Contestants from various other countries participated at the contest. Sonam Bhutia raised the issue of Sarabjeet Singh who is still languishing in a Pakistani jail. Also present at the show were Sarabjeet’s daughter and sister along with other important dignitaries.

Sikkim Glory

Dream Debut He’s the Boss


LAST WORD

SHORT CIRCUITOTIS

What do we want? A Sikkim – Darjeeling merger or a Greater Nepal. Actually what do we care, no one’s serious about it anyway. But that’s not how

the intelligence agencies here look at it. For them its grist for the mill. A few theories are out and being dried in the cold. Like it being a win – win move for the centre - it will be the end of Gorkhland, the end of 371F and the end of any ideas of Greater Nepal. A chastising for Mamta Banerjee is another theory. On why the chief minister of Sikkim can’t do much about it? This too has been worked out by the agencies - “the centre’s got the screws on him with various ‘files’ ready to find their way to court in case he makes much noise about it”. And what if the merger does take place? Chamling will be chief minister and Bimal Gurung deputy chief minister. They’ve got it all figured out.

***But the award for figuring it all out goes to Sikkim Swatantra Manch. Just at about the time of mid December when Golay was all set to announce his party with this same name came a set of greenhorns with nothing but a party name. They announced and declared their party open to all under the age of 40 and disappeared. It was too much of a coincidence. But there was nothing to do for Golay but go back to the drawing room to find a new name. But he went one better – he went to the masses.

***But how much money really trickled down to the masses post September 18, 2011? The white paper recently issued seems more of a white wash; if someone had to grill the government on this claim some other truths would emerge. How much money was given to Power Department for ‘distribution’ and how much to the administration in the control room for ‘distribution’? A district official was asked by the government to show 50 rebuilt houses post the quake in his district. He replied that in this day of GPRS etc and when one could locate the houses from Google Earth just sitting at home that would be foolhardy. Apart from the whereabouts of funds and the lopsided relief with north district receiving the least of benefits and the most of damages there is no mention of the CM’s Relief Fund anywhere. A click on the REDHRH scheme in the official govt portal under the CM’s relief fund and you are presented with drainage works etc. Not only is there a big question on the number of deaths with one renowned investigative magazine claims 111 deaths in the quake but also on the actual number of houses under REDRH actually built.

***

Enrolling for Aadhar seems to be the trendy thing to do these days. Whether it’s for your LPG connection, ration card or health card etc - an Aadhar card seems necessary. A Secretary level official was totally flummoxed when he was asked to show his Aadhar when he went to make his Health card, which is actually a state government initiative and has no connection with Aadhar, a central initiative. But who can complain when you are even required to show your Aadhar at the Ranipool crematorium.

***Yogendra Kumar would have done the same had be been in any condition to do so. The Indian Air Force pilot’s Jaguar crashed into the Dzongu forests and he bailed out in his chute to crash down into the Lepcha reserve. But he didn’t know that. When he saw some people rushing towards him with their mongoloid features he, understandably, realized that he harbored no desire to by held by the Chinese. He made a desperate attempt, on his fractured leg, to make it out of China and back to India. Of course, the Chinese don’t speak Hindi but the Lepchas do. And when they did one could understand the relief of Yogendra Kumar.

***Can’t be said that Premjit Singh felt the same way when he was arrested and“deported” back to Manipur to “unite” with his old comrades. Konthamjam Premjit Singh, a wanted Manipur militant, was picked up from Tadong, Gangtok a few months back; he had been residing there for the past 2 years at the least, unknown, unheard of while his militant outfit, Kangleipak Communist Party or KCP, was having it out with the security forces in Manipur. But his arrest from Sikkim has had a fallout for the people of the state – the making of Aadhar cards got stricter and the scrutiny more intense. After all Premjit Singh was traced here in Sikkim not due to any sleuthing acrobatics by the security agencies but when he unwittingly got himself enrolled for an Aadhar card and his photo appeared on somebody’s screen.

***The CM must have spent many a sleepless night seeing the rate of defection from his party to the Golay camp. A running tale goes like this – The CM was having a tete a tete with a former advisor and a present advisor up at Mintokgang over tea and biscuits. CM to former Advisor “How come your grandson has joined the Golay group, can’t you control him”? Former Advisor to CM “Sir, I myself am confused over my grandson’s activities so I leave him be. But look at your present advisor, his entire family has joined the Golay gang”. The CM, as the bird sings, stomped out of the room.

Documents

Talk Sikkim Feb, 2013