STEPPING OUT TO SET THINGS RIGHT

For the true Sikkimese, May 16, 1975 heralded the end of an era and perhaps the beginning of a new struggle to preserve ‘Sikkim for Sikkimese’; but, this time, within the bounds of India, a great nation ruled by petty politicians and corrupt bureaucrats. This was an ideal that inspired me and shaped the course of my life ever since I returned to my native land at the end of 1982 after nearly twenty years.

   To aim high, think big and struggle for a worthy cause – for unity, identity and a common destiny for all people in Sikkim – was the agenda that I had set for myself both in my profession and later on in politics. Anything less than that was totally unacceptable to me and not worth the risk, toil and the endless struggle that lasted for more than two decades.

   By the end of 1999 – the last year of the 20th century – I felt a certain sense of restlessness and impatience that I hadn’t experienced before. I needed and wanted to step out of the narrow confines of my profession and free myself to openly and directly place my views to the outside world on certain issues of public interest which were close to my heart and which guided my professional and political outlook for a long, long time.

   Journalism does not allow you to mingle personal feelings and political inclinations with professional duties. The respect that I had for my profession had one disadvantage – it became a wall between me and my people. While freeing me in some ways it also enslaved me. I could not remain in the cage any longer – I needed and wanted to come out and set myself free. I could not and would not allow my precious dream to die in the hands of petty politicians without getting personally and politically involved in the struggle towards achieving my goals.

  Even if I face defeat my effort and struggle to pursue my dream would be worthwhile. I will not feel guilty of playing it safe and shying away in my neat little corner when the ideal thing to do was to come out in the open and take your stand - come what may!  Those who knew me well, respected me, and had great faith and trust in my capacity and commitment had no doubt about the honesty of my heart and the righteousness of my cause that drove me to place my case to the outside world.

   It was US President Theodore Roosevelt who once said: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena - whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood...who knows the great enthusiams, the great devotions - and spends himself in a worthy cause - who at best if he wins knows the thrill of high achievement - and if he fails at least fails while daring greatly - so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

   In the autumn of 1999 I found myself in direct confrontation with the political establishment on issues that were close to my heart for a long time. You either take a stand and live out your dream or just talk about it, write about it but actually do nothing about it and spend the rest of your days regretting for not having spoken up and making your stand clear to the whole wide world. The fact is you are what you do and not what you want to do. The road to hell is certainly paved with good intentions. Our leaders who preach and do not practise should know where we are heading.

   In mid-September 1999, I, as the Chairman of the Organisation of Sikkimese Unity (OSU), supported a call for boycotting the ensuing Assembly elections in the State, scheduled for October 3, 1999. Though I had written about it earlier we actually did not make any plan to take such a radical step on the Assembly seat reservation issue. It just happened – quite spontaneously and to my great delight! The boycott call given by the Sikkim Bhutia-Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) – the apex body of the indigenous Bhutia-Lepchas in the State – was in reaction to the betrayal of people’s trust by the combined political leadership of the State and the Centre on the Assembly seat issue.

   The 1999 Assembly polls was the fifth Assembly elections in Sikkim since the arbitrary, undemocratic, unjust and abrupt abolition of Assembly seats reserved for the three ethnic communities in 1979. Not only were the political parties in the State fooling the people on the seat issue the Centre also refused to respond favourably and timely on the demand for restoration of the political rights of the Sikkimese people as per assurances given to them during the merger, which are reflected in the historic Tripartite Agreement of May 8, 1973 and Article 371F of the Constitution.

(Ref: The Lone Warrior: Exiled In My Homeland, Jigme N. Kazi, Hill Media Publications, 2014.)

 

PALACE-PRADHAN BID TO SAVE SIKKIM

 Talks between the Palace and the leadership of the Sikkim Congress headed by Pradhan led to a dramatic development within the ruling party. It culminated in the passing of a controversial resolution aimed at safeguarding Sikkim’s separate identity – symbolised by the Chogyal and the national flag – and reducing the powers of the Chief Executive.

KC Pradhan

   In a letter dated March 12, 1975 to Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, twenty-nine of the thirty-two legislators (excluding Kazi, Khatiwada and Kalzang Gyatso of the Sikkim National Party), demanded that the Chief Executive be stripped from his powers and be made an adviser to the Sikkim Government in the “interests of smooth running of the administration and consonant with the dignity and prestige of the Sikkimese people,” transfer of three portfolios, vis. Home, Finance and Establishment from the Chief Executive to the Chief Minister; and removal of non-extension services of Indian officers who were in Sikkim on deputation.

(Left to Right) Rinzing Tongden Lepcha, B.S. Das and K.C. Pradhan.

   The resolution, while welcoming the Chogyal’s initiative on holding a “dialogue with the Chief Minister,” demanded the removal of three Indian offficers-on-duty (OSDs) – Jayanta Sanyal, K.M. Lal, and Davy Manavalam – who played a vital role in favour of Kazi during this period.

    Unfortunately, Lal got hold of the document containing the 6 resolutions when only 18 Assembly members had signed. In the House of 32, only 17 members were needed to rectify past mistakes. Datta-Ray writes, “He (Lal) realised how explosive it could be. The men who were constantly being lauded in India as Sikkim’s first freely elected representatives, and as the Chogyal’s implacable enemies, the very leaders New Delhi was using as a human battering-ram against the palace, had given notice of their intention of going their own way. They did not want the chief executive or his lieutenants. They wanted full governing powers.” He adds, “They were even prepared to come to terms with the Chogyal. If their demands reached the press or Parliament, Mrs. Gandhi’s government K.C. Pradhan

would stand vindicated by the very process it had fostered, and rejected by the men it was sponsoring. The conspiracy would have to be nipped in the bud if New Delhi were to save the achievements of the previous two years. More, the possibility of recurrence would firmly have to be ruled out. That could only be done by removing the totems of Sikkim’s separate identity – flag, distinctive number plates, freedom from Indian taxes, PO, chief executive and the Chogyal; everything, in fact, that remained of a kingdom protected by treaty even if it was called an associate state.”

  Pradhan later (in 1990s) maintained that it was his Cabinet colleague, Rinzing Tongden Lepcha, who conspired with the Chief Executive and mischievously betrayed the Sikkimese people. According to him, Lepcha visited Pradhan’s residence at Development Area in Gangtok, swore that he would keep the resolution document a top secret, and took all the four copies of the six-point resolution, including the original. He then promptly handed over the documents to Lal, who knowing that the plot was chalked out at Kazi’s residence in Gangtok, promised him the Chief Minister’s post.

 

(Ref: Sons of Sikkim: The Rise and Fall of the Namgyal Dynasty of Sikkim, Jigme N. Kazi, Notion Press, 2020.)

 

KAZI WARNED OF ‘NEW THINKING’ IN SIKKIM IF MERGER TERMS VIOLATED

The former Chief Minister, Kazi Lhendup Dorji Khangsarpa, said if the Centre does not honour the terms of the merger and fails to protect the distinct regional identity of Sikkim, new developments may take place in the strategically located mountain State of Sikkim, which merged with the Indian Union one and half decade back.

   Stating that the former Himalayan kingdom’s merger with India was conditional, the ageing Kazi, who is now 88, said in a Press statement that Sikkim had merged with the Indian Union in 1975 under the terms and conditions of the May 8 Agreement, 1973. Referring to the pre-merger period, the Kazi said Sikkim joined the Indian Union on the basis of the Agreement signed between the Chogyal of Sikkim, the Government of India and the leaders of political parties in Sikkim.

   The merger took place in 1975 when the Sikkimese people were convinced that the “rights and interests of the various sections of the people” in Sikkim would be fully protected by the Government of India, the Press release issued by the Kazi said. But if the spirit of the merger is not respected and if the “rights and interests” of the three ethnic communities (Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese) are not protected, as laid down in the Agreement, “new developments” may take place in Sikkim which the Centre cannot afford.

   The Kazi has appealed to the Centre as well as the State Government to give “top priority” to maintain communal harmony and preserve the “distinct regional identity of Sikkim” within the Union. This, he said, can only be done by providing “adequate safeguards” to the three ethnic groups in Sikkim.

   “I was the one who brought democracy to Sikkim and I want the people to enjoy the fruits of democracy”, the Kazi told reporters at his Kalimpong residence earlier this week. However, the “democratic aspirations” of the people have not been met and the “growth of democracy and democratic institutions” in Sikkim “suffered a setback”, the Press statement said. The Kazi is now fully convinced that the Centre is neglecting the State after absorbing it into the mainstream. Stating that the country cannot afford to have “hostile border states at this juncture”, Kazi said “every effort should be made to keep the unity of the Sikkimese people and to safeguard the sovereignty of the nation.” It may be mentioned that prior to the merger political rights of the Sikkimese were fully protected through reservation of seats in the Assembly for all the three ethnic communities.

   Unfortunately, four years after the, merger the Indian Parliament abolished the seats reserved for the Sikkimese Nepalese while reducing seats reserved for the minority Bhutia-Lepchas, who were declared ‘scheduled tribes’ in 1978. Today, the Centre is yet to fulfil the demand on restoration of Assembly seats of the Nepalese. The Chief Minister, Mr. N.B. Bhandari, has been pursuing the demand for restoration of seats for the Sikkimese Nepalese for over a decade. The move to reduce seats reserved for the tribals and to do away with one seat reserved for the Sangha, coupled with the Centre’s refusal to restore the lost seats of the Nepalese, is seen as an act of betrayal by the Centre and an attempt to gradually cause divisions amongst the people and to destroy the unique and distinct cultural identity of Sikkim.

   It is significant that the Kazi has come out with a strong statement defending the rights of the Sikkimese at a time when various parties are reportedly playing devious roles regarding restoration of Assembly seats for the Sikkimese, including Sikkimese Nepalese. While some people want reduction of seats reserved for the minority Bhutia-Lepcha tribals others are opposing demand for restoration of Assembly seats of the Sikkimese Nepalese. The seat issue, which is a major issue for Sikkim, is now pending before the constitution bench in the Supreme Court.

   Rampant corruption and communal politics are threatening to tear the unity of the Sikkimese people, the Kazi pointed out and added that Sikkim’s future was “dark”. “Despite knowing what is happening in Sikkim the Centre continues to ignore the plight of the Sikkimese people. I, as an architect of the merger and as the first Chief Minister of Sikkim, am fully convinced that what is happening in Sikkim needs to be looked into it carefully by the Government of India,” the release said.

   “If the Centre continues to ignore the real issues and problems faced by the people and if political parties and vested interests work against the long-term interest and unity of the Sikkimese people there is every likelihood of new thinking amongst the people regarding their future”, the Kazi warned.

(Ref: Sikkim Observer, January 26, 1991.)

NB: Sikkim Observer, a weekly English published from Gangtok from August 1986 by Jigme N. Kazi, has ceased publication since 2014 due to unfavourable situations in Sikkim).

 

 

LACHEN: MEMORIES & REFLECTIONS

 Lamten village in Lachen valley, north Sikkim, looked liked this in the 1950s and early 1960s.  

   I wasn’t prepared mentally or professionally to come back to settle in Sikkim in 1972. But at the end of 1982, I was. Though I had no idea of what I would be doing in Sikkim, I was convinced that I’d be doing what I wanted to do and not what someone else, including my parents, wanted me to do. By and large, most parents in Sikkim want their children to join government service. “Government service” is carved on the foreheads of every school-going children and their parents in Sikkim. My parents were no different, and though they could not tell me directly, I felt that they, particularly my father, wanted me to be in the government.        

   They naturally wanted a smooth and secure life. This is understandable in a place like Sikkim where people depend on the government for almost everything. To many, being placed in positions of authority, spelt success and status. But I had my own mind and held strong views on many things. What was important to me was not social status but social service, not what position one holds in society but what kind of person one really is. I had my way.

   However, I did apply for a government job at first. But this was basically a stop-gap arrangement. I knew I would be coming back to Sikkim for good at the end of 1982 and it was important that I get some sort of employment as soon as I reached Gangtok. In mid-1982, I applied for a job in the Labour Department where there was a post vacant at the under-secretary level. I felt that if I got the job it would at least help me financially at the initial stage. This would enable me to hang around for a while and get the feel of the place before I quit government service and start something on my own.

  But what I really wanted to do when I came back home was to go straight to my village in Lachen in north Sikkim and live there for at least two years. I had a strange and enlightening experience in Lachen in the winter of 1975-76. For the first time in my life, I started viewing the life-style of the village folks in Lachen in a different way. I felt a deep and warm appreciation of everything I saw – the people, their dress, mannerism, customs, language, places and everything which was a part of my village. I knew that it was only a matter of time when ‘civilisation’ would break in and put an end to its rich and unique life-style, which has been carefully preserved down the centuries.

    Unlike other places in Sikkim, the people of Lachen and Lachung, who live in the extreme north, are of pure Bhutia stock and have a rare and unique cultural identity of their own. Besides observing every aspect of life in Lachen and recording it, I myself had a strong desire to live and experience the life there once again. I felt unsatisfied at having spent only a few years of my childhood in Lachen and I still wanted to spend more time there.

The Sikkim Dewan, Nari Rustomji (second from right), with Lachen Pipons – Cho Ledon and Cho Kunga Rinchen (right) – and senior lamas of Lachen monastery and senior teacher Lopon Dochung (left), in Lachen, 1956-57.     

    This feeling has lasted all along, and when I went back to teach in MH in 1976 I kept a live interest on Sikkim’s history and its cultural heritage, which was gradually vanishing. I still have not been able to spend much time in Lachen as I had hoped. Perhaps there is a time for everything under the sun and I anxiously wait for the day when I can go back to the land where I was born and where I spent my childhood days. But the sad thing is that many of the older folks, whose company I would have enjoyed and who could also have given me invaluable information about Lachen, have passed away in the past several years, including my two grandfathers – Cho Dorji Lobon, the head lama of Lachen monastery, and Cho Chozila, an important and well-respected elder of the village, for whom I had great love, affection and admiration.

Cho Chozila

   Beside extracting authentic information from them, I have always wanted to be close to them and live with them for some time. Both of them passed away in mid-1992. This was a personal tragedy for me and my family and an irreparable loss to our village.            

    Unfortunately, two more influential elders of Lachen, Cho Wangchuk and Cho Pawo, passed away this year. Their passing away symbolised the end of an era that had been a part of the old Lachen and my childhood memories which I deeply miss and cherish.

   One of the few things in life which I regret most is my failure to spend some time in Lachen with my people. My newspaper work and my commitment as a journalist kept me away from my people. Bringing out the Observer has really been a one-man-show all the way and if it hadn’t been for that I could have made frequent trips to Lachen and spend a few weeks there at a stretch from time to time. But perhaps everything has its own time and I didn’t want to rush and he out of tune with life. I would have loved to lived the life of an ordinary villager in Lachen for a few years for the sheer joy and fun of it. It is only when we live our lives fully and completely that we are able to give as much as we want to receive.

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

 

 

B.B. GURUNG: TORN BETWEEN LOYALTY TO SIKKIM AND LURE OF POWER

    LD Kazi and BB Gurung

   Ten years after his controversial move to declare ‘Prince’ Wangchuk the 13th Chogyal of Sikkim, Bhim Bahadur Gurung admitted that he had always felt uncomfortable and somewhat guilty at having been a party to the ‘selling of Sikkim’. Gurung saw the Chogyal’s death and his funeral on February 19, 1982, as a god-sent opportunity to expiate himself of the sins he had committed, and made attempts to ventilate his true feelings. In 1975, Gurung moved a resolution in the Assembly, abolishing “the institution of the Chogyal” and declaring Sikkim to be a “constituent unit of India”, thereby paving way for Sikkim to become the 22nd State of the Indian Union.

   “The guilt of having participated in the process of the merger has left a very deep and painful scar in my heart”, Gurung confided to me at his residence in Gangtok one afternoon in mid-1992. “By publicly acknowledging Prince Wangchuk to be the 13th Chogyal of Sikkim, I wanted to exonerate myself and get rid of this guilt,” Gurung explained. He revealed that he, then legislative leader of the Opposition, and his MLAs had made a controversial move in openly accepting Wangchuk as the 13th Chogyal of Sikkim on February 19, 1982, and thereby acknowledging the traditional process by which the Chogyals succeeded to the throne. If in 1975 Gurung was a party to the abolition of the Chogyal’s institution, in 1982 he more than made up for his past misdeeds by publicly acclaiming Wangchuk to be the 13th consecrated Chogyal of Sikkim and acknowledging the continuance of the Chogyals’ hereditary succession.

   Wangchuk’s response to his ‘crowning’ more than satisfied Gurung, who was ready to pay any price for his action, which was of great historical significance. In an interview to India Today after he was proclaimed the 13th Chogyal of Sikkim, Wangchuk stated: “It is not for me to proclaim myself the new Chogyal. It is for the people to accept and acknowledge me as the new Chogyal and you can see for yourself the support I have been shown by the people…We do have the custom of automatic succession that on the death of the Chogyal, the heir apparent becomes the new Chogyal.”

    “I was all prepared to face any consequence and was even ready to get arrested and face jail sentence,” Gurung pointed out to me, and added, “Even my family members were conscious of what I was doing and were prepared to face any eventuality.” Referring to the Chogyal’s “enthronement”, Gurung said the people expected Bhandari, who was then the Chief Minister, to back him. “But his handling of the situation showed that Bhandari’s patriotism was superficial,” Gurung explained.

   Gurung boasts that unlike some MLAs, he stuck to his stand and refused to compromise and withdraw his signature from the historic document submitted to Wangchuk on February 19. Sunanda K. Datta-Ray in his book – Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim, describes Gurung as a “leading architect” and “prominent” among those who bartered away the Kingdom’s independence. Referring to Gurung’s opportunistic tendencies, the book adds: “In the distant past, Gurung had enthusiastically defended his King’s demand for independence; but he had recanted his loyalty to become one of New Delhi’s most loyal  adherents in Sikkimese politics.”

   Gurung’s nationalistic feelings surfaced when he was one of the three Executive Councillors of the Chogyal’s Sikkim Council way back in 1967, when the demand for revision of the Indo-Sikkim Treaty of 1950 by the Sikkimese, was worrying New Delhi. A joint statement on the Treaty revision issued by the three Executive Councillors – Netuk Tsering (Sikkim National Party), Nahakul Pradhan (Sikkim State Council), and B.B. Gurung (Sikkim National Congress) – on June 15, 1967, stated: “Since Sikkim signed the treaty with India, surely it is within her sovereign rights to demand a revision of the treaty as one of the signatories. In fact, Sikkim gained her Sovereign Status on the 15th August, 1947, when India achieved her independence from the British rule. Every country has its inherent right to exist and maintain its separate identity and, therefore, to review and revise its treaty obligations in the wake of changing circumstances.”

   Though Gurung’s political actions in the past may have been motivated by occasional nationalistic feelings, his confession about his attempt to atone himself of the political sins he had committed during the merger era, reflected the painful experience and the burden of guilt that all merger veterans have had to live with.

(Ref: Inside Sikkim: Against the Tide, Jigme N. Kazi, Hill Media Publications, 1993)

 

DEMAND FOR REVISION OF 1950 INDO-SIKKIM TREATY

   During Chogyal Palden Thondup’s rule, Sikkim demanded ‘revision’ of the 1950 Indo-Sikkim Treaty. In the past twenty years since the signing of the Treaty, India and Sikkim faithfully abided by the terms laid down in the Treaty. It is important to note that this Treaty came into existence a few years after India’s independence, when the mood of a section of the Sikkimese Nepalese, as portrayed by some of their leaders, was the desire for accession to India.

   Although the Treaty did not fully satisfy the demand for merger, it nevertheless bound Sikkim to India through the protectorate status. The Government of India took control over the external affairs of Sikkim, including defence and communications. Internal subjects such as political, economic and financial matters were largely left to the Sikkim Government.

   After Palden Thondup formally became the 12th Chogyal in 1965, he began raising the demand for revision of the 1950 Treaty. At a press conference in Gangtok on February 8, 1966, the Chogyal stated, “The Sikkim Government wants some changes in the treaty between India and Sikkim signed in 1950. We have mentioned this matter to the External Affairs Ministry in Delhi verbally.”

   Again, on January 16, 1967, Sikkim’s Executive Councillors, Netuk Tsering, B.B. Gurung and Nahakul Pradhan, in a statement said, “Since Sikkim signed the treaty with India, it was within her sovereign rights to demand its revision as one of the signatories…Every country has the inherent right to exist and maintain its separate identity and to review and revise its treaty obligations in the wake of the changing circumstances.” 

 Significantly, in the fourth general elections of March-April 1970, the Sikkim National Party (SNP), Sikkim State Congress (SSC) and Sikkim Janata Party (SJP) reiterated the demand for ‘revision’ of the 1950 Treaty during their election campaign. This development, while being appreciated at home, posed a threat to New Delhi. It clearly showed that the Sikkimese people and their leaders were united and unanimous in their demand for a more free and independent Sikkim.

   Pressure for revision of the Treaty was gradually placed on the Government of India and the Sikkim Durbar. “Revision” of the Treaty was another hazy word which had something to do with “mutual interest and compromise.” Whatever may be the motive behind this demand, it certainly had a touch of nationalistic fervour and the desire for greater freedom to run the affairs of the kingdom. By the end of the 1960s, there was a growing feeling of unity and oneness among the three ethnic communities of Sikkim on vital issues. This was a remarkable achievement for the Chogyal and the political leadership of Sikkim.

(Ref: Sons of Sikkim: The Rise and Fall of the Namgyal Dynasty of Sikkim, Jigme N. Kazi, Notion Press, 2020.)

 

      GURUDONGMAR LAKE CONTROVERSY

   One of the major unresolved issues of the former Kingdom of Sikkim, now a part of India, is the Gurudongmar Lake controversy, which is also connected to the establishment of a Gurudwara, near a historic Buddhist site at Chungthang, North Sikkim.

   My book, The Lone Warrior: Exiled in My Homeland (published in 2014), gives a background to the controversy.

   Ever since the closure of the Indo-Tibet border in North Sikkim in 1962 local residents of the region, particularly in far-flung areas of Lachen and Lachung, have learnt to tolerate and get along with the growing presence and clout of the Indian army in the region. The peaceful co-existence between the two groups in the past so many decades has always been mutually beneficial.

   However, there are times when even the best of relations are soured by mutual disrespect and unfriendly postures. The deteriorating relations between army personnel and local residents bordering on hatred and bitterness was evidenced in 1997-98 when a zealous chief of 20 Punjab Regiment made concerted efforts to convert the holy lake of Gurudongmar, a sacred pilgrimage centre for Buddhists in Lachen, North Sikkim, into a Sikh pilgrimage destination.

   Matters reached a dizzying height of confrontation when the Lachen Pipon, head of the Lachen Dzomsa – the traditional assembly of the people – openly and quite defiantly, refuted allegations made by the army that the Lachenpas supported the army’s bid to construct a Gurudwara, a Sikh temple, at the lake’s vicinity.

   “We wish to point out that at no point of time that the local people of Lachen had requested the army to construct anything at the premises of the holy lake, leave alone the Gurudwara shrine.  Furthermore, let me as an elected representative of the people of Lachen state clearly that it is neither in their interest nor the aspiration of the local people to let anyone destroy the sanctity of this lake,” said the Lachen Pipon, Anung Lachenpa, in a statement published in the Observer in April 1998.

   The Pipon also pointed out: “Construction of a shrine belonging to another religion in the name of national integration at our holy place of worship and pilgrimage does not reflect the hopes and aspirations of the Lachenpas and other local people who visit the area.” He also urged the “concerned authorities”, which included the State Government, to “rectify the mistakes” and restore the “original look and sanctity of the Gurudongmar Tso area.”

   The first party to raise objections to construction of the “highest Gurudwara on earth” (Gurudongmar is located at 17,200 ft. above sea level) was the Forests Department, which alleged that the project was carried out without the mandatory clearance of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. Besides the concrete construction of the Gurudwara shrine four huts and a parking area were also built on the shores of the lake. Apart from the ecological damage done to the area, which boasts of being a home of some rare and endangered birds and animals such as Blacknecked Crane and Kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass, the locals viewed the renaming of the Gurudongmar Tso as Guru Nanak Jheel, an obvious bid to dilute and gradually erase the unique and distinct Buddhist cultural heritage of the former Buddhist kingdom.

   Tibetan Buddhist scriptures, quoting Guru Rinpoche (Lord Padmasambhava, widely revered as the Second Buddha), point out that Sikkim is one of the seven sacred and hidden lands for Buddhists in the Himalaya. Except for Sikkim, all others are said to be in Tibet, where religious freedom has been curtailed after the Chinese takeover in 1959. Locals believe that when Guru Rinpoche visited Sikkim in the 8th century he blessed the lake and thereafter it came to be known as “Gurudongmar Tso”, meaning Guru with red face or red-face Guru (‘guru’ means master/teacher, ‘dong’ means face and ‘mar’ means red).

   It is possible that Guru Rinpoche manifested at the lake in the form of Gurudongmar or Gurudrakpo (Gurdak in short form), which is one of the main aspects of the tantric master who established Buddhism in Tibet and the Himalayan region in the 8th century. Gurudramar – the red-face deity of Guru Rinpoche – is one of the main protecting deities of several important monasteries in Sikkim, including Lachen and Pemayangtse monasteries. It was the same deity who appeared to the ancestors of Sikkim’s ruling Namgyal dynasty in a vision in the 13th century, instructing them to go southwards to ‘Bayul Demazong’, the ‘hidden valley of rice’, meaning Sikkim.

   The conversion of the area around the sacred rock in Chungthang in North Sikkim, enroute to Lachen and Lachung – also said to have been blessed by Guru Rinpoche – into Guru Nanak Jheel, has also been opposed by the locals. There exists a Gurudwara besides the sacred rock and the entire area is fenced and renamed “Guru Nanak Jheel.” Many influential local politicians, contractors and suppliers, who benefit financially and otherwise from their dealings with the army, discourage locals from raising issues, including religious matters, that would go against the army.

   The Green Circle, one of the few credible NGOs (non-governmental organization) in the State devoting to preserving the fragile eco-system in the State, while reacting against the army’s “blatant undermining of local culture and total disregard for a fragile and threatened ecosystem” in the Gurudongmar controversy, in a statement published in the Observer (Feb 1998) said: “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.”

   Though rather late, the Chamling Government finally woke up and came to the people’s rescue and opposed army intervention in the Gurudongmar controversy. A committee, whose members included State Government officials, was set up by the government to investigate into the controversy and restore the lake area to its original glory.

(Ref: The Lone Warrior: Exiled in My Homeland, Jigme N. Kazi, Hill Media Publications (published in 2014).