SIKKIM OBSERVER Page 1  Saturday   Feb 22-28, 2014

Vol  XXIII No 2: Blog:jigmenkazisikkim.blogspot.com;Email:jigmekazi@gmail.com,sikkimobserver@gmail.com

Obama to meet Dalai Lama in White House

(Left)US President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House in July 2011.

Washington, Feb 21: US President Barack Obama will meet Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, a fellow Nobel peace laureate, at the White House today.

"The President will meet the Dalai Lama in his capacity as an internationally respected religious and cultural leader," National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said.

Obama met the Dalai Lama in February 2010 and July 2011, she said, adding the US presidents of both parties over the past three decades have met with the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Hayden said the United States supported the Dalai Lama's "middle way" approach of neither assimilation nor independence for Tibetans but recognised Tibet to be "a part of China".

"We do not support Tibetan independence," she said. Hayden said the US strongly supports human rights and religious freedom in China.

"We are concerned about continuing tensions and the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas of China. We will continue to urge the Chinese government to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, as a means to reduce tensions," Hayden said.

The Nobel peace prize winner, who is here for a two-week tour of the US west coast, on Thursday told a Washington audience that he is warming to capitalism.

Can Golay halt Chamling’s forward march?

Gangtok, Feb 21: “From now on if any SKM supporter is assaulted, I say take the fight to Mintogang itself. Youth and women of the party must now be ready for this,” declared PS Golay during a public meeting of his party, Sikkim Krnatikari Morcha (Sikkim Revolutionary Front), in Singtam, east district, last week.

What is attracting the Sikkimese people towards Golay is his simplicity and straightforwardness. “I am a simple man. When I was a minister for 15 years, I did not build even a single building on government land, nor did I set up hotels or other businesses or add to my bank balance,” said Golay.

 Taking a dig at Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, Golay adds, “If SKM forms the government tomorrow, I would not be the one to usurp government land or build a casino. Our aim is to make our youth millionaires and not to become one ourselves.”

Meanwhile, the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which has been in power since 1994 for four consecutive terms, is planning to hold a massive public meeting in Jorethang, south district, on March 4 during its anniversary celebrations.

AAP to field Medha Patkar from Mumbai

Manipur’s ‘Iron Lady’ says no to politics

New Delhi, Feb 21: The Aam Aadmi Party decision to field Narmada Bachao Andolan leader and activist Medha Patkar from Mumbai’s Northeast Lok Sabha constituency is likely to increase troubles for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The seat is now held by NCP MP Sanjay Dina Patil. Ms. Patkar, last month, announced her full-fledged support to the Aam Aadmi Party. At the time she said she would extend only outside support.

Medha Patkar

She has been active in the Northeast constituency through her several agitations for the slum dwellers. The constituency has large number of slums in Mankhurd, Govandi and Deonar. The seat is divided into pockets of Gujarati, Muslim and Dalit population, along with sizeable Marathi voters.

Patkar  said that the main agenda of her campaign would remain corruption by the established parties. “I took this decision after consultation with various organisations. The AAP is raising the issues which we always wanted to raise and hence I found this party a good platform,” she said, The Hindu reported.                             

Earlier, Patkar had said that she would support the party only from the outside, and in return, ask for AAP's support for her 25-30 candidates all over the country. But Kejriwal insisted AAP will back all candidates of Patkar's National Alliance for People's Movement (NAPM) only if she joins the party.

Spreading its wings nationally, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) approached activist Irom Sharmila Chanu to contest the Lok Sabha elections from the inner Manipur Lok Sabha seat.

Irom Sharila Chanu

AAP leader Prashant Bhushan had proposed the idea to contest the elections to Sharmila, which she later refused. Sharmila has been on a fast for the past 14 years demanding to repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). "Since I don't want to enter politics, I have applied my mind and rejected the offer this morning," she said. She added that politics according to her was uncertain and vague as people could not keep their faith and trsut on the politicians. In 2012 during the Manipur Assembly elections, Sharmila had termed the politicians as 'shameless people' as they had failed to act on the presence of AFSPA in the state.

Name Nam Nang road after Prince Tenzing: Bhandari

Gangtok, Feb 21: Former chief minister Nar Bahadur Bhandari, who was close to the Palace, has reportedly urged the authorities to name the steep Nam Nang Road linking MG Marg with Deorali in memory of the late Crown Prince Tenzing.

Prince Tenzing

The suggestion, if it receives positive response from the Chamling Government, would be a fitting tribute to Prince Tenzing, who was killed in a car accident on this road on March 11, 1978.

  Prince Tenzing was the eldest son of Chogyal Palden Tondup Namgyal during whose rule Sikkim was taken over by India in 1975 in the guise of ushering in democracy in the former kingdom.

Bhanndari

Bhandari’s Palace-baked Sikkim Parishad party, which fought the 1979 Assembly polls on an anti-merger plank, routed pro-merger LD Kazi’s party and formed the government on October 18, 1979.

Prince Tenzing was a dashing young man who was very popular among the people. More than 30,000 turned up in Gangtok from all over Sikkim during his funeral.

Bikers against racial discrimination

Bangalore, Feb 21: More than 200 riders of several bike-riding clubs and individual riders, vroomed on about 150 bikes cutting through the heart of the city unequivocally condemning the racial discrimination, as part of the 'Bikers Against Racial Discrimination’ ride under the aegis of Brotherhood of Bulleeters Motorcycling Consortium (BOBMC) here last Sunday.

Several women riding the bikes, some really heavy machines, attracted the attention of onlookers. The rally had a long contingent of bikes from Royal Enfield, Honda, Duke and others. Thousands of pamphlets were distributed throughout the route of the rally to educate people about the event and the cause.

There were many placards with messages including 'Racism is Wrong’, 'Racism has no place in a democratic country', 'Friends Are Made by Heart, Not by Skin Colour', 'We, the riding family, won't stand racial discrimination', 'Stop All Violence Against Northeast' and 'We All Have Eyes, But to See Right, We Should Use Our Brains'. A very diverse set of people in terms of race, religion, region, age, gender and language participated in the rally. Large number of people from North-Eastern states and Caucasians took part in event.

The bike rally, led by senior bikers  Prem Menon and Ajit Lakshmiratan, was flagged off from the Town Hall at 8:40 am and passed through Hudson Circle, Mission Road, Lalbagh Road, RV Road, Nanda Theatre Road, JP Nagar, BTM Layout, Silk Board, Outer Ring Road and culminated at the BDA Complex in HSR Layout at 10 am.

Lakshmiratan, a Biker from 50+ Bulleteers said: "We are very much concerned about the racial discrimination prevalent. It is a blot on our society and we condemn it. We as a responsible biking community and express our solidarity with North East brothers and sisters."

Professor Rini Ralte from Mizoram, who made Garden City her home, addressed the bikers and said: "Racial Discrimination is a violence faced by us every day in Bangalore and in other cities. The recent exodus of thousands of North East people from Bangalore indicates the kind of constant fear we live under. Ours is a struggle against discrimination, ours is a struggle for justice and peace."

Human Rights activist Manohar Elavarthi from Praja Rajakiya Vedike appreciated the efforts of the biking community in fighting against racism. He demanded that Police should be sensitized on the issues of North East people and to recruit people from the region into Karnataka police force to make it racially diverse. He appealed to the bikers to continue this long struggle to change people’s attitudes and to bring lasting changes against racism.

Bishwajit Singh Rajkumar, a biker from Manipur said: "As a biker, I have never faced any racial discrimination inside the biking community. I am proud to be part of this community and want the larger society to emulate our biking community and learn to accept the people who are different from you. If you want to understand people, you should visit their places and meet them; spend time with them. Then only one will start to understand that they are as beautiful as you."

Ringo Pebam, a biker from Manipur, who works in this city, said: "North East people face insults, harassment, sexual harassment, physical violence and humiliation on a daily basis. People here know very little about North East people, our history, culture, food habits, languages; people don’t know that India is home to people of different races. We demand changes in school and college curricula to include information about North East so that all Indians are aware about us.”

Sikkim bags national tourism award

Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor,presenting the National   Tourism Award 2012-13 to Sikkim Tourism Minister Bhim Dhungel during  a function at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Tuesday. (Right)

Gangtok, Feb 21: Sikkim has been declared as best state in the country in implementation of  Rural Tourism Projects  by the Union Ministry of Tourism.

 Union Minister for Human Resource Development Shashi Tharoor,presented the National   Tourism Award 2012-13 to Sikkim Tourism Minister  Bhim Dhungel during a function held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on Tuesday.

 According to Union Tourism Ministry, Sikkim is the perfect destination to experience warm hospitality, rich culture and scenic splendour of natural beauty, an official release said.

Dhungel said that  Chief Minister  Pawan Chamling has launched an ambitious Rs 140 crore project for developing various tourism convenience facilities,view points,halting points and other infrastructural facilities project in the State .

Dhungel said at present around 80,000 tourist visit rural tourists destinations in the state annually and added that target has been fixed to attract 1.50 lakh tourist to rural tourist destinations in next five years  by creating additional infrastructural facilities in the State..

Sikkim tourism Secretary C.Zangpo, Sanjay Singh DE(P), Shova Lama AD,  Binita Rai, PRO Tourism and Vijay Thapa were part of the official delegations who attended the function

Seemandhra TDP leaders raise demand for separate Telugu nation

Hyderabad, Feb 21: Exasperated Telugu Desam Party leaders from Seemandhra have sprang a surprise by raising a new demand of a separate country with its own parliament if the Centre is unable to keep the state of Andhra Pradesh united.

No less than half a dozen senior TDP leaders, including MPs, have echoed this demand in the last few days. Leading the bunch is TDP MP and industrialist Modugula Venugopal Reddy, who shot to infame after threatening suicide with a broken microphone in the Lok Sabha moments after the Telangana Bill was to be tabled on Thursday. “Give us our own parliament. We will be a separate country like Bangladesh and Pakistan,” he told mediaperons here.

“When Parliament does not bother about sentiments of Seemandhra people and give respect to the region’s MPs, what is wrong in the demand for a separate country,” he said adding, “five crore denizens of Seemandhra are subjected to `genocide’ by Sonia Gandhi who is not bothered about their concerns.”

Incidentally, many Seemandhraites active on social media have been posting comments echoing these sentiments. A Facebook group on “Seemandhra, a separate country” has been created, though it has few takers. One of the comments was: “When there is no respect for Andhras, there is thinking whether we should be part of this country or not.” Former minister and Telugu Desam legislator Gali Muddukrishnama Naidu has been repeating the demand for a separate country is also part of the separatist chorus.

Senior legislator Payyavulu Keshav, who has been the face of Samaikyandhra movement in the Telugu Desam, said, “Are we living in India. Are we not part of India? We are forced to feel like aliens in our own country.”

Former minister Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy was the first senior TDP leader to voice the nation desire. He repeated the statement several times, the latest being on Friday. “If a separate state can be created on the basis of self rule, why should south India not be a separate country on the same plank,” he said adding, “that day is not far away”.

Former minister and TDP leader Bojjala Gopalakrishna Reddy did not see any fault in the demand. “In fact India should be like the European Union, where countries have their own independence.” He even named the Seemandhra `country’ as Telugu Desam or the nation of Telugus.

Press freedom: from Talk Sikkim to Sikkim Talks

Gangtok, Feb 21: Sikkim’s monthly newsmagazine Talk Sikkim has, once again, bounced back. This time in its new avatar: Sikkim Talks.

Mita Zulca, editor of the magazine, has taken the lead in reviving the publication. According to reports, the Talk Sikkim, owed by Deependra Khati, was under much pressure to close down Talk Sikkim as it highlighted activities of former minister PS Golay’s Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (Sikkim Revolutionary Front).

“The magazine was launched in September 2008. It is now 2014. Hardly ever in the stands on the scheduled date, it nevertheless sold out each time it did make it there,” says Zulca in Facebook.

She adds, “It ‘shut down’ twice but came back again to great support from the readers. This time with a name-change but no one seems to care about that at all.A special thanks to advertisers who saw us through good times and bad. And to all readers who kept us motivated with their support.”

Meanwhile, local journalists are not too happy of the lack of action taken by the authorities to nab the culprit who attacked the printing press of Sikkim Express here at Daragaon recently.

Anna joins hand with Mamata to launch 'Fight For India' campaign

New Delhi, Feb 21:  After India Against Corruption, social activist Anna Hazare will now launch 'Fight for India' campaign with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Anna and Mamata met on Wednesday and have decided to launch this campaign ahead of Lok Sabha elections. This comes after Mamata hosted a dinner in honour of Anna in Delhi.

The Gandhian has been growing closer to the West Bengal Chief Minister ever since his split with former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Te duo have decided to campaign in the eastern states and UP from middle of March, CNN-IBN reported.

Anna wanted a commitment from Mamata on delivering on promises if she comes to power. Anna also wanted to support and campaign for other candidates as well.

Anna joins hand with Mamata to launch 'Fight For India' campaign

The Gandhian has been growing closer to the West Bengal Chief Minister ever since his split with Arvind Kejriwal.

Anna had earlier praised Mamata after meeting Kejriwal and reportedly compared the lifestyle of the chief ministers.

Talking about the VIP culture, Hazare said that Mamata wears slippers even after she became CM but persons take bungalows despite promising not to do so in a veiled dig at Kejriwal.

Anna had, however, said that he had never endorsed anyone and that he had written to political parties about 17 issues that need to be taken up for the welfare of nation. "I sent 17 points to every political party. The points if implemented will change the nation for good. Nobody responded. Only West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent a reply. We need such people," he reportedly said.

KS Tobgay was an upright person: CM

Gangtok, Feb 21: Condoling the death of KS Tobgay, Secretary Land Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, while expressing his “profound grief, sorrow and deep anguish over the sudden demise”, said Tobgay was “an upright person with impeccable integrity.”

In his condolence message, the Chief Minister said Tobgay was “a man with amicable disposition, was known as a calm, soft spoken, hard working and an upright person with impeccable integrity.”

Chamling described Tobgay as a “thorough gentleman” and “an experienced bureaucrat” and his death created a “great void” in the State administration.

Army jawans rescue 584 tourists stranded in Sikkim

Gangtok, Feb 21: Army jawans rescued 584 tourists, including 106 women and 14 children, who were left stranded when unexpected heavy snowfall caused major road blocks in Sikkim's Nathula, officials said in Kolkata on Tuesday.

Army personnel under Trishakti Corps cleared over 100 vehicles in two separate locations in Nathula on Sunday, PTI reported.

In the first incident, 250 tourists got stranded near milestone 17, where a tourist vehicle tilted precariously due to heavy snowfall blocking nearly 40 other vehicles.

A team of army men comprising two junior commissioned officers and 10 jawans led by Subedar major KM Chandgude from a nearby army transit camp on patrol cleared the snow, making it possible for the stranded vehicles to return to Gangtok by evening.

Elsewhere near Nathula, 334 tourists, including 106 women and 14 children, in 65 vehicles got stranded due to inclement weather and heavy snow were also rescued, Army officials said.

With weather turning worse and life threatening, the men in olive greens swung into action and rescued all tourists to a safe place.

Besides sheltering them through the night the army men also provided them hot beverages and food.

Telephone facilities were also provided to them to contact their near and dear ones. On Monday morning, after breakfast, vehicles were arranged to transfer them to Gangtok.

Located around 56 km from Gangtok at an altitude of 14450 ft, Nathula is close to the Indo-China border and is a major tourist destination in Sikkim.

PEOPLE&PLACES Chogyal of Sikkim

Chogyal was placed under house arrest before Sikkim’s annexation

This article on Palden Thondup Namgyal, the 12^th Chogyal (king) of Sikkim, was written on May 23, 2008 by the Radical Royalist during the Chogyal’s 85^th birth anniversary.

Sikkim Observer brings this article to light on the occasion of the 32^nd anniversary of the historic funeral of the Chogyal in Gangtok on February 19, 1982.

This spring (May 2008) the world’s attention was drawn to Tibet, where on 10th March this year the people commemorated the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan upheaval against the Chinese occupation. The protests spread from Tibet across the whole world and along the route of the torch relay for this year’s Olympic games people demanded: “Free Tibet!”.

   In the Southern part of the Himalaya another occupied territory did not attract any attention at all: Sikkim. The Kingdom which had defended its independence for 300 years against powerful neighbours was annexed by India in April 1975 and became the 22nd state of the Indian Union. The 85th birthday of the 12th Chogyal of Sikkim gives me the opportunity to focus on the fate of the tiny Himalaya Kingdom.

Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, Twelfth Consecrated Ruler of Sikkim, was born in Sikkim’s capital Gangtok on 22nd May 1923. The Denzong Chogyal was the second son of the late illustrious Chogyal Sir Tashi Namgyal, who will always be remembered as Sikkim’s gracious, enlightened and benevolent ruler.

In 1935 he continued his studies at St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling, and completed his studies at Bishop Cotton School, Simla, in 1941.

Funeral of the Chogyal in Gangtok on February 19, 1982.

As the Heir Apparent, Gyalsay Palden Thondup Namgyal undertook the Indian Civil Service Training Course at Dehra Dun in 1942 and thereafter returned to Sikkim to look after the administration so that the needs of the people could be taken care of.

Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal was keenly alive to the needs of the people and as Heir Apparent had exercised direct personal supervision over various departments of the government of Sikkim. He was his father’s adviser on external affairs and led the Sikkim team, which negotiated the Treaty with India in 1949-1950. By contract Sikkim became India’s “protectorate” on 5th December 1950, not unlike Nepal and Bhutan that were forced to sign similar treaties after the British had left the subcontinent. So far the other two Kingdoms could maintain their independence. If Nepal will be able to keep the two greedy neighbours outside the borders should the country be declared a republic, is in doubts.

The Chogyal was connected with a number of cultural and academic bodies in Sikkim, India and abroad. He had been the President of the Mahabodhi Society of India since 1953 and he led the Sikkim delegation to the Sixth Buddhist Council that was held in Burma in 1954. He participated in the 2500 Buddha Jayanti Celebrations in India in 1956, and was the only member of the Working Committee from Sikkim. In March 1959 he attended the 2500 Buddha Jayanti Conference in Japan and represented Sikkim at the Sixth World Fellowship of Buddhists conference in Cambodia in 1961. In 1958, under the patronage of Maharaja Sir Tashi Namgyal, he set up a centre for Mahayana and Tibetan studies at Gangtok , and this world famous centre bears the name of “Namgyal Institute of Tibetology.”

In August 1950, he married Sangey Deki, daughter of Yapshi Samdu Phodrang of Tibet. Sangey died in June 1957. In March 1963 he married Hope Cooke, grand daughter and ward of Mr. and Mrs. Winchester Noyes of the United States of America, which drew a huge media attention to the tiny Kingdom. The Chogyal had three children from his first wife, namely Tenzing, Wangchuk and Yangchen. His second wife bore him Palden and Hope. After his father’s death, Palden was crowned as the Twelfth Chogyal of Sikkim on 4th April 1965. (Please note the photo, where his US-born wife Hope Cooke is sitting at his right on a lower throne.)

Among the honours and distinction the Chogyal held were: The Order of the British Empire (1947), Padma Vibushan, India (1954) and Commander de l’Ordre de l’Étoile Noire, France (1956).

The Indian invasion

Small numbers of Nepalese had been migrating to Sikkim from about the 15th century, but it was only under the British that the Nepalese began entering Sikkim in great numbers, entirely upsetting the traditional ethnic balance of Sikkim. This social engineering was done by the British to weaken the traditional Lepchas – Bhutia strength. The Eleventh Chogyal and representatives of two of Sikkim’s largest parties, the Sikkim State Congress and the Sikkim National Party, agreed in May 1951to a parity formula . According to this formula, the seats in the state council were to be divided equally between the Bhutia-Lepcha group, and the Nepalese. The Sikkim State Council was then institute in 1953.

In April 1973, after making allegations that elections had been rigged, ethnic Nepali protested in front of the King's palace, demanding civil rights and the sidelining or even removal of what they called the "feudal" monarchy. Palden Thondup Namgyal, the King of Sikkim, ultimately gave in and signed an agreement on 8th May 1973.

The document called on India to provide a chief executive, and to hold elections for an assembly. The agreement was the first step in the disappearance of the Kingdom of Sikkim. The inhabitants of the Kingdom are in no doubt that the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her local agents fomented the unrest. Indira Gandhi’s dictatorial and imperialist attitudes were are a major concern in the 70s. Asked in 1998 by the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, why the Sikkimese army did not resist the Indian invasion, a former captain of Sikkim's army replied: "The Indians soldiers had joined the army because they were hungry and received a warm meal; to shoot at them would not have been in accordance with our Buddhist faith. We knew four days in advance about the invasion, but the King had ordered not to fight."

In 1975, Sikkim’s Prime Minister “appealed” to the Indian Parliament for representation and change of Sikkim's status to a state of India. In April 1975 the Indian army moved into Sikkim, seizing the capital city of Gangtok, disarming the Palace Guards and putting the Chogyal under house arrest.

A “referendum” was held in which 97.5% [!] of the votes cast (or counted!) agreed to join the Indian Union. China did not recognize India’s occupation of Sikkim until 2003, which led to an improvement in the Sino-Indian relations. In return, India announced its official recognition of Tibet as an integrated part of China.

The Chogyal never renounced his throne and hoped till the end that justice would win.

On 29th January 1982 Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal died a heartbroken man from cancer in New York. His second son Wangchuk inherited the rights to the throne after the Chogyal's eldest son Crown Prince Tenzin had died in a car accident on 11th March 1978.

LITERARY

Wendy Doniger's book: 'You must tell us what terrified you'

 Arundhati Roy writes to Penguin India

Everybody is shocked at what you have gone and done—at your out-of-court settlement with an unknown Hindu fanatic outfit—in which you seem to have agreed to take Wendy Donniger's The Hindus: An Alternative History off the bookshelves of 'Bharat' and pulp it. There will soon no doubt be protestors gathered outside your office, expressing their dismay.

Tell us, please, what is it that scared you so? Have you forgotten who you are? You are part of one of the oldest, grandest publishing houses in the world. You existed long before publishing became just another business, and long before books became products like any other perishable product in the market—mosquito repellent or scented soap.

You have published some of the greatest writers in history. You have stood by them as publishers should, you have fought for free speech against the most violent and terrifying odds. And now, even though there was no fatwa, no ban, not even a court order, you have not only caved in, you have humiliated yourself abjectly before a fly-by-night outfit by signing settlement. Why?

You have all the resources anybody could possibly need to fight a legal battle. Had you stood your ground, you would have had the weight of enlightened public opinion behind you, and the support of most—if not all—of your writers. You must tell us what happened. What was it that terrified you? You owe us, your writers an explanation at the very least.

The elections are still a few months away. The fascists are, thus far, only campaigning. Yes, it's looking bad, but they are not in power. Not yet. And you've already succumbed?

What are we to make of this? Must we now write only pro-Hindutva books? Or risk being pulled off the bookshelves in 'Bharat' (as your 'settlement' puts it) and pulped? Will there be some editorial guide-lines perhaps, for writers who publish with Penguin? Is there a policy statement?

Frankly I don't believe this has happened. Tell us it's just propaganda from a rival publishing house. Or an April Fool's day prank that got leaked early. Please say something. Tell us it's not true.

So far I have had been more than happy to be published by Penguin. But now?

What you have done affects us all.

Arundhati Roy

(Author of The God of Small Things, Listening to Grasshoppers, Broken Republic and other books all of which are published by Penguin India)

Just Out!!

Book: The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland

Publisher: Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, Sikkim

Price: Rs. 525/-

AVAILABLE AT:

Observer Building, Nam Nang, Gangtok, Sikkim

Kandoika, New Market, MG Marg, Gangtok, Sikkim

Good Books: Old Market, MG Marg, Gangtok, Sikkim

Jainco: New Metro Point, 31A National Highway, Gangtok, Sikkim

Rachna: Development Area, Gangtok, Sikkiim

Bulk copies available at Observer Building, Nam Nang, Gangtok, Sikkim.

SIKKIM OBSERVER Page 1 Saturday   Feb 8-14, 2014

Bhandari to work for opposition unity, to hold talks with Golay

SKM demands Prez Rule in Sikkim before polls

Gangtok, Feb 7: Acknowledging Sikkim Krantikari Morcha President PS Golay’s hold on the people, former chief minister and Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) President Nar Bahadur Bhandari said he was hopeful of an alliance with the SKM to stop the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front’s comeback in the next Assembly polls due in May.

Bhandari said he was in touch with Golay, whose party celebrated its first anniversary during a mammoth meeting at Jorethang in south Sikkim on Tuesday. Speaking to Sikkim Observer, Bhandari said he is likely to meet Golay soon to look into the possibility of working together to thwart SDF’s comeback.

“There should not be a triangular fight during the next Assembly elections,” Bhandari said. He said he was also in touch with other opposition leaders in the State to chalk out opposition unity.

    While Golay is likely to make an inroad into the SDF vote-bank among the State’s OBCs Bhandari still has a sizable hold among the upper-caste Nepalese (Newars, Bahuns and Chettris – NBCs) and the minority Bhutia-Lepchas (BLs), who have 13 seats reserved in the 32-member Assembly.     

    Unity among the OBCs, NBCs and BLs under Golay and Bhandari’s combined leadership will give a stiff competition to the ru

ling party, observers feel.

   And yet former MLA and Gangtok Mayor Balchand Sarda warned, “If Opposition leaders fail to check manipulation of the EVMs Chamling may make a comeback again.” He is convinced that the ruling party won the Assembly polls in 2004 and 2009 due to manipulation of EVMs.

   Meanwhile, the SKM has sought for President’s Rule in the State prior to the next Assembly polls. A memorandum on this issue was submitted to the Election Commission of India by the SKM on Wednesday. The party fears misuse of the government machinery and manipulation of EVMs during the polls process.

Rahul stands by Northeast people, says justice will be done

New Delhi, Feb 7: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday met Northeast students at Jantar Mantar in Delhi in the backdrop of the death of a 19-year-old boy from Arunachal Pradesh. Students from Northeast have been protesting at Jantar Mantar and demanding justice for Nido Taniam who was allegedly beaten up by shop keepers and his friends.

Rahul assured strict action against the culprit and said, "What happened here is completely unacceptable," agencies reported.

Rahul Gandhi speaking at the protest venue in New Delhi on Monday.  (left)

During his brief stay at the protest venue, Rahul also assured the protesters that government would ensure that they get respect and justice.

He said there was only one India for him which matters and that was the India where every single person was treated with respect, justice and treated fairly.

"There is no other India that I am interested in. I am not concerned whether you are from the Northeast or any other religion, there is only one India and that India is for all of us. We will fight for this. We are going to ensure that you get respect in this country, full stop. For me, Nido represents this country," he said. He said, "My heart and spirit are 100 per cent with you."

Students have submitted a memorandum to Rahul. Earlier in the day, Rahul had also met MPs from Arunachal and asked Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to act on Taniam's death case.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has also assured that he would join their protest for speedy justice for a student from Arunachal Pradesh who died following an alleged attack by some shopkeepers here. The delegation accompanied by Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs Ninong Ering submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister in this regard.

The protest against the death of Nido Taniam continued in the capital as different student organisations in Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University organised demonstrations demanding immediate action against the killers of Nido Taniam.

The 14 organisations working for northeastern community submitted a detailed 16-point memorandum to prime minister, home minister and Delhi chief minister urging them to act on the suggestions to ensure safety and security of vulnerable northeastern community in the capital.

The Union Home Ministry has strongly advised the Delhi Police to give protection to the people of Northeast. In a meeting with top Delhi Police officials, the MHA asked them to take immediate action on the complaints of people from Northeast region and to sensitise all police stations regarding the people from the region.

The student, Nido Taniam's initial post-mortem report which came out on Sunday evening suggested that he died of swelling in his brain and due to fluid filling up in his lungs. However, the police said that the actual cause of Taniam's death can only be determined once the viscera report comes out.

The body of Taniam, son of an Arunachal Congress MLA, was flown to his home in Itanagar for his last rites. But, in the national capital protests continued over his death.

Taniam was found dead inside his room on Thursday. He had allegedly been beaten up by workers at a sweet shop in Lajpat Nagar on Wednesday after he broke a window pane there for allegedly being mocked over his hair.

Mamata opted for Bhaichung for Darjeeling LS seat

GJM oppose Bhutia candidature, says he is not ‘face of hill people’

Kolkata, Feb 7: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress has decided against fielding star footballer Baichung Bhutia from Darjeeling in the upcoming general elections, changing its stance after it became clear that Gorkha Janamukti Morcha was planning to put up a candidate from the hills.

"We want to put up a rebel GJM candidate against the official nominee of party chief Bimal Gurung so that we can get a significant chunk of Gorkha votes. Baichung Bhutia will not be able to divide the GJM's vote bank since he hails from Sikkim and is unlikely to get tribal votes in Darjeeling," a senior TMC leader said, requesting anonymity.

GJM leader and Kalimpong MLA Harkabahadur Chhetri said, "We oppose Baichung Bhutia's candidature. Neither he is from Darjeeling, nor is he the face of hill people. We will support the candidate, who is son of the soil".

Nepali-speaking Bhutia is seen as the frontrunner among potential Trinamool Congress candidates for the Darjeeling constituency, where the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) calls the shots. Asked about the possibility of his joining politics or contesting in next year's general election, the footballer from Sikkim refused to comment.

The Gorkhas elected the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) Jaswant Singh in 2009 and the Congress's Dawa Narbula in 2004, but this time, the GJM wants one of its own leaders to represent the constituency in Parliament.

The rebel in exile: a lone struggle for the common cause

Gangtok, Feb 7: Sequel to Jigme N. Kazi’s previous book Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, this book, The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland, highlights the downfall of the Nar Bahadur Bhandari regime, which ruled Sikkim for a decade and half (1979-1994),  and subsequent events in the former kingdom leading to formation of Pawan Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government in December 1994.

 The book, released on February 6, 2014, delves deeply into social, religious and political issues – Assembly seat reservation, income tax, Rathongchu hydro power project, scaling of Khangchendzonga, Gurudongmar lake controversy, Opposition unity – that the Chamling Government confronted during its first three successive terms in office (1994-2009).

   The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland also seeks to highlight how and why the author – a journalist – left the safe confines of his profession and joined active politics. Was he after ‘power politics’ or did he truly struggle for ‘people power’ to triumph in Sikkim?

   In his recent book, Sikkim For Sikkimese, the author reveals his professional and political struggle of two and half decades (1983-2008) to safeguard Sikkim’s ‘distinct identity within the Union.’ In The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland, Jigme N. Kazi shows that he can use the pen and the sword with equal flare and ferocity. His personal confrontation with those within and outside his political circle on diverse issues makes it a must-read book for those who are looking for unique insights into how the political elite of established political parties play the game of survival.

 More than anything The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland reveals how one can fight head-on and take on the powers-that-be for the common cause and come out unscathed and with one’s credibility intact.

   Jigme N. Kazi is now back to where he belongs – journalism. He currently edits two of his weekly English newspapers – Sikkim Observer and Himalayan Guardian – and has plans to revive his other publications. In his 30-year career in journalism, Jigme N. Kazi has worked for numerous local, regional, national and international publications and news services, including Eastern Express, North East Daily, The Telegraph, The Statesman, United News of India (UNI), The Independent (Nepal) and Inter Press Service(IPS).

   Published by Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, the 276-page book priced at Rs 525/-, is available at Observer Building, Nam Nang, Gangtok, Sikkim and at the local books shops in Gangtok.

Editorial

FEDERAL FRONT

The Third Alternative

The likely formation of the ‘Federal Front’ before the ensuing Lok Sabha polls has caused a lot of discomfort in the BJP camp. With nearly 100 seats in its kitty the Federal Front, led by regional chiefs, will surely hamper the BJP’s march towards formation of  the government in May this year. Bihar and West Bengal chief ministers, Nitish Kumar and Mamata Banerjee, have already taken an earnest stand on the formation of the new front. Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is eager to become the next PM possibly with Congress support, has lent his weight behind the new platform.

   “We have to win as many as seats from Bengal to ensure that Bengal plays a key role,” insists Mamata. With Congress keen on tying up with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Nitish Kumar is likely to forge a non-Congress and non-BJP front by bringing together the remaining groups of the old ‘janata parivar,’ ‘before or after’ the Lok Sabha polla. Kumar said he would initially make efforts to rope in Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) in the proposed federation. And if the move becomes successful, the scope of expanding the front for Naveen Patnaik-led Biju Janata Dal, Left parties and AIADMK’s J Jayalalithaa. Kumar is expected to meet prominent leaders of the Samajwadi Party and Janata Dal (S) during his visit to New Delhi on February 9-10 to work out a strategy for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. AAP, which is expected to win at least 20 seats, may also support the third alternative.

Gurung calls for Gorkha unity, fails to take stand on LS seat

Darjeeling, Feb7: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung has called all members of the Gorkha community to work towards Gorkha unity and identity.

His call came at a meeting of  the party at Jamuni on Wednesday where the Gorkha leader was expected to spell out the party’ s stand on the Darjeeling Lok Sabha seat.

“Today, I will not speak about the Lok Sabha election or our party candidate. We will take a decision on the issue at an opportune moment. We will not adopt a strategy according to what the government of India or the state government wants,” Gurung said.

Representatives of different hill communities were invited to the Morcha meeting in Jamuni, 20km from here.

 “I am increasingly feeling that various Gorkha sub-communities are forgetting about Gorkha unity. I feel the situation is emerging in a way that in the days to come, a Gurung will not go to a Rai family house where there has been a death. Probably, a Chhetri will not be there for the Tamang people during crisis and vice-versa. We Gorkhas are a community which takes great pride in our recognition as a brave community but we are slowly getting scattered,” Gurung said, The Telegraph reported.

“Please remain united, keeping in mind the larger picture. I have no problems with the government forming boards for different communities,” Gurung said.

“In fact, when Mamata Banerjee was in Darjeeling, I had requested her to form development boards for all hill communities. I have also requested her to initiate a process so that 10 Gorkha communities are enlisted in the Schedule Tribe list. After forming so many boards, I think the state government can also dissolve the GTA,” the Morcha chief said.

LITERARY

How Sikkim fell prey to India’s imperialistic designs

By INDRANIL BANERJIE

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray with the revised edition of Smash & Grab: Annexation of Sikkim. (Pix: The Telegraph- left)

Sikkim became the twenty-second state of the Indian Republic on 16 May 1975 and the monarchy that had ruled this Himalayan kingdom for more than three centuries was abolished. How this came about is the theme of journalist Sunanda K. Datta-Ray’s book, which was first published to much acclaim in 1984.

This revised edition with a new introduction comes several years after the original publisher gave up the rights to the book, claiming he was not interested in reprinting it. Another publisher, Tranquebar, decided Ms Datta-Ray’s book needed to be kept alive.

Smash and Grab is at heart a simple story, masterfully embellished with first hand journalistic detail, about Sikkim’s noble but defenceless King, who falls to the machinations of imperial New Delhi and a handful of conniving local politicians.

The author’s view is that Indira Gandhi’s government decided to annex Sikkim because its ruler Palden Thondup Namgyal, the twelfth Chogyal, was showing every sign of asserting his independence, despite being bound by an unequal treaty to be utterly subservient to New Delhi.

The book is a distressing account of how Indian officials conspired with a few local Nepalese leaders to engineer protests against the Chogyal, who was portrayed as an oppressive, undemocratic feudal, and eventually force a vote to secure Sikkim’s merger with India.

The Indian view at that time was that the Chogyal was opposed to democracy as it would effectively transfer power to the local Nepalese, who despite being immigrants had over the decades become the majority ethnic group in Sikkim. The original Bhutia-Lepcha inhabitants of Sikkim, it was argued, would become a minority with diminished powers.

Whatever the politics, the author’s account accurately portrays the ruthless manner in which the tiny Kingdom, a protectorate of India, was brought down with the Indian Army’s shadow looming over the Chogyal’s palace.

In Ms Datta-Ray’s account the Chogyal, who was his friend, is clearly the tragic hero while the gaggle of treacherous Nepalese politicians and Indian officials are the villains. The author’s superb writing skills, his ability to capture the spirit of the moment and his deep sympathy of Sikkim’s tradition make the book much more than a black and white account of past events.

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Chogyal of Sikkim during the controversial ‘merger’ era. (right)

Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, as the book explains, was no ordinary king but was “recognised at birth as an incarnate of the eighth Chogyal , Sidkeong Tulku, and through him, of a legendary king of Tibet, as well as the monk, Aen-Tul Karma Rinchen of the Kargyu-pa sect of Kham.”

Particularly compelling is the author’s portrayal of the deposed Chogyal, whom he describes as a person of “gentle charm, classical Tibetan scholarship, progressive administrative ideas, and scientific interest in contemporary forms of advance.” He was also recognised as “a staunch ally of India’s democratic leadership”.

Ironically, at one time, New Delhi had championed the Chogyal and even sent him as India’s confidential envoy to Lhasa. He was the president of the Mahabodhi Society of India and had led the Indian delegation to a Moscow conference on Orientalism. He was an honorary major general of the Indian Army and colonel-in-chief of the Eighth Gurkhas.

“Nehru was paternally fond of the active and imaginative prince so bubbling with enthusiasm for his country”, writes Datta-Ray. Yet, this very person several years later would be “publicly reviled and rejected in the closing years of his reign, depicted as a tyrant and a monster, painted as India’s implacable foe, and the enemy the Nepalese had to overthrow.” “The sad, shy man with his gentle ways and embarrassing stammer, his soft speech and quiet thoughtfulness, was lost to view under an avalanche of abuse…It was cruel and wicked distortion. But it served its purpose”, the author recounts. The Chogyal had to go and democracy had to be seen to have triumphed.

    The author’s purpose in writing a revised version of the book is not to express eternal regret for the annexation but to record a critical and not very savoury episode in Indian history. For, as the author writes in his new introduction, “Telling the story again does not mean a U-turn is possible, or even desirable, in history’s one-way street. My Sikkimese friends have made their peace with destiny. On the whole, they have profited from it. Today’s Sikkim is far more vibrant than the sleepy kingdom I knew. Everything is bigger, if not always better…Gangtok has become a throbbing business and tourist centre with packed cafes, a busy walkway and one of India’s few casinos.” “Few look back with nostalgia”, writes Ms Datta-Ray. “But no one can afford to ignore the interlinked historical processes that converted a kingdom under India’s protection into the twenty-second state of the Indian republic. The disappearance of old Sikkim was not the end of the Himalayan story. It was the beginning.” (The Asian Age)

Just Released!

The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland

By JIGME N. KAZI

Publisher: Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, Sikkim

Price: Rs. 525/-

  Sequel to Jigme N. Kazi’s previous book Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, this book, The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland, highlights the downfall of the Nar Bahadur Bhandari regime, which ruled Sikkim for a decade and half (1979-1994),  and subsequent events in the former kingdom leading to formation of Pawan Chamling-led Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) government in December 1994.

 The book, released on February 6, 2014, delves deeply into social, religious and political issues – Assembly seat reservation, income tax, Rathongchu hydro power project, scaling of Khangchendzonga, Gurudongmar lake controversy, Opposition unity – that the Chamling Government confronted during its first three successive terms in office (1994-2009).

   The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland also seeks to highlight how and why the author – a journalist – left the safe confines of his profession and joined active politics. Was he after ‘power politics’ or did he truly struggle for ‘people power’ to triumph in Sikkim?

   In his recent book, Sikkim For Sikkimese, the author reveals his professional and political struggle of two and half decades (1983-2008) to safeguard Sikkim’s ‘distinct identity within the Union.’ In The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland, Jigme N. Kazi shows that he can use the pen and the sword with equal flare and ferocity. His personal confrontation with those within and outside his political circle on diverse issues makes it a must-read book for those who are looking for unique insights into how the political elite of established political parties play the game of survival.

 More than anything The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland reveals how one can fight head-on and take on the powers-that-be for the common cause and come out unscathed and with one’s credibility intact.

   Jigme N. Kazi is now back to where he belongs – journalism. He currently edits two of his weekly English newspapers – Sikkim Observer and Himalayan Guardian – and has plans to revive his other publications. In his 30-year career in journalism, Jigme N. Kazi has worked for numerous local, regional, national and international publications and news services, including Eastern Express, North East Daily, The Telegraph, The Statesman, United News of India (UNI), The Independent (Nepal) and Inter Press Service(IPS).

   Published by Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, the 276-page book priced at Rs 525/-, is available at Observer Building, Nam Nang, Gangtok, Sikkim and at the local books shops in Gangtok.

Hill Media Network

Gangtok, Sikkim

SIKKIM OBSERVER Saturday   Nov 16-22,  2013    

In Supreme Court, SKM demands CBI probe into police lathicharge

Sonam Bhutia (left)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘North Point’ has contributed to nation building: Prez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Editorial

GREAT INSTITUTIONS

Take Care of Them

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

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

SKM: People’s movement for change is gathering momentum

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Jigme N Kazi

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Imprint: Tranquebar Press

Format: Hardback

Extent: 494pp

Published:  Oct- 2013

Price: Rs 795

ISBN 9789383260386

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

Chogyal

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

Kazi

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

 About the Author

Sunanda K. Datta-Ray

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

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