BALCHAND SARDA: A PERSONAL TRIBUTE

Sikkim has lost a great son

Before time passes and memory lapses I would like to record a few things that have impressed me about Balchand Sarda. Loved, respected and admired by a cross section of Sikkimese society, Balchad Sarda created history when he trounced former chief minister Nar Bhandari’s influential wife Dil Kumari Bhandari during the Assembly elections in 1985.

Bhandari’s newly-formed Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) won 30 of the 32 Assembly seats leaving one to the Congress party (Late Kalzang Gyatso won from the reserved Bhutia-Lepcha constituency of Kabi-Tingda in North Sikkim) and the other to Balchand Sarda, who though he was a senior Congress leader, contested as an independent candidate and won from the prestigious Gangtok constituency. His poll victory was hailed as victory of the people.

Balchand Sarda was not exactly my friend. He was my late father Rinzing Namgyal Kazi (Lachen Yapla) and my uncle Ugen Paljor’s very good friend. But when I stepped into politics in 2001, when I and many of us felt helpless and betrayed by those who promised great things it was Balchand Sarda who was my constant companion and guide and shielded me through perilous times which are recorded in my latest book, The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland.

In the course of time we became intimate friends and shared many things, including a few pegs of  whisky when he lived at Gangtok's posh MG Marg. After I quit politics in the summer of 2004 Balchand daju, too, kept himself away from active politics. Gradually his health deteriorated and finally he couldn't even talk.

Mrs. Dil Kumari Bhandari congratulating Balchand Sarda after he won from the Gangtok Assembly constituency in March 1985.

Balchand daju often used to tell me, "Jigme, God is great." God took him away from us early on April  18th  morning and gave him peace. On his funeral held on April 19th Gangtokians gave a tearful and befitting farewell to its first Mayor and MLA.

But more than anything else those who knew him well Balchand Sarda was a man who had a big heart. He was generous, defiant, principled and dependable. Sikkim has lost a great son. The void - in our society and heart - will be difficult to fill.

I planted a Rhododendron sapling in his memory at a prominent place above Kazi Road, Gangtok, on April 20. I have named it "Balchandron".

Son of Het Ram Sarda, who settled in Sang busty in east Sikkim in 1929 under the patronage of Sang Kazi, the Sarda family first came to Sikkim from Hissar in Haryana (north India) in the 1920s and lived in Singtam, a commercial centre for south and east Sikkim. It was the period when full power was restored to the 11^th Chogyal Tashi Namgyal after the British, under Sikkim’s first Political Officer John Claude White, forcefully took charge of Sikkim around 1890 when Sikkim became a British Protectorate.

Balchand Sarda was a great friend and well-wisher of the indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha tribals of Sikkim and it is, therefore, fitting that the Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) held a meeting to mourn his passing away. In a statement, SIBLAC said, “Sikkim has become poorer and lost a great son of Sikkim.”

As Chairman (Mayor) of Gangtok Municipal Corporation, Balchad Sarda allotted shopping premises to small traders in Lal Bazar at minimum rates. The prestigious Hotel Tibet site was also allotted during his tenure as Mayor. To show respect to the lowest members of government employees monthly salaries were first payed to safai karmacharis and then to other GMC employees.

Under his chairmanship GMC won the first Governor's Gold Cup Football Tournament. The first garbage collection and disposal system in and around Gangtok was started by GMC under Balchand Sarda’s  leadership. The first Municipal Corporation School was built at Old Children’s Park in Gangtok on his initiative as GMC chairman. Along with Ugyen Paljor, Balchand Sarda formed the All Sikkim Contractors Association for the benefit of local contractors after Bhandari’s Sikkim Janta Parishad formed the government in October 1979.

    (L to R) Jigme N Kazi, KC Pradhan, LD Kazi, BB Gurung and Balchand Sarda.

 70 is not age to die and particularly for a man like Balchand Sarda, who unlike most old settlers who are involved in trade and business, moved around with the locals – small and big – with grace and ease. He dined and wined with some of the most colourful characters of Sikkim’s political and social circiles. Men like former chief ministers LD Kazi and BB Gurung and former minister KC Pradhan, R. Wangdi (Sosing Yapla), Ragasha  Kungo etc. were his very close friends.

I will remember Balchand daju mainly because when we were tested   and tried in the furnace of affliction he stood firmly by my side and in the interest of Sikkim and Sikkimese and refused to be cowed down. When others bowed down, got bought over and betrayed us Balchad Sarda stood like a rock and refused to yield till his last breath. I salute him and will remember him till my last breath.

“SIKKIM FOR SIKKIMESE: Distinct Identity Within The Union”

By Jigme N. Kazi

“We shall fight in the Assembly. We shall fight in the Parliament. We shall fight in the Court and in the Press. If need be, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets. Wherever we are, whatever we do, we shall fight. We shall never surrender.”

                                          -   Jigme N. Kazi, Sikkim Observer, January 1989

For well over thirty years since the controversial merger of the former kingdom with the Indian Union in 1975, the Sikkimese people have been constantly demanding restoration of their political rights and preservation of their distinct identity within the Union and within the framework of the Constitution of India. They have adopted peaceful, non-violent and democratic means to achieve their objectives. And yet New Delhi has remained silent and unresponsive.

 “SIKKIM FOR SIKKIMESE: Distinct Identity Within The Union” is a record of Jigme N. Kazi’s own contribution in ventilating and recording the hopes and aspirations of the Sikkimese people – Lepchas, Bhutias, Nepalese - and  members of the other communities, who have been living in Sikkim for generations. The book is a collection of his work published in various publications, including the Sikkim Observer, which he edits, during his twenty five years as a journalist (1983-2008)

Beginning from 1983, Jigme N. Kazi has contributed to several local, regional and national newspapers and journals – The Nation, Eastern Express, The Telegraphs, The Statesman, Sunday, North-East Sun, North East Daily, Caravan (now Alive), The Independent (Kathmandu), Talk Sikkim and his own publications: Spotlight on Sikkim, Sikkim Observer, Bhoomiputra, Himalayan Guardian, Hill People and Common Cause. Kazi was the Sikkim Correspondent of The Telegraph, The Statesman, United News of India (UNI) and The Independent.

Jigme N. Kazi is also the author of Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, published in 1993 and The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland, published in 2014.

HAIL TO FOUNDERS OF MOUNT HERMON SCHOOL

Estb. March 11, 1895, Darjeeling
After Mr. Murray passed away on April 7 (Tuesday) Hermonite Puii of Mizoram (India), now living in the USA, sent attachments of the special issue of HERMONITE magazine of 1978 in Facebook/Email.
In 1978 I was in my third year teaching in MH. It was Mr. Murray's last year in MH. He was its Principal after Late Rev. DG Stewart (died on Dec 12, 2014) left the school at the end of 1963. I was the editor of the 1978's annual edition of the Hermonite magazine which was dedicated to Mr. and Mrs. Murray's long service to MH. The magazine focused on the school's history. 
In the years that have gone by I noticed that Miss CJ Stahl's original photograph was missing among MH's Founders/Principals from the walls of our school lounge. It seemed strange that no one from the school took notice of this. I have also not come across her photo in Facebook/Google etc.

Therefore, I'm placing Miss Carolyn Josephine STAHL's original photo back in the public domain (Facebook and my blog:jigmenkazisikkim.blogspot.com, sikkimhermonite.blogspot.com). Miss Stahl's and photos of three other Founders of our school - Miss Knowles, Bishop Fisher and Rev Dewey - figure in my book - "Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide" (published in 1993) - and also in HERMONITES INTERNATIONAL Newsletter published by Sikkim Hermonites and edited by myself.

In 1978 I made special arrangements with Darjeeling's Das Studio to make copies of these historic photographs of our school's Founders/Principals. This effort for the school magazine seems worthwhile considering the fate of Miss Stahl's portrait. I'm placing the photographs in Facebook and my blogs with the hope that Hermonites all over the world will now have a record of our Founders/Principals. Also hoping that MH school authorities will take a note of this and do the needful.

"I’LL KEEP YOUR MEMORIES WARM IN MY HEART"
“Breathe then your benison
On me as I depart 
I’ll keep your memories warm in my heart”
(Mt Hermon school song)
Dear Mrs. Murray, Adrienne, Stephen, Bronwyn, Johny and family, We - the Hermonites all over the world are with you in this. He led a good life and we are blessed by his life. He lives on! Oh death, where is thy sting!
These photos are some of my unforgettable memories of the man who has had a great influence on me and most Hermonites of my generation.
Jigme N Kazi
President
Hermonite International (Hi!)

Observer building demolition: High Court grants stay, calls for records

Gangtok, April 3: The High Court of Sikkim has asked for records on land encroachment at Jigme N. Kazi’s Sikkim Observer building here at Nam Nang.

The State Government which demolished a portion of the three-storey  building last Monday and Tuesday has alleged that Kazi had encroached about 1600 sq ft of government land “at the backside” of his building where Chintan Bhawan is located.

Kazi, while acknowledging that the encroachment is on all sides of the building, has been stating that the allegation that all encroachment has taken at the backside of his building is baseless and mischievous.

After demolishing Kazi’s greenroom, a kitchen-cum-godown and a store room on the terrace the demolition squad demolished four rooms and four toilets on the third storey of the building.

Under the orders of East District Collector P. Verma eviction and demolition team led by SDM (East) KL Lepcha lay siege on Observer building on March 23 and 24. If the High Court had not intervened and given the stay order on Tuesday afternoon all sides of Kazi’s entire building would have been demolished.

However, realizing that the building was unsafe and unlivable Kazi and his family were forced to evacuate their belongings from the house on Monday night. The family took shelter at Prince Palden’s residence at Kazi Road where they will live temporarily until the final outcome of the writ petition filed in the High Court. The building is not only Kazi’s home but houses his press office and printing press.

On March 26 the High Court gave a written stay order and directed the parties to file relevant records showing the area of alleged encroachment. Kazi’s lawyer Udai P. Sharma has welcomed the court’s direction. Sharma is assisted by MN Dungel, Passang Tshering Bhutia and Yok Kumar Rai.

The government, the court of appeal and East District DCs have repeatedly ignored records showing the area and extent of encroachment. Records, which have been with the authorities for more than a decade, reveal that Kazi has not encroached on land belonging to PWD at Chintan Bhawan area, located at the backside of his building. The only area at the backside of the building used by Kazi lies outside the wall and fencing of the Chintan Bhawan premises which were of no use to the government.

Since 1998 and for 18 years Kazi has been requesting the government and the courts to regularize the encroached portion of the land. (Sikkim Observer, April 4-10, 2015)

INSIDE SIKKIM: HOMELESS IN MY HOMELAND

Finally the establishment is all set to crackdown on Sikkim’s ‘lone warrior’ who has been battling against all odds for over three decades to preserve ‘Sikkim for Sikkimese Within the Union’.

The East District Collector has now threatened to evict me and my family from our house and demolish our residence-cum-press building in Gangtok. The accusation is that I have encroached upon government land at the back side of my Observer Building. This is a false and baseless allegation though I admit there is some encroachment on all sides of my building.

These are testing times for me and my family and we need the support of all our well-wishers. However, we assure you that we will stand firm and resolute come what may. The litigation that began in 2000, when I became politically active, has been going on for nearly 15 years. It must now come to a decisive end. I’m ready and eager to face the challenge that lies ahead.

The world should know what is really going on inside Sikkim. If the establishment takes a decision based on equality, fair-play, rule of law and justice I am ready to accept it. If not this threat is an open invitation to come out of my ten-year-long self-imposed exile (2004-2015). I’m excited!
Cheers!

Gangtok, Saturday, March 21, 2015

LEST WE FORGET

PALDEN THONDUP NAMGYAL

Remembering the Chogyal of Sikkim

Palden Thondup Namgyal, the 12^th Chogyal of Sikkim, died more of a broken heart than cancer 33 years ago on January 30, 1982. Jigme N Kazi, then the Founder-President of Sikkim Students Association (Bombay) and now the Editor of Sikkim Observer, payed glowing tributes to the Chogyal in 1982 in his article in the Association’s annual magazine, Lukshyama,  of which he was the editor.

 This article was earlier republished in the Sikkim Observer and also in Kazi’s book, “Sikkim For Sikkimese – Distinct Identity Within the Union” (published in Feb 2009).

On the Chogyal's 33rd death anniversary (Jan 30, 2015), the article is being placed in Kazi's blog to remind the world  of the man who was much misunderstood and missed by his people nearly three and half decades after his death.

It is appointed for a man once to die and then the judgment. Every man is not a king, but every king is a man. Death is inevitable to all men.

A king must die, but his people live on and his hopes continue. A mortal man like the king achieves immortality when his people, his loved ones, and even his enemies acknowledge the greatness of his being and silently step into his shoes.

The 19^th of February 1982 will go down in the history of Sikkim. It was not the funeral day of the late Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal of Sikkim; it was the day of resurrection of the Sikkimese people whose long suppressed spirit found utterance. He who goes out mourning will come back rejoicing. The 19^th of February was such a day.

Over 30,000 people witnessed the happenings of the day. Some went away sad, some happy, and a few frustrated and defeated – determined to snub us down once again. The funeral day was a moment of reality. Truth cannot be suppressed for far too long. Sikkim will never be the same again.

The forces that work against its people cannot ignore the impact of the day. What they saw cannot be denied. What they heard cannot be forgotten. For on that day the people spoke. Their silent speeches and silken scarves will forever be recorded in the minds of those who witnessed the greatness of that day. The very fragrance of the day will last for eternity.

The spontaneous way in which the people showed their love for their leader who fought for them till his last breath cannot be passed as ‘mere sentiments’ or ‘emotionalism.’ Emotions are vehicles in which human beings express their true nature. Elections rarely convey the real aspirations of the people. We in Sikkim have witnessed this reality in the past few years.

The greatness of a man is known not by the use of flashy cars or three-piece suits; or even by the mighty mansions and highways that he has built. The greatness of a man, in the true sense, is measured by how much he is missed by his people after he is no more. The 19^th of February proved to the world the love the people of Sikkim had for their King, Miwang Chogyal Chempo Palden Thondup Namgyal of Sikkim.

We who live in Sikkim have witnessed, in the recent few years, the attempts of some of our honourable members of the Assembly to topple the existing government. But all their ceaseless efforts to overthrow the controversial Bhandari Government have been futile exercises.  To overthrow any government is not an easy task. But if the right move is made by the right men at the right moment it is not an impossible dream. It was the ‘pro-Sikkim’ ‘anti-merger’ party (Sikkim Janta Parishad led by N B Bhandari – editor) that put an end to the Kazi’s reign in 1979.

On 19^th February 10 honourable MLAs of the 32-seat State Assembly took a stand which not only threatened the very existence of the Bhandari Government but challenged the validity of the 36^th Amendment Act of the Indian Constitution which made Sikkim the 22nd State of India on 26^th April, 1975. These MLAs had submitted a statement acknowledging Crown Prince Wangchuk as the13th Consecrated Chogyal of Sikkim.

Whatever may have been their motives behind the act one cannot deny the impact of such a move. It hit the headlines. It was gossiped in every corner of Sikkim. The Chief Minister, Nar Bahadur Bhandari, lost no time in dealing with the signatories of the statement and threatened to prosecute them on charges of sedition. Upon the move taken by the CM, almost all the signatories signed another statement withdrawing their signatures from the earlier statement.

What will happen now is a different matter. What has been seen is the fact that one single, solitary move by a few people in power can cause havoc. We do not need ten thousand angry demonstrators shouting slogans to say something; we only need one lonely crusader for the right cause.

One notable public figure, acknowledging the mood of the people, silently remarked to another distinguished visitor for the occasion, “It seems that he (Chogyal) has become greater after his death.”

The Chogyal did not die of cancer. His death was largely due to other factors which caused the dreaded disease. It was our cowardice, our disloyalty, our betrayal, and our jealousy that put an end to his life.

Let it be known in Sikkim and elsewhere, that he, Denzong Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, did not live for nothing; that he did not die in vain; that 19^th of February was not the end of Sikkim and her people, but the beginning of a bright new day – the dawn of a new era.