SIKKIM GIVES GRAND FAREWELL TO PRINCE JIGDAL TSEWANG
NAMGYAL ON HIS LAST JOURNEY
The kubur
of Late Denjong Gyalsey Kusho, Prince Jigdal Tshewang Namgyal of Sikkim, the
youngest and the only surviving son of Maharaja Sir Tashi Namgyal (KCSI, KCIE -1914-1963), the 11th Chogyal
of Sikkim, bearing the Sikkim national flag, passes through (Nov 5, 2014) three
prominent power-points in the former Kingdom: White Hall, Nehru’s Bust, and
Mintokgang, Chief Minister’s official residence.
White Hall was built in the memory of John Claude
White, British India’s first Political Officer (1889-1908) in Sikkim, during
whose rule Sikkim gradually came under British domination, paving way for the kingdom’s
ultimate absorption into the Indian Union in 1975.
While the bust of India’s first Prime Minister Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru was placed on this route after Sikkim’s ‘merger’ in 1975,
Mintokgang was used as the official residence of the Indian Chief Executive,
who wielded more power in Sikkim than the Chogyal during the Indian takeover in
early 1970s. The Palace, situated in the same location across the Ridge Park,
is about 300 metres south of Mintokgang.
The funeral day was declared a State holiday by the
Chamling Government. The old business community, while declaring the Chogyals’
rule Sikkim’s ‘golden era’, closed down all business establishments in Gangtok
and elsewhere in the State as a mark of respect to the departed soul. Prominent
members of Sikkim’s political-administrative setup, including Chief Minister
Pawan Chamling, Ministers, Chief Secretary R. Ongmu, were present during the
funeral.
Prince Jigdal Tsewang Namgyal may have lived a quiet
life; his death, however, brought him back to limelight and reminded us of who
we are, what happened to us and our uncertain future.
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