SIKKIM OBSERVER Saturday   Nov 16-22,  2013    

In Supreme Court, SKM demands CBI probe into police lathicharge

Sonam Bhutia (left)

Gangtok, Nov 15: The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has demanded CBI probe into the brutal Sikkim Police lathicharge at its party headquarters here on February 11, 2013.

It has expressed optimism over the recent hearing of the case against Akshaya Sachdev, IGP, Law & Order, Govt of Sikkim, in the Supreme Court.

SKM General Secretary (Legal) Sonam Bhutia said the case came up for hearing on Tuesday and the apex court’s Justice Singhvi “heard the case at length”.

Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Prashant Bhusan and Sunil Mathew argued that the Respondent No. 2, Akshaya Sachdeva, IPS, be suspended and that a criminal case be registered against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The petitioners have also demanded that departmental proceeding be initiated against Sachdeva.

Justice Singhvi passed an order on behalf of the Bench stating that Sikkim Police’s action against SKM supporters on February 11, 2013, were “unwarranted” and the subsequent cases and chargesheets registered against the petitioners and other SKM members be stayed, SKM release said.

Based on the report submitted by the Enquiry Commission headed by I. C. Dwedevi, Ex. DGP, UP, the apex court will decide in two weeks’ time which organization will carry out the probe against Sikkim Police headed by Sachdeva, SKM release said.

The Commission was set up by the Supreme Court to probe into the alleged “unprovoked lathi- charge” by Sikkim Police headed by Sachdeva on SKM supporters.

‘North Point’ has contributed to nation building: Prez

Darjeeling, Nov 15: President Pranab Mukherjee said schools such as Darjeeling’s St. Joseph’s School, commonly known as ‘North Point’ – as it is located at North Point – “have stood the test of time and contributed to the building of our nation.”

Speaking at a function here at St. Joseph’s School on Sunday, the President said “India’s tomorrows are shaped in the crucibles of great schools, in their classrooms, games fields as well as co-curricular activities.”

Quoting India’s first Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, he said: “If India is to be a great nation, it must begin in her classrooms.”

The President’s visit to the Jesuit school is one of the highlights of the school’s year-long celebrations of its 125 year. The celebrations will conclude in April 2014.

The President lauded the contribution of the school and the Jesuit fathers, in particular, in the field of education.

 “Institutions like St Joseph’s School, North Point and others run by the Jesuit fathers like St Xavier’s, Kolkata, where Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore studied, St Xavier’s Mumbai, XLRI, Jamshedpur, and Loyola College, Chennai, have stood the test of time and contributed to the building of our nation,” he said.

St Joseph’s School, and St Xavier’s Calcutta and Mumbai were founded by Fr Henri Depelchin, a Jesuit father of Belgian origin.

Editorial

GREAT INSTITUTIONS

Take Care of Them

President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Darjeeling’s prestigious St. Joseph’s School (North Point), founded by the Jesuits 125 years ago, this week coincides with the Gorkha leadership’s decision to go slow with the demand for Gorkhaland. While the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha is now planning to get back to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) instead of pursuing a hardline approach to its statehood demand other Gorkha leaders, including Mahendra P. Lama, are chalking out a more democratic method to achieve Gorkhaland. These are noteworthy developments on which hill people and their leadership must now focus on.

Great educational institutions such as ‘North Point’ have made tremendous contribution not only to Darjeeling, India but also to the world at large. Indeed, many ex-students of schools such as St. Joseph’s School, Dr. Graham’s Homes, St. Paul’s School, Loreto Convent, Mt. Hermon School, Goethal’s Memorial School and others in the region have given leadership to Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet. It may also be noted that most of the distinguished schools in Darjeeling went through a rough time during the Gorkhaland agitation since 1986 and are still facing difficult days. ‘North Point’’s Father Kinley needs to be applauded for his success in ensuring that his alma mater reaches greater heights in difficult times. Hill people of Darjeeling and school authorities must learn something from St. Joseph’s School and start learning to take care of these great educational institutions.

SKM: People’s movement for change is gathering momentum

     Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) chief PS Golay with his colleagues and supporters during a party meet.

Gangtok, Nov 15: “This man is better than Bhandari and Chamling,” confessed a prominent leader of Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM).

“I’ve worked under both Chamling and Bhandari but Golay has better leadership quality,” he added.

“One of the main reasons why people are flocking to the SKM is because Golay has the winnability factor,” said an observer. He pointed out that Golay has been winning from various constituencies ever since the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) came to power in 1994.

When Pawan Chamling launched his SDF on March 4, 1993, in Jorethang, South Sikkim, less than 10,000 attended the public meeting. Ousted from the Bhandari Cabinet in mid-1992, Chamling’s popularity in early 1993 was at its height.

 AD Subba, President of Sikkim Himali Rajya Parishad Party, who has now merged his party with the Congress, could gather around a few hundreds for his party rallies.

The crowd at public meetings of Sikkim Sangram Parishad, led by NB Bhandari, falls far short of people’s expectation. The same can be said of the BJP, SNPP, Sikkim Liberation Party etc.

Compare these to SKM’s recent party meeting here at the Paljor Stadium which had a crowd of about 30,000. Golay is yet to be formally crowned SKM President and the number of people joining his is staggering.

People’s expectations from the SKM are very realistic. “We just want change at the top. Twenty years under one man’s rule is far too long.”
Death of A Judge

Justice Anup Deb: Did he commit suicide or was he murdered?

By Jigme N Kazi

More than a decade after his sudden demise the mystery of Justice Anup Deb’s death refuses to fade away, at least among those who were close to him.

   He was a Judge and I a journalist but what bound us together for more than two decades was our friendship nurtured down the years through turbulent times. When I got a call from someone early morning on March 14, 2002 I rushed to Justice Debs’ official residence at Balwuakhani in Gangtok only to find out that he was no more. The official version of Justice Deb’s death was that he hung himself in his official residence in the night of March 13.    

   Justice Deb was a strong and determined person and those, like myself, who knew him from close range found it very difficult to believe that he had committed suicide.

   “Unable to bear his prolonged illness, sitting High Court Judge Justice Anup Deb committed suicide,” a national daily reported. It added “…an ailing Justice Deb (59) hanged himself in the bedroom of his official residence here shortly after midnight leaving a suicide note stating "I cannot bear my illness anymore."

   However, Deb’s personal physician Dr. K. Bhandari of Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM) said he was not suffering from any terminal or serious diseases. It is the first time in India’s history that a sitting Judge commits suicide, reported Sikkim Express.

   My own English weekly, Sikkim Observer, which many times reported on Justice Deb’s pronouncements in the court, was out of print during this period and failed to carry anything on his death. I hope this piece will to some extent do justice to the departed soul and compensate for my failure to carry anything on circumstances surrounding his tragic death which still remain shrouded in mystery.

    Deb was elevated to the rank of a Judge of the Sikkim High Court from the State Advocate General's post in 1994. He was transferred to the Agartala bench of the Gauhati High Court in February 1995 and then moved to the Orissa High Court in March 1996 before returning to Sikkim High Court in December 1997. During his tenure in the Sikkim High Court he also held the post of Acting Chief Justice for some time.

   “Don’t meditate too much. Look after your family,” were his last words to me and my wife when we went to see him and his wife at his Gangtok residence. He was in a good mood and we had a good time. That was, I think, the last time we met. Most of the time Justice Deb lived alone in his residence while his wife and children resided in neighbouring Siliguri, his home town.

    Since the Chamling Government slapped two cases on me regarding my press and residence in early 2001 and since Justice Deb was hearing these cases I made it a point not to be around him. But by early 2002 I learnt that he was not his normal self. During this period he once told me that he had information from the Union Home Ministry that his life was in danger. He used to often seek divinations for even traveling to Siliguri and Delhi. Lots of pujas were also performed for his safety and security. At times he was quite paranoid about his personal safety. “Some people think I’m running a parallel government!,” Deb used to tell me at times and then burst into laughter. Indeed, some of his observations and verdicts in the court made the administration sit up and take note.

   Realising that he was not keeping well I made it a point to see him and personally find out what was troubling him. I had some paper works to do at the High Court on March 13 which took some time. It was then I decided to go and see him in his office at the High Court premises. He was not there and I was told he was with Chief Justice R. Dayal in his office. I waited for sometime and left a word in his office that I had come to see him.

    I was expecting a call from him in the afternoon or evening of the same day.  Justice Deb usually calls me to his residence whenever I wanted to see him or the vice-versa. We normally chat over a cup of tea and snacks prepared by his cook. But this time there was no calls from him and early the next day I get a call saying he is no more.

    My first encounter with Justice Deb was way back in the winter of 1983. I was just fresh out of college and into journalism. What brought us together was a writ petition filed in the Supreme Court on seats reserved for Sikkim’s indigenous Bhutia-Lepchas (BLs)  in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly by Ram Chandra Poudyal, then perhaps the most popular and articulate leader of the Nepalese community in Sikkim.

   In his writ petition, Poudyal, a former minister in the Kazi Cabinet (1974-1979), sought to do away with 12 Assembly seats reserved for the Bhutia-Lepchas and 1 for the Sangha, representing Buddhist monasteries in Sikkim. Deb, who was then the Additional Advocate General of Sikkim, sought my help to defend the case on historical ground. He said we would lose the case if we depended solely on legal and constitutional grounds. I took leave from Eastern Express, where I was working, and prepared the papers to defend the 13 reserved seats of the BLs and Sangha in the Supreme Court.

   When the case came up for hearing in early 1984 before the Supreme Court Poudyal was asked to “withdraw” his petition. The five-judge constitution bench headed by Supreme Court Chief Justice, Justice YB Chandrachud, which took note of the historical background on Assembly seat reservation for the minority indigenous communities in Sikkim, was in our favour. However, Poudyal tactfully delayed hearing of the petition for several years and when it did come up for hearing in early 1993 we won the case.

   “The inequalities in representation in the present case are an inheritance and compulsion from the past. Historical considerations have justified a differential treatment,” read the verdict of the apex court. These were the same observations made by the apex court in February 1984.  If Justice Deb had not advised us to depend on our history to defend our case we may have lost our battle in the apex court and that would have been disastrous for Sikkim.

   When we finally won the case in 1993 it was my privilege to have Justice Deb, Sonam P. Wangdi, now Judge of Sikkim High Court, then a Sikkimese lawyer who was once Deb’s junior, and my friend Chewang Tobgay, who represented Sikkim Tribal Welfare Association (STWA) in the case as an intervening party, at my residence at Deorali for lunch. It was time to celebrate for our victory. Former Home Secretary, Late Jigdal T. Densapa, who was a part of our team representing the State Government, was the only person missing from the table.

   I was the last person to place a khada on Deb when his body was placed in the crematorium on the banks of Mahananda River in Siliguri during the funeral. I vividly recollect what came to my mind when I first passed the Mahananda bridge, located near the cremation place, after Deb’s death.  As I looked over the bridge across to where the last remains of Justice Deb’s body were turned into ashes and then immersed into the river these words from the man whom I loved and respected flashed through my head: “Don’t look back. Look forward. I did my job. Now you do yours.” Was he referring to the Assembly seat issue? I often wonder about this but have no answers. However, I know that our mission on Assembly seat issue for both the Bhutia-Lepchas and Sikkimese Nepalese is still unfinished. Whenever I pass through that bridge I look over to the same spot and whisper some prayers for the one who is now no more but who still lives in my memory.

   Did Deb really commit suicide or did someone hang him? During the tragic incident, Deb’s younger brother, Goutam Deb, now Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s troubleshooter in Darjeeling and also North Bengal Development Minister, was heard uttering these words in front of Justice Dayal and other officials: “Cold blooded murder.”   

   The Sikkim unit of the Congress party’s demand for a CBI probe into the incident went unheeded. The fact that one of Deb’s prominent friends in college was senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee – now India’s President – did not evoke much response from the authorities. Former Chief Minister NB Bhandari also doubted the suicide claim of the government.

   Years later, a highly-placed Sikkimese civil servant close to Deb who has now retired, told me that the former Acting Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court did not commit suicide but was forcefully hung in his toilet. To prove his point he said there was no probe into the incident and the policeman who was guarding Justice Deb’s residence during that period died mysteriously one month after the tragic incident. The constable’s wife also committed suicide shortly after her husband’s death. Reportedly, the couple hung themselves.

    No matter how Justice Deb may have met his end I strongly believe that it was the system that thrives on lies, deceit and corruption that put an abrupt end to his life. (Talk Sikkim, October 2013)

St. Joseph's School: 125 years of excellence in service

In 1877, school was established for Catholic boys in 'Sunny Bank' a bungalow close to the presbytery (possibly what is known as the Bishop's House today) by the Capuchin Fathers. In 1879 new building had been put up and the school was given the name of "St. Joseph's Seminary" under the Rectorship of Fr. Joseph Peacock, helped by five assistant-masters. This was presumably the first authentic ancestor of North Point. By 1881 the school was enlarged to a building measuring 150 by 40 feet, a very large structure for the Darjeeling of those days.

St. Joseph's School, Darjeeling, is popularly known as ‘North Point’. The name North Point came about because the school is situated in that area of Darjeeling.

The Kanchenjunga mountain range forms the backdrop to the school, with Grecian columns and cuneiform windows enclosing an eye-catching quadrangle in the centre. The school was opened on February 13, 1888, at Sunny Bank in Darjeeling town. There were eighteen boarders and seven day scholars on the rolls. Numbers soon increased and the need was felt for more ample grounds.

The present roperty was procured by Fr. Henri Depelchin SJ, the founder, on the town limits at North Point. The foundation stone was laid on April 27, 1890, and on February 18, 1892 the new building received the first North Pointers. In 1899, the student body consisted of 193 boys.

Towards the end of 1908, Sir Andrew Fraser gave Rs.21,000 to the school. The money was used to close in the quadrangle completely. With this the number of students increased to 290. In 1947, the year of Indian Independence, the number reached 422, including ninety-three college students.

There was a steady increase in the numbers of day scholars, and the school became more international in character. There had always been a scattering of English, French and German boys. Later, students from China, Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand and Burma started arriving. In 1954, twenty-eight nationalities could be found in the college, including the staff. At one time there were Americans, Czechs, Armenians and a mixture of religions: Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Jew, Bhuddist, Hindu, etc. Initially, the Jesuits who ran the school were from Belgium but in the late 1940s, the Canadians slowly took over.

The building of the structure, in 1888, was entrusted to Brother Eugene Rotsaert, who levelled the site. Approximately 2,000,000 cubic feet (57,000 m) of rock and soil was removed before building could begin, and a force of some two thousand men was employed for the purpose. Below the school site, the Maharaja of Burdwan had an extensive field known as Ladbrooke Farm. It was acquired on long lease. The work at North Point proceeded under the lead of Brother Rotsaert. By May 10, 1889 the excavation of the foundations was completed and construction was started without delay.

The foundation was blessed on April 27, 1889, and the school was blessed by Fr. Depelchin on December 8. In 1892, E. H. FitzGerald joined the staff, and remained until his death in 1945. Classes reopened on February 18, 1892, for the first time at North Point.

In spite of the financial difficulties at St. Joseph’s, material improvements were taken in hand from the very first year of its existence. The dormitories were panelled, dressing-rooms were fitted out, and the equipment of the two laboratories -for physics and chemistry- was improved.

In 1893 the unsightly mound which stood between the building and the Lebong Road was removed.

The house system was introduced in 1950s. Boys who come to North Point are assigned to a house.

Four houses- Ashley, Garnet, Campion and Southwell- were established with a boy prefect each. There are no records of those after 1938. In 1952 the present system was introduced. The houses were named after four deceased Jesuits who had served many years at North Point.

Depelchin House (red) was named after the founder of St. Joseph’s College and builder of North Point, Fr. Henri Depelchin S.J. (1822–1900).

Fallon House (blue) was named after Fr. Joseph Fallon, a former Prefect and Rector (1913–1919). Fr. Fallon later became Superior of the Bengal Mission. He returned to North Point and died here in 1952.

Laenen House (yellow) was named after Fr. Denis Laenen who taught from 1901 until his death in 1946.

O'Neil House (green) was named after Fr. Edward O'Neil who had been a teacher and then the Prefect. Later he was appointed Rector of St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta. (Wikipedia)

Father Kinley: ‘Second Founder’ of St. Jospeph’s School

Born in Bhutan and an alumnus of St. Joseph’s School, Father Kinley Tshering S.J., who is widely regarded as the ‘Second Founder’ of St. Joseph’s School, was the first batch of ICSE in 1975 and was a Depelchin Gold Medallist.

He went to Bangalore for plus 2 to St. Joseph's, and then to Mumbai at St. Xavier's College for a degree in Sociology. He started "Malhar" which is one of the biggest students' festival in India today. He was awarded the best foreign student by Rotary Club Mumbai in 1980.

Fr. Kinley graduated from IIM-Bangalore with a MBA in Marketing. Later he did his M.Ed in Educational Administration from the University of Manitoba in Canada.

Before joining North Point, he was the Principal of Loyola College of Education at Namchi, South Sikkim, Principal of St. Alphonsus H.S. School at Kurseong and The Dean of the Sikkim Govt. College, Gangtok.

In 2003, Fr. Kinley joined North Point and since then he has changed the face of the school in all respect. Today North Point is one of the best schools in the region. He is, therefore, known as "Second Founder" of St. Joseph’s School, a credit that he rightly deserves.

There was no ultimatum…it was just smash and grab: Chogyal of Sikkim

Imprint: Tranquebar Press

Format: Hardback

Extent: 494pp

Published:  Oct- 2013

Price: Rs 795

ISBN 9789383260386

This book made history. It wasn’t banned, not quite, when it first appeared in 1984, but its disappearance was cleverly managed so that few got to read the only authentic account of how a protected kingdom became India’s twenty-second state. As the Hon. David Astor, editor of The Observer in London, wrote, Sunanda K. Datta-Ray was ‘alone in witnessing and communicating the essential story’.

Chogyal

  He had to surmount many obstacles and incur severe disapproval to do so. Nearly thirty years later, a revised edition with the author’s long new introduction reads like an exciting thriller. Rich with dances and durbars, lamaist rituals, intrigue and espionage, it brings vividly to life the dramatis personae of this Himalayan drama—Sikkim’s sad last king, Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, and his vivacious American queen, Hope Cooke; bumbling Kazi Lendhup Dorji and his scheming Kazini, whose nationality and even her name were shrouded in mystery, and who played into the hands of more powerful strategists.

Kazi

Citing documents that have not been seen by any other writer, the book analyses law and politics with masterly skill to recreate the Sikkim saga against the background of a twentieth-century Great Game involving India and China. Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim didn’t only make history. It is history.

 About the Author

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray has been a leading Indian journalist for half a century. He has been editor of The Statesman (Calcutta and New Delhi) and has also written for the International Herald Tribune and Time. He was also the editorial consultant to Singapore's The Straits Times newspaper.

An alumnus of La Martiniere for Boys School, Calcutta, Datta-Ray is the author of Looking East to Look West: Lee Kuan Yew's Mission India, Bihar Shows the Way, Smash And Grab: The Annexation of Sikkim and  Waiting for America: India and the US in the New Millennium.

Jigme N Kazi’s blog: jigmenkazisikkim.blogspot.com

SIKKIM OBSERVER  Saturday   Nov 9-15,  2013  

    One of Tashi Namgyal Academy’s (TNA) gates – traditional and unique –which leads to the school playground, located on      the eastern side of the campus. (Pix by Leonard Lefevre)

President to visit Darjeeling, Sikkim

Prez to attend St. Joseph School’s 125^th celebrations

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee will visit West Bengal and Sikkim on November 10 and 11, an official statement said on Friday.

The President will attend the 125th year celebrations of St Joseph's School, North Point, Darjeeling on November 10.

In Gangtok, he will inaugurate the 40th Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Environment Exhibition on November 11.

West Bengal Governor M.K. Narayanan is presently on a 19-day visit to Darjeeling district from Oct 27.

A GJM delegation led by its supremo Bimal Gurung is also likely to meet Narayanan.

Sikkim Chief Secretary R. Ongmu convened a meeting on Wednesday at the Conference Hall of the Secretariat to review the progress of preparation of concerned departments for the visit of the President to the State next week.

The function is being  held here at Epica Garden, Saramsa, East Sikkim, an official release said.

Panel report on Sachdeva before Supreme Court

Gangtok, Nov 8: Senior Police officer IG Akshay Sachdeva (Law and Order), who ordered the brutal crackdown on Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) activists here at the party headquarters in February this year, has been “completely exposed,” said a party functionary.

He was referring to the report on the incident submitted by a panel before the Supreme Court. The apex court set up the one-man committee to probe into the matter after SKM’s Kala Rai approached the court’s intervention in August.

According to reports, retired DGP of Uttar Pradesh Shri IC Dewedi submitted the report on October 17. The report has termed ‘illegal’ the police lathicharge led Sachdeva.

The SKM is now keenly awaiting the apex court’s verdict on the issue.

PM apprised of ‘massive corruption’ in earthquake relief work: SKM

Gangtok, Nov 8: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been apprised of the alleged massive corruption in the utilization of earthquake relief work in the State.

The Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) has submitted a memorandum to the office of the Prime Minister alleging huge corruption in earthquake relief fund utilization.

Vice President of the party, T. N Dhakal, personally visited the office of the Prime Minister and submitted a memorandum citing ‘massive corruption’ of the relief fund provided by the Central Government for compensating victims of the 18 September 2011 earthquake, according to a press release of the party, Talk Sikkim reported on Facebook.

SKM Working President Bharati Sharma said the memorandum reveals that out of 8000 damaged houses, not even 5% work has been completed.

The SKM alleges that the relief fund has been misused by the ruling SDF party for their political purpose rather than compensating the victims.

Sikkim: World’s No. 1 region to visit in 2014

Gangtok, Nov 8: Sikkim, the tiny Himalayan mountain state in northeast India, has come top of the Lonely Planet’s regions to visit in 2014.

The Lonely Planet said Sikkim has set new benchmarks for responsible travel in India, with sustainable community-based tourism and eco-friendly policies that have reinvigorated the state.

It added that organic farming is being promoted in Sikkim, which has a population of around 600,000, and that a new airport scheduled to open near Gangtok in 2014 will shave several hours off travel time to the region. Reaching the state now involves a winding journey from West Bengal on narrow mountain roads, which are often flooded or blocked in winter, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In September 2011, a 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck the region, killing more than 100 people.   That year, Sikkim was one of six states and union territories to experience a decline in domestic tourists, with just over half a million visitors, down 21.1% from 2010, government data show.

But the state continued to attract foreign tourists thanks to its snow-capped mountains, Buddhist monasteries, terraced fields, agreeable climate and excellent trekking. In 2011, the number of foreign tourists in Sikkim rose 13.7% to 23,602. Foreigners need a permit to enter the state.

Growth in India’s tourism industry has slowed this year. In the first four months of 2013, the growth in foreign tourists was just 1.8%, against 9% a year earlier.  Some female tourists say they carry stun guns and pepper spray for protection in India, following reports of attacks on women in the country, including foreign tourists.

The Incredible India campaign launched in 2002 to attract tourists to the country was felt by some in the north east to have left the region behind. In response in 2012, the North East Development Council, a body aimed at promoting economic and social development in the region, began its own 10-year campaign to entice visitors.

Sikkim was an independent kingdom until it became India’s 22nd state in 1975. Along with Goa, it is one of only two states in India to permit gambling.

The state does well on some development indicators. It has a female literacy rate of 76.43%, above the national average of 65.46%, and infant mortality is 26 per 1,000 births, nearly half the national rate of 50 per 1,000 births.

The Kimberley in Australia was second on the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2014 rankings for regions. It was followed by Yorkshire in England, Hokuriku in Japan, the U.S. state Texas, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Zambia, the Spanish island Mallorca, the west coast of New Zealand, the Chinese province Hunan and the Tongan island group Ha’apai.

The Lonely Planet also lists what it deems to be the world’s top cities, countries and destinations based on other travel criteria.

Editorial

REALITY & RHETORIC

Democracy Guardian of Vested Interests

Acclaimed author Arundhati Roy once branded ‘democracy’ as “the Free World’s whore”. Roy, a social activist and critic of the United States and globalization, like another noted intellectual Noam Chomsky, has blamed the West of making a big show of ‘manufactured consent’ in the name of ‘democracy’, where vested interests, including the media and big business houses, call the shots in the name of the people. Naive citizens in developing democracies often fall prey to what The Times of India calls ‘dance of democracy’ while referring to the electoral process. Elections are often looked upon as celebrations in a democracy but the stark reality is that it is a process by which the microscopic elite literally buys consent to govern.

Governance in such a situation is nothing but a pack of wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing to exploit the masses in the name of democracy. The history of modern civilization bears witness to this fact. Elected rulers in a democracy do not listen to the voice of reason. They, time and again, ignore public opinion against war, corruption and anti-people policies. Its only in name that India is called the world’s largest democracy. The reality is that it is a functioning anarchy. Roy is absolutely correct when she says free elections, a free press and an independent judiciary mean little when the free market means they are on sale to the highest bidder. Even in smaller regions of India such as Sikkim, a former Himalayan kingdom annexed by its protecting power, the evil nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and the corporate houses are in full display.

PRIDE OF SIKKIM

Army honours Victoria Cross holder Ganju Lama

Gangtok, Nov 8: In a befitting honour to a brave son of Sikkim, the Indian Army last Friday dedicated the gate of Gangtok Military Station in the name of Victoria Cross recipient Ganju Lama.

Ganju Lama, who received the prestigious Victoria Cross for his valour during the Second World War was honoured by naming Ganju Lama Dwar during a ceremony attended by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling and Indian Army officials, The Statesman reported.

Late Ganju Lama’s wife Pema Sangmo and his two sons and daughter Rinchen Doma also attended the inauguration function at Gangtok Military station. The majestic gate has traditional Sikkimese design keeping in view the local ethos and heritage.

‘This gate will also be as a medium to inspire the younger generation and make them aware about the history and the courage reflected by the brave soldiers of Sikkim and the foremost in this is Late. Captain Ganju Lama’, said Lt Gen KJ Singh, GoC, Trishakti Corps.

Assuring Sikkimese people on the peaceful border conditions, Lt. Gen. Singh said: "Sikkim’s is one of the peaceful borders, where we have Indian Army ever vigilant over there, in keeping with the defence policies. And there is peace and tranquility on the border. Our operational infrastructure is also coming up very well."

Maj Gen D Anbu, GoC of 17th Mountain Division based in Gangtok also attended the function.

Ganju Lama was born on 7th July 1922 in the village of Sangmo in South Sikkim of a Sikkimese Bhutia father belonging to the Shangderpa clan.

He was admitted into the Gurkhas at the age of 18 only because in wartime the regiment let slip its usually stringent ethnic criterion. His real name was Gyamtso Shangderpa.

Subadar (Captain) Ganju Lama VC, MM, 1st Bn, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, died on the 30th June 2000 at his home in Sikkim.

The spring of 1944 saw General Sir William Slim's offensive into northern Burma countered by the move of the three divisions of General Mutagachi's 15th Japanese Army into the Imphal Plain. Mutagachi aimed to block Slim's lines of supply through the mountain passes from Assam, but first had to take Kohima and Imphal.

In Burma, on the morning of the 12th June 1944, the enemy put down an intense artillery barrage lasting an hour on our positions north of the village of Ningthoukhong. This heavy artillery fire knocked out several bunkers and caused heavy casualties, and was immediately followed by a very strong enemy attack supported by five medium tanks.

   After fierce hand-to-hand fighting, the perimeter was driven in in one place and enemy infantry, supported by three medium tanks, broke through, pinning our troops to the ground with intense fire. "B" Company, 7th Gurkha Rifles, was ordered to counter-attack and restore the situation.

Shortly after passing the starting line it came under heavy enemy medium machine-gun and tank machine-gun fire at point blank range, which covered all lines of approach. Rifleman Ganju Lama, the No. 1 of the PIAT gun, on his own initiative, with great coolness and complete disregard for his own safety, crawled forward and engaged the tanks single-handed.

In spite of a broken left wrist and two other wounds, one in his right hand and one in his leg, caused by withering cross-fire concentrated upon him, Rifleman Ganju Lama succeeded in bringing his gun into action within thirty yards of the enemy tanks and knocked out first one and then another, the third tank being destroyed by an anti-tank gun.

In spite of his serious wounds, he then moved forward and engaged with grenades the tank crews, who now attempted to escape. Not until he had killed or wounded them all, thus enabling his company to push forward, did he allow himself to be taken back to the Regimental Aid Post to have his wounds dressed.

Throughout this action Rifleman Ganju Lama, although very seriously wounded, showed a complete disregard for his own personal safety, outstanding devotion to duty and a determination to destroy the enemy which was an example and an inspiration to all ranks. It was solely due to his prompt action and brave conduct that a most critical situation was averted, all positions regained and very heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy.

Ganju Lama was invested with his Victoria Cross by the Viceroy of India, Field Marshal Lord Wavell, at the Red Fort, New Delhi, India, on the 24th October 1944.

On the partition of India in 1947, Ganju Lama joined the 11th Gorkha Rifles of the new Indian Army. The regiment had been re-raised from the soldiers of the 7th and 10th Gurkha Rifles who opted to continue their service with the Indian Army, rather than join the British Army. On his retirment the Government of Sikkim granted him a piece of land near his native village in the Ravangla District where he farmed both potatoes and the profitable spice crop cardamon.

Sikkim honoured the brave soldier with Pema Dorji, the highest civilian award in the former kingdom.

Darjeeling, Kalimpong were once part of Sikkim

Darjeeling in 1912

The area of Darjeeling was inhabited by the Lepchas,  and Bhutias as part of Sikkim from ancient times. In 1642, Phuntsog Namgyal became the first Chogyal ruler of Sikkim. Tensung Namgyal became the next Chogyal of Sikkim in 1670. It was during his rule that Sikkim lost the area of Kalimpong to Bhutan.

The Gorkha army from Nepal invaded Darjeeling in the 1790s, attacked the Sikkimese capital of Rabdentse, and annexed territories up to the Teesta River into Nepal. After the Anglo-Gorkha War, Nepal ceded one-third of it territories to the British as per the Sugauli Treaty in 1815, which included the land area between the rivers Mechi and Teesta. On 10 February 1817, the British reinstated the land area between rivers Mechi and Teesta to the Sikkimese Chogyal as per the Treaty of Titalia.

 The present disputes between Nepal and Sikkim arose regarding their borders (especially Ontoo Dara) and the then British Governor-General of India, Lord William Bentinck, sent two officers, Captain George Alymer Lloyd and Mr. J. W. Grant, to help resolve the dispute in February 1829. It was on the journey to Ontoo Dara that the two officers stayed at Darjeeling for 6 days at "the old Goorka station called Dorjeling" and were "much impressed with the possibility of the station as a sanatorium." On 18 June 1929, Lloyd communicated to the government regarding the possibility of Darjeeling serving as a sanatorium, while about the same time Grant also urged the government to possess the tract.

Lease Deed

Captain Herbert, the Deputy Surveyor General, was sent to Darjeeling to examine the area. The court of Directors of the British East India Company approved the project. General Lloyd was given the responsibility to negotiate a lease of the area from the Chogyal of Sikkim. The lease as per the Deed of Grant was granted on 1 February 1835.

This Deed of Grant, which is commendably short, runs as follows:

“The Governor-General having expressed his desire for the possession of the hills of Darjeeling on account of its cool climate, for the purpose of enabling the servants of his Government, suffering from sickness, to avail themselves of its advantages, I the Sikkimputtee Rajah out of friendship for the said Governor-General, hereby present Darjeeling to the East India, that is, all the land south of the Great Runjeet river, east of the Balasur, Kahail and Little Runjeet rivers, and west of the Rungpo and Mahanadi rivers.”

This was an unconditional cession of what was then a worthless uninhabited mountain, but in 1841 the British government granted the Chogyal an allowance of Rs. 100,000 per annum as compensation, and raised the grant to Rs. 6,000 per annum in 1846.

In 1835, a member of the Indian Medical Service, Dr. Arthur Campbell, was appointed as agent of the leased tract, and Lieut. Napier (later Lord Napier of Magdala) set to work improving the area and laying the foundations of the hill station of Darjeeling. Dr. Campbell became the first superintendent of the sanitorium in 1839. A road connecting Darjeeling with the plains was constructed in 1839.

Tea Plantation

Dr. Campbell brought Chinese tea seeds in 1841 from the Kumaon region and started growing tea on an experimental basis near his residence at Beechwood, Darjeeling. This experiment was followed by similar efforts by several other British. The experiments were successful and soon several tea estates started operating commercially.

Darjeeling, showing the Himalayan Range, as seen from St. Paul's School, Darjeeling, 1870

The rapid growth of Darjeeling led to jealousy from the Chogyal of Sikkim. There were also differences between the British Government and Sikkim over the status of people of Sikkim. Because of the increased importance of Darjeeling, many citizens of Sikkim, mostly of the labour class, started to settle in Darjeeling as British subjects. The migration disturbed the feudal lords in Sikkim who resorted to forcibly getting the migrants back to Sikkim.

Sikkim Rebellion and Annexation of Darjeeling

The relation deteriorated to such an extent that when Dr. Campbell and the eminent explorer Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker were touring in Sikkim in 1849, they were suddenly captured and imprisoned. This detention continued for weeks. An expeditionary force was sent by the Company to Sikkim. However, there was no necessity for bloodshed and after the Company's troops had crossed the Rangeet River into Sikkim, hostilities ceased.

Consequent to this trouble, and further misconduct on the part of the Sikkim authorities a few years later, the mountain tracts now forming the district of Darjeeling became a part of the British Indian Empire, and the remainder of kingdom of Sikkim became a protected state.

The area of Kalimpong along with the Dooars became British property following the defeat of Bhutan in the Anglo-Bhutan war (Treaty of Sinchula – 11 November 1865). Kalimpong was first put under the Deputy Commissioner of Western Duars, but in 1866 it was transferred to the District of Darjeeling giving the district its final shape.

The Chowrasta, Darjeeling, 1880.

Development in Darjeeling

The Darjeeling Municipality was established in 1850. Tea estates continued to grow. By the 1860s, peace was restored in the borders. During this time, immigrants, mainly from Nepal, were recruited to work in the construction sites, tea gardens, and other agriculture-related projects. Scottish missionaries undertook the construction of schools and welfare centres for the British residents: Loreto Convent in 1847, St. Paul's School in 1864, Planters' Club in 1868, Lloyd's Botanical Garden in 1878, St. Joseph's School in 1888, Railway Station in 1891, and Town Hall (present Municipality Building) in 1921. With the opening of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway in 1881, smooth communication between the town and the plains below further increased the development of the region. "Darjeeling disaster" was an earthquake in 1898 that caused considerable damage to the young town and its native population.

Darjeeling Municipality took responsibility in maintaining the civic administration of the town from as early as 1850. From 1850 to 1916, the Municipality was placed in the first schedule (along with Halna, Hazaribagh, Muzzaferpur and others), where commissioners were appointed by the local governments and second schedule (along with Burdwan, Hooghly, Nadia, Hazaribagh and others), where the local government appointed a chairman.

Prior to 1861 and from 1870–1874, Darjeeling District was a "Non-Regulated Area" (where acts and regulations of the British Raj did not automatically apply in the district in line with rest of the country, unless specifically extended). From 1862 to 1870, it was considered a "Regulated Area". The term "Non-Regulated Area" was changed to "Scheduled District" in 1874 and again to "Back Ward Tracts" in 1919. The status was known as "Partially Excluded Area" from 1935 until the independence of India.

Tourist Destination

Darjeeling's elite residents were the British ruling class of the time, who visited Darjeeling every summer. An increasing number of well-to-do Indian residents of Kolkata (then Calcutta), affluent Maharajas of princely states, land-owning zamindars and barristers of Calcutta High Court also began visiting Darjeeling. The town continued to grow as a tourist destination, becoming known as the "Queen of the Hills". The town did not see any significant political activity during the freedom struggle of India owing to its remote location and small population. However, there was a failed assassination attempt by revolutionaries on Sir John Anderson, the Governor of Bengal in the 1930s.

Ethnic Tension

After the independence of India in 1947, Darjeeling was merged with the state of West Bengal. A separate district of Darjeeling was established consisting of the hilly towns of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and the Terai areas of Siliguri. When the People's Liberation Army annexed Tibet in 1950, thousands of Tibetan refugees settled across Darjeeling district.

The population of Darjeeling rose by leaps and bounds. The colonial town of Darjeeling was designed for a population of only 10,000. The population spurt has made the town more prone to the environmental problems in the recent decades as the region is geologically relatively new. The rise in tourism also affected the ecological balance of the area.

A diverse ethnic population gave rise to socio-economic tensions, and the demand for the creation of the separate states of Gorkhaland and Kamtapur along ethnic lines grew popular in the 1980s. The issues came to a head after a 40-day strike called by the Gorkha National Liberation Front, during which violence gripped Darjeeling. Political tensions largely declined with the establishment of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council under the chairmanship of Subhash Ghisingh. The DGHC was given semi-autonomous powers to govern the district. The issue of a separate state still lingers on with a new political party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha demanding for the state of Gorkhaland. The new party accepted the GTA (Gorkha Territorial Administration) after certain years from both the center and the state Government of India which it believes that the demarcation of land including the Tarai and Doors with three subdivision Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong are to be formed which could lead to the formation of Gorkhaland. But the issue of a separate state still lingers. (Wikipedia)