Sikkim swelters - MAJHITAR HEATS UP TO 36 DEGREE CELSIUS!

GANGTOK, 23 Sept: It has been uncomfortably hot in Gangtok and other parts of the state for the past few days. With hardly any rainfall, umbrellas are now popping up to shield one from the harsh rays of the sun. Unfortunately, they don’t make umbrellas wide enough to offer enough shelter and shades are increasingly being sought out around town. Everybody is complaining about the sweltering heat nowadays.
And rightly so, with the Meteorological Centre, Gangtok recording a maximum temperature of 36 degree Celsius at Majhitar today! Compare that with Kolkata which tipped the mercury at a degree lower at 35 today!!
In Tadong, a maximum temperature of 30 degree Celsius and minimum of 20 degree Celsius was recorded. According to the centre, maximum temperatures have remained 2 to 4 degree Celsius above normal over most of the stations in Sikkim.
Gangtok experienced a maximum temperature of 23.4 degree Celsius and minimum temperature of 18 degree Celsius. The centre has also recorded the relative humidity of 95% in Gangtok and 73% over Tadong.
The centre has also recorded max of 25.5 degree Celsius and min of 17.3 degree Celsius over Mangan, max of 29 degree Celsius and min of 21 degree Celsius over Namthang, max of 24.9 degree Celsius and min of 19 degree Celsius over Namchi and max of 26.1 degree Celsius and min of 17.7 degree Celsius over Gyalshing.
The Southwest Monsoon has been subdued over Sikkim as per the summary of observation recorded at 8:30 AM by the Gangtok Met Centre.

PLSI survey on languages spoken in Sikkim nears completion

GANGTOK, 16 Sept: Assistant Professor of Sikkim University, Balaram Pandey who is also the editor of Sikkim Region for the People’s Linguistic Survey of India [PLSI] informs in a press release that PLSI has almost completed its survey on languages spoken in Sikkim during a three-day seminar held recently. Sample books on Sikkim in Nepali and English have also been released.
Over 100 years after Irish Orientalist John Abraham Grierson brought out his detailed study of Indian languages in 1900 after an effort of 28 years, the Peoples Linguistic Survey of India (PLSI), a rights-based movement is now in the final stages of bringing out the final documentation in the country.
PLSI started its three-year research project in 2011 which has covered more than 700 languages in India. The survey in Sikkim was conducted by a 20-member team headed by Balaram Pandey. The Nepali section will be published soon, however, the English edition will be published in the beginning of next year, it is informed.
At present almost 16 languages exist in Sikkim and amongst them the Mazi Language is on the verge of vanishing, Mr Pandey informs.
This is the first time that any research under the banner of PLSI, has engaged language resource persons from the place where the language originates.
During the seminar, large number of national and international linguistic leaders were present while a panel discussion was also aired on Gyan Darshan, Doordarshan Channel.
The seminar was jointly organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, Indira Gandhi Open University, New Delhi.

NAB team calls on Governor

 GANGTOK, 16 Sept [IPR]: Members of National Association for Blind (NAB), Sikkim branch, called on the Governor, Shriniwas Patil, at Raj Bhawan today as part of the All India Flag Day for the Blind being observed from 14 to 18 September, 2013.
During the course of interaction, the Governor commended the members for their efforts in helping people suffering from blindness through restoration of eyesight, by providing vision aids and rehabilitation.
The five-member delegation from NAB was led by its president, Jayshree Pradhan and general secretary, Geeta Gurung.

New UNEP-GEF Project on Biodiversity for Sikkim

GANGTOK, 02 Sept: Sikkim is one of the five Indian states selected for a new UNEP-GEF funded project of the Ministry of Environment & Forests for “Strengthening Implementation of the Biological Diversity Act (BDA) and Rules with Focus on its Access and Benefit Sharing Provisions”. The total outlay of the project is US$ 9.8 million over a period of four years 2011-14. 
Member-Secretary, Sikkim State Biodiversity Board, APCCF Dr. Anil Mainra and Principal Research Officer, Usha Lachungpa attended the Inception Meeting organized by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and MoEF on 23 and 24 August, informs a press release.

Now Showing at Star Cinema Hall: Sikkim Then and Now

GANGTOK, 30 May [IPR]: The “Sikkim Then and Now” photo exhibition organized by the Information & Public Relations Department was inaugurated by Gangtok MLA, Dorjee Namgyal Bhutia, at Old Star Cinema Hall in the capital today. Gangtok Mayor, KN Topgay, was present as a special guest.
The exhibition has photographs from pre-Merger Sikkim [starting from 1934] to present-day Sikkim and is themed on the various developmental achievements of the State and also features vignettes from the village-to-village tour of Chief Minister Pawan Chamling.
The aim of the exhibition is to give a glimpse of the past and the present to the people especially the younger generation and tourists. The exhibition will be continue till 14 June.

Ray’s Sikkim to screen every evening for a week at Vajra

Satyajit Ray’s documentary film, “Sikkim”, which had its world premiere on 06 April to a select audience in Gangtok will now open for regular screenings from Friday onwards at Vajra cinema hall here.
The Art & Culture Trust of Sikkim, which was instrumental in restoring this lost film made in 1971, in a press release issued today, announced that the movie will screen for one show [5:30 p.m.] every day from 15 to 21 April.
“We were overwhelmed by the response of the audience at the World Premiere on the 6th of April 2011. There has been a constant demand for a regular theater release ever since the premiere. We understand that there is a huge audience waiting and wanting to see the film. We are also aware that the purpose of the restoration of this very rare film carried out by the Art & Culture Trust of Sikkim was to reach out to the maximum Sikkimese people,” the ACT of Sikkim secretary, Atul Kaura explains while announcing the screening schedule.
The film, commissioned by Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal, and completed in 1971, was never formally released until last week, its prints lost and then painstakingly restored.

Finally, Sikkim gets to watch Ray’s Sikkim

AUDIENCE STUNNED BY SIMPLICITY AND EVOCATIVE TONE OF MAESTRO’S [NO LONGER] ‘LOST’ WORK


TSHERING EDEN
GANGTOK, 07 April: Battling the hail and traffic, an eager crowd of Gangtokians made it to Vajra cinema hall for the world premiere of Satyajit Ray’s ‘Sikkim’ on Wednesday evening. The elderly, college and school students, members of the royal family, retired civil servants, in fact people from all walks of life, were present for the much awaited premiere.
Welcoming the guests, Managing Trustee of the Art and Culture Trust [ACT] of Sikkim, Ugyen Chopel, gave a brief background of the film. The chief guest for the premiere, Governor Balmiki Prasad was accompanied to the event by Justice SP Wangdi, cinematographer of the film, Soumendu Roy, and actor-director, Tinu Anand, who assisted Satyajit Ray during the making of the film, were present as special guests.

Sikkim’s world premiere postponed to 06 Apr

GANGTOK: The world premiere of Satyajit Ray’s “Sikkim” has been postponed for 06 April by the Art & Culture Trust [ACT] of Sikkim. The venue remains the same- Vajra cinema hall.
A press release issued by the secretary, ACT of Sikkim, Atul Kaura, informs that in view of the 2-day bandh called for 04 and 05 April, the world premiere of the much-awaited documentary film has been is rescheduled for 06 April, Wednesday.
The Trust has conveyed its apologies for the inconvenience caused to patrons and well-wishers due to the rescheduling of the program.

Satyajit Ray’s "Sikkim" to premiere on Chogyal’s birth anniversary

SAGAR CHHETRI
GANGTOK: After a wait of 40 years, Satyajit Ray’s only work never to have been officially premiered, his documentary film, ‘Sikkim’, is now finally ready for its world premiere; the date aptly set for 04 April, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the late Chogyal, Palden Thondup Namgyal, who had produced the film in 1971. The documentary film will premiere at Vajra cinema hall.
The film is being presented by the Art and Culture Trust [ACT] of Sikkim, which holds the rights to the film, and has worked for many years now to restore the original prints of this, thus far lost work.