Pang Lhabsol underlines Sikkim’s bond with nature: CM

SIKKIM PROPITIATES ITS GUARDIAN DEITYNAMCHI, 12 Sept: Pang Lhabsol, the propitiation of Sikkim’s guardian deities supreme among whom is Dzonga who resides on the summit of Khangchendzonga, was celebrated in a unique blend of tradition and rustic festivity here at Rabongla today with Chief Minister Pawan Chamling as the chief guest. This was the 28th episode of Pang Lhabsol celebrations hosted at the Mane Chokerling complex above Rabong town. The celebration at Ralong Monastery a short distance away and under which the Mane Chokerling falls, however, is of much older antiquity.
Addressing the occasion, the Chief Minister stressed that the Sikkim was a land of purity and that the ethnic festivals and rituals of the State, of which Pang Lhabsol is the most unique to Sikkim, underlined the close bond that Sikkim shares with Nature. Pang Lhabsol, he added, celebrated the identity of the Sikkimese as it marked the worship of its guardian deities who resided in the various natural features of the State.
Congratulating the people of Rabong for their embrace of the celebration and for having sustained it for close three decades now, the CM highlighted that the SDF Government has consistently supported all efforts at nurturing traditional practises and celebrations and had now also aligned tourism promotion around these expressions to make the celebrations grander and secure additional benefits for the people.
Citing the example of Pang Lhabsol at Rabongla, he remarked that this Sikkimese celebration no enjoyed international recognition and recall.
Continuing in the same vein, he shared that pilgrimage tourism was growing well in Sikkim and pointed out that with the completion of the Buddha Park complex by end-2012, one more religious attraction will be added to Rabong town. This project alone could solve all the unemployment problems of Rabong provided the youth here took the initiative and seized the opportunities created in the service sector, he highlighted.
The youth, he stressed, were better advised to notice the opportunities being created for them and secure their futures instead of wasting their time on the opportunism of Opposition groups in Sikkim.
The CM also went over the achievements of the SDF Government and said that all the requirements and demands of the people have been fulfilled and that now, as the Government moved into second generation development, it was necessary for the people to step up and harness the facilities created for them.
On the village-to-village tour undertaken by him recently, he announced that all the demands have been cleared by the Legislative Assembly and also delved on the various Missions undertaken by the State Government to take Sikkim to a new level of development and prosperity.
Before the festivities began, the Chief Minister offered prayers at the Mane Chokerling and attended the Pangtoed Chaam (warrior dance) performance in the courtyard.
Earlier, the area MLA, Sonam Gyatsho Bhutia, who is also the chairman of the Pang Lhabsol Celebration Committee, presented the welcome address detailing the significance of the celebration and its progress in Rabongla.
A colorful cultural programme was performed on the occasion.
The nimble feet of the toddler dancers of Donal Dance Academy was a special hit among the audience with even the CM commending them for their performance and handing over individual cash prizes to the troupe.
The final match of the Pang Lhabsol Open Volleyball Tournament was also played today between Employees VI [as Punjab Police] and Rongli VI [as Haryana] with the former team winning 3-2. Punjab Police lifted the winner’s trophy and the cash prize of Rs. 2 lakh and Haryana bagged the runners-up trophy and Rs. 1 lakh in cash prize.