I HAVE ACCEPTED THE DEATH OF MY DREAM

  “It will be too late to talk about Article 371F when battle tanks roll down Nathula pass and non-Sikkimese occupy seats of power in Mintokgang (CM’s official residence) in the near future.”

   Having retreated to my small corner – the fourth estate – after quietly bidding adieu to my two-and-half-decade-long struggle to fight for the common cause of all Sikkimese I reluctantly accepted the offer to give a piece of my mind during a day-long seminar  organized in Gangtok on January 28, 2010 by an enthusiastic group of young people who work under the banner of All Sikkim Educated Self-Employed & Unemployed Association.

   The topic was “Article 371F” – a dead horse which still needed more flogging! – and many of those who were present and actively participated in the debate-cum-discussion were distinguished personalities in Sikkim’s social, political and intellectual circles.

(L to R) Jigme N Kazi, N B Bhandari, P M Subba and K N Upreti at the seminar on Art 371F in Gangtok on Jan 28, 2010

   Anti-merger veteran and former Chief Minister and President of the Sikkim unit of the Congress party, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, was there. His former Lok Sabha MP, Pahalman Subba, often regarded as the grand-old-man of Sikkim politics, who had fallen out with both Bhandari and his former colleague, the ‘Mandal Messiah’, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, was there.

   Former Minister and senior Congress leader, Kharananda Upreti, the man who accompanied Ram Chandra Poudyal during the famous hunger strike at the lawns of the Palace in early April 1973 that led to the Indian-backed agitation, which culminated in the signing of the historic 8th May Tripartite Agreement of 1973,  ultimately leading to the ‘merger’ in 1975,  was also present.

   Among the younger politicians present at the seminar were Padam Chettri, who only very recently took over the State unit of the BJP as its President, Biraj Adhikari, President of Sikkim National People’s Party (SNPP), which still demands restoration of Sikkim’s pre-merger “Associate State” status, former Communist leader and now the Convenor of Matri Bhoomi Suraksha Sanghathan, Duk Nath Nepal, and former Minister and Convenor of Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC), Tseten Tashi Bhutia, who is regarded as one of the few vocal leaders of the minority Bhutia-Lepcha tribals.

   Conspicuously absent from the scene were representatives of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front, which often claims that it has restored democracy and removed fear psychosis in Sikkim after Bhandari’s dictatorial rule (1979-1994). The truth is Pawan Chamling is now faced with the same charges levelled by dissidents within his ruling elite.

   Yesteryears’ ‘revolutionary’ and one of the valiant soldiers of ‘democracy’, R C Poudyal, suddenly turned ill and failed to come! With his absence Poudyal missed a great opportunity to stand side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder with sons and daughters of Sikkim to save what is left in order to pass it on to the generations of Sikkimese yet to come.  Others were invited but fear of what may happen to them if they come chose not to grace the occasion.

   Let them live on hope and die in despair. There is no space for spineless walking corpses, who are neither black or white and who will surely fade away into nothingness, to mingle with honourable defenders of the Sikkimese cause during the time of crisis when the need of the hour for unity and solidarity – despite personal and political differences – has never been felt so much.

   Added to this unique and historic gathering representing the multi-faceted Sikkimese society were Nagrik Sangarsha Samiti Coordinator and prominent critic of the establishment and member of the old business community, Prem Goyal, Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT) activists, Gyatso Lepcha and Mayalmit Lepcha,  former District Collector, S P Subba, and former police officer, Jiwan Pradhan.

   I not only offered my heartiest congratulations to the organizers of the 10-hour-long marathon session but also salute those who spoke out their mind and warmed our hearts and hopes. Together we made history on January 28, 2010, two days before the 28th death anniversary of the late Chogyal of Sikkim, Palden Thondup Namgyal.

   I was certainly the odd man out as I did not belong to any political or non-political grouping. The organizers created the right mood for Sikkimese from all communities and from all walks of life to speak their heart out on an issue that is dear to them for a very long time. That the speakers – mindless of who they were and what positions they held – spoke eloquently and with conviction and emotion on a wide variety of subjects on the one-point theme – Article 371F – is indeed a rare treat for any viewers.

   With tears in my eyes and heart full of burden I made my stand clear. “I have no wish to dethrone anyone or help anyone to get the top job. This is mainly because I have gracefully and very reluctantly accepted the death of my dream,” I told the gathering.

  I made it plain that the casual and directionless manner in which the political leadership among the majority Sikkimese Nepalese tackled the Assembly seat issue in the past so many years led to the death of my dream of a united Sikkim, where all people live in perfect peace, harmony, freedom and prosperity and where the country’s security concerns were fully safeguarded.

   New Delhi ought to realize by now that security, particularly in Sikkim, depends on the loyalty of its people, not just territorial acquisition whether by force or consent.

I took a dig, as I often do when the opportunity arises, on those who often make the right noises but the wrong moves: “I quit everything when some of my friends and former colleagues who are educated, have some political experience and feel for Sikkim and the Sikkimese could not look beyond Chamling and Bhandari despite the pressing need to stand firm and pursue our common objectives.”

   I warned that activities of agents of division and disunity actively serving New Delhi, which seems least concerned about what is happening in Sikkim besides pumping huge amount of funds (and perhaps taking some back on the quiet) to its former Protectorate keeping the people perpetually drugged with power and money, will not only finish Sikkim and the Sikkimese people but greatly and surely endanger the country’s territorial integrity.

Didn’t I make it clear in my book, “Sikkim for Sikkimese – Distinct Identity Within the Union” (published in Feb 2009) why Sikkim is facing a crisis of our own making: “Phony revolutions led by fake revolutionaries and democrats have created a system that thrives on lies, deceit and corruption. We are all victims of the ‘democracy’ that we longed for in1973 and 1993.”

   We may blame the Centre for the gradual erosion of our special status and dilution of our distinct identity. But we, too, are responsible for failing to look after our long-term interests and live up to the hopes and aspirations of our people.

   My message during the seminar was sharp and incisive: “It will be too late to talk about Article 371F when battle tanks roll down Nathula pass and non-Sikkimese occupy seats of power in Mintokgang (CM’s official residence) in the near future.”

HAIL MT. HERMON: A TRIBUTE

(125^th Anniversary - 1895-2020)

LEST WE FORGET: Old Walls Hold Memories

    Before the events of Covid 19 fades into memory we need to remember three Hermonites who died in recent months. One was my teacher (Mr. John West), one a student (Christian Pariat) and the other a friend (Robin Wason).

Mr. John West passed away peacefully at around 2 a.m. at his home in Darjeeling on March 11, 2020. “He passed away of acute asthmatic attack,” according to Nina (Manidira Dam) West, who was beside him when he breathed his last. Many Hermonites were present in Darjeeling on this historic day for celebrations of Mt. Hermon School’s 125^th Birth Anniversary.

    Mr. West may have chosen to leave us on this special day for MH and the Hermonites. It would have been better if he left us after meeting us. But that was not to be so. We feel privileged to have attended his funeral on March 12 and pay our tribute and last respects.

   Mr. West taught us Chemistry but more than that he taught how to fight hard on the football field. Some of us, including myself, were in the school’s 1^st XI Football team, with Mr. West as a very strong defender. We happy many memories of our struggles, defeats and triumphs on the football field. The highlight of my footballing career was when we defeated the Indian Army’s Gorkha XI in 1971. Most of the players of the Gorkha XI were ex-footballers of Sikkim’s Kumar Sporting, the best team in the region during that period.

   On this Fathers Day (June 21, 2020) I remember and pay respects to my teacher, teammate, and father of two of my students, Mark West and Karen West. Mr. West left MH and continued his teaching career at St. Joseph’s School. But for many Hermonites Mr.West will always be remembered as one of the main pillars of our alma mater. Rest in peace, Sir.

Robin Wason was one of three kids of Mrs. B. Wason, my junior school teacher in mid-sixties and one of MH’s oldest teachers from the Stewart era (1953-1963). Robin was also the younger brother of my classmate Neena (Wason) Harkness and Hermonite and college mate in Bombay, Brij Wason.

   Robin was one of my younger football fans in school along with Brij. When he was in the navy back in the early eighties he used to come to see us in Bombay. We kept in touch ever since. I was hoping to see him again in Shillong last September during Mr. Wason’s birthday. Unfortunately, I missed it. That meant that I could never see Robin again as he passed away recently, perhaps of heart attack.

Christian Pariat (in the pix he is on my left in 1976 when I fractured my left arm during a foota match at NP) was one of my favourite students in my class (4K) in 1976 (I think!). His elder brother was Hermonite Gregory Pariat. It appears that Christian, too, died of heart attack in Shillong, his hometown.

   Christian was a very friendly and lovable child. He was very fond of me as I was of him. Rest in peace, Christian and God Bless.

Old friends are loyal friends,

Friends of happy days.

Now we must say goodbye

And go dividing ways

Breathe then your benison

On me as I depart,

I'll keep your memory

Warm in my heart.

(MESSAGE: In my forthcoming book: “Hail Mount Hermon: A Tribute”, I have not been able to include many aspects of the school and its alumni. I hope this endeavour (Facebook page: Hail Mount Hermon: A TRIBUTE) will, to some extent, make up for my lapses in the book, and also encourage Hermonites to pitch in and throw more light on the subject and pay their own Tribute to MH during its 125th anniversary year (March 11, 2020 to March 11, 2021) and thereafter)

10^th Anniversary of Sikkim ‘Press Freedom Day’

   Jigme N Kazi, President of Sikkim Federation of Working Journalists’ (SFWJ) address on the occasion of the 1st Sikkim Press Freedom Day function organized by  SFWJ in Gangtok on June 19, 2010.

(On this day, June 19, 2020, I want to share and place on record on what I said and what we did many years back on issues that are so vitally important to humanity.)

              -----------------------------------------------------------------

   “In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the ‘Estates General’.

The First Estate consisted of three hundred nobles. The Second Estate, three hundred clergy.

The Third Estate, six hundred commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, “Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.” (Jeffrey Archer in “The Fourth Estate”

   Respected Chief Guest, Secretary IPR, President, Press Club of Sikkim, distinguished guests, members of the Fourth Estate, and my colleagues in the Sikkim Federation of Working Journalists.

   It is our privilege and honour to have the former Chief Minister of Sikkim, Mr. B.B. Gooroong, who was not only the Press Advisor to the Chief Minister but was also a journalist once upon a time.

   When members of the local media held a protest rally to voice their concern for protection of Press Freedom in Gangtok  seventeen years ago on June 19, 1993, Mr. Gooroong came all the way down to the Paljor Stadium where we held the rally and congratulated us and gave us his support.

   Sir, you have honoured us once again and touched our hearts by being here amidst your very hectic schedule.

   If 17 years is a long time to remember what we did on this day  on that day and honour those valiant journalists who risked everything to raise their voice against suppression of the freedom of press then I believe that even after 50 years the Fourth Estate in Sikkim will remember with pride and look back on this day and what we did here today.

   By being here today to mark the 1st Sikkim Press Freedom Day  celebrations we are not just honouring those who took part in the Press Freedom Rally on June 19, 1993, we are also, once again, making our stand clear on issues and principles that guide and govern the Fourth Estate all over the world.

   Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of America, once said: “If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a government without a free press or a free press without a government, I would prefer the latter.”

   Who wouldn’t, particularly when that government is bent on suppression of free expression, particularly of Press freedom? Lets face it: the Press and the government are natural adversaries. Each has its own unique role in society.

   What is freedom without a free Press? And what is the Press without freedom? To be more precise; what is democracy without freedom, particularly Press freedom? Pansy Takula, one of the advocates of Press freedom and Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information of the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights, recently said,

   “We have reached the point where I think we need constructive dialogue with the government of this country, where maybe my office, together with media practitioners and media organizations and governments, can sit around a table and try and find each other.”

    She added, “Free press, in particular, and freedom of expression, in general (are) very important not only on the African continent, but everywhere else in the world because without free press you cannot have democracy.  You cannot have good governance.  You cannot have the rule of law.  You know, the media act as a watch dog against those who are in power.”

   In Asia, in India and in Sikkim it is time that we, the media and the authorities, sit together, sort out our differences and respect each others role in a free and democratic set-up. When the annual World Press Freedom Day, a date to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty, was observed in May 3 last month, the Fourth Estate dedicated this year’s World Press Freedom Day to the “right to know”: the right of all people, including journalists, to have access to information held by governments and other public bodies.

   The right to know is the right to ask questions to public institutions and their obligation to reply. The right to know is essential for the media and the public to enjoy true freedom of expression, protected by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights since it was adopted in 1948.

    My paper, the Sikkim Observer, still has a column called “People want to know; people have a right to know.” We must all make our own contribution towards Press Freedom no matter what kind of adverse situations we may face.

  We must believe that in a democratic system the people are sovereign. The slogan, janta rajma jantai raja, must be put into practice if we are sincere in what we profess.  In a true democracy the role of the government is to serve the people and the people have the right to know and question what is done on their behalf.

   There was an emotional ceremony at the White House recently when President Obama welcomed slain journalist Daniel Pearl’s surviving family members to witness the signing of the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act. Pearl, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was brutally murdered in Pakistan as he was following up some leads on al-Qaeda in early 2002. Four Pakistanis were convicted in Pearl’s murder in July of that year. According to the New York Times, the Freedom of the Press Act “requires the State Department to expand its scrutiny of news media restrictions and intimidation as part of its annual review of human rights in each country. Among other considerations, the department will be required to determine whether foreign governments participate in or condone violations of press freedom.”

   On this special day I would like to recall and place on record on what I said on June 19, 1993 during the Press Freedom rally held in Gangtok:

    “Let me remind you today that media-persons and media organizations cannot alone ensure and protect the freedom of the Press. In the final analysis, it is the people who have to come forward and provide the much-needed protection to journalists and safeguard freedom of the Press. But we, as journalists, must make our stand very clear. We must stand firm and resolute in our stand. While our opinions as journalists may differ on various issues and matters, we cannot and must not allow vested interests or our own selfish motives to creep in and deprive us of the opportunity to stand erect and united on the issue of the Freedom of the Press. It is not how many of us are here today to support the cause of the Freedom of the Press that matters, but how much faith, sincerity and dedication that we have in the righteousness of our cause.” (Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, page 361, published 1993).

    My message was simple and direct: “Today, we are here to lodge a symbolic protest. But if our voice is not heard and if the suppression of the freedom of the Press still continue despite the stand that we have taken here today, we must not be content with mere symbolism. Me must raise a voice in every village and town in this State. We must raise our voice in Mangan, in Geyzing, and in Namchi (heaquarters of the three other district of Sikkim), and if need be, in Delhi, Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. We must also raise our voice in the Assembly and in the Parliament, and if need be, in other international Press forum as well. We must continue to press on until ten thousand conscious citizens in Sikkim come together and raise their voice and rally support for Freedom of the Press in Sikkim.”    

   Three days after our rally thousands of pro-democracy supporters led by Sikkim Democratic Front stormed the capital on June 22. Within less than eleven months after the rally the repressive regime in Sikkim was toppled leading to formation of a new government after the November Assembly elections in 1994.

    The local Press played a notable role in restoration of freedom, democracy, justice and rule of law in the people’s struggle for change in Sikkim.

    It is, therefore, fitting and proper that we should remember and honour those who stood their ground in times of crisis while others faltered.

    I want to thank my colleagues in the Sikkim Federation of Working Journalists and other members of the Fourth Estate for arranging this function and giving a helping hand to preserve and protect Press freedom in Sikkim.

   My final message to you comes from the words of President John F. Kennedy who said:

    “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”

We Lubricate the Wheels of Democracy  

“But our greatest strength is in the power of our ideas, which are still new in many lands. Across the world, we see them embraced and we rejoice. Our hopes, our hearts, and our hands are with those on every continent who are building democracy and freedom. Their cause is America’s cause.”

                   -          President Bill Clinton’s inaugural address

                                                                                                                                  January 21, 1993

    The content and delivery of Clinton’s inaugural speech not only fascinated me; it inspired me. For me and for Sikkim Observer and for the people of Sikkim, 1993 was a momentous year. The Observer, which was not very regular since the ransacking of its printing Press in January 1990 and refusal of local printers to print the paper in October 1991, finally ceased publication in May 1993. I was forced to resort to this measure since even printers in Siliguri refused to oblige me for fear of incurring the wrath of those in power in Sikkim.

    Press Freedom Rally in Gangtok, June 19, 1993.

    1993 marked my tenth year in journalism. I had experienced a lot in these ten years and so I decided to write a book on it. The book – “Inside Sikkim :Against the Tide” – was finally released at the Press Club of India in New Delhi in December 1993. The book (387 pages) ended rather abruptly but in retrospect the last chapter (Struggle And Triumph) was significant. The final paragraphs of the book had quotes from the address that I had delivered at the Paljor Stadium to a small gathering of local media during the rally protesting suppression of freedom of the Press in the State.

   In a written message on this historic protest rally as the President of the Sikkim Press Association on June 19, 1993, I stated: “Let me remind you today that media organizations cannot alone ensure and protect the freedom of the Press. In the final analysis, it is the people who have to come forward and provide the much-needed protection to journalists and safeguard freedom of the Press. But we as journalists, must make our stand very clear. We must stand firm and resolute in our stand. While our opinions as journalists may differ on various issues and matters, we cannot and must not allow vested interests or our own selfish motives to creep in and deprive us of the opportunity to stand erect and united on the issue of the Freedom of the Press.

   It is not how many of us are here today to support the cause of the Freedom of Press that matters; but how much faith, sincerity and dedication that we have in the righteousness of our cause…Today, we are here to lodge a symbolic protest. But if our voice is not heard and if the suppression of the Freedom of Press still continues despite the stand that we have taken here today, we must not be content with mere symbolism. We must raise a voice in every village and town in this State…We must continue to press on until ten thousand conscious citizens in Sikkim come together and raise their voice and rally support for Freedom of Press in Sikkim.”

   The quick and dramatic response of the people was beyond my wildest imagination. On June 22 and 23, just three days after our rally, thousands of pro-democracy activists under the leadership of Mr. Pawan Chamling, President of the Sikkim Democratic Front, held protest rallies in Gangtok. The SDF rally was a significant breakthrough for democratic forces in the State fighting against the dictatorial Bhandari regime. The confrontation between pro-democracy activists and the Bhandari Government in June 1993 is now being seen as a watershed in Sikkim’s contemporary political history.

   While we do not claim to be the champion of the freedom of Press and freedom of expression and movement in the State, it is important to note that both Sikkim Observer and its staff have contributed their share in restoration of democracy and decency in Sikkim. I refuse to believe that Sikkim Observer and our other publications are our only contribution in my decade and half experience in the Fourth Estate. Newspapers have a significant role to play in a small State like Sikkim. But I would like those who know me well and our readers in particular to know that what we at the Observer have tried to do is to build an Institution called the Press.

   The Press is not just journalists, papers and machines. It has to be seen essentially as one of the major pillars of democracy. While legislators in the country and the world raise emotive issues such as restoration of democracy from time to time it is the Press which lubricates the wheels of democracy day in and day out.

   Due to social and political environment in the State in the past few decades, the Press has had to shoulder the additional burden of constantly being the lone torchbearer of freedom and democracy. Recently, the former chief minister, Mr. Sanchaman Limboo, confided to me, “You are a great survivor.”

   My past experience has taught me that the art of survival is to stick to your guts. Credibility pays in the long run. We believe that we have not struggled in vain and that our ten long years of struggling and surviving will pay rich dividends to all in this part of the world in the years to come.

                                                                                                                              (Ref: Sikkim Observer, August 10, 1996)

HAIL MT. HERMON: A TRIBUTE

(125^th Anniversary - 1895-2020)

Foundation stone of school building was laid on June 5, 1924

  June 5, 1924, is a great day for Mount Hermon School and the Hermonites. The foundation of the main school building was laid on this day by the Countess of Lytton. The construction of the school, which was then called Queen’s Hill School (QHS), took about two years.

   The inauguration of the new school building was performed by Lord Lytton, then the Governor-General of Bengal, on May 26, 1926. The opening of QHS at North Point was a dream come true for the school’s Founder, Miss Emma Knowles, who died in 1924. She founded the school, then called Arcadia Girls School near Chowrasta, Darjeeling, on March 11, 1895.

   In her book, “Under the Old School Topee”, UK Hermonite Hazel (Innes) Craig, who passed away a few years back, gives a clear picture of this era:

    “Emma Knowles worked tirelessly for her school until 1915, and retired from active missionary service a few years later. Her greatest hope was to see her school established in a permanent building `before her call should come'. She died in 1924 aged 84, but she got her wish when Miss Carolyn Stahl, who became Principal in 1918, was able to write and tell her of the purchase of the Mount Hermon Estate in 1920.

    A slump in the tea industry led to the sale of the large estate belonging to the Lebong Tea Company, an ill wind which blew some good for the Methodist missionaries looking for a site for the school. The site was bought for a bargain price of Rs.50,000/- by Bishop Frederick Fisher of the Thoburn Methodist Church in Calcutta. Fred Fisher was the moving spirit behind the purchase of the site and the building of the new school. Later he was to instigate the purchase of Fernhill in 1927, which was to become the senior boys' living accommodation - again at a bargain price, a mere Rs.35,000/-.

   Cottages sprang up on the new estate and the school itself was officially opened in 1926, still called Queen's Hill and by then taking many more boys. In 1930 the school was re­named Mount Hermon School, incorporating the original Queen's Hill School for Girls and Bishop Fisher's School for Boys, eventually becoming the fully integrated co-educational boarding school that I knew in the 1940s.” (www.oldmhs.com – web page of UK alumni)

Hail Mt. Hermon! Hail Hermonites!