Gangtok to Tadong on Wednesday - TSHERING EDEN

At around 12 noon on 16 July, Wednesday, as we approach Hospital Dara, a boy in his late teens or early twenties waves for the car to stop and politely requests us to support their cause. Unsure of what kind of support is being referred to, we head on. A little further down, near the traffic point at Titanic, a few more youth are waving at cars to stop. It is not a request anymore and only a tad short of an order. We still head on. Just before reaching Hotel Hungry Jack, a still larger group, this one made up of men, is shouting at cars to stop and blocking those on the move, thumping at bonnets and banging on windows. It is no longer a request or an order but a threat.
I get off the car and decide to walk down to my office at Tadong.
Meanwhile, the group of men has grown larger and is now hooting and banging on a taxi that is headed uphill. The traffic cop stands by listless. The van is allowed to pass and the group starts moving down. I catch up with this group and ask one of them, “Why are you doing this?” He says, “Tei ni abo”. Of course he is talking about the Monday lathicharge on college students down at Tadong.
I prod further, “What are you demanding?”
“Suspension.”
“Not termination?”
“Ah yes, yes, termination.”
College students protesting fee hike and later police action against the protest had demanded the termination/ suspension of the police head of the east district and the Sadar Thana in-charge.
Just short of the Lall Bazaar flyover, the group stops a private vehicle with two women in the back seat. They are let off after some heavy banging on all sides and sloganeering and cheering. I glance at the women, one of them is half smiling perhaps out of shock, terror and of not knowing what was happening. This generation of the Sikkimese has never experienced what was to come.
Few more join in as the group moves further down. A police vehicle comes down heading towards Deorali. It is also stopped and let off after the usual procedure. The group now has about 20-30 people in it. As we move past Café Coffee Day, I realise I will have to overtake this group to have any hope of finding a vehicle that would take me to Tadong. I also curse myself for forgetting my phone in a colleague’s car the day before. I could have taken such great photographs I think to myself.
After overtaking the group near Pani House, I turn back to see a white Scorpio with a VIP light coming downhill. It is stopped by the group and the banging and the hooting begins, and this time it is louder. The VIP vehicle wrests itself from the group and tears down the road. One from the group hurls a stone at the vehicle fleeing away but it is too late. A taxi coming uphill is stopped and asked to “chase” the VIP vehicle. The driver says “sure” and makes a u-turn.
Seconds later, I manage to find a ferry; there are two other women in this taxi which is only going till Daragaon according to the driver. One of the women has a 6-7 year old child with her. As we head towards our destination, this woman says she heard one student died on-the-spot in the Monday lathicharge. The driver dismisses it as a rumour and the other woman seconds it. This woman also criticizes the whole affair of the protest and the rumours and the inconvenience caused to the public. The other woman wants to know if she will get a vehicle from Tadong for Manipal. The driver replies that it is highly unlikely since that is the ground zero of the protest. The woman is worried because the child is unwell and they were headed to Manipal hospital. We tell her that walking is the only alternative. She asks the child “Can you walk?” The child says no.
The taxi stops at Convoy Ground and I start walking towards my office. I run into a retired government employee who is returning home after watching the situation further down the road. I voice my fears of violence erupting and inform him of the group heading towards Tadong. He says, “Yes they should destroy only government vehicles, not the private ones since they are bought with people’s hard earned money”.    
As I approach ground zero, the crowd of onlookers that the “protest” has attracted suddenly starts stampeding towards me. It turns out to be a false alarm and the crowd falls right back. On reaching office I am told I was lucky to have forgotten my phone because the crowd was attacking people who were taking photographs. Shortly after, the third and hopefully the final of the lathi-charges begins.

Good Neighbourliness is in India’s Interest - KC Pradhan

The bold initiative taken by the Prime Minister-designate, Narendra Modi, to invite leaders of the SAARC countries to his swearing-in ceremony scheduled for 26 May, Monday, is a most welcome sign. India’s diplomatic flaw in how it engages with its neighbours is a matter of concern which has hindered our country’s progress and has been weakness which has been extensively exploited by other super-powers.
India, the world’s largest democracy with its 1.2 billion people, is a force to reckon with and with some clarity in our approach, we will surely emerge as a super-power in the truest sense.
For instance, geographically and culturally Nepal is more at ease with India than any other neighbour. Also, its river systems originating from the mighty Himalayas are the lifeline of the vast plains of India. The country being the birthplace of Gautama Buddha and at one time, the ‘only Hindu Kingdom in the World’ with its ancient temples with strong links with other eminent temples in India, Nepal has a very strong sentimental attachment to India. As such a secure and economically developed Nepal is in India’s interest.
So is the case with Bangladesh. It is in downstream of ‘Indian’ rivers like Teesta and the mighty Brahmaputra. These two rivers bind the region intricately and the region is so linked so as to prompt someone to comment that some houses along the border lie half in India and half in Bangladesh. Again, not to forget the Bengalis in Kolkata who will go into a frenzy if the Hilsa fish does not reach their markets on a daily basis from across the border. Importantly, all the seven States in the NE Region stand to benefit significantly, socially as well as economically, if they get right-of-way through Bangladesh to commute to other parts of the country besides trading rights which would be in our mutual interest.
Our Look East Policy will remain an empty dream without taking Bangladesh on our side. Sharing of water from Teesta and exporting of electricity, now in the offing from Tripura, are issues which the new Government intends to prioritize and this is a welcome move. A large country like India should bear in mind that when the nation’s foreign policy and its bearing becomes paramount, the interest of the States should be subservient. Sikkim is in the process of generating good amount of hydel power and Nepal and Bangladesh could be the best clients. To learn that Kathmandu suffers load-shedding for almost 16 hours a day, the export of a couple of hundred Mega Watts from Indi would deliver immense relief besides ushering in a sense of good neighbourliness.
Returning to Pakistan, despite all the uncalled for speculations as telecast on national new channels, Nawaz Sharif will be attending the event. It is a huge step forward in Indian diplomacy. The India-Pakistan-Afghanistan triangle can be developed into an immense collaboration, one which has potential to change the world political scenario. Fishing in troubled waters by world powers at India’s cost, rather the entire region’s, is detrimental and a hindrance and it must be tackled with a broadness of heart and a sense of trust and opporuntinies. Give and take might be necessary and India should think of larger interests. How long can India afford to spend billions year-in, yea-out guarding its porous borders? It is well nigh impossible to stop terrorist activities in this rather transparent world with sophisticated technology at everybody’s command. Border fencing and amassing of troop are not long-term solutions. Solutions require deeper thought and unconventional strategies. That comes only with dialogues on equal terms – no matter how small a country as each has its own self respect.
India being the eldest brother in the family in the SAARC region, all it could possibly do is to make concerted efforts to live with them with a strong sense of trust. We hope this is the beginning of an era of harmonious neighbourhoods and lasting friendships based on trust and mutual respect. As someone said- we cannot change geography, neither can we choose a neighbour.
After pragmatic and harmonious neighborhood policy, the Centre should engage itself on internal issues that have remained vexed in areas like Kashmir and the North-East. The situations requiring resolution are Kashmir, Darjeeling, Bodoland, Nagaland and these should be approached with a view to bring stability and a stronger sense of belonging. The North-East Region, despite its vast resources, has its own problems due to its geographical isolation which Delhi-based and Delhi-centric planning has remained unable to address. The inter-state problems could best be solved by making grounds for their leaders to sort out issues between themselves with Centre acting as an honest broker. Its vast potential to open the vast market both with and through Myanmar, with whom India shares an extensive border, and Bangladesh with Chittagong as its outlet should not be whisked away.
We hope the new Government at the Centre will make an earnest effort to address these problems and bind the country with a stronger sense of oneness. We wish the new Government well.

CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DAY, 22 MAY 2014:

Sikkim: An Island in the Sky
SBS BHADAURIA, Special PCCF cum Member Secretary, Sikkim Biodiversity Board.
Uniquely positioned in the highest mountains in the world, the great Himalayas, Sikkim is a veritable horse-shoe shaped “Island in the Sky”, a hotspot of biological diversity in the Eastern Himalayas and part of the Endemic Bird Area. Biological diversity or the variety of life forms found here, is by far the richest in the Indian subcontinent, separated as it is, from the rest of the world by the Singhalila and Chola Mountain Ranges on either side and bounded by the great Tibetan plateau to the north. Our rich biodiversity includes not only wild orchids, rhododendrons, conifer trees, hornbills, pheasants, sunbirds, swallowtail butterflies, snow leopards, red pandas and other creatures, but also domesticated plants like ‘Murali Makai’, Krishnabhog Rice, Siri Cattle, and Banpala Sheep, and even microbial diversity such as is found in ‘Kinema’ and other fermented foods.
The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 the International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme this year of Island Biodiversity was chosen to coincide with the designation by the United Nations General Assembly of 2014 as the International Year of Small Island Developing States.
Islands and their surrounding areas constitute unique ecosystems often comprising many plant and animal species that are endemic, i.e. found nowhere else on Earth. Legacies of a unique evolutionary history, these ecosystems are irreplaceable treasures. They are also key to the livelihood, economy, well-being and cultural identity of 600 million islanders—one-tenth of the world’s population.
Sikkim being situated in a Himalayan belt comprises mostly of lakes totaling over 227. This huge number renders it with rich wetland biodiversity. A wetland is a unique ecosystem that supports many species of flora and fauna. It is also a storehouse of clean water supply, scenic beauty educational and recreational benefits to the Himalayan people and important for our very survival. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment estimates that wetlands cover 7% of the earth’s surface and deliver 45% of the world’s natural productivity and ecosystem services. However, the very existence of these unique resources is under threat. With the aim of generating awareness amongst the younger generation and masses about the unique wetland biodiversity, Sikkim Biodiversity Board will be celebrating IBD-22 May 2014 in all four districts of Sikkim under the theme “SIKKIM - An Island in the Sky”
The celebration of IDB (2014) will be done through diverse programmes such as Quiz / Painting / Essay competitions, Exhibitions, Awareness programmes on Biodiversity, Bird & Butterfly–watching, Indigenous Agriculture Varieties, Biodiversity in and around Villages, and Field trip to Forest/Wildlife Sanctuaries / Himalayan Zoological Park at the following venues in the respective districts of the state:
North Sikkim: Hee-Gyathang Sr. Secondary School
South Sikkim: Payong Junior High School
East Sikkim: Pangthang Junior High School
West Sikkim: Khandu Secondary School
The Sikkim Biodiversity Board welcomes one and all to celebrate our unique biodiversity individually or collectively on this day, 22 May 2014. We request you to share your celebrations with us at the contact below:
- Usha Lachungpa, Additional Director (SBB) – 9434025273
- Peggyla T. Venchungpa, Asst. Conservator of Forest (SBB) – 9679743324
Email address: sbbsikkim@gmail.com

Canine Distemper and its Control Dr. KINZANG C. BHUTIA

Over the last three years in Sikkim and other hilly areas of India, many dogs are succumbing to the disease called Canine Distemper (CD) and Parvo. CD, in particular, has a high mortality and morbidity rate but can easily be prevented, if the Pet owners play a responsible role. A major outbreak of CD was reported in 2011 where many dogs died. This disease will remain in the environment for quite some time and it will be a herculean task to completely eradicate it. Thus, it is highly imperative that all dog owners take preventive measures. Despite numerous appeals and publicity, majority of the dog owners are still unaware or choose to remain ignorant of these diseases and their dogs are still not vaccinated. It is still being found that majority of pet dogs in Sikkim are not vaccinated against Distemper, Parvo virus, Influenza, Canine Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, etc. except for Rabies. It is highly advisable that all dogs should receive these vaccines annually including Rabies. This serious lapse on the part of the dog owner is leading to serious disease outbreak. The Dept. of AH, LF & VS appeals to all dog owners/animal lovers to get their pets vaccinated against these diseases. We encourage responsible pet ownership where we expect the dog owners to show their commitment, respect towards these creatures.
Distemper disease has been in the state for a number of years and outbreaks are regularly occurring in the state. Symptoms seen are cough, fever, nose and eye discharge, loss of appetite and failing condition. After some weeks, nervous symptoms may develop when the virus affects the brain.  Most commonly fits or twitches. Many dogs will die from the disease, particularly younger animals, sometimes after a long drawn out illness. Morbidity and mortality is extremely high in distemper as there is no direct treatment. Treatment is usually symptomatic and success is achieved only in the initial stages by raising the host immunity. Due to the generality and universality of its symptoms, it is difficult to detect. When the patients exhibit CNS symptoms (twitching and seizures) which are confirmatory, it is too late and the damage done is usually irreversible.
Though younger animals are most susceptible to the infection, susceptibility is enhanced in older dogs not adequately vaccinated or with concurrent stress or immunosuppressive conditions.  CD is highly contagious, large viral concentrations occur in respiratory secretions and commonly spread by aerosolization. The Infective virus is also present in urine and other body fluids and recovered dogs can shed virus up to 1-1 1/2 months.
Hence it is extremely essential that the animal with CD be isolated which should include its food, bedding and people handling.
Both these diseases are extremely contagious, spreading readily from dog to dog. They are both caused by viruses, so treatment is difficult and often unsuccessful.
Unlike Rabies they are not spread to humans – only dogs are affected!
Contact your local Veterinary establishment for advice as to the injections needed. They are very effective. Remember also that periodic booster shots are needed to maintain immunity.
Remember owning a dog and not vaccinating is like having a child and not vaccinating against polio, measles, Hepatitis etc.
Prevention: Both these diseases can be easily prevented by getting the dogs vaccinated annually. However it is imperative that prior to vaccination the dog is adequately dewormed and healthy. Vaccinating a dog with suppressed immunity or recent history of exposure could be contraindicative and is to be strictly avoided. Pet dogs should receive the vaccinations in a proper schedule (which would include - 3 doses from 6 weeks upto 3 months (6weeks,10weeks,14weeks) or (8weeks,12weeks,16weeks) depending on the vaccine/brand used). This should be followed by annual boosters. The vaccine is available in any Veterinary stores and costs up-to 400-500 per dose.
Few points to remember during an outbreak:
1. Proper disposal of carcass either through deep burial or burning and never to dump in the open field.
2. The beddings or cloths should be burnt immediately.
3. Movement of dogs from one place to another should be avoided, especially from CD affected areas.
4. Good nursing care and highly nutritious food is advisable for ailing dogs.
5. The owners whose dogs are infected with CD should maintain cleanliness and hygiene. They should be encouraged not to spread infection to other healthy dogs. Bleaching powder which comes cheap is an effective disinfectant and should be adequately used.
6. Once the dog is dead, owners should make sure that the place should be thoroughly sanitize and dispose the carcass properly and no new dogs should be introduced for at-least 3 months.
7. Always buy or bring well vaccinated dogs especially from outside state. Ask for vaccination details of the dog form the dog dealer where a registered Vet would issue such certificate. The full protection of the vaccine against the disease will occur only after 20 days post vaccination.
In order to inculcate a responsible pet ownership as well as to make the vaccine affordable, the State Veterinary Polyclinic of the Dept. of AH,LF &VS has arranged Distemper and Parvo vaccine at a subsidized rates. Any interested pet owners willing to get their dogs vaccinated are requested to visit Polyclinic, Veterinary complex, Tadong from 01 May 2014 to avail this facility at the subsidized rate of Rs 300. The facility will be available for a limited period of time.
[The writer is Superintendent, State Veterinary Polyclinic]

Late A. K. Giri- An Epitome of a Gentleman

-B. B. Subba Ijam

“And now the time has come when we must depart: I to my death, you to go on living. But which of us is going to the better fate is unknown to all except God.” –Socrates

It was only the second day of the New Year (2013) and for those who had indulged heavily in the celebration the day before, the day seemed just perfect to recuperate, relax and reflect. The day was also a state government holiday owing to Barahimizong. However, for the family, friends and well-wishers of Ashok Kumar Giri, the celebratory mood was suddenly eclipsed by a pall of shock and grief as they got the news of his sudden demise. Those who heard the news- mostly the employees and people associated with Energy and Power Department from Gangtok head office and district offices alike - immediately rushed to the Central Referral Hospital, Tadong. But it was too late even for even those who could arrive early at the CRH. They had already lost within a span of an hour or so their beloved boss, friend or “Giri Sa’ab” as he was fondly addressed to by many. He was reportedly declared D.O.A. by the doctors at the CRH. His body was escorted back to his home at Upper Syari the same day afternoon. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Officially speaking, the death of AK Giri was a matter of loss and grief for the State Government as well since he was a sitting Secretary of one of its departments. Among many dignitaries, the Chief Secretary of the state called on the same day to pay his respect to the departed soul and to condole the bereaved family.
The father of late AK Giri who is popularly known as Dr (P.S.) Giri was a doctor in the Sikkim government and is a renowned figure among the senior citizens. Dr Giri also has the distinction of having served as the physician to the royal family of the erstwhile kingdom of Sikkim. The late AK Giri attended as many schools - West Point Gangtok, Singtam, Pelling and TNSSS Gangtok- as the places his father was transferred to. He then graduated as an electrical engineer from Bengal Engineering College, Sibpur. He joined Energy and Power Department (called simply Power Department at that time) in January 1978 as an Assistant Engineer. Having served at various places of the state in different positions as engineer, he was ultimately promoted as Principal Chief Engineer cum Secretary of the department in May 2011.
It would not be an overstatement to say that people like AK Giri are very rare to come across in this world.
The persona of a bureaucrat is often defined by his official position and the power and authority he wields. But in the case of Giri Sa’ab, his qualities as a human being transcended his persona as a bureaucrat. He was first a nice human being before he was anything else. “Extremely simple and humble” are perhaps the attributes that come to our mind first when we talk of his nature. He was a calm and composed man and always spoke in a soft voice. During all these years of association with him, this writer never heard him speak in a raised voice or lose his temper even when people were confronting him and intentionally getting on his nerves. And believe me, it is very, very difficult for the person sitting on the chair of ‘Power Secretary’ not to lose his/ her temper and maintain composure all the time. At present Energy and Power department is perhaps the most complex, complicated and challenging of the departments by virtue of its sheer size and the nature of issues it is engaged in.
Executives have their own style and preferred theory / methodology of providing leadership to their organization. Giri Sa’ab liked to persuade and convince his subordinates rather than dictate to them in order to get a job done. He was a very sincere and dedicated technocrat-bureaucrat of the government who worked hard to raise the performance of his department to the level expected by the government and the public. He used to work overtime in his office to avoid files and papers from getting piled up on his table due to his perpetually busy schedule of meetings and conferences. He also used to encourage his colleagues and subordinates to work overtime for disposing of urgent works. He treated everybody who came to him- whether the person was a general public, a contractor / supplier or his own employees- with politeness and compassion. Consequently, even the most skeptic and foul-mouthed persons known to the department always had nice words to say about him. It was impossible to even imagine that he would ever hurt a soul while discharging his duty as a government servant.
In an interesting contrast to his ever benign personality, Giri sa’ab had an amazing sense of humour which often livened up the moment and made it a little easier for the persons involved to face a situation however difficult and unpleasant. I would like to recall two out of many such instances. It was during a meeting with officers who were to accompany him to New Delhi for an important official meeting. He wanted to prepare himself and his officers thoroughly before starting for Delhi. At one point in the course of the meeting, I pointed out to him that the figure of aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses for our state- an all important term in the field of electrical engineering- that he was telling us right then and those available with accounts section and revenue section of the department all differed from each other. It was a serious matter and obviously everybody looked concerned. But before I could gloat over my observation, he responded, “No problem. If the Delhi people ask for our AT&C loss figure then we’ll first ask them whose figure they want- whether that of secretary’s or of accounts section’s or of revenue sections’. Then we’ll give the figure accordingly.” Everybody broke into laughter. He then patiently explained why all had to stick to the figure that he had taken as correct.
The other incident took place when three officers from the department, including me, had accompanied Giri Sa’ab to Delhi to attend the above mentioned meeting. In fact there were a series of meetings due to which we had to stay at Delhi for couple of days. One morning, the officer of a PSU who had accompanied him the previous night informed us that our boss was severely grilled and pulled up the last night (but for lapses he was not directly responsible for) after he was summoned by higher authorities of the state stationed there to prepare for a crucial high level meeting with the central government authorities. So, when we started the next morning for another meeting in the shared vehicle, all of us were tense and kept quiet. After sometime, just to break the ice, one of our senior officers spoke pointing towards a tree standing at a distance from the road that we were driving on- “Look at that tree, do you all know what it is called? It is the famous Ashok tree under which lord Budhha had meditated.”
“Which one, sir?” Enquired one among us.
“Don’t you see there, the one with all its leaves sloping downwards?” Replied our colleague. I found out later from Wikipedia that in fact that tree was called “false Ashoka” which has all its leaves pointing downwards and somewhat resembles a Dhoopi from a distance. Against the wildest of our expectations, Giri sa’ab spoke in his typical calm and soft voice- “Yes, yes, that Ashoka tree with all its leaves pointing downwards. Similar to this “Ashok” here.  My wings too are all pointing downwards with the last night’s thrashings.” All of us broke into a loud laughter.
The atmosphere became light instantaneously and we found ourselves relieved. I could not help marveling at our boss’s courage to laugh at himself and not to take oneself too seriously.
When he was alive, Giri Sa’ab must have won many a hearts and touched many a lives with his kindness and benevolence because of which people from all walks of life spontaneously poured in to pay their last respects to him and participate in his funeral procession which started from his home at Upper Syari and ended at Shantisthal at Ranipool on 4th January 2013. A subtle phenomenon was observed at Shantisthal that day. As per the customs prevalent in Sikkim, it is okay for the malamis to leave the place of cremation once they offer mutti. But even after offering mutti that day, many malamis were seen lingering around there looking at the burning pyre as if they were trying to find some answer to the sense of emptiness and dissatisfaction created in their heart due to the sudden, unexpected and untimely demise of such a fine human being, an epitome of a gentleman that late AK Giri was.

Discovery of 300-year-old Bhutanese forts in West Sikkim

Hissey Wongchuk Bhutia

Lying amidst the forest between DPCA School and the Pelling senior secondary school in West Sikkim are the ruins of two Bhutanese forts known as Paru dzong and Drakchung dzong. I discovered these places along with my friends Dawa Tshering Lepcha, Nimcho Bhutia, Norden Bhutia guided by a student from DPCA School, Sumras. After walking for about 30 minutes from DPCA School I spotted the Drakchung Dzong first, and I also saw a small cave just below the Drakchung Dzong. The Paru Dzong is 15minutes away from Drakchung Dzong. Some locals believe that the erstwhile Chogyal used to live in the Paru Dzong while he was having an affair with a Bhutanese girl. When I reached the Dzongs I felt very happy because it was a big dream of mine to explore these places. After an offering of incense (sang) to purify the place as it is believed that guardian deities dwell in such places. I took the photographs of these two forts after I thoroughly cleaned the walls and measured the forts.
These forts might have been built during the period of Bhutanese occupation of Sikkim i.e. 1696-1705 A.D. Several records are available about the period, but as per the archival records and other primary sources that I have come across during my research work, the years 1696 to 1705 are recorded as the period of Bhutanese occupation of Sikkim.
It is believed that during the period, many forts were constructed here in Sikkim such as Namgyal Thong dzong at Dzongu in North Sikkim, Taktse dzong at Gangtok and Ongdi phodrang at Pakyong in East Sikkim. The existence of these forts are commonly found in various written records while there are no records available about these two forts, the Paru dzong and the Drakchung dzong in Sikkim.
[The writer is a Research Assistant at Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Gangtok]

The threat is not just from strangers

...CLOSER ACQUAINTANCES TEND TO EXPLOIT WOMEN MORE OFTEN

TSHERING EDEN
On 28 December, while the 25-yr-old gangrape victim of Delhi was breathing her last in a Singapore hospital, a 14-yr-old here in Sikkim was gangraped. The first day of the New Year brought news of a 25-yr-old woman who died while giving birth to her child unassisted near a kholcha in Pakyong. The newborn male child was also found dead, having succumbed to the cold.
As Delhi burned with its public taking to the streets in protest of the numerous crimes committed against its women everyday, demanded better policing, more effective laws and stricter punishment, Sikkim also sought to borrow some of this heat. Prodded by its own shameful share of tragic incidents, condemnations and demands have also started pouring in. Demands that echo what the public are shouting in the streets of Delhi. This is where one needs to hit the pause button and ruminate a while.
While the rape case is clearly recognisable as an act of violence, the case of the young mother and her newborn is one that baffles. That the case has confounded many is evident by the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights urging the police to nab the “culprits” as soon as possible. Who would these culprits be? and accused of what charges? The Commission’s reaction is also indicative of the inability of a system, a society and a people to first of all comprehend the two cases and then address such issues.
Although the lack of details of the case incapacitates the making of a fair analysis, fact is that both the mother and child were victims of violence; a violence for which the society and the state are to blame. It is time to turn the mirror upon ourselves. It is time to sort through the threads that make the social fabric of the state and mend its fraying edges.
Comparisons can mislead in various ways. Both, the similarities and dissimilarities that any comparison throws up, need to be noted. Delhi and Sikkim are two very different places, especially in terms of the socio-cultural make up that is of particular concern here. The demands voiced in Delhi cannot be echoed verbatim here. Agreed that in the national context, stringent laws and legislations free of any loopholes are imperative. However, one cannot but also agree that the laws already in place are underutilized in this small state of ours. The number of cases of domestic violence or sexual abuse of a minor that are reported in Sikkim cannot in anyway be taken to be representative of the actual numbers.
In the case of Delhi, women feel threatened in public spaces, in buses, in cinema halls, on deserted roads. The fear of the unknown dominates there, whether of unknown places or of unknown persons. In the case of Sikkim, the threat more often than not is of the known. Most cases of sexual assault on women and children are by those who are known to the victims. Last year, a neighbourhood pandit was arrested for sexually abusing a child while another child was molested in an ICDS centre! A woman is not safe in her own home, at risk of domestic violence or abuse by a ‘daju’ or an ‘uncle’. A group of women I spoke to, all had instances to recall where their father’s friend, a distant relative or a cousin had touched them in the wrong way and none of these were addressed. Some could not even complain while those who did were told off.
This threat of the known is what is extremely disturbing because ironically it also means that the possibility of catching and punishing the perpetrator becomes that much more difficult. A vicious circle, so to speak, of power is involved. The known by that very fact enjoys an upper hand. The mother always warns her child not to talk to ‘strangers’. In this day and age awareness on such issues cannot be said to be so poor amongst the Sikkimese. What then makes us turn a blind eye?
What is tolerable and what is not? Small advances that go unnoticed only embolden perverted minds to commit what is not tolerable at all.
The same circle of power is played out at the workplace. How many cases of sexual harassment at the workplace does one hear of? Many. But how many are actually reported? Almost none. Thus, while Delhi can demand better laws and better policing, we, here in Sikkim, need first to look within and recognise the violence being committed inside our own homes or in our own locality before demanding anything else.
Domestic violence is widespread and remains unaddressed. ‘Telay buri lai pura pitdai raicha’ or ‘buri pani pitnu layak ko cha’ are common refrains one hears and are passed off in casual conversation. That it is a punishable offence is a myth. Even agencies supposed to provide security and courage to battered women to walk out of a dangerous marriage coax and cajole the woman to put up with her violent and abusive husband. Legislation has failed to deter perpetrators or encourage victims to make use of it. Efforts at encouraging victims and the public in general to report such cases have to be doubled. Most of all, it must be acknowledged as a crime and not as a cultural or traditionally sanctioned practise.
Comparisons cannot define. A direct outcome of comparisons is to define something by what it is not, which is a very shallow approach. When it comes to the issue of women’s empowerment in Sikkim, an oft heard line is ‘as compared to women in other states women here are empowered’. It is ridiculous to think that women in Sikkim are defined on the basis of women in some other state of the country. Women and their status in the state have to have intrinsic characteristics from which to derive and build on.
I also asked this group of women if they think Sikkimese women are empowered? And the answer in chorus was a no. One would think financial independence would play a pertinent role in women’s empowerment. But all these women and the 25-year-old young mother who is no more were all working women. We perhaps need to then look at the cultural aspects where much remains to be done.
However, it cannot be denied that women’s empowerment cannot happen in a day. Sikkim is growing, transforming and so are its women. But change entails its own set of casualties. The march towards development also demands a society that can filter what it needs and what it does not. Let the casualties be redundant traditional practices that discriminate against women or the western sense of immorality that has crept in along with the illuminating light of education it brought. The longer we feign ignorance and turn away from what is ugly for the sake of abstractions like honour and social standing, the stronger will be the forces gnawing away underneath, the harder it will get to truly lay claim to being developed as a people and a state.

It’s Cards, Cards and More Cards…

TENZING GYATSO
What is it with all these cards nowadays? I am beginning to feel like a senile, arthritic James Bond…. ready to produce any card for any occasion. In fact, if you were to go through my pockets, you’d hardly find anything of value in them except a bunch of these cards. You name it and I have it… Ration card, Voter’s card, Pension card, Aadhar card, aka Unique Identity card. I always knew I was unique but now I have a card to prove it! I have been patiently waiting but with fading expectations to receive my Pink Card, for which like so many other nitwits, I had reluctantly coughed up Rs 50. However the Pink Card is proving more elusive than the Pink Panther!
There are a growing number of skeptics, who are of the view that all these cards are just ‘hand out’ cards. The cards merely entitle the card holders to avail of hand outs of subsidized food and fuel rations, direct cash transfers, free LPG connections, free corrugated sheets etc...  Whereby instead of earning an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, the card holders are now akin to the monkeys that squat expectantly along the Siliguri-Gangtok Highway, picking up the goodies thrown to them.
Therefore, viewing both by hindsight as well as foresight, I am convinced that I would do well to repose my faith solely in my Sikkim Subject Certificate. I have stored this precious paper between the pages of “The Complete Works of Shakespeare” on my book shelf. This genuine document categorically proves that I was a subject of an erstwhile small Himalayan Kingdom ruled for many centuries by the benevolent kings of the Namgyal Dynasty.
[The writer is a resident of Sajong, Rumtek]

HURT, ANGRY AND DISTURBED

It has been more than a week since the Delhi gangrape incident. The whole country is protesting and screaming capital punishment for the culprits. I am a silent protester sitting in one corner of this country called Bharat Mata where women are both worshiped and raped at men’s whims and fancies. And yes I am a woman!
The horrific incident has melted the hardest of hearts. But somewhere in my psyche, I have become a tad fatalist because I am a woman, an Indian woman, helpless and hapless. Suffering is my destiny and my fate. And I must live and die with it.
I find myself thinking about Amanat (the name given to the victim by one news channel) almost all the time. I get the shudders whenever I think of all the injury and violence that has been inflicted on her. I remember having raised a storm once when I cut my finger. I complained to my mother about the imaginary pain for almost a week. It was just a nick. And here we have a girl who was thrown out of a bus after being raped, brutalised and violated.
I really don’t know why this particular case has affected me so much. Everytime I get an update on her condition, my hatred towards men grows more intense. I find myself seething.  And I just can’t help it. Accepted, not all men are rapists. But are all men not obsessed with a woman’s body? Doesn’t a bikini-clad woman appeal more to men than a woman covered in a sari? But I must say that men, especially Indian men, are a highly evolved and intelligent species. They know how to distinguish between own and other’s property. I have never heard or seen a man leching at his own wife. But the same man will not miss a chance to cast a dirty glance at his friend’s wife! Long live the Indian man!
I just can’t come to terms with what the six men did to the girl. I can’t sleep in peace when I think of the agony and the trauma that Amanat is going through. I find myself mumbling a prayer for her in all my waking hours. Amanat is no longer a stranger to me. She has become a part of my life. I am concerned about her. I care about her well being the way I care for mine.
And why not? There is a battered Amanat in every Indian woman. All of us (women) have been victims (though I prefer to use the word survivors) of one form of molestation or the other, whether it is social, mental, emotional or physical. We have been stripped nude by the eyes of men (as one person rightly said on a television show) Dirty uncles have acted funny with us. Men have brushed up against us in public transport. Men eve tease us in public. We are every man’s fantasy. We are blamed when we give birth to a girl child. We are killed within a few days of marriage just because we did not bring enough cash and gold. Fathers and brothers and uncles and grandfathers rape us. Families sell us off because we are a burden. The system blames us for being provocative and inviting. Khaled Hosseini, the famed novelist has rightly said, “Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger will always find a woman. Always” Period!
There can be no punishment on earth that can compensate the agony and hurt of a woman who has been gangraped, who has been groped all over by complete strangers, who has been beaten black and blue and who has to live with the scar, the horror and the trauma for the rest of her lives. I think India is the only country where men defile one Ganga and take a dip in the other! Har har Gangey!
Virginia Woolf was so very wrong when she said, “As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world!
As a woman I have no country to call my own. No world to feel safe. I am just a woman, who is perpetually vulnerable, who is always a victim.
On the one hand we go gung ho about the ban on pre natal sex determination. But on the other hand, we kill our girl children from the moment they are born.
Oh Indian woman! Why are you killed before you are born and why do you have to die from the moment you are born?
[recvd on email]

Sikkim Almanac for all, and some other thoughts…

KC PRADHAN, Sikkim Senior Citizens’ Society

We applaud the Department of Information and Public Relations for bringing out the Government of Sikkim Almanac consistently for several years with precise holiday information. As a New Year dawns, we crave for a copy or two as it is undoubtedly the most authentic Calendar in any household to refer to on all occasions. The irony however is that except for regular Government employees, it is well nigh impossible for the rest to lay hands on one and one has to run from pillar to post to get a copy. It is alright for the people with resources by way of their children being in Government service but for the Senior Citizens and for the general public at large it is a herculean task and several weeks pass by before they manage to get a copy.
My humble suggestion is that the Almanac be sold through Newspaper vendors or Book sellers throughout the State as a priced publication well before the Year commences. It is perfectly alight for the Vendors to charge certain extra for the service. It is holiday time, and school children sitting idle could also sell them house to house with at marked up price and earn some pocket money. It will be appreciated if some thought could be given on this trifle but important initiative.
Similar lines of action could perhaps be thought of selling all government notifications and publications brought out by various Departments. Perhaps one window sale under department of IPR, no matter which Department publishes the Notification could also be given a thought.
Another issue on similar lines there is that there is no Sikkim Map that presents an updated picture of Sikkim roads and basic infrastructure. The Kingdom of Sikkim Map brought out by Prof Karan in the 1960s by the University of Kentucky, USA, was the most authentic Map with correct spellings of places in Sikkim. A similar but updated map in due consultation with the Survey of India is urgently required especially since there has been a boom in tourism and ridiculous spellings for place names given by all and sundry should be strictly curbed. When the Kingdom of Sikkim Map referred to above was contemplated, a special committee was constituted to verify correct spellings of places. A similar action is called required as it is beyond the Survey of India to do so due to unfamiliarly and significance of names to the organization, besides many organizations like Roads and Buildings, RDD, Forests have put in a number of roads under various programmes which all need to be collated and reflected in an authentic map for the benefit of all.

Collaborative effort required to arrest Orange Fruit Drop

KC PRADHAN, a Concerned  Horticulturist

I read the editorial in NOW! [“Missing Bees”] on the decline in all major cash crops of the State with concern. It was horrifying to see the colossal amount of orange fruit drop in Dzongu as telecast in local cable news a few days back. Lum in Dzongu was considered a highly prized citrus growing belt immune to any serious diseases. This plight might be rampant elsewhere in the state as well.
Though the concerned Department might be already on the job, nevertheless, it is good for the people at large to know and to launch a massive campaign – rather a Panchayat-wise effort - to collate information on one hand and cultivators’ perception on the other without trying to influence information. This should help people at large invest in a brainstorming session in which both, the scientists assigned to the job and progressive growers, can have interactive sessions with a view to come out with a methodology in the best manner possible from the information gathered. Bhutan faces a similar situation and serious research is being carried out there with the help of outside expertise. The situation is too huge for the department officials alone to tackle and people’s participation is urgently required. The fallen fruits should be collected on a daily basis and maggots destroyed before they pupate underground to emerge as Fruit Flies in more damaging proportions. The whole cycle being less than 40 days, it is advisable to take it as an emergency campaign. Though it is the tail end, nevertheless it is worth a try wherever the situation still demands it.
The usual procedure as narrated in literature is to collect the fallen fruits and bury them in four feet deep trenches. The fruits collected in thick plastic bags, the tops tied and exposed to a full blast of the Sun has proven effective in destroying the maggots. It is also advisable for farmers to know the lifecycle of the Fly (Dacus dorsalis) so that they can devise their own methods to contain it. It is learnt an “adult fly punctures the ripening fruits by penetrating its needlelike ovipositor and laying eggs just inside the inner rind of the fruit. Larva on hatching feeds on the pulp inside. Fungal and bacterial infection takes place through the puncture hole due to which rottening of fruit occurs. The fruit ultimately drops down. This usually occurs when the fruits start ripening as the yellow colour attracts the Flies.
The female inserts 2-15 eggs into the rind of the ripening fruit, and around 200 eggs are laid in a month’s period which hatch in about 2-3 days during summer and 10 days in winter. The maggots take 16-29 days to attain full growth in the pulp and then undergo pupation 3-7 inches deep in the soil. The adults emerge after 4-14 days depending upon the climatic conditions”.
Such being the lifecycle of the Fruit Fly, unless it is systematically destroyed on a routine basis, soon it spell the end of Sikkim orange (mandarin) as it happened with Sikkim Apples with scab-disease some thirty years back.
Since an Organic Pesticide and Fertilizers manufacturing unit has been established in the State, it would also be well advised to put them on the job and to see how efficient it is. In most Citrus growing countries it is regular practice to spray chemicals to destroy the flies. But since Sikkim has gone Organic, it is vital that some effective organic pesticides are lined up well in time and importantly it is well publicized besides made easily available.
The efficacy of fruit traps that were supplied is also good to know along with farmers’ perception. ICAR and Krishi Kendras should also be roped in to contain this emerging menace that is being observed in Citrus. It is also important to understand and study the situation in citrus orchards outside the State.
Large Cardamom and Apples, as mentioned in the Editorial, are other areas that demand equally urgent attention. Before such a meet is held it is important to understand the exact state of affairs on the field, the various programmes already in action both by the Department and the Central Govt. agencies based in the State, the synthesis of which, have to be combined with the stakeholders with a view to come up with a well conceived and unanimously accepted and endorsed line of action. This participatory approach alone is the answer to these rather vexing problems.

On sighting ‘hangrayo’, the Great Pied Hornbill

ONGDEN LEPCHA
Hornbills are one of the most spectacular birds, instantly recognizable by their huge bills. The Great Pied Hornbill is among the ten species, found in India. It is the largest bird among hornbills. In Sikkim it can be sighted at lower altitudes, locally called "hangrayo". It can be upto 120 cm tall. There is no exact number of species recorded from Sikkim although 2-3 species have been known to occur. Hornbills are large birds that live in the forest in natural hollow tree-trunks. Maina tree is a favoured nestling tree. This bird plays a helpful role in dispersing large -seeds in the wild. Hornbill bird is the logo of BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society) a prominent nature conservation society of India. All species of hornbills found in Arunachal Pradesh are the state birds.
My first sighting of a hornbill was at Singtam in the first week of April 2011. I was on the sixth floor balcony of a building and the single branch of one ficus tree in front of the building was swaying at intervals. Although there was no breeze and other branches were motionless. I kept an eye open on the branch for seconds, and then it happened. It flew onto the next branch! I was fortunate that my timing was spot on to catch a glimpse of a hornbill.
Now I could distinctly observe its long yellowish beak, pecking on golden-reddish figs which are their main diet. Because of its heavy weight it was causing the branch to sway while it pecked away. Its wing and tail pattern was conclusive proof of a Great Pied Hornbill. It was my long desire to see this majestic bird. I was completely mesmerized. I dashed for a camera but on my return, I found the bird had made away. Memory of years ago came gushing in. My father telling me that a long huge yellowish beaked bird used to visit the ficus tree in front of our building decades ago - was definitely true.
Another time but same place, same building on 21 October 2011. Alone on the roof-top of our building leaning against the railing looking at children playing cricket, hopscotch, etc on their respective roof-tops. That evening, a cool strong breeze was blowing as it snowed (the season’s first fall) the other day at higher altitudes. The cool strong breeze was making the branches of a pipal tree tremble, the common myna were not bothered but kept swaying with the branches.
Out of the blue, below my eye-level at a distance of 100ft. a huge hornbill passed by gliding, silently without flapping, completely exposing its long yellowish pointed beak. Its stunning wing in a curved shaped, striped with yellow-white-black feathers was marvellously arranged. Tail feather expanded into stripes of yellow- white- black. It is one of the most handsome birds in flight. I did not wink at all. It was again a Great Pied Hornbill. Children playing on their roof-tops gestured excitedly with their cricket bats towards the hornbill, causing the bird to alter its flight-path by a 45 degree turn. I guessed the bird was retiring to its nest after the day’s last meal. It flapped 4-5 times and flew above the decades old mango trees and perched on a tree on the other side of the river. The bird was now not visible to my eyes. Children resumed their activities. My eye, however, was still on the tree. Soon all hell broke loose. Resident crows erupted into a cacophony of kawk, kawk, kawk from a nearby tree. Few started fluttering overhead, encircling, and the hornbill took-off. As it took-off flocks of crows began following in a single- line. I kept following the hornbill as far as my eyes could see. Soon it became a blur and passed above the faraway sal tree top. It was a pleasant experience to watch this majestic bird in flight, so close.
A cherished memory!

Teohar: When the Good Times Begin

The mythical roots of Teohar run deep, and before the profligacy of the current times make it impossible for us to trace them back, Dr. HARKA BAHADUR CHETTRI takes us on a journey of discovery. This is the story of Teohar...

Sagar, the King of the Ocean, had two daughters. The elder, who symbolised progress and prosperity, was named Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth; the younger, Alaxmi, or Dhumawati, stood for despair and destruction. Both wanted to rule the world and Sagar had a crisis at hand which offered no easy solutions. Finally, Sagar worked out a compromise, he temporarily divided the world into two unequal halves – the first half comprised of four months which begin towards the middle of June and ends sometime in October. This period is considered ‘bad’ because it not only brings disasters like landslides and floods, but also a host of lethal diseases. The land suffers the onslaught of rains and actually loses its brightness. Against such a dull backdrop, Goddess Laxmi takes charge of the affairs of the planet from her less virtuous sister, Dhumawati, sometime in October. Lights are lit all over to celebrate this exchange of power and welcome the Goddess of Prosperity.
India and Nepal are two countries where Teohar/ Deepawali is a major occasion. Spread over five days, the festival is also known as ‘Yamapanchak’. A festival common to Hindus, no doubt, the manner in which the Nepali community observes it, has however something unique about it which separates it from the manner in which Hindus elsewhere celebrate the festival.
The first day is observed as the Festival of the Crow. Called ‘Kak Teohar’, it is followed by ‘Kukkur Teohar’, the Festival of the Dog, and ends on the fifth day with Bhai Teohar or Bhai Tika. According to Devi Bhagwat Puran, the Hindu holy book about Goddesses, the Crow is the messenger of the God of Death, Yama.
Taking a minor digression, the Devi-Bhagwat Puran, which translates as “the Old Book of the Goddess”, is one of the most important work in Shaktism, the veneration in Hinduism of the divine feminine. It is one of the Puranic works that are not necessarily authoritative for all Hindus, but that have special importance for the Shakti sect within Hinduism. The text describes the Devi, the Goddess, as the foundation of the world and as identical with Brahman, the Supreme Being. The Devi-Bhagwat Puran also deals with topics like spiritual knowledge, social and personal ethics, and holy places.
It is a popular belief among the Nepalese that the crow always carries messages, hence no one should throw stones, shoo it away or try to kill the bird if it is heard cawing in the vicinity. Modern interpretations of the practise look at the bird from a more utilitarian point of view. The crow is nature’s scavenger which removes the dead and decaying organisms, thereby minimising the possibility of the spread of epidemics. It also guards the crops by preying on rats and insects which are major pests for crops. So, Kak Teohar is a means used by humans to express their gratitude towards this bird.
The same is true of Kukkur Teohar. The dog is among the most faithful animals. There is also an incident in the Mahabharata where Yudhistra, still alive, begins his journey for heaven. The only company he has on this journey is a dog who later turns out to be none other than Yama himself.
The cow is worshipped on the third day on Gai Teohar. Leftovers of the special food prepared for the cow are later taken as Prasad. Nobody eats anything before this Prasad on the day. The worship of the cow leads us to an insight that the practise is a result of agricultural civilisation when the cow was the most valued of all animals. On this day, the cow is worshipped in the morning (again, an aspect unique to the Nepalese in how the festival is celebrated) and Goddess Laxmi propitiated later the same evening with the decoration of lights and bursting of firecrackers.
The fourth day, Goru Teohar, sees the ox being worshipped. The importance of Goru Teohar is not only due to the fact that the animal is used to till the fields, but also because it helps continue and multiply the generation of cows. Goru Teohar is also known as Govardhan Puja or Halli Teohar.
The fifth and final day of Teohar is Bhai Teohar or Bhai Tika.
There are still more myths associated with different aspects of this festival and although all of them will not be possible to be included in this essay, we delve into some of them here.
The practise of singing Deosi and Bhailey when groups of boys and men [Deosi] and girls and women [Bhailo] move around the locality, singing songs from door to door, is traced back to the western Khasland of Nepal. The practise apparently developed and spread to various parts of Nepal from Khas, albeit with some alterations and adaptations, and thence onwards to wherever the Nepalese settled.
In the Karnali region of northwestern Nepal, for example, the festival’s Bhailo singing has two divisions – Sani Bhailey and Thuli Bhailey. Sani Bhailey is celebrated during the full moon of December during Mangshir Purnima. Fifteen days later, i.e. from the New Moon till five days, Thuli Bhailey is observed. The fifth day of Thuli Bhailey is also called Chhada Bhailey since it is played by young boys and girls as a single group.
The Khas society, among whom the practise is believed to have originated, also celebrates Deepawali as the festival of Gender Worship. A long bamboo pole is fixed near a Tulsi plant and the top of the Bamboo Pole carries a burning candle. Such lights are popularly known as Aakashdeep. Tulsi is a sacred plant and believed to be an incarnate form of Vishnu who had taken the form of a Tulsi to oblige a certain Sati. This worship is also known among the Nepalese as Linga Puja, the phallic worship. Shiva Linga is also worshipped throughout the Khas province.
The singing of Bhailey on Laxmi Puja and Deosi on the following two days is also traced back to the mythical Kirat king Balihang, who is also described in various Hindu scriptures as Asura Raja, the king of demons. Balihang was famous for his generosity and legends narrate that when this Kirati king became immensely popular and powerful, Indra, the King of Gods, began feeling insecure. His insecurity growing with Balihang’s increasing influence, the terrified Indra turned towards Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu, after a patient hearing, worked out a plan to save Indra’s pride and throne. Disguised as a poor Brahmin, he went to the pious king and asked for some alms. The Kirati king was prepared to give anything, but the disguised Vishnu asked for land that he could cover in three steps. Once Balihang agreed, Lord Vishnu regained his original form and within no time, the pygmy figure of the Brahmin grew to such a size that his head disappeared behind the clouds. In a single stride, he covered the whole earth and with his second, heaven. With no where left to place his third step, the virtuous king placed his head in front of the mighty Brahmin and said: “Lord, let your third step be on my head.” Thus, Balihang was pushed into the ground. Lord Vishnu, however, promised to guard the King till he remained buried. This is the reason why performing any kind of religious rites is forbidden between July-August because all the Gods are believed to be underground guarding Balihang and there is no one in heaven to receive the offerings made by the pious. Though the modern Deorsi and Bhailo singing carries hardly anything of this story, it is believed that they were mythically devised to spread this story as far and wide as possible.
The other version of the genesis of Deosi and Bhailo is also related to same Kirat king. It is believed that he fell grievously ill once and showing no signs of recovering. The God of Death, Yama, started sending messages of his impending death in the form of dogs and crows, but Balihang’s sister, who was guarding him, sent back the messengers with word that Yama could take her brother after he fulfilled certain conditions. Yama was told to wait till Panchami, i.e. Bhai Tika. He could take Balihang away only after the colour of the Tika had faded away, or the water she sprinkled around her brother, dried, or the flowers with which she had prepared the garland, wilted.  She was only buying time and Yama was confident that the few extra days she had negotiated would not lead to anything miraculous. He granted her wish. Balihang’s sister was, however, mush more ingenious than Yama had given her credit for. She carefully chose the ingredients of the Tika to make sure that it did not fade. She  applied a Tika of rice grains, which she knew would not lose their colour in a hurry, giving her brother enough time to recover from his illness and thwart death. The next day, she mixed oil in the water she sprinkled around him to keep it from drying, and on the third day, she stringed a garland made of Makhamali, a flower of the aster family, whose fibrous and robust petals do not wilt for years.
In the meanwhile, Yama’s messengers kept close watch on the developments so that he could be intimated the moment any of the conditions imposed by Balihang’s sister were met and he could arrive and take away Balihang. However, none of the conditions were met and soon Balihang began to recover and when he had fully recuperated, thereby providing no opportunity for death to visit, his sister sent the same messengers across the kingdom to announce Balihang’s recovery. Deosi and Bhailo, which still celebrate Balihang in their lyrics, are believed to be these messages.
Nowadays, however, very few people are aware of the actual story behind the tradition which has changed beyond recognition. Makhamali has been replaced by Saipatri which has of late even given way to artificial flowers made of plastic and paper. Obviously then, very few sisters still string the garlands themselves. The rice tika has been replaced by brightly coloured chemicals. The purity of feeling between brothers and sisters that manifested once, has degenerated to cheap fashion devoid of the essence of tradition that helps build a community.
Of late, there have even been concerted moves to disassociate Teohar from its Kirati ethos. This, most believe, stems from a certain section’s commitment to do away with anything Aryan, which, for them, carries with it implicit connotations of “developed” which could go against the much sought after tribal status. Such considerations are ironic because the whole concept of Teohar draws its roots, among the Nepalese, from the life of a Kirat king.
[This article was first published in the Weekend Review, Oct 27-02 Nov 2000, Vol 2 No 15]

An Old Timer’s View of the New Age Gangtok

TENZING GYATSO (Sajong, Rumtek)
The pace with which Gangtok has zoomed from a digital town to a high definition ‘city’ has left an old timer like me completely baffled and awestruck.
Let me share my lopsided outlook of this new age Gangtok with you….
I am perpetually appalled when I see tiny tots of the KG grade loaded with a couple of KGs of books tottering to their schools. In this context, I am also equally mystified to see our collegians in their smart forest green outfits, somehow inadequately armed, clutching a single  notebook for a shield and a dot pen for a sword, as they head into dubious battle to win their Holy Grail of Knowledge.
Our National Highway is currently getting a makeover. The smooth black carpet has reached the vicinity of the Holy Cross School. This sinking stretch of road is fondly called, “Hum Nahi Soodh Reng Gay Path” by old timers.
And somehow, the old bumpy, potholed road was an effective aid to the digestive system of the obese, sedentary office wallahs. It was also an efficient speed breaker….
The constant cavalcade of cars on our consistently clogged National Highway easily outnumbers the pedestrians on the adjoining footpath.
The familiar sight of the forlorn pedestrian trying to flag down a taxi with an extended third finger held high is sadly rarely seen these days. This endangered species of pedestrians can only be sighted nowadays during the puja holidays, when all SK vehicles make a bee line to K’pong and Darj to give the WB traffic cops their yearly puja bonus of premature grey hair.
Like the Ancient Mariner I could ramble on and on. You see my entire household is out foraging for firewood. But I’ve just remembered that my wife had ordered me to dig up the old ‘muttitel’ stove in our shed. I seem to have misplaced my LPG blue book.

On the passing away of Lachen Rinpoche

KC PRADHAN
It is heart-wrenching to lose one of the finest souls from amongst us. Lachen Rinpoche was a real Guru not only for the Buddhists but also for many others who came in contact with him, and his passing away leaves a vacuum which will not be easy to fill.
In the early 1980’s, when I was Secretary Ecclesiastical Affairs, he was my Minister and used to give me many valuable tips on the religious aspects of Sikkim and it relevance to Buddhism. We used to have long discussions about the sacred places and old monasteries of Sikkim like Dubdi, Hongri and Sinon which I had already visited during my long sojourn in the Forest Department withnot actually realizing their significance. It was Rimpoche who put a soul in my memories of each of them which I treasured and kept uppermost in my mind as I glided along in the State administration. To me, he was more a friend than my boss.
I got to know him more once we – Him, Regent Gyaltsab Rinpoche and I - travelled together to Delhi to receive the mortal remains of HH the 16th Gyalwa Karmapa. The Air India flight from Chicago reached Delhi at midnight. Lachen Rinpoche and Gyaltsab Rinpoche were the first to touch, with all humility and prayers, the large casket draped in white as it rolled down from the escalator of the aircraft. The lifting hands of all present, including the Bhutanese Ambassador to India, ML Kampani, Additional Secretary, MHA supported by many others present from Sikkim House and the Bhutanese Embassy, laid the casket in the waiting van and brought it to Sikkim House where it was kept in the large lounge. While Lachen Rinpoche was there uttering his prayers all through the night, Kampani and myself were busy organizing the next day’s flight to Bagdogra. The Government of India provided a special plane to bring the mortal remains to Bagdogra and I put the entire crowd that intended to return home in the aircraft. Then, Kampani coordinated with the Defense Ministry for an Mi8 Helicopter to bring the mortal remains from Bagdogra to the Libing Helipad in Gangtok.
Once the entourage reached the Rumtek Monastery, Lachen Rinpoche took charge of co-ordinating the religious aspects with the Regents, and I, ably supported by Passang Namgyal and Nangzey Dorjee, organized the other aspects and co-ordination. I was naïve about religious affairs, but somehow got deeply involved in the rituals, well guided by the Rinpoche and my friend Passang Namgyal, an authority on Buddhism in his own right. HH the XVIth Karmapa was always very kind to me, and I had to meet him almost on a monthly basis whether it was for cardamom fields or beautification or cleanliness of the Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre and its surroundings. I met HH before he left for the US for treatment and I requested for his photograph. His assistant brought one with HH in full ceremonial robes but HH asked him to bring the whole lot. He chose one in black & white looking rather young, signed over it and handed it over to me with a gust of laughter. That was my last encounter, but HH is in my prayers every-day. To me He is the ultimate.
Throughout the religious rituals, till the final cremation on the roof-top of the Rumtek monastery, Lachen Rinpoche was there representing the State Government. I admired his sagacity and the manner in which he handled even the difficult affairs with ease and grace. After his stint in the Government as Minister, he returned to his Faith for which he was destined and every time I encountered him either at a funeral or a marriage ceremony in the houses of Sikkimese nobility sitting high up near the altar, he used to give me his gracious smile and I invariably went to seek his blessing. We met very rarely but the inner bond we had between us was immense.
Looking back, it was a happy augury that I, a Hindu handling the Buddhist affairs in the State, could come into contact with such a respected religious personality of Buddhism who imparted on me the religious flavor and how important Sikkim was from that standpoint. Sikkim is really an ashram or abode of Mahatmas and Saints as Nicholas Roerich had said, and Lachen Rinpoche was one and previous to that the French hermit Alexandra David Neel took the Rinpoche’s predecessor as her Guru and through him the resolve that sustained her for a good 25 years in disguise in Tibet. Let Lachen Rinpoche continue to bless this sacred land and guide the masses with his successive re-incarnations. Sikkim is poorer in his passing away.
[The writer is a former  Chief Secretary, Sikkim]

Walking reduces health hazards

Pem Yolmo
There was a time when I used to walk everyday with loaded bag of books to school. Those wonderful days of walking, chatting and enjoying with friends, the early morning hustle and bustle of Gangtok bazaar, and sometimes steering our way through the madness of Lal bazaar using our umbrellas.
I have enjoyed every second of my school days and that has kept me healthy even today. Looking back I realize that it is walking that has kept me fit and free of any serious illness. It has been a great medicine for me, and it is a very good medicine for all human beings. Gangtok has transformed greatly over the past few years, M.G marg has never been the same although the statue of Mahatma Gandhi still occupies the same old place and attracts a lot of tourists, but more than that what I see is the increasing number of taxis day-by-day which I have not seen at any other hill station.  There are more vehicles then people in Sikkim, and those days of walking are long gone as the number of pedestrians has gone down as compared to a couple of years ago.
It is a great pain to see that the people of Sikkim are hardly seen walking rather they would prefer a taxi or private vehicle to reach home/office. It is my observation that walking is necessary in our everyday life because I have learned that walking can be very beneficial if you can walk for a minimum period of thirty to sixty minutes every day, five days a week, with the correct walking posture. It reduces health risks and has various overall health benefits, such as reducing the chances of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, anxiety and depression. Life expectancy is also increased even for individuals suffering from obesity or high blood pressure. Walking also increases bone health, especially strengthening the hip bone, and lowering the more harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and raises the more useful good high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
So, the next time you are thinking about taking a taxi or private vehicle to work or home. Think about all the benefits of walking. The choice is yours.

Early detection saves lives

SEPTEMBER IS THYROID CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
Dr TSULTEM DOMA BHUTIA beat Thyroid Cancer because it was detected early enough. Recognizing that Thyroid cancer has had the fastest increase in incidence of all cancers in recent years, she shares her experience of the illness and explains what this strain of cancer is all about, underlining that increased public awareness could lead to early detections and save more lives…

Being a final year medical student, I had a tendency of reading about some disease and then fitting the symptoms in myself and worrying that I was affected by that disease. Anxious that I was turning into a hypochondriac, I forced myself to shake off the aforementioned habit. I was successful in doing so and by the time I joined my internship in October 2006, I was no longer worried about suffering from any illness of any kind.
Sometime in August 2007, however, while washing my face, I noticed a small swelling in my neck in the region of the thyroid. As had become my habit, I quickly pushed the thought away of it being anything significant. However everyday in the mirror I could see something staring back at me from the region of my neck and I did not feel like it belonged there. After a few weeks of fighting with my own thoughts, I casually mentioned it to my friend apprehensive that she would mock me and point out that I was becoming hypochondriacal again.
Today, I thank God for the sudden realization that I should get a second opinion about the presence of the swelling from my friend. I am also grateful to my friend who felt the swelling, did not make fun of me, and after a few days literally dragged me to the Surgery OPD to get myself checked by a surgeon.
Even when the surgeon confirmed the presence of a nodule and asked me to get a few tests done I still felt like it was nothing and that all the tests would only confirm that I was normal. The test reports came back as Thyroid Cancer. I underwent a surgery for removal of my thyroid gland on the last day of my internship in October 2007. After 6 weeks a scan was planned to see for any remaining cancer in my body. I received radioiodine therapy for the residual disease. Till that time all the people who knew me and my disease commented that I was taking things very well and not complaining about why it happened to me, but when I look in retrospect I realize I was in shock at that time, not fully comprehending what was happening to me. Only when the doctor told me that I would have to repeat a scan after 6 months to see for any recurrence did I realize that this was going to be a part of me always.
My surgery scar looked terrible and that was exactly how I was feeling. However because my cancer was detected early and was treated promptly, I was declared CANCER FREE after my second scan in May 2008. With the healing of my scar, which is barely visible now and the passage of time my mind is healing too from the shock. As a Cancer survivor I feel the need to spread awareness about this illness.
September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide observance initiated by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. Thyroid cancer has had the fastest increase in incidence of any cancer in recent years. So it is apt that we know a little more about this problem.
The thyroid gland is a vital organ present in all human beings. It is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower front of the neck, above the collarbones, and below the voice box (larynx). Our thyroid gland makes hormones that help control the function of many of our body’s organs, including our heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and skin. Making sure that our thyroid gland is healthy is important to our body’s overall well-being.
Sometimes the thyroid gland undergoes malignant changes and develops cancer.Thyroid Cancer can occur in anyone right from childhood to old age, both in males and females. The symptoms may be a finding of a swelling in the region of the thyroid or the neck. Some people may also detect a change in their voice or difficulty in swallowing or breathing. However these findings may occur quite late in the course of the disease and not everybody can make out a swelling in their neckhence it is necessary that you get yourself screened by a doctor.
You can also do a self-check. It is an easy procedure in which you need a handheld mirror and a glass of water. Simply follow these steps.
1. Hold the mirror in your hand, focusing on thelower front area of your neck, above the collarbones, and below the voice box (larynx). Your thyroid gland is located in this area of your neck.
2. While focusing on this area in the mirror, tip your head back.
3. Take a drink of water and swallow.
4. As you swallow, look at your neck. Check for any bulges or protrusions in this area when you swallow. Reminder: Don’t confuse the Adam’s apple with the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located further down on your neck, closer to the collarbone. You may want to repeat this process several times.
5. If you do see any bulges or protrusions in this area, see your physician. You may have an enlarged thyroid gland or a thyroid nodule that should be checked to determine whether further evaluation is needed.
It is important to understand that most thyroid nodules are benign and not cancer. However they need to be evaluated to confirm their benign nature. Thyroid cancer is of various kinds and its treatment is tailored to the type of cancer and the individual who is affected. Although when found early, thyroid cancer is usually treatable itis life-disrupting, expensive, and stressful for patients and loved ones.In addition, some thyroid cancer can be aggressive and difficult to treat.
Do you wonder sometimes what if you found a crack before the whole wall collapsed? What if you found a leak before the tyre went completely flat? It’s better to find it early and the same is true for cancer. Early detection saves lives. So does prompt treatment plus lifelong follow-up. So, find thyroid cancer early. Ask for a neck check next time you see your doctor. A neck check takes only a minute. Tell your doctor if you have had voice changes or difficulty breathing or swallowing. Your awareness of this rapidly increasing cancer can save your life as well as that of your loved ones. Spread the message. Be aware and find cancer early
[The writer is a pediatrician at Central Referral Hospital, Tadong]

North-East: Fear of the People

AMRITA SINGH
India’s North-east located in the extreme north-eastern corner of the sub-continent shares international frontiers on its north, east and south with four nations- Bhutan, China (Tibet), Myanmar and Bangladesh. The North-East region of India popularly known as the seven sisters has faced a series of violent outbursts since India’s independence and in fact, is still facing it in the present decade. From the time of independence, the tribal groups of the states are living with many problems and their consciousness to preserve their identity has forced them to take up violence.
One of the recent examples from the states is the movement in Kokrajhar in Assam. The ongoing storm of violence in the state has made it difficult to live even a simple life for the people of that place. The riot took place after the killing of four people in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts [BTAD] by some irate people in a predominantly Muslim village and also affected other districts of the state. Many people blamed the state government for failing to prevent the spread of violence in the district which took many lives and forced others to live the life of refugees. People have been living in refugee camps for at least a month and facing various challenges, the challenges of food, sanitation and other facilities. They are living a pathetic life and schools have been turned into relief camps which in one sense is affecting the education of the children in the area. The worst effect of the violence has been seen by the whole nation in recent weeks, but the effect has been basically focused on the loss of life and property. The focus on the third party who is also the victim of the riot has been less emphasized, though they have been noticed but less heed has been paid to them. The Rajbanshis of Kokrajhar are also victims of the riot who have been forced to take shelter in refugee camps as well. They did not have a part to play in the riot but have still become sufferers.
Dispute for autonomy is not new in the state of Assam; it is one of the oldest problems in the state which also added to the problem of immigration. The question of immigration of people from Bangladesh which was highlighted by this riot put the question on the government on what steps they would take for people on both the sides. According to one view expressed in the national daily ‘The Hindu’, Assam’s long complicated history of settlement and demographic change continues to play a dominant part in political mobilization in the region and this mobilization is bound by tropes of identity, group differences and bureaucratic distancing of the state from the people, claiming to uphold the rights of all citizens while simultaneously encouraging an incremental approach to demands for autonomy among the Bodos and other groups who live in western Assam and this has also led to an opinion on the rights of the people in the region and also over those who have the right to call western Assam their home. In one way the riot also affected the farmers of the state. The worry which is arising among the farmers is the loss of their crops. It is harvesting time and the fear which is preventing them from returning home to harvest their crops will have a negative effect on their economic and social life also. While mentioning the effects on the people it also applies to those students who migrated outside for their studies but had to come back and are now stuck in between due to the violence took place. Thousands of people whether they are students or working came back to their original home due to the riot.
The migration of thousands of people in search of better opportunities outside their state and again migrating back to their homeland for their safety after the riot has raised many questions on the government. Whether these people have the right to live a peaceful life or not, whether they are safe outside their home, whether the government is able to manage the situation and whether these people are ready to go back to their workplace without fear even after the consolation of the government to provide them with full security are questions that remain unanswered. The riot that they faced in their own homeland shows the failure of the government to manage its people and the distrust of the people on the government forcing them to live a life of refugees in their own state. At present, people living in the camps have been requested to go back to their homes by the state with the assurance that there will not be any harm to their life but the fear is so high among them that still about 2 lakh people are living in the camps in different districts and are not ready to go back.
One important question that arises here is that whether these people will ever be able to live with the same love and feeling of brotherhood in the state after the riots?
[The writer is an M.Phil student at Sikkim University in the Department of Geography and Natural Resource Management]

Lesser Known Aspects of Pang Lhabsol

The rise in popularity of the annual Pang Lhabsol festival has also seen a dilution of the religious aspects associated with it, the puja by the Teesta Bongthing being one such tradition on the verge of extinction, writes SD TSHERING…
The puja of Pang Lhabsol is mentioned in the Nyesol which was composed by Lhastun Chempo after he discovered the Ter of Rigdzin Sokdrup (Wyl.rig 'dzinsrogsgrub) or 'Accomplishing the Life-Force of the Vidyadharas' — a cycle of teachings revealed by him after a pure vision he had while meditating in the Cave of the Heart of the Deity to the north of Drakkar Tashiding in Sikkim. The cycle includes the famous practice of Riwo Sangchö. Nyesol contains the pujas related to the guardian deities of Sikkim which includes the Pang Lhabsol puja. Pang Lhabsol celebration has evolved since the Chogyal era from a purely religious affair to a socio-religious festival. Pang Lhabsol received a great boost during the reign of Chador Namgyal. In 1700, Chador Namgyal, seized the throne after his father’s death; he was a minor at that time. This outraged his elder half-sister Pendi Ongmu, daughter of the first wife, who ousted him with the help of the Bhutanese. Chador fled to Tibet where he remained in exile for ten years before returning and reclaiming his lost territory with the help of the Tibetans. While in Lhasa, Chador Namgyal became very proficient in Buddhism and Tibetan literature, and became the state astrologer to the sixth Dalai Lama. The sixth Dalai Lama, pleased with the erudition of Chador Namgyal, conferred on him exclusive rights to an estate in Tibet. He returned to Sikkim after the withdrawal of Bhutanese forces from Sikkim due to intervention from Tibet. He commanded that the second of every three sons of a Bhutia family must be ordained a monk of the Pemiongchi Monastery. He choreographed the Pangtoed chaam after getting a vision of the dance while in a meditative trance. Pangtoed chaam depicts the war of the generals of Khangchendzonga against evil to safeguard Sikkim. The chaam was also meant to keep alive the martial and native traditions.
During the Chogyal era, emphasis was mainly on performance of pujas but it has now transformed into celebration of the blood brotherhood swearing at Kabi Lungchock. Pang Lhabsol during the Chogyal era was celebrated at Tsuklhakhang at Gangtok though pujas were performed in all monasteries. It was customary for all villages to come to Gangtok bringing offerings to Tsuklhakhang monastery for the puja. The only exception was made to Bey, Lingzya and Tholung villages of Dzongu who were exempted from bringing offering to Gangtok due to the historical event connected to the funeral of Chogyal Tsuphud Namgyal in which these three villages were the main patrons. These three villages made their offerings at Tholung monastery and performed their pujas there. Tsuklhakhang monastery was also the venue for the Pangtoed chaam which was only performed here. The Pangtoed dancers were carefully chosen from certain castes and it was an honour to be chosen to perform the chaam. Two horses were especially bred to act as the mounts of deity Khangchendzonga and Yabdue during the Pangtoed chaam. These horses were chosen according to the specification laid down in the paychas and had to conform strictly to it. Both horses were never shod and were not used for any other purpose except for the puja.
Before the celebration at Gangtok, special threads woven from wool at the palace were sent to Pemayangtse monastery and to a Bongthing at Teesta along with other offerings for pujas to be performed at Yangdzo Drakin West Sikkim, the sacred rock symbolizing the deities of Rigdzin Sokdrup which was sanctified by Lhastun Chempo and at the four sacred caves and at Teesta. Prior to the pujas at Tsuklhakhang, a Bongthing from Nung in Dzongu used to come to the monastery to perform the pujas according to the old traditional way. This bongthing was especially trained for performing this puja and it was carried down their family for generations. It was said that when the Bongthing started his journey from Dzongu for Gangtok he was accompanied with a storm which was actually the manifestations of the guardian deities which were accompanying him. The people of Dzongu avoided the path the bongthing took on his trip to Gangtok to avoid harm by the deities. The origin of bongthings according to one song begins with the story of six Lepcha brothers who decide to become Kong Chen's (Kanchenjunga's) soldiers. When they tell their sister, she promises her brothers that when she bears children she will ensure that they worship Kong Chen and his soldiers.  On bearing a son, however, she forgets her promise and as a result Kong Chen sends a mythical serpent that coils itself at his feet across the Talung river that flows through Dzongu, damming it. As the river begins to flood, causing general panic, the son prays to Kong Chen and the waters recede. This boy, according to legend, became the first Bongthing.
Under the Chogyals, the annual ritual used to be preceded by a trek by the Bongthing, accompanied by young men from Nung, to Sikkim's capital at Tumlong near Dzongu, where they would be received by the reigning Chogyal and entertained at the royal palace. The Khangchendzonga Bongthing was especially feted. Apart from the offerings for the prayers, the Bongthing was provided ration for the year, a new set of clothes, money and gifts. In the days when the importance of the prayers was recognized, the entourage from Nung would stop at several places along the way to offer prayers at special locations on the return journey. They would take four days to reach Nung, where it normally took just a day and half. With their return would begin the Khangchendzonga prayers.
An important part of the royal offering used to be a full grown Yak bull to be offered as sacrifice at the Khangchendzonga altar at Nung. In 1973, however, the Chogyal decreed that a yak sacrifice, which had been part of the ancient ritual, should be discontinued as being against the tenets of Buddhism. Taso, it is said, believed that the discontinuation of the sacrifice displeased Kong Chen and brought an end to the 300-year-old Namgyal dynasty of the Chogyals. The last of the Nung bonthings was Samdup Tasho who passed away last year. The Khangchendzonga Bongthing used to be held in high esteem and people would make way for him when he approached. His house, now a dilapidated shell of a cottage, used to be known as Rum Vik, the Teeth of God, [Vik means both soldier and teeth in Lepcha], a name perhaps earned because of the presence of an elephant tusk – a gift from the Chogyal - that enjoyed pride of place in his altar. Alternately, Rum Vik could also mean the Soldier of God. The Bongthing’s ancestors were after all the first Lepchas to enlist as Khangchendzonga’s soldiers.

Bongthing Pem Tshering

The puja at Teesta was also performed by another Bongthing to appease the guardian dieties of Teesta and of the plains. In olden days the puja used to be performed in a jungle above Kali Jhora above Teesta but this was discontinued when the Bongthings were attacked by tigers and other wild animals. The old puja site is said to be about a five-hour hike from Kali Jhora bazaar in the jungle. Two lakes are said to have existed there one with a blood red colour and the other a milky white colour. The present Bongthing, Pem Tshering who is eighty one years old is the forty fifth generation of bongthings in his family. His family has been performing this puja for over two hundred and fifty years. He was trained by his father Pembu Lepcha for performing this puja and he started in 1962 after the death of his father. Pem Tshering was born at Changra basti above Teesta bazaar where he leads a very humble life dedicated to his puja duties. Animal sacrifices were performed during the pujas which has been discontinued. Besides performing the Pang Lhabsol puja the Bongthing also performs daily pujas for the benefit of Sikkim. The present altar site at Changra basti was purchased by the Chogyal for performing the puja.The puja at this site was started by the grand father of Pem Tshering due to the dangers at the Kali Jhora site. At present, the puja at Changra basti is sponsored by the Tsuklhakhang commitee; Rs 8000 is given to the bongthing as his yearly fee and for performing the puja. The local people of this basti also attend the puja. It may be mentioned that the puja site has been affected by a landslide and needs urgent repairs. Bongthing Pem Tshering has no son and he has trained his nephew to continue the tradition after him but how long this tradition continues will depend on the interest of the Sikkimese people in upholding this rich heritage of the state or like SamdupTasho, the Teesta bongthing too will also pass away due to our inattention. After Pangtoed chaam was stopped at Tsuklakhang in the eighties, the chaam was performed at Pemayangtse and Rabong which boosted Pang Lhabsol celebrations in these areas. Though the popularity of Pang Lhabsol has grown, the religious aspects of the festival is being diluted with more emphasis on cultural features, it would be a shame to lose such a rich religious heritage due to stress on popular demands.
[The writer is Director General-cum-Secretary, DESME, Government of Sikkim]

Fire-Wheel Tree blooms; late but flamboyantly

USHA LACHUNGPA
Has it really?  Here’s what Sikkim’s famous forester KC Pradhan said earlier:  “It is Stenocarpus sinuatus - Proteaceae-from Australia- Firewheel Tree- scarlet (orange-red) umbels of 12-20 flowers arranged like rays of a wheel. Watch the magnificent medium sized tree at Late PS Moktan's house in June or so. I was dazed to see the tree smothered with vibrant scarlet-red flowers some years back. Hope it is still there. It was he who got it planted at the Forest Secretariat. I sourced some 100 plants from LB Pradhan & Sons Nursery at Kalimpong in the late 1970s and asked HC Mukhia to get them distributed. I have two but being in a shady corner fail to bloom though they did well on earlier days. They like open sunny places. All garden grown plants are around 30 ft. height but in its native condition the tree attains as high as 100 feet. I wonder if it does flower at Deorali - looks like it is rather in shady place.  It is mostly grown as a pot plant for its ornamental value. All raised from seeds.”
The photograph is of one of the five young-looking trees planted by Late PS Moktan IFS PCCF/ Secretary Forests behind the Forest Secretariat at Deorali, Gangtok.  Yes, the area does not receive much sun.  However the flowering has happened in August, which seems late.  The unusual and large leaf was brought in for identification by an engineer under the SBFP-JICA project of the department during a survey of the complex last year. It was kindly identified by KC Pradhan.
This species is only one of many exotic (not indigenous) tree species imported to Sikkim to add further glamour to our biodiversity hotspot by well-meaning people. Some are planted along roadsides as avenue plantations by Forest Department and have grown into large stately trees such as the orange-flowered Streculias along NH 31A.  It would be good if a listing was made of others like it so as to spread awareness among the younger generation, during this International Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020.
Anyone with such information is requested to share it along with relevant data like locations, dates, photographs, any interesting observations, etc., so that it can be documented appropriately.