Two new titles from Sikkim hit the bookstores

TAKE YOUR PICK – A BOOK ON YUMAISM OR A COLLECTION OF ‘FLORID HAIKU’

GANGTOK, 16 April: Two new titles by Sikkim writers with as divergent contents as religion and poetry were released recently. “Yumaism, the Limboo Way of Life” by JR Subba and “Florid Haiku and Pseudo-Haiku” by the Late Kunga Gyatso Bhutia are now available at bookstores here.


YUMAISM, THE LIMBOO WAY OF LIFE – A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
The preface of the book describes it as an attempt “to explore the conceptual beliefs – ethnic ideas, elementary ideas or folk ideas, including supernatural powers such as the Great Goddess Tagera Ningwaphuma, other supernatural powers and spirituality, the Eight Souls tradition [Yetchham Thim], the eighteen stages of life and other spiritual practices of Yumaism.”
Yumaism is the way of life or religious beliefs held by people of the Limboo tribe and the book attempts to study this ancient belief system from a philosophical point of view. This effort is also aimed at strengthening the social and religious institutions under Yumaism which are “not effectively functioning in the society because of their insignificant relevance to the administration of the multi-ethnic society on the one hand, and lack of knowledgeable members on the other.”
The author, JR Subba, a Post Graduate in Agriculture Science from Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi joined the State Agriculture Department as Plant Protection Officer in 1975. He retired as Principal Director, Agriculture in 2007. Mr Subba has authored over two dozen books on various subjects.
Published by Yakthung Mundhum Saplappa, Gangtok, Sikkim the book is priced at Rs 240.

FLORID HAIKU AND PSEUDO-HAIKU
The book is a collection of poems written in the Japanese poetic form ‘haiku’ and in the author’s words are mostly “light, didactic, narrative, idyllic and satiric”. The three-line verses are inspired by persons, objects and occurrences. The book is divided into three sections namely Persons and Objects, Aspects and Happenings and Perceptions and Contemplations. The poems are accompanied by photographs of flowers mostly orchids found in Sikkim.
The Late Kunga Gyatso Bhutia, retired as a Secretary to the Government of Sikkim, passed away in February. His latest collection was released posthumously.
Published by UBS Publishers’ Distributors Pvt Ltd, New Delhi the book is priced at Rs 225.