SIKKIM OBSERVER Sept 24-30, 2011

PM to visit Sikkim on Sept 27

Gangtok, Sept 23: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to visit Sikkim next week on September 27.

According to Information and Public Relations Secretary K S Tobgay, said the State Government will submit a report on damages caused by Sunday’s earthquake to the Prime Minister during his visit here.

Briefing the media at the newly-established Media Centre here today, Tobgay said the death toll of the quake has risen to 77 and about 700 persons have been injured.

Government employees of the State Government has also decided to contribute one day of their salary to the quake victims, the Secretary said.

In order to effectively implement relief and rehabilitation works in North Sikkim, former North Sikkim District Collector TN Kazi has been appointed overall charge of North Sikkim Relief Operations.

In a major disaster the residential building belonging to Sports Secretary Karma Bhutia here in the capital collapsed last evening. Luckily, Bhutia and members of his family managed to get out of the house two minutes before the crash.

Several buildings at the vicinity of Bhutia’s building here at Vajra cinema hall complex have also been badly damaged.

People demand scrapping of mega hydel projects

Gangtok, Sept 23: In Tibetan Buddhism Sikkim is considered one of the few sacred and ‘hidden’ places for Buddhist pilgrims. Defilement of such places leads to unnatural calamities such as the one experienced on Sunday when a 6.9 magnitude earthquake gave a massive jolt to the Himalayan State killing more than 70 persons and causing extensive damages all over the State.

More and more people are now beginning to feel that the main reason for the largescale destruction to life and properties is because of the umpteen number of hydel projects coming up in the State, particularly in north Sikkim, the source of Teesta, the largest river in the State.

Senior Congress leader KN Upreti is convinced that power project companies are not revealing the real truth on lives lost during the tremor. “They are concealing the facts on deaths that occurred during the quake and thereafter,” Upreti said.

While urging the government to probe into the matter, Upreti said labour unions must “dig out the truth.”

A local contractor in North Sikkim said, “More than 700 persons are killed in the vicinity of the power projects but the authorities are keeping mum mainly because they have to pay a lot of compensation.”

The Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) President Tseten Tashi Bhutia has blamed Governor BP Singh for ignoring his plea on scrapping the “anti-Buddhist power projects” in the State.

“Despite being apprised on the religious aspect and significance on the matter on numerous occasions” Singh remained a “mute spectator.”

“At this hour of natural tragedy, we stand by the Government and the earthquake victims and also, once again request it to immediately scrap those insensible power projects that pollute or desecrate the very sanctity of our dharma,” Bhutia said in a press statement.

He added, “We support and express gratitude to the National Minority Commission (India Government) for having advising the Government of Sikkim to scrap all the anti-Buddhist mega power projects.”

“The area between Chungthang and Toong near Mangan, which is the worst affected has many sacred pilgrimage centres of Guru Rinpoche, who visited Sikkim in the 8^th century,” said T. Lachenpa.

Mayalmit Lepcha, an anti-mega dam social activist associated with Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), which unsuccessfully organized a 915-day hunger strike a few years back protesting against hydel projects in north Sikkim, has urged all Sikkimese to pressure the authorities to scrap the ongoing 14 mega power projects in north Sikkim.

“We once again, with folded hand, call upon the policymakers to once again rethink, re-assess and scrap all 14- mega power projects from the region that are either under operation,” Lepcha, who hails from Dzongu in north Sikkim, said in a statement.

In response to agitated tribals the State Government has decided to send a team of officials to Lachen in north Sikkim in a chopper if the weather is good. Information and Public Relations Secretary KS Tobgay said the team would ascertain the damages caused by the quake and other relief and rehabilitation to be taken.

JIgme N Kazi

CM visit north Sikkim

Gangtok, Sept 23: Five days after the devastating earthquake Chief Minister Pawan Chamling finally visited Mangan, headquarters of north Sikkim, one of the four districts most affected by Sunday’s earthquake. Mangan and its adjoining areas – Pagong and Chungthang – were the epicenter of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake.

Chief Secretary Karma Gyatso while holding a high-level coordination meeting here today to review relief operation work in the State said the Chief Minister left for Mangan this morning “to make an assessment of the damages caused by the recent earthquake and to listen to the people’s grief and to oversee the rescue and relief operations.” From there the Chief Minister will proceed to south and west districts, Gyatso said.

The meeting was attended by Heads of all the Departments, GOC,17 Mountain Division, Chief Engineer, Border Roads Organisation, representatives from SSB, ITBP, National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) and other agencies.

Gyatso said funds have also been sanctioned during the meeting held on 22nd September chaired by the Chief Minister for the Gram Panchayat Units. He also apprised that the meeting also sanctioned Rs. 5 lakhs to each Gram Panchayat, Rs. 10 lakhs each to the Pipon of Lachen and Lachung, Rs. 50 lakhs to each District Collector, Rs. 10 lakhs each to the Sub Division Magistrate and Rs. 5 Lakhs each to the Block Development Officers over and above their regular miscellaneous expenditure for relief and rehabilitation works.

One lakh each to the relief camps was also sanctioned in the meeting. The Chief Secretary informed that about hundred relief camps are established in the state which is supervised by the Block Development Officers.

What is noteworthy is that the State Government had directed the Secretary Information and Public Relations (IPR) Department for setting up Media Centre in the capital.

Mediapersons are having great difficulty in obtaining necessary informations related to the recent quake. “When you go to the information centre here to get the right picture of the state of affairs in the entire state we are directed to go to the police headquarters. When the police HQ is approached the officials tell us to go to IPS Secretary. It’s very frustrating,” said a local journalist.

There is absolute no information of the situation in Lachen in extreme north Sikkim  bordering Tibet. Reports indicate only one non-local died in Lachen and damages to houses and buildings are minor. However, there are strong rumours of “larva flow” at the sacred Gurudongmar lake. Unconfirmed reports say that Tso Lhamu,the source of Teesta river in Lachen has burst.

Police and intelligence sources cannot still confirm this rumour. “There is no communication from Lachen and the authorities have focused on Chungthang and Lachung only,” said a frustrated Lachenpa in the capital.

IS THE BIG ONE COMING? 

Dr. Sonam B. Wangyal

In 1994 Himalmagazine (Kathmandu) ran an article by R. Bilham who is with the Department of Geological Sciences in the University of Colorado, USA. The periodical being a bit academic with a pricey tag attached to it the readership was restricted to a limited numbers of readers and therefore Bilham's article did not cause the tremor it could and should have. His article on the chances of a great earthquake in the near future in the Himalayan region shook me very strongly and the aftershocks kept on coming for many days. The essay was discussed with many of my friends and they lampooned me as a believer of a doomsday merchant. My knowledge of the mechanisms leading to an earthquake was at best scanty, and not knowing anything beyond what I had read there was really no way that I could hold the fort during our discussions. Nevertheless, Bilham's article still shakes me and after the recent Gujarat quake my mind is often troubled with tremors of a much higher intensity.

I shall endeavour to explain Bilham's hypothesis in the simplest language possible. The earth's surface consists of a number of large, rigid plates that move relative to one another and interact at their boundaries. Some billions of years ago the northward moving Indian plate slipped underneath the Asian plate pushing it both horizontally northwards and upwards. This led to the upheavals forming the Himalaya. The movement still continues and the convergence rate of India towards Tibet is 2cm a year and that is compensated by the Indian plate slipping under the Asian plate. However, if the slip does not occur it would mean that 2cm of convergence remains stored in the rocks as elastic strain. If no slip has occurred in 100 years the stored strain would be 2cm X 100 or 2m, in 200 years 4m and should the slip occur after 500 years the movement would be 10m resulting in a mega-quake of around M=8 (or a reading of 8 on the Richter Scale).

Any major compensatory movement requires an event exceeding M=7 and Bilham's observation is that in the Himalayan segment between Kathmandu and Dehradun has not had that for several thousands of years. The records show only two large earthquakes, 1803 and 1833, and Bilham does not believe they were great earthquakes else they would have caused massive devastations and the British administration would have records of the widespread destruction and the efforts taken for reconstruction. It therefore appears that the chance of a great earthquake is real since sometime in the future the plates must make an adjustment. Of course a pent up force of several thousands of years never undergoes adjustment in just one big shake-up but the alarming arithmetic is that even if 500 years were to be adjusted the movement would be 10m and such an event would measure Magnitude Eight on the Richter Scale. 

To understand the effects of an M=8 plus event we can study the Great Bihar Earthquake of 1934, which did not evidently cross M=8, but came close to it. At 2:13 pm on 15 January two million square miles of northern India and western Nepal shook violently for 5 minutes. It took another 15 minutes for ceiling lamps to stop swinging in Calcutta and many more days for the dust to settle from the landslides in the mountains of Nepal. At Darjeeling a number of badly constructed houses totally collapsed, in many buildings cracks appeared or walls fell out and lots of bungalows were damaged by the fall of masonry chimneys crashing through the roofs. A ground fissure, over 300 yards long, appeared below the station yard in Tindharia and numerous breaches were seen all along the cart road. Should a Nepal-Dehradun great earthquake occur then north Bengal is assured of some consequences just as in the case of Bihar Earthquake. The point is not when it will come, since earthquakes are inevitable and necessary features of adjustment between the tectonic plates, but of our preparedness. Matters like maintenance of essential supplies, handling fire hazards, law and order problems, outbreak of diseases, post shock syndrome counseling and the eventual reconstruction are but a few of the many things that will need a look into. However, the greatest tragedy and hurt will be the loss of lives and that can never be restored but, and it is ,an important but, it can be prevented. Studies of earthquakes have shown that the major cause of deaths has always been due to poorly constructed buildings. Over the past few decades buildings have mushroomed all over the hills of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Sikkim and are these structures built according to any studied and proven system of seismic resistant building codes or have they been built under outdated or whimsical codes will need to be considered seriously. That even these codes can be bypassed was proven a large building in Gangtok going down recently without the violence of an earthquake and such a vulnerable building could not be an isolated case. It is never too early to begin the process to prevent loss of lives but I could be talking to the wall, for all you know or care.

A Lachenpa dies in Mangan after the deadly 9/18 quake

“May we be reunited for a worthy cause”

Hill Media Network

Mangan, Sept 23:  Tenzing Danen, eldest son of late Lachen Yapla (RN Kazi) of Lachen, North Sikkim, died in Mangan a day after the terrible earthquake on Sunday (Sept 18).

Danen was rushed to the Mangan hospital on Sept 17 when he complained of severe head and stomach ache. The sudden earthquake which took place at around 6.10 pm on Sunday (9/18) shook the whole area. Everyone fled from the hospital, leaving  Danen and his wife there.

Shaken up by the tremor (6.8 magnitude) Danen and his wife left the hospital and returned to their home at the Power Department Colony located near Mangan bazaar. Already suffering from high blood pressure the tremor that shook the whole of Sikkim added to his agony. Mangan, headquarters of North Sikkim district, was the epicenter of the powerful earthquake that has led to more than 70 deaths in the State. Damages to houses, buildings, roads all over the State, particularly in North Sikkim, is extensive.

At home  Danen fell in his bathroom leading to further deterioration of his condition. He was rushed to the hospital again late Monday (9/19) afternoon and died soon after at around 4.30 pm.

The funeral took place at Pentok in Mangan on Wednesday (9/21). Since the areas (Chungthang, Lachen and Lachung) around Mangan were totally cut off by the quake and subsequent landslides none of his family members, relatives and friends could attend the funeral which was led by Nade Tsampa Lama and Lachung Khenpo.

Other family members, relatives and friends from the rest of Sikkim also could not attend the funeral since the road communication and other communication systems in the State snapped after the tragic incident of 9/18. However, his younger brother Jigme N Kazi and his wife Tsering and  family members, his sisters from Ben (South Sikkim) and Gangtok and some of their family members  made it to the funeral.

Members of  Danen’s family wish to thank all those who took great risks to attend the funeral and personally be with the bereaved family. They have also expressed their deep sense of appreciation and a special ‘thank you’ to the people of Mangan who helped them in our hour of bereavement. The residents of Mangan, already traumatized by the deadly quake and still living in fear and apprehension, extended their support and sympathy to the bereaved family when it was really needed.

Tenzing Danen (61), an ex-student of Gangtok’s Tashi Namgyal Academy (TNA), was the eldest son of former Lachen Pipon, late Rinzing Namgyal Kazi (Lachen Yapla). Danen was perhaps the third Lachenpa to come to study in Gangtok in the late 1950s. Since 1968 and till his demise, Danen has been working in roads, bridges and buildings construction works in the State as a contractor.

But more than a contractor he was a social worker – a simple person who was always there for everyone when they needed him. He will, therefore, be deeply missed and forever remembered by those who knew him. He is survived by his wife (Rinchen) and 8-year-old son Tashi Pintso.

A message to the deceased from his family members: “You lived a good life. Your good karma and the blessings of the gods and great beings and our prayers will carry you through your journey to a good rebirth. May we be reunited and live together again for a worthy cause.”

Mangan Residents disgusted with authorities

Mangan, Sept 22: Many local residents of this small town, the epicenter of Sunday’s massive quake, are disgusted with the authorities, including the army, for not doing enough after the disaster.

“The officials hold meetings for hours and nothing happens after that,” said an angry local resident. “The authorities need to visit the affected areas, particularly the villages,” he added.

The North Sikkim Highway has been closed to traffic after the quake and the only lifeline to this district is the Singtam-Dikchu-Mangan road. On Tuesday (Sept 20) this route was closed down at two places for about 4 hours due to landslides.

The first landslide took place near Dikchu town, where the Teesta Stage V hydel project dam is located. “Both the State government and the army claim that relief workers and GREF personnel are on the alert to help the people. Where are they”, said a villager near Dikchu.

When a huge boulder had blocked this route below Thingchim near Rangrang below Mangan no one came to clear the road despite informing the authorities in Gangtok and Mangan. Passengers of the 30 odd vehicles which got stuck on the road did the clearing themselves.

“Seven houses were damaged in our village during the earthquake but so far no one has come to our rescue,” said a villager near Rangrang.

Residents of Dikchu town, which is on the verge of being submerged because of the dam water, were panicking. When asked about their distress Arun Oberoi, a local resident, said, “We are told that Tso Lhamu lake has busted and we are ordered to evacuate to go up higher.”

Tso Lhamu lake in northern Lachen is the source of the Teesta, the biggest river in the State, which flows down Lachen, through Chungthang, Mangan, Dikchu, Rongpo and Siliguri in the plains.

The Teesta looked awfully muddy in the past two weeks and it is worse after the quake. “Since the Dikchu-Mangan road is the only road linking Mangan with the rest of the State it is very important that the authorities give priority to this route on a hourly basis,” said T. Bhutia, a Mangan resident.

Several persons in Mangan said hundreds have been killed during and after the quake but the authorities, including hydel project officials, have kept mum. “They have either been buried under the rubble or trapped in the tunnels,” said a local contractor.

“Several people traveled through the tunnel to reach Mangan from Chungthang,” a government official in Mangan said.

“I wanted to go to my village in Lachung but when I came across two dead bodies near Toong (near Teesta in between Mangan and Chungthang) I got scared and came back,” said a younger man from Lachung working for Teesta Stage V in Dikchu.

Residents in Mangan continue to sleep outside their houses even three days after the tragic incident. There was another quake in Mangan at around 1 pm on Tuesday night which forced many to leave their houses in the middle of the night. A huge landslide in Dzongu, opposite Mangan, followed the tremour.

“I am very disgusted with the government taking advantage of the tragic situation. The government claims that one lac buildings have been damaged in the State. Where are the one lac buildings? Our population is just six lacs,” said a senior government official.

Locals here are more than convinced that tragedy was compounded mainly because of the construction works, including tunnels, of mega hydel projects in the State which mainly lie in north Sikkim. The Teesta project in Chungthang and nearby Pegong in north Sikkim is 1200MW. This region is the worst affected.

“We tried our best to oppose the projects but the government was adamant. Now the mountain gods have struck and the people realize what is happening,” said an observer.

Editorial

THE WRATH OF GOD

Heed The Warning, Scrap Mega Hydel Projects

We have been warned many times to respect and preserve our natural environment and cultural heritage. For nearly a thousand days the Lepchas of Sikkim, who live close to nature, spoke to us of the need to scrap all mega hydel projects in north Sikkim. The authorities, motivated by their greed and lust for power, did not heed the warning and made the hunger strikers suffer in silence. Eventually, a deal was struck at high level with the usual power-brokers playing a key role in the negotiation and the protest was called off reluctantly.

Men’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Nature will surely come to the rescue of those who support it. Former Chief Minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari is convinced that there is devi and dewta in Sikkim though, at times, they react at a slow pace. The earthquake (6.9 on the Richter Scale) that shook Sikkim on September 18 is a grim warning to those who continue to suppress the voice of reason and the just and democratic aspirations of the people. The area between Mangan and Chungthang in north Sikkim, where many mega hydel projects are located, has been the worst affected not only because of  it being the epicenter but also because of the tremendous damage done to the environment and ecology of the region by project construction workers.

Most of the dead in this area are workers at the construction works of the projects and are basically non-locals. Though damages to properties by the quake throughout the State and particularly in the Mangan-Chungthang-Lachen-Lachung region has been extensive the loss of lives has been minimal compared to the magnitude of the quake. In such a major shake-up thousands would have surely lost their life. The peace-loving and religious people of Sikkim are convinced that while it is the wrath of the mountain gods (yul-lha-zhibda) that struck Sikkim on 9/18 their protecting deities also saved them from a major catastrophe. It is noteworthy that the Lachenpas who stiffly opposed hydel projects in their area have been spared while those who gave up their fight mid-way and those who welcomed mega hydel projects are now living in fear and tension. This indeed is a stern warning for everyone, particularly to those in high places whose decisions, major or minor, affect the lives of the people.

Mamata visits Sikkim, reaches out to people

Observer News Service

  Gangtok, Sept 23: The Chief Minister of West Bengal  Mamta Banerjee on Tuesday assured all assistance to Sikkim to cope up with  the problems facing  the State in the wake of a massive earthquake that followed a trail of devastation in terms of human casualties and loss of properties.

 After her arrival here she drove straight to the Central Manipal Referral Hospital at Tadong and saw the condition of  the earthquake victims who are undergoing treatment.  She enquired about the condition of patients undergoing treatment with the doctors attending on them. She was accompanied by Union Minister Mukul Roy and  Sikkim Lok Sabha MP P D Rai during the visit.

          Mamata later visited Tashi Namgyal Memorial Hospital (STNM) to see for herself  the condition of the earthquake victims. The visit of West Bengal Chief Minister is seen as expression of her personal sympathy with the earthquake victims in their hour of suffering.

          The General Officer Commanding –in- Chief of the Eastern Command of the Army Lieutenant  General  Bikram Singh called on the Governor and Chief Minister and assured all help in relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.

          Briefing the media, General Singh said that some five thousand five hundred army personnel are undertaking the relief and rescue work in the State. Three thousand of them are deployed in the North district alone. Besides, two hundred more have reached Mangan by road on Tuesday morning. He said, thirty army personnel were air dropped at Mangan and twenty five at Chungthang to help in the operations. General Singh said, army helicopters have taken thirty critically injured persons to the Army Hospital at Bengdubi near Siliguri in West Bengal which included fourteen civilians. Describing the situation in the North district   beyond Chungthang as very bad, he expressed confidence that things will come to normal very soon.

Power Ministry directs NHPC to help with relief & rehabilitation

Observer News Service

New Delhi, Sept 23: Ministry of Power asks NHPC to assist Sikkim Government in earthquake  relief and rehabilitation work.

Ministry of Power has asked the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) to extend all possible assistance to State Government of Sikkim to bring normalcy to the earthquake affected areas near NHPC’s Teesta Hydel Power Station and Rangit Hydel Power Station in the State.

Minister of State for Power K.C. Venugopal held a review meeting in New Delhi on the situation in the State and asked the NHPC to act on a war footing and spare its men & machinery for clearing the roads and other rehabilitation works.

The Minister also took stock of the post-earth quake situation at 510 MW Teesta Hydel Power Station and 60 MW Rangit Hydel Power Station. In the review meeting, it was decided to avail the services of seismic experts from IIT Roorkee to analyse the earthquake data and conduct the earthquake impact study at the dam sites of NHPC in the region and more specifically those in Sikkim.

Apart from this, an Expert Team of Geologists, Engineers and senior executives of NHPC from its Headquarters in Delhi was also asked to visit the site and submit report to the Ministry. Power Supply position in Gangtok was also reviewed and Power Grid Corporation was instructed to expedite restoration of power. North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) was also asked to compile the seismic data collected from its power stations in North Eastern States for further analysis at IIT Roorkee. (pib)

Anger over 'lethargic response' to Sikkim quake

By Suvojit Bagchi

In parts of the earthquake-hit Indian state of Sikkim, conditions on the ground are little short of apocalyptic.

Entire areas are cut off because of landslides - and more often than not people are without clean water, adequate food supplies, medicine and telephone contact with the outside world.

Sikkim's hospitals have seldom been so full.

With local people bereft of help, it is hardly surprising that this disaster has created some resentment among them.

I experienced this overwhelming sense of frustration near Mangan - the epicentre of Sunday's quake - when a group of villagers stopped my car and demanded an explanation.

"Why are reporters focusing on the good work by the government, while no aid has reached any of the villages?" one of them angrily demanded.

Such was the angst of villagers that they seized my equipment and only returned it only after extracting a promise from me that I would report the "real story".

One of them, Rasi Tobgay, spoke for many when describing the destruction on the ground and the suffering of local people.

"It is impossible to take the seriously injured to the hospital because army helicopters are hovering with ministers in the sky," he said.

'Inactive' authorities

The villagers say little aid has been delivered beyond Mangan, although food packets have been air-dropped intermittently by the Indian air force.

 It is estimated that about 100,000 houses have been damaged

Chungthang is in the southern end of north Sikkim and it is in this area that the quake has been the most catastrophic.

Hardly any parts of north Sikkim, connecting India to Tibetan plateau, have received any substantial aid since Sunday.

Action Aid spokeswoman Banamallika Choudhury - who has reached Chungthang - told the BBC that there have been no more than one or two daily helicopter sorties.

"Two helicopters can carry no more than three or four tonnes of food or medical supplies - and that is nothing for thousands of villagers," she said.

Ms Choudhury says that apart from rescuing a handful of tourists, the authorities have remained largely "inactive" in the face of a huge humanitarian disaster.

"The roads are still cut off, there is no supply of electricity or telephone connectivity and the villagers have to arrange for the rebuilding of houses while providing first aid to the injured," she said.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

Conditions are going from bad to worse as more patients arrive for treatment having walked from distant villages to Gangtok”

Doctor in Gangtok

Ms Choudhury says that local people "harassed" journalists who arrived in Chungthang on Wednesday night because they believe that the media has unthinkingly projected only the government's side of the story.

So has the response of the authorities been inadequate? Whatever the answer, there is no doubt they face numerous formidable challenges.

Principal among these are landslides, still taking place on a regular basis because of the quake and because recent heavy rainfall has loosened much of the mountainous land mass.

The state government may be stating the obvious when it reiterates that aid cannot get through while roads remained blocked, but it remains a valid point.

One such post-quake landslide recently washed away several houses in Jaangu area, close to Chungthang.

"We are still counting the casualties," Sikkim government spokesman KS Tobgay told the BBC.

Bombarded by boulders

While the main road link connecting Sikkim to mainland India - national highway 31A - has reopened with a disturbed traffic flow, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) employees say that the task of clearing the highways is not getting any easier.

 Relief is being delivered, but critics say it is too little, too late

"We are working around the clock but even then traffic movement remains disrupted," BRP spokesman Rajaram Pal told me.

He said that the loosening of the land mass meant that no sooner had the highway been "cleaned" than more rocks and trees would fall down on top of it from the surrounding mountains.

One such landslide killed at least 17 workers in a hydropower plant in Chungthang, with employees literally bombarded by falling boulders.

The Sikkim government has admitted that the situation in north Sikkim is worrying and "no solution is in sight in the immediate future".

Mr Tobgay says that while "roads are being totally washed away" in and around Chungthang, it will take time to re-establish communication links.

In the meantime government officials at the forefront of the relief effort have been left with no option other than to trek 30-40km (18-24 miles) to reach places like Chungthang, Lachen, Lachung and Thangu valley, all close to India's border with Tibet.

So while the government relief effort is getting off the ground - with aid workers, doctors and disaster management teams being air-dropped in some areas - the numbers are small and the need is great.

On Wednesday there were 18 helicopter sorties that carried about 40 tonnes of food packets and medical supplies.

"That by no standard is adequate for hundreds of thousands of people," a government official said.

Meanwhile in the state capital Gangtok water supplies are becoming increasingly irregular. The state government has announced that water will only be supplied on alternate days in municipal areas.

If poor sanitation and water-borne diseases become problems, hospitals in the city are already flooded with patients, most with broken limbs.

"Conditions are going from bad to worse as more patients arrive for treatment, having walked from distant villages to Gangtok," one doctor in the city told me.

With no hope in sight for the beleaguered inhabitants of north Sikkim, the Indian home minister is visiting Gangtok "to take stock of the situation".

He does not need a team of advisers to realise that the state is facing its worst crisis in recent years and that the under-powered relief effort now needs to move into top gear. (BBC)

HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN Sept 14, 2011

Pang Lhabsol celebrated throughout Sikkim

Himalayan News Network

Gangtok, Sept 13: Once in a year the Sikkimese people collectively pay obeisance to their guardian mountain deities and yesterday the annual Pang Lhabsol was celebrated throughout Sikkim.

The traditional ritualistic lama dances known as chham were performed in several monasteries, including Pemayangtse, Rabang and Lachen monasteries in west, south and north districts respectively.

In the capital, prayers were offered at the royal Tsuklhakhang monastery and also at the venue of the ‘Statue of Unity’, where Governor BP Singh was also present.

A dance competition among ethnic communities was also organized in the capital which had the participation of several schools and clubs.

While Pang Lhabsol is being celebrated as ‘unity day’ by the people who recall the solemn oath of brotherhood observed by the ancestors of the indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha communities – Lepcha chief Thekongtek and Bhutia ruler Khye Bumsa – in the 13^th century, this autumn festival is traditionally observed as the day when the Sikkimese people pay obeisance to their guardian deities – Khangchendzonga and Yabdu – and pray for peace and prosperity of the land.

Peace process to conclude in a month: Prachanda

Biratnagar, Sept 13: Chairman of the UCPN-Maoist, Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has said on Sunday that the peace process would be concluded in a month which thereby expedites the constitution writing.

Before returning to the capital city following a three-day personal visit to the region, chairman Dahal told journalists at Biratnagar that his party has been flexible to take the peace process to a logical conclusion.

Responding to a query, chairman Dahal said as the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have also been positive for peace and constitution, both the task would be concluded on the fixed date.

He stressed for unity among the big political parties for peace and new constitution.

Media reports in India and Nepal wondered whether the Maoist leader visited Siliguri this week as the former PM was reportedly missing after a function in Gorkha district in Nepal.

Nepal detains 20 Tibetans for illegal crossing

Kathmandu, Sept 13: Police in Nepal say they have detained 20 Tibetans who trekked the treacherous Himalayan trail for more than two weeks from their mountain homes.

Police spokesman Binod Shrestha said the 15 men and five women were detained Monday after they crossed the border, AP reported.

They are aged 18 to 21 years old and are being transported to the capital, Katmandu.

Tibetan refugees who are detained in Nepal are generally handed over to the United Nations' refugee agency. The U.N. helps them on their journey to the Indian town of Dharmsala where the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama lives.

Hundreds of Tibetans trek into Nepal every year to visit Dalai Lama. They walk route to avoid Chinese border guards.

China’s rule in Tibet is undemocratic: exiled Tibetan PM

Arvind Sharma

Dharamsala, Sept 13: The newly-elected Prime Minister of Tibetans in exile, Lobsang Sangay, described the Dalai Lama as a “true democrat” and a “magnanimous people’s leader.”

His statement on the Tibetan spiritual leader came during the 51^st celebrations of Tibetan Democracy Day. Stating that he was “fully committed” to the Dalai Lama’s “vision of a democratic and secular” Tibet, Sangay said, “I can say with confidence that our exile democratic administration is far superior to China's colonial rule in Tibet.”

“Tibetans in Tibet live under harsh autocracy while those of us in exile enjoy democracy”, he added.

In another dig at the Chinese authorities, Sangay said, “While I have the mandate of the Tibetan world, the Party Secretary of “Tibet Autonomous Region” (TAR) is hand picked by Beijing, and has never been a Tibetan. We are part of a democratic family in the world, China is not. “

“The Kalon Tripa is the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people, while China’s rule in Tibet is undemocratic and illegitimate,” he added.

Referring to the democratic process among exiled Tibetans, Sangay said, “The time has now come for us to demonstrate that we can survive and indeed thrive independently with our new responsibilities. We must actively participate in the democratic process by ensuring that our leaders remain accountable and true to the democratic spirit.”

CBI  to seek Interpol help in Bhutan lottery scam

Sikkim officials questioned on irregularities

Himalayan News Service

Kochi, Sept 13: The CBI will seek the help of the Interpol to question the officials of Bhutan Government in connection with the illegal lotteries scam of Kerala which is said to have caused a drain of `80,000 crore from the State. The agency will soon make a formal request to the Interpol in this connection.

The decision to extend the probe into the illegal lotteries scam to Bhutan was taken by the agency on the basis of the discovery that Santiago Martin, the “lottery king” who was the operator for Sikkim and Bhutan lotteries in Kerala, had carried out several irregularities in the business, a national daily reported.

Investigating officials had visited Gangtok in this connection and had questioned several Government officials there. However, the CBI has to get the assistance and permission of the Interpol for any such action to be carried out in Bhutan. Sources expected to get such clearance without any difficulty.

The investigators had confiscated hundreds of documents proving irregularities during raids in premises owned by Martin and his close relative John Kennedy in several parts of the country. The agency has served notices to the business partners of Martin asking them to appear before the investigators for questioning.

The CBI had taken over the probe into the illegal lotteries scam, which had become a huge issue in the last Assembly election in Kerala, after a directive from the Kerala High Court on May 24. The court order had come on a petition filed by Congress leader VD Satheesan, who had taken up the issue as a political weapon against the CPI(M)-led LDF.

Editorial

BHATTARAI’S CHALLENGE

Take The Middle Path

A country that ousted its monarch to ensure restoration of full-fledged democracy Nepal did itself a favour by electing Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai as its new Prime Minister. It is ironic that even when the Maoists are the largest party in the Parliament they failed to have their own man as PM and had to choose non-Maoists to lead the country for some time. As chief of the Maoist party Prachanda was the natural choice for the PM’s post. But non-Maoist parties and their MPs made it impossible for the Maoist chief to lead the country as PM. Bhattarai could and should have been elected to the highest post earlier. This would have enabled the Parliament to draft the new constitution on time. However, his choice is welcome and one hopes that the alumnus from JNU will be able to strike a fine balance and take the middle path in dealing with Nepal’s two giant neighbours.

The madhesi  parties, which want a federal structure for Nepal, are likely to extract their pound of flesh by supporting Bhattarai who has promised to give a new constitution to the country within at least six months. In a democracy the voice of the majority must prevail. However, Nepal faces a tricky situation with the Indian-origin Nepalese gradually gaining the upper hand politically. Bhattarai must also note that China’s growing interest in developing Nepal’s economy is keenly watched by New Delhi. There is a general feeling among a large section of the Nepalese that Indian influence in Nepal’s internal politics, which is growing, is unacceptable. While stating that “Nepal is not anti-Indian,” Bhattarai is firm on the belief that guarding Nepal’s sovereignty “should not be seen as being anti-Indian.”

“Woeser is one of the most eloquent and fiercest critics of Chinese oppression in Tibet”

Tibetan writer Woeser receives Prince Claus Award for outstanding cultural achievement and influence

The well-known essayist and blogger Woeser, who lives in Beijing, has been awarded a Prince Claus Award by the Netherlands-based Prince Claus Fund for her outstanding achievements in the field of culture.

The Prince Claus Awards are presented annually to individuals, groups and organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean for their outstanding achievements in the field of culture and development and the positive effect of their work on their direct environment and on the wider cultural or social field. A press release by the Prince Claus Fund yesterday announcing the news, stated: “We are delighted to honour Woeser whose writings offer a unique perspective on the complexity of the current situation in Tibet.”   

   Tsering Jampa, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Tibet in Europe, said: “This award is richly-deserved; Woeser is one of the most eloquent and fiercest critics of Chinese oppression in Tibet, who has demonstrated breath-taking courage in documenting the struggle to preserve a unique and precious cultural identity. This important award also honours many more Tibetan writers and intellectuals, many of whom are serving long prison sentences and have endured torture simply for expressing the truth in their work.”

The news of the award coincided with the 18th International Book Fair in Beijing, of which the Netherlands is the host country. Jampa said: “We are working together with International PEN in the Netherlands and Amnesty International in raising awareness about Tibetan writers in prison. The Prince Claus Award for Woeser draws attention to their importance as they seek to peacefully articulate their concerns, and voice the sense of anguish, loss and dispossession due to the repression in Tibet today. We have urged Dutch writers at the Book Fair to hold these individuals in their thoughts and to speak about them whenever possible.”

Professor Tsering Shakya, an expert in contemporary Tibetan writing, compares Woeser's situation to that of the late Russian dissident writer, Alexandra Solzhenitsyn, saying: "It is the duty of courageous writers to speak of the unspeakable and lift the veil from the dark corners where horror is hidden...The events of March 2008 created a new memory and it will be narrated from generation to generation. Today, memory is no longer hidden...but advertised in cyberspace to share with the rest of the world - and in this respect Woeser occupies a unique position as chronicler of modern Tibetan memory. Her blog [and writings] have become the voice of Tibet."

Woeser was born in Lhasa, but grew up speaking Chinese after her father, who served in the People's Liberation Army, was transferred to a Tibetan area in Sichuan Province. As a member of the privileged elite, she was later admitted to a Chinese literature program for minority nationalities. It was only when she moved back to Lhasa as a young woman, where she worked as an editor for the leading Tibetan literary magazine, that she began to discover the reality of Tibet's past and to learn about Tibetan Buddhism. While in Lhasa, Woeser (who, like many Tibetans, is known by just one name) began to document the effects of religious repression, massive immigration of Chinese and unbalanced economic development.

In 2004, after her book 'Notes on Tibet' , was banned, she was informed that all her working hours would be devoted to political re-education. She moved to Beijing, and she later married Wang Lixiong, an author and commentator on Tibet who has been outspoken in his support for human rights and his willingness to take seriously the needs and concerns of Tibetans. In various ground-breaking essays, Wang Lixiong has outlined why he thinks that the Dalai Lama is the key to resolve the question of Tibet, and in March he was a signatory to a letter urging dialogue between Chinese leaders and the Dalai Lama, so as to "eliminate animosity and bring about national reconciliation".

  Woeser has published almost daily updates and comments online since March 2008, when an overwhelmingly peaceful uprising across the Tibetan plateau transformed the political landscape. At the height of the protests, more than 3 million internet users visited Woeser's blog, and her daily updates were translated into numerous languages. The personal stories she includes in her writing - the blind monk who committed suicide, the lama who was beaten when he tried to prevent a protest from escalating - bring home to the outside world the reality of the current crackdown in Tibet and its deeper significance.

'Tibet's True Heart', Woeser's new collection of poetry, translated from Chinese and with comprehensive notes, can be purchased online for $22 plus shipping from Ragged Banner. (International Campaign for Tibet)

Role of Church in Myanmar

US Church leaders pay solidarity visit to Myanmar

Myanmar was visited by an ecumenical solidarity team representing the World Council of Churches (WCC) from 4 to 9 August 2011 as part of the Council’s commitment to involve churches in conflict situations. This was a follow-up to a WCC Living Letters team visit to Myanmar in late 2010.

The five participants in the international ecumenical solidarity team included WCC Central Committee members, Asian church representatives from neighbouring countries and WCC staff.

The members of the solidarity team were given opportunities to understand the social and economic realities of the people under the new political dispensation in the country.

Prior to the visit to Myanmar, the members of the delegation visited a refugee camp in Thailand populated by hundreds of Myanmar citizens who had to flee from conflict zones in Myanmar and who crossed the border to Thailand where they are now waiting for grants of asylum in other countries.

Rev. Rothangliani Chhangte, a member of the WCC Central Committee representing the American Baptist Churches (ABC) in the USA observed that the international community needs to be more conscious of the problems in Myanmar, especially the plight of refugees who are seeking asylum in a third country.

At the last Central Committee meeting, Chhangte made an intervention on the need for ecumenical accompaniment to address the plight of Myanmar citizens and the situation of internally displaced people, refugees and migrant workers from Myanmar. Upon her return from Myanmar, she stated that a “re-opening of the registration process in refugee camps in Thailand is much needed. There are more than 150,000 refugees living in crowded camps along the Thai-Burma border."

"In 2005, the Thai government allowed the UNHCR to register people who wanted to be resettled in a third country." However, she added, "This was a one-time registration, and since then the Thai government has resisted requests to re-open registration. The United States has resettled the bulk of the refugees along with a few European countries, Canada and Australia.”

Chhangte coordinates the work of the ABC dealing with migrants from Myanmar in the United States. She reports that “the American Baptist Churches currently have more than 100 congregations across the USA with sizable numbers of Myanmarese who have migrated to the US. More than 80,000 Myanmar refuges have migrated to the U.S since 2006.”

Semegnish Asfaw, who coordinates WCC Living Letters team visits, said that “the members of the solidarity team noted that the youth and women were not so hopeful about their future, given the current situation in the country, although there has been a political change recently. After the long years of conflicts and political stalemate in the country, many young people think that their future seems pretty gloomy.”

The team heard stories of human trafficking, especially of women and young girls. Hundreds of women have been trafficked to neighbouring countries in recent years for forced marriages or forced labour.

In a meeting with church leaders in Myanmar, the visiting delegation heard that since the last general election in November 2010, “Myanmar is slowly evolving towards a more democratic state. However, the new political trend is to introduce changes in a rather slow process which may not be appreciated by the people, who have suffered long enough.”

Dr Mathews George Chunakara, director of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the WCC, said that “the church leaders in Myanmar are concerned about the resumption of the conflicts in several states where Christians constitute a large segment of the population.”

According to Mathews George, “Over years the Myanmar churches have played roles in peace and reconciliation, and the effectiveness of that witness is visible in ceasefire agreements in areas like Kachin state, where the ethnic Kachin tribes represented by the Kachin Independent Army and Kachin independence organizations were in conflict with the Myanmar military for years. However, ceasefire negotiations have stalled since the end of June, posing a serious threat to any reasonable political changes in the country.”

Church leaders reported that in Kachin state, several thousand people have been displaced as a result of the conflict that broke out in past weeks, and people are facing serious food shortages as well as the spread of diseases including malaria.

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland. (WCC)

Ghising and govt conspired against me because I opposed DGHC: Chattrey Subba

Darjeeling, Sept 13: Seventy one years old Chattrey Subba is considering taking sannyas from politics. However the rebel did not fail to criticize the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA- an administrative arrangement for the Darjeeling Hills) and pitched for the separate state of Gorkhaland. It was a day of mixed emotions at the Subba household at Raushey Bazar in Kalimpong on Saturday, the day after Chattrey's release from the correctional home after 10 long years. While the family celebrated his return; bail being denied to his son Santosh Subba in a different case, cast a long shadow on the revelry.

Subba had been arrested on March 24, 2001 in connection with the Subash Ghising assassination bid case. He was finally acquitted on September 9, 2011.

Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) leader Subash Ghising, then the Chairman of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) had been attacked at Saath-ghoomti under the Kurseong sub division, on his way back from Delhi. Two police drivers died in the attack along with a suspected attacker. Six others were injured.

“Whosoever raises the demand for Gorkhaland is either murdered as in the case of Madan Tamang or sent behind bars like me. Even the GTA deal has been clinched over Madan Tamang’s dead body. Blackmailing over the murder forced a compromise” alleged Subba.

“I believe that only Gorkhaland can resolve the crisis of the Gorkhas. I do not have faith in anything less. Because I opposed the DGHC earlier Ghising along with the government conspired and sent me behind bars. The attack on Ghising was orchestrated by Ghising and the government to put me behind bars. While in the Correctional Home the government had offered me a high power Council which I could head. However I did not accept their proposal hence I was forced to languish in jail. They even tried to kill me” alleged Subba.

He stated that while he was in the correctional home in 2003 he had a severe heart ailment and was shifted from the Jalpaiguri Correctional Home to a medical facility in Kolkata. “There they had kept me under heavy security without giving me a single medicine for my cardiac ailment. But seeing that I did not die they were forced to send me back to the correctional home in Jalpaiguri.

Subba used to head the militant wing of the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) during the violent agitation of the 80’s led by Subash Ghising. He however had parted ways with Ghising over the formation of the DGHC in 1988. He  had floated a new outfit Gorkha Liberation Organisation (GLO) Subba had vehemently opposed the DGHC and had given a call for the continuation of the separate state agitation.

“Councils and similar administrative bodies delay the main goal of separate State. It also does not fulfill the political identity issue not accords a political security to the Gorkhas. Only a separate state than ensure this” stated Subba.

When questioned on his future plans, Subba stated “My family members want me to retire from politics and I am planning to do so.” More than 10 years behind bars seemed to have dampened the rebel spirit.

Regarding his son Santosh Subba being arrested in the Kalimpong blast incident, Subba stated “If he is guilty he should be punished. If not they should not keep him behind bars like they did to me for 10 years after which they acquitted me. I have lost precious years of my life”

On July 26, 2011, the Kalimpong motor stand was rocked by a low intensity blast at around 3am in the morning with a stove allegedly planted below a North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) bus having exploded. Santosh was arrested in connection with this case on July 31.

“I am happy that my husband is back home after 10 long years but I am also sad that my son is behind bars though he is innocent like his father” stated Monika Subba, wife of Chattrey Subba. (Hindustan Times)

GJM to honour Chamling on Gorkhaland resolution

Himalayan News Network

Gangtok, Sept 13: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) will honour Chief Minister Pawan Chamling for passing a resolution in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly for creation of Gorkhaland.

Morcha chief Bimal Gurung, who was holidaying in west Sikkim with his colleagues last week, said felicitate Chamling with ‘Nagrik Samman’ on October 14. The felicitation function is likely to be held in Kalimpong, it is learnt

Gurung expressed his appreciation to Chamling for supporting the demand for creation of Gorkhaland and passing a resolution in the Sikkim Assembly recently.

Gurung said his party would not interfere in Sikkim politics and threatened to take action against party members who disobeyed the party’s diktat on this line.

A delegation of Morcha’s central committee led by party general secretary Roshan Giri met Chamling here on March 31 this year to thank him for passing the Gorkhaland resolution in the Assembly during the budget session on March 29.

Youth body to hold open debate on ‘Black Bill’

By A Staff Reporter

Gangtok, Sept 13: TheAll Sikkim Educated Self Employed and Unemployed Association

(ASESE&UA) is likely to request Chief Minister Pawan Chamling to participate in a debate on the public order bill that he wants to re-introduce in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly soon.

The Association President, Nawin Kiran Pradhan, said the youth body wants an “open debate” and has urged the Chief Minister to come out openly for a debate on the controversial bill that the Opposition has dubbed as the “Black Bill” aimed at suppressing basic fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution.

“We also plan to invite eminent journalists, judges and intellectuals for the debate during a seminar soon,” said Pradhan.

“People are still confused about the Bill, so the association has decided to conduct a debate on the bill to know the real facts and acts of the bill,” Pradhan said. 

Though the association has said the tentative date for the proposed debate would be Sept 25 nothing has been finalized, said a member of the association.

After tabling the Sikkim Prevention and Control of Disturbance of Public Order Bill on August 11 Chamling was to forced to withdraw it on August 26 in the face of stiff opposition, resulting in a massive public rally here on August 24 sponsored by Nagarik Adhikar Surakcha Sangathan (NASS), which allegedly had the backing of rebel ruling party legislator and former minister PS Tamang.

Subsequently, the Chief Minister threatened to table the bill again after seeking support from the people.

Attacks on media condemned in Arunachal

Himalayan News Network

Itanagar, Sept 13: The Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists (APUWJ) and

Arunachal Press Club (APC) have strongly condemned attacks on mediapersons covering the recent 48-hour bandh called in the capital.

"We are not going to tolerate intimidation and threats anymore," said members of the media during an emergency meeting of the body held here on Thursday.

Mediapersons, including employees of TV channels, were intimidated during the bandh while stones were pelted at the residence of a newspaper's CEO. An IPR vehicle on press duty was also damaged during the bandh. These acts deserve strong condemnation, said the state's media bodies.

Condemning the repeated attacks on mediapersons in the state, the APUWJ and the APC called upon the people of Arunachal to come out in support of media and other professionals so they are allowed to discharge their duties fearlessly, without any intimidation or threats.

Remembering Jupiter Yambem on 10^th anniv of 9/11

New York, Sept 13:  Born and raised in Imphal in Manipur, Jupiter Yambem, 47 lived the immigrant’s dream in America. At the top of his class in SUNY New Paltz, he was snapped up by some of New York City’s most famous restaurants, including the Rainbow Room and then Windows on the World, where he worked as a banquet manager. He thrived on the energy of New York and adored his curly auburn-haired American wife from Syracuse who he met in college in the early eighties and their son.

Jupiter Yambem’s wife, Nancy McCardle Yambem, remembers frantically calling her husband on September 11. He never answered. Everyone in the Windows of the World restaurant on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center survived the impact when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower at 8:46 am, but died when the tower collapsed after burning for 102 minutes.

On the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Yambem and her son Santi whose name is pronounced Shanti, like others who lost family on September 11, 2001 carry the heavy legacy of that day.

“It has been ten years and we miss Jupiter. We will always miss him. He was amazing. We have a small Hindu shrine in our house to Jupiter,” said Yambem whose house is cluttered with photos of her college sweetheart.

Jupiter came to America at the age of 21 from India to work in a summer camp with children with visual impairment. After he got done with the camp he decided to stay on in America and went to college at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

“We met in college in 1981 and hung out with the same crowd. We started seeing each other in 1984 as a couple. We married in 1991 so I knew him — know him — for 20 years,” said Yambem still finding it painful to use the past tense.

 “Santi is trying to be as normal a kid as he can. He is in the 10th Grade now. He was in kindergarten when his father died. His life has changed greatly from being a five-year-old to a teen,” said Yambem about her tall boy who plays rock guitar and trumpet in the school band.

 “We have a home in Manipur. We go every two years. Santi has been since he was a year old. He is very familiar with Manipuri culture and his family back home. It is basically our second home.”

Jupiter held fast to his Indian roots. Keeping his Indian citizenship, he co-founded the North American Manipur Association (NAMA), consisting of a small group of Manipuri families that sought to promote and preserve their culture. NAMA has since expanded into a network of 40 Manipuri families and supports causes in Manipur.

Jupiter was a man with feet in two worlds and his last rites reflected his love for India and America. He was cremated on September 18, at the Cedar Hill Hindu Crematorium in New York and his ashes were scattered in India, along his favourite hiking trail in Tiger Hill, in Darjeeling. (Firstpost)

Hope DARJEELING

Come, take a walk with me and I’ll show you around

Jigme N Kazi

I’m happy that my first piece on Hope Darjeeling comes a few days after the West Bengal Legislative Assembly passed the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Bill. By this time next year the GTA (hopefully) would be fully functional after the successful completion of its first elections early next year. For the people of Darjeeling and their sympathizers in India and abroad it is so important that those who run the GTA makes the new venture a real success. Otherwise we would witness the repetition of what has happened in the hills since the tripartite Darjeeling accord was signed in 1985. If this happens it would mean a total disaster and a person like me – and there are many such persons – would have to resign myself to the fact that Darjeeling – the place where I grew up and loved so much – is a lost case.

But we all have our hopes for Darjeeling to bloom and regain its past glory. And there are justifiable reasons for this. My days, years and a decade and half plus one year’s stay (1963-1979 -  with one year gap in Sikkim) in Darjeeling was more than wonderful. Being a sportsman, who loved and excelled in football and cricket, allowed me to move around and not to get  confined within the ‘old and friendly walls’ of Mt Hermon School (MH). The games and our other sporting and outdoor activities took us to Kalimpong and Kurseong, which are an integral part of Darjeeling hills. It is but natural that over the years I grew fond of places other than Darj itself.

One of my school friends once told me “absence is to love what wind is to fire; it enflames the great, it extinguishes the small.” Out of sight, therefore, is not necessarily out of mind. Ever since I finally left Darj in the winter of 1979 – after  ten years of schooling at MH (1963-1972), two years in college (TTC – 1974-1975) and four years of teaching at MH (1976-1979) – I have visited my second home several times and most of the time these visits were wonderful and exhilarating. Unlike Sikkim, where I reside, Darj makes me feel good and come alive. I don’t care much for the dirt, the crowd and local politics; I look beyond these things and take my breath of fresh air and return home refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated. Given  an opportunity I’d rather settle in Darj than in Sikkim.

Jagjit Singh (SC 1971), a Hermonite who ran several hotels in Siliguri till very recently, always used to say, “We Hermonites are too emotional!” But what kind of emotion is this when most Hermonites (the name we give to ourselves) cannot get over this emotion even after 15, 20, 30 or even 40 years after saying our last good bye to our alma mater?

The answer came to me from Barry Ison, an ex-student and ex-teacher of MH from Australia, who continues to linger on in Bangladesh for some reason or the other. “It’s not emotion. It is passion,” he said and I knew he was right. Unlike emotion, which comes and goes, the depth of passion cannot be easily fathomed or forgotten.

Two college girls from Japan – Mari Kugue and Risato Hotta – were the reasons for my unscheduled trip to Darj this time (August). And for the first time I could take things a bit easy, relax awhile and move around in Darj at my own pace.

The girls were wonderful and very cooperative. As we wanted to touch the ground and feel the air the best way to do this was to walk. And walk we did. “We walked for 18 kilometers today,” said Mari after our walk to MH and back on the first day. Apparently, the distance that we traveled gets registered in their mobile! The next day we walked at least 20 kms covering the zoo, Shruberry Park and the Japanese temple.

During the short stopover at Surendra and Saroj Rongong’s (my former colleagues at MH who have now retired) Villa Everest hotel on the way back from the Japanese temple we enthusiastically talked about MH’s revival with the involvement of all Hermonites – past and present.

Founded in 1895 below Chowrasta in Darjeeling, Mt. Hermon started off badly when several of its students were killed in the tragic 1898 earthquake. But undaunted by the disaster Ms Emma Knowles, an American missionary and founder of the school, struggled on with faith in God and a strong sense of purpose and determination. The outcome of her struggle and sacrifice was Queen’s Hill School, later re-named Mt. Hermon in 1929. Lord Lytton remarked that the present school building, located in a 100 acre land below Singamari, was one of the finest buildings in Asia.

MH went through another lean period in the 1940s during the second world war when many of its students and staff members from abroad had to leave India. The school enrolment dropped drastically and the school was nearly closed had it not been for the efforts of Bishop Bohn Frederick Fisher and Rev Halsey E. Dewey. After Rev David G Stewart took charge of the school as its Principal in 1953 MH was back on its feet and in the next ten years of the Stewart era Mt. Hermon had more than regained its past glory. Graeme Armstrong Murray, who took over MH from Stewart in 1964, took MH to greater heights.

“MH is again going through a bad phase and it needs our support badly and we must respond positively to the challenges ahead,” I told the Rongongs, who showed their interest in taking another look at MH.

At first I wanted to take a cab to the school (MH) and then walk back. Finally, we shared a taxi from the bazaar taxi stand which charged Rs 8 each to reach Singamari at North Point. During my time the taxi fair used to be Rs1/-. Along the way I decided to stop ahead of North Point College to say hello to my old school teacher John West. But he wasn’t there and so we walked on and on the way I enquired about Mahindra and Udai, two great footballers who are younger brothers of the well-known Benu Subba, a star in East Bengal who later joined MH. Benu is now no more but the memories of the two of us representing MH as strikers on the football field can never be erased.

We made a thorough survey of the school, the playground and the boys hostel at Fernhill. I showed the girls the class rooms where I studied and taught. We relaxed in front of the Stewart Building, built in 1963 in honour of our former Principal Rev David G Stewart, whose wife Dorothy passed away in New Zealand on August 15, 2011. Naturally, my thoughts and prayers were for Mr and Mrs. Stewart and their family members as I sat quietly in front of the Stewart building. Luckily, my almost-disfunctional digital camera managed to take a photo of the 1963 staff members from the school corridor, where many past photographs were displayed. 1963 was my first year at MH and last year of the Stewarts. God bless them.

MH looks a bit rundown but the uplifting thing is that a new dining-room-cum kitchen is coming up at the place where the old gym used to be. This was actually my idea that somehow has become a reality. Fantastic!  I persuaded the Sikkim Hermonites Association to put pressure on the authorities on this project.

MH Principal George Fernandes, who was my colleague in the staff way back in mid-1970s, has only one year left before he retires at the end of next year.  Since the early 1990s MH has been going through a bad phase but Fernandes has managed to stabilize things a bit.

My hopes and dreams for Darj is not limited to MH alone. Asia’s most distinguished schools came up in Darjeeling after the British takeover of the place from Sikkim in the 19^th century. Schools such as St. Paul’s, St. Joseph’s, Loreto Convent (Darj), Dr. Graham’s Homes, St. Augustine’s School, St. Joseph’s Convent (Kalimpong) and Goethal’s Memorial School, Victoria School and Dow Hills School (Kurseong) should never be allowed to “go down the drain” and become a thing of the past during our time. We need to rise up to the challenges that we face in our generation.

When the political leadership in Darjeeling and Calcutta has promised to give “top priority to education” in the hills, hill people, particularly alumni of these schools, should come forward and give a helping hand.

Darjeeling deserves a better future. It needs us. We can and must reach out and touch each other from wherever we are. This column that I have started is my way of saying that I care no matter what has happened to our beloved Darjeeling. Charity begins at home and we must take the first step to reach higher grounds from the area of our interest. We must move ahead confidently with hope and courage and create a better future for ourselves, our children and those who make Darjeeling their place of habitation in the days and years to come.