Army dedicates cantonment gate to Ganju Lama

GANGTOK, 01 Nov: The main gate of the Military Cantonment at Deorali has been dedicated to the Captain Ganju Lama, the only Victoria Cross holder from Sikkim. ‘Ganju Lama Dwar’, designed and constructed by Black Cat Division on traditional Sikkimese lines, and was dedicated to the people by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling today.
The dedication ceremony was held in the presence of the late Ganju Lama’s wife, Pema Sangmo, his two sons and daughter, Lt Gen KJ Singh, GOC 33 Corps and Maj Gen D Anbu, GOC 17 Mountain Division. The ceremony was also attended by Ministers, Chief Secretary R. Ongmu, DGP Jasbir Singh and other senior officials of the state and army officials.
On the occasion, as a token of Indian Army’s organizational commitment to conservation and preservation of the environment, Lt Gen Singh presented the antlers of the Sikkim Stag [also known as ‘Shou’] recovered from the Gyamtsona in North Sikkim some months back, to the Chief Minister, who is also the Chairperson of the State Wildlife Board and Arvind Kumar, the Chief Wildlife Warden.
Speaking to media persons, Lt Gen Singh said, “Gangtok is a beautiful place so the main gate of the Military Station has been conceptualized keeping local ethos in mind. Since the state gets huge numbers of tourists, this gate has been designed to reflect local architecture”.
The gate has been named after Ganju Lama, Sikkim only Victoria Cross recipient [from WWII] to encourage and inspire the young generation to come forward to serve the country, he said.