“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.

David G Stewart’s 92^nd Birth Anniversary

THE ‘BOSS’ LIVES ON

Today, February 19, 2015, is the 92^nd birth anniversary of our former Principal, David Garth Stewart. Had he lived he would have been 92 today. Rev. Stewart, who was referred to as ‘Boss’ in MH (Mt. Hermon School, Darjeeling), died in Auckland on December 12, 2014 at the age of 91.

Though Rev. Stewart is no more yet he lives on…in our hearts.

I have chosen Hermonite Kamal Haque’s tribute to this great man to celebrate his birth and life on this special day for MH and Hermonites.

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It has come as very sad news that our dear "Boss," David Stewart, passed away peacefully today (12th December 2014).  He was Headmaster of Mount Hermon between 1954 and 1963.  I know he had recently been very ill, but he lived to a good age and led a fulfilled life. 

Kamal Haque, a student of MHS between 1954 and '61, wrote this very fine tribute when he first heard "Boss" was so seriously ill.

A Tribute to David Stewart

By Kamal Haque

"Boss" was full of life, optimistic, always active. I do not remember him ever falling ill. He would inquire about every student and was known to visit the sick in the School Dispensary.  His sense of humour never left him. I shall mention below, some of these that I remember.

 His faith was very strong and he derived inspiration and strength from his noble mission, to spread the "message", do good to all, assist those who needed help. As a teacher, he felt imparting "Christian" values was just as important as motivating students to achieve high academic and moral  standards, so that they would be leaders  to their communities. He set an example for his students to follow. I think this was one of his greatest gifts to his students and all those who were associated with him.

David Stewart's contribution to MHS was immense. He developed the small school, in 1954/55, to become a large, multi-national, multi-ethnic  institution, with students from Thailand, East Pakistan, Burma, Singapore, Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Finland, besides India, Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada, United States, Sweden and other countries. MHS was the only co-educational school in Darjeeling, which was more difficult to manage than single gender schools. "Boss" managed this very well. True, there were a few "incidents" He handled these with skill and firmness, and set a high standard for  co-educational schools in other locations. He was kind, considerate but also firm. He did not hesitate to cane offenders for "serious" offenses. He later delegated this task to his deputy who had a "strong right arm."

 “Boss" believed in the saying " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." He placed great emphasis on sports and culture, which was necessary to develop a " complete, all-rounder" individual. MHS had teachers for piano, violin and other musical instruments,  (I learnt to play the violin from Ms. O'Hara).  MHS was active in Choir singing, orchestra, piano recitals, debates, talent quest, plays of popular novels etc. "Boss" invited John Randell's Shakespeare Company (in which Shashi Kapoor was an actor/ member) to stay in MHS. A number of Shakespeare plays were performed at the School stage, which was witnessed by guests from Darjeeling/ other schools. "

“Boss" was very keen to promote sports and encourage students to play games. He was an experienced  football referee and led several trekking/ hiking trips.( I was in one that went to Sikkim).  "Boss" developed these standards/ values which was followed by his able successors.

    As I mentioned earlier, "Boss" had a  sense of humour. I remember him telling students sitting on the garden fence "You birds, hop off the fence". He liked students to be clean cut and would tell some to scrape the "fungus" from their faces. He related  that some friends decided to seek "guidance" from the Holy Bible. One person closed his eyes, opened the Bible and placed the pencil on a line. It was ".......and Judas went out and hanged himself...." The friends thought that was not suitable, so they tried again. This time the pencil rested on the line that said "..........and do so likewise."

He will live for ever in my heart. God bless David Stewart.

(Humayun A. Kamal, former Bangladesh secretary and ambassador. Known as "Kamal Haque" in MHS – courtesy UK alumni body)