EMERGENCY DECLARED AFTER SIKKIM’S TAKEOVER

     Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal

Two months after Sikkim’s merger with the Indian Union a national emergency was declared in India on June 26, 1975. For the Sikkimese who wanted to voice their resentment against the merger this was an unfortunate development.

In the midnight of June 26, 1975, President, Fakruddin Ali Ahmed, passed an ordinance declaring a state of emergency under Article 352 (1) of the Constitution.  By June 27 morning, all prominent leaders of the opposition in India were under arrest under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). In Sikkim, the axe fell on Nar Bahadur Bhandari and his anti-merger colleagues - Sonam Yongda, Ashok Tsong (A.K. Subba) and P.B. Subba.

Bhandari and his colleagues were arrested under MISA and spent about a year (1976-1977) in Berhampur jail in Bihar. The Emergency lasted precisely 635 days (21 months) between 1975-1977 and about one lakh political activists were arrested during this period. Around 35,000 people were arrested under the MISA and 72,000 were put in jail under the Defence of India Regulation Act. All the fundamental rights were suspended, politicians were arrested and a heavy censorship was imposed on the media throughout India.

The Emergency was in effect from 25 June 1975 until its withdrawal on 21 March 1977.

SPRING SURPRISE:HERMONS ON THE MOVE

It all began this spring when the Hermons were on the move. Uttam Pradhan and I went to see Miss Russell in Darjeeling on March 20. We visited MH and we felt good; the school was putting its best foot forward despite trying situations. 

We met Chuck, my school mate and ex-Princi of Lamarts Cal. Cindy and Pradeep flew from Ireland and visited MH in April with Anup Chachan.  They felt the same.  I drove down to Siliguri to meet them at Shiv Saria’s place before they left for Darj in early April. This was followed by the visit to the school by Shiv Saria and his son Suds. Shiv and Suds who also came to Gangtok, also felt good about the school.

Then we all said, “Why not? Why not give another try to save MH?” Pradeep and Cindy swung into action and got in touch with school authorities. General Thip, our HI (Hermonites International)  President in Bangkok, was contacted and updated on the events and he gave the green signal. He also wrote to Rev. K. Sardar, the school’s Administrator and Secretary, and got a good response from him. He invited us for talks. On June 14, Anup, Namgyal and I met the Senior Master, Mr. Partho Dey, to apprise him of the new development. The meeting went off well, the decks were cleared.

  Finally, a meeting has been fixed with Rev. Sardar on June 20. We are hopeful and confidant that the Managing Committee, which looks after MH on behalf of the Methodist Church in India, will give us the go-ahead in taking MH to greater heights.

Meanwhile, Jagdish Saria and Mahesh Singh of 1972 and 1973 batch respectively also visited Darj recently. Mahesh, a Supreme Court lawyer, also paid a short visit to Gangtok. Earlier, my class 5 student of the 1970s, Dhruba Ghosh, a senior lawyer at Calcutta High Court, also visited us in Gangtok recently.

In Bhutan, Thinly Dem and other Hermonites looked after Cindy and Pradeep. Thinley and other Hermonites are currently taking care of visiting Hermonites in Bhutan.

The central focus and the talks held during all our interactions were and will be always “MH”. Hail Mt. Hermon!

A NEW BEGINNING AT ‘MH’

A new beginning has been made by concerned Hermonites to enable the Hermonites (alumni of Mt. Hermon School, Darjeeling.) to do whatever possible to help and support their alma mater.

Rev. K. Sardar, the school’s Administrator and Secretary, has welcomed the initiative taken by Hermonites International (Hi!), a global body of the Hermonites, to work together in unison for the welfare of the school.

In response to a letter from Hermonites International President, Varongthip Lulitanond, Rev. Sardar, who also represents the Managing Committee of the school, while stating that the Hermonites’ concern for the school “has encouraged and motivated us a lot and made us feel that we are not alone in this struggle but the entire ‘Mount Hermon Family’ is standing behind us to support this noble cause”,  has also stated, “I am keenly interested and look forward for the opportunity to have a meeting with you to apprise you about the status of the school.”

On June 14, three Hermonites of the ’70 era – Namgyal Wangdhi, Anup Chachan and Jigme N. Kazi – representing the global body, met the school’s Senior Master, Mr. Partho Dey, at Mt. Hermon to lay the groundwork for further talks regarding the school’s welfare. Mr. Dey’s response was also very positive and encouraging and the talk was very friendly and fruitful.

A team of concerned Hermonites in the region, representing the HI, are expected to have a formal meeting with Rev. Sardar shortly on the said matter. If the Methodist Church of India (MCI), which owns the school and governs it through its Managing Committee, formally gives the green signal for the alumni to pitch in then a way will be cleared for global Hermonites to participate in the school’s welfare in a more organised and systematic way on a long-term basis.

Finally, after a long and arduous struggle the way is being cleared for the alumni’s association with their alma mater in a deep and meaningful way. In his year-long stay at MH, Rev. Sardar and Mr. Dey, who has been on MH staff for the past 25 years, have done a wonderful job in running and maintaining the school despite trying circumstances. Hermonites who visited the school recently are all impressed by their work.

At this stage, when we see a ray of hope for the school’s future success, we urge all Hermonites and well-wishers of the school to be very, very positive in their outlook and ensure a bright future for MH. Hail Mount Hermon!

‘My father taught me how to fight and survive’

REMEBERING DAD ON HIS 20^TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY

He was only 68 when he passed away on May 21, 1998, in Gangtok after a brief illness. It is now 20 years since he left us but all of us still have him close to our heart.

‘Lachen Yapla’, as he was popularly known, was the son of Rhenock Yap Tseten Tashi and Libing Chum Seden. Unfortunately, dad (Aba) did not have a stable childhood. He was separated from his father at a young age and sent to Yangang, south Sikkim, with his mother. The elders in the family thought it best to force the separation as both my Azyola (grandfather) and Anyola (grandmother) belonged to the Takarpa family of the Bonpo-Ngadik clan of the Sikkimese Bhutias.

Aba was studying at the Tashi Namgyal Academy (TNA) and living at the Libing House premises in Gangtok when at around the age of 17 he was married to the daughter (Chum Yangchen) of Lachen Pipon, Cho Ledon Nima Gyatso. In those days it took at least seven days to reach Lachen (north Sikkim) from Gangtok or Yangang.

My mom died when I was just 2-3 years. Dad  then got married to Amla’s younger sister, Chum Phigu. Later in 1960, when my Amchung (Chum Phigu), too, passed away my father got married to her cousin sister Chumzay, eldest daughter of the late Lachen Pipon, Cho Wangchuk Palden.

Altogether five sons and two daughters were born to the three wives. The eldest son, Tenzing Danen, died in 2011 during the tragic earthquake that struck north Sikkim. All of us were born and brought up in Lachen and though most of us live away from Lachen we still consider Lachen our home and ‘motherland’.

Just before he passed away Aba had a word with me: ‘Temiharo sab melay ra bosnu’ (you all live together in harmony). This was his final benediction.

Over the past six decades Lachen Yapla’s family has gone through a tough time. But our struggle has kept all of us together so far and I’m sure our descendants will, too, stay the course.

A former Sikkim chief minister once told me: “You are a great survivor”. I think I learnt this from my dad. We all miss him and remember him on this day, his 20^th death anniversary. May he continue to enjoy the bliss that he so rightly deserved.

  HAIL MOUNT HERMON!

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep...”

  By Jigme N.Kazi

 In the two years from now, MH will celebrate its 100^th birth anniversary on March 11, 1995. Hermonites all over the world, particularly in India and the neighbouring areas, are making preparations to make the centenary year a grand success. This has led to the setting up of the All Indian Hermonites Association (AIHA) with its headquarters in Darjeeling. Pratap Singh Rai (MH 1964-68), who is in-charge of the Association’s activities in this field, have been very active in his work. The ex-students in Siliguri have recently formed The Foothills Hermonites with Jagdish Singh (MH 1962-1971) becoming one of the most active members. The Mount Hermon Alumni Association Nepal (MHAAN) of Nepal led by Tom Creese (MH 1955-63), Sulee Hung (MH 1962-1970) and Annie (Gardner) Vaidya (MH 1968-1979) is also quite active and will definitely participate in the centenary celebrations.

   The occasion will give us an opportunity to focus our attention on the school, which needs help and guidance in various fields. Its problems and prospects will have to be studies in depth and a concrete plan of action has to be initiated by all Hermonites, friends and well-wishers of the school to take our 

dear old MH into the 21^st century and beyond.

 We live and die, but life must go on. The ideals and values and the high standards set by the school must continue to enrich our lives and the lives of those around us. March 11, 1995 will indeed be an occasion for us when we can, once more, join our hands and hearts together, and sing the school hymn in full-throated voice and mean it:

“Beloved Mount Hermon, we greet thee,

Thy daughters and sons from afar

As of as we pause in our toiling

To hail thee whose children we are.

Hail, Mount Hermon! Hail, Mount Hermon!

Safe for aye in memory's shrine.

Hail, Mount Hermon! Dear Mount Hermon!

Praise and love be ever thine.

     I loved MH and wanted to stay back, but something in me pulled forward and I had to finally move out. And as 1979 approached, I knew it would be my last year in MH. By then I had made up my mind to leave the teaching profession. MH had given me so much and the only way to show my gratitude was to give myself for the school for a few years.

   My attitude to life has always been to give my best to whatever work in undertake. I certainly would not be able to do this if I did not enjoy what I was doing. I realised that I would not enjoy being in the teaching profession if I was not working in MH. It was partly because of this that I opted for another profession and decided to go for law studies.

   My attitude to life is best described in these words from my little quotation book, which I have kept with me since 1967-68: “Behold, I do not give lectures or little charity; when I give, I give myself”. I gave myself to MH fully and completely.

   And as I look back now, I think the most valuable and the lasting thing that I have learnt from MH was not in the classroom, but on the playground; not from my textbooks, but from people and from everyday experiences. Taking part in the various school activities, leading various teams and finally the 1^st XI football team and going through our many defeats and victories on the playing field, have been some of the greatest moments of my life. Giving my best shot and fighting till the very end, irrespective of consequences, is what I have learnt from MH. And as I look back over these fourteen years away from the old and familiar surroundings, I know that whatever MH taught me during my brief sojourn in Darjeeling has withstood the test of time.

   In the final talk to the school on November 25, 1979, I said, “I venture into new frontiers with good intentions, high ideals and faith in God. To those who will be leaving us at the end of this year, let me urge you to give your life to a great cause. The kind of person we are in tea years time will reflect what we have learnt here in MH. I will you all the very best.”

   And with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, I gave my last few words to the school, which had been my home for sixteen short years: “Sometimes when you reach out for a dream, you have to leave something behind. I leave behind my school, my friends, my home...my MH.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

I left MH at the end of 1979; but a part of me has always remained behind. And, I guess, a part of MH has always been with me. Hail Mount Hermon!

(Ref: Inside Sikkim: Against The Tide, Jigme N. Kazi, published by Hill Media Publications, Gangtok, 1993)

DEATH OF A JOURNALIST: END OF AN ERA

Veteran journalist S. Nihal Singh died last month, aged 88. He was a great journalist and author of several books. He edited The Statesman and The Indian Express.

Singh was awarded the prestigious International Editor of the Year Award in New York for opposing the Emergency imposed by former prime minister Indira Gandhi.

As a tribute to an eminent journalist I want to mention what he said about us in relation to press freedom in India. It comes from the Preface of my book, Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, published in December 1993:

"In his column, Mediawatch, published Sunday magazine of Calcutta, eminent journalist and recently-elected President of the Press Club of India, S. Nihal Singh, observes: “...the fighters of press freedom are not those who declaim the virtues of the freedom of the press at great gatherings, useful as such exercises are as reminders of principles. They are the small-town journalists who spurn temptations of political patronage and personal monetary gain to do their jobs honestly.”

Singh then goes on to add: “The fourth estate has a growing responsibility in pinpointing the evils because it is often the only pillar of democracy to be found in these areas.” He finally comments: “But newspapers need to do more to support lone journalists fighting against great odds...It is, therefore, the duty of the national press to highlight the sacrifices of little-known men and women fighting at the real frontiers of press freedom...The old battle against India Gandhi’s Emergency was fought and won in the capital and other metropolitan centres. The new battles are now raging elsewhere. Let us salute those who are fighting them.”

Salutations, Sir!

GURUDONGMAR-GURU NANAK CONTROVERSY

The latest story on the Gurudongmar-Guru Nanak controversy in Lachen, North Sikkim, carried in The Week this week gives a distorted picture of the issue that refuses to fade away.
There is no Chinese hand in the controversy. The issue needs a fresh look if the authorities are keen on maintaining peace and tranquility in this strategic and sensitive border State.

The authorities have failed to take note of what I said in my book, "The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland" (published in 2014), where I quoted the statement of the Green Circle (NGO) on the issue:"As you are aware, the Gurudongmar lake is not only one of the most beautiful lakes of Sikkim but also held sacred by the locals. The army, because of its proximity and influence over these area cannot go about misrepresenting facts. Such gradual and systematic distortion of history only serves to sow the seeds of discontent and tension for the present and future generations...
Construction of a permanent structure at 17,200 feet with marble, chandeliers and works is totally uncalled for and changing the surface of the lake by moving earth to create parking space is most deplorable.
In an extremely sensitive ecosystem where even footprints stay for months, the army, we hope will take more responsibility and care of their environs which would be better served than find itself championing chauvinistic cultural imperialism."