Documentary film on Pang Lhabsol to premiere on Wednesday

Pang Lhanbsol, a festival unique to Sikkim held in worship of its guardian deity Dzonga and Sikkim's other land guardian deities, falls on Saturday, 29 August, this year. Making the celebrations even more special this time will be the release of a documentary film on the festival, “Pang Lhabsol: Sikkim’s National Ritual of the Land and its Guardian Deities”, on Wednesday, 26 August. Produced by the Namgyal Instituted of Tibetology and helmed by Dr. Anna Balikci Denjongpa as Anthropologist and Project Coordinator, the 1:06 hour long documentary features cinematography by Phurba T. Bhutia [who has also edited the feature], Birendra Rai and Dawa T. Lepcha. Filmed at location across Sikkim over the past decade or so, the documentary, in keeping with other NIT productions, promises to be exhaustive and authoritative. The premiere is scheduled for 26 August, 2 p.m. at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology and is open to all.

ACT’s Dawa to join Golay’s party

ACTIVIST QUITS A.C.T. TO KEEP ORGANISATION APOLITICAL, WILL JOIN NEW PARTY ON CONDITION THAT IT IMPLEMENTS NO HYDEL PROJECTS
GANGTOK, 03 Feb: Founder-member and general secretary of Affected Citizens of Teesta [ACT], Dawa Lepcha, announced plans to join the new political outfit aligned to dissident SDF MLA PS Tamang when it is launched in Soreong on Monday. Making the announcement at a press conference held here at the Press Club of Sikkim today, Mr. Lepcha also informed that he has also resigned from ACT to reiterate the organisation’s apolitical credentials, but stressed that he will be taking is anti-dam position to his political career as well. His joining the new party, he underlined, would be conditional to the assurance that the party adopts an anti-dam stand and does not implement any hydel project if it forms the government.
Mr. Lepcha’s decision to join the new party has been welcomed and endorsed by all members of ACT.
Explaining his decision, Mr. Lepcha expressed that after hunger strikes, demonstrations, representations and other activities, he is convinced that there was now the need to pursue the cause of the dam affected citizens in more resurgent way. “Hence I decided to explore other options to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people,” he said of moving into politics now.
He informed that as an activist, he sat on a 63 day hunger strike in 2007 and then again for 96 days in 2008 and achieved the scrapping of 4 hydel projects out of 6 planned for Dzongu.
On the current scenario, he informed that the process of issuance of environmental clearance for Teesta HEP Stage IV has reached an advanced stage in the concerned Ministry despite the promoters having failed to hold a public hearing twice.
He shared that as an activist he has delivered all he possibly could in that role and since more needs to be achieved, he has decided to seek out political solutions by joining politics himself.
ACT working president, Tseten Lepcha, who accompanied him to the press conference, mentioned that the decision has been accepted by members of the organization and stressed that Mr. Dawa Lepcha will however always be part and parcel of the movement to defend the rights of the Sikkimese people. He also put on record that ACT acknowledges his sacrifices and contributions to speak for dam-affected citizens and thanks him for all that he has done so far. 
On the organisation’s latest concern, its working president said, “The ACT expresses serious concern over the fact that the process of issuance of environmental clearance for Teesta HEP stage IV has reached advanced stage in the MoEF especially since this project has been opposed by all resident of Dzongu, particularly by the Power Minister, who is also area MLA, all panchayats and members of ACT.” He added that the grant of environmental clearance based on incomplete public hearing is a violation of basic rights of the Sikkimese people and went against the spirit of environmental policies of the country.
He added that even the issuance of Wildlife clearance by the State Wildlife Board was a serious violation of the rights of the stakeholders of the region and such major decisions without the prior informed consent of the local bodies like the Eco Development Committees and the JFMCs has defeated the very concept of Public Participation in Protection and stakeholders of the region.
He added that such major decision without the prior informed consent of the local bodies has also defeated the very concept of public participation in protection and preservation of the rich bio-diversity of the ecologically fragile region.
“This action has also contradicted the stand of the State government which had boycotted the public hearing twice,” he added. ACT has urged the concerned agencies to take necessary remedial step to stop the devastation of the region.

Bear on the hill

Coffer Dam at Teesta - III 200 MW HEP

Rangeet River after the Rangeet 60 MW HEP

DAWA LEPCHA

On the 18th of September, 2011, when the earthquake struck, I am quite sure that prayers flowed from every mouth and mind, even from those who usually do not think of the Almighty. We do not have to mention all that followed after the quake struck, as they have been all over the media and the press for a long time and still continues occasionally like the occasional tremors that have been reminding us of future catastrophe.
Though mentions of earthquake risk to the hydro power projects were made, we ourselves were in bit of a doubt as to how it can be affected or vice versa. We also did not know that we would be witnessing one such example so soon. For some reason, only the project in North Sikkim suffered the most damages, casualty and death, while the others escaped comparatively unharmed. Of course the epicenter of the earthquake was in North Sikkim, that too as pointed out by experts, somewhere very near where the power projects are located.
Most of the HEPs planned in Sikkim are located in the North District. The biggest being the 1200 MW Teesta III hydroelectric project. This project has its dam site and Adit I at Chungthang, Adit II at Theng, Adit III at Ship-Gyer, Adit IV at Ramom and Adit V, the surge shaft and the underground power house at Saffo-Salim-Pakyel in Dzongu. (Adits are tunnel outlets along the main head race tunnel, used for taking out the muck). All these project components suffered the maximum damages and deaths, with Chungthang leading.
Yes, maybe these hydro power projects may not have been the cause of the earthquake, but it definitely added to the catastrophe. Otherwise, why is the maximum number of destructions and deaths located in these areas?      
The other project is the Panang 300 MW HEP. Though they are yet to start actual work, the areas in the vicinity of the dam site, where the company had been carrying out test drillings and had been using dynamites have suffered the most. The landslides beyond the village of Lingzya, on the way to Bay (one of the villages that suffered the most casualty in Dzongu), Sakyong, Puntong and Tholung, all of which are still facing great difficulty in terms of accessibility and transport,  is another example to be taken seriously. I am sure that all those who have been to these places post September 18 will agree with me. What further misery will be added to these places during the monsoon is still to be seen. If the minor activities at the proposed dam site area resulted in such damage and destruction, I wonder what might have happened had the work been going on in full swing like in Teesta III? The Mines and Geology and the Geological Survey of India have pointed out the weak and fragile geology of the entire project area. (The Central Electric Authority on submission of report by the GSI have ordered the company namely, Himagiri Hydro Energy Pvt. Ltd, to submit detail geological and GLOF report)
Now the Public Hearing for the Teesta IV, 520 MW project has been notified again. It is scheduled for the 29th of March, 2012. This part of the river is also the last free flowing portion of the river Teesta proper. Once it is put in tunnel, the burying of Teesta is complete. I wonder if people living in the immediate vicinity of the project think about this. I also wonder whether Teesta will even flow into the plains once all these hydro power projects are completed. Most important, what might be the impacts of these reservoirs that are coming up one after another in the fragile hills?
Recently, for and against groups have cropped up pertaining to the scrapped Ting Ting and Lethang projects and the still contentious Tashiding Project located in West Sikkim. I hope some sense prevails and that we don’t get to see the horrors of the North Sikkim projects being repeated in future because it is no use waving the ‘bamphok’ after the bear has crossed the hill.

Dawa’s “Ritual Journeys” bags jury’s Commendation at RAI International Festival of Ethnographic Films

GANGTOK, 04 Aug: Filmmaker Dawa Lepcha is back from the 12th Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Film held in London from 23-26 June 2011. Featured in the Intangible Culture category, Dawa’s 75-minute documentary film, “Ritual Journeys”, was screened at the festival on 25 June. This poignant portrayal of the life and tasks of Meryak Lepcha, an 80-year-old Padim [Bongthing] of Dzongu, was put together from footage shot by Dawa over seven years of interactions with the Padim and the sensitivity with which the material has been put together is borne out by the Commendation Certificate awarded by the panel of festival judges to “Ritual Journeys”.

Munsolong Athing commemorated with felicitation of sentinels of Lepcha culture

MANGAN, 17 May:  The Munsolong Athing Commemoration Day was observed here at Namprikdang in Upper Dzongu on 15 May, Sunday. Munsolong is among the more celebrated of Lepcha priests of yore and believed to have made substantial contributions towards institutionalising what it means to be a Lepcha. Aptly then, the Sunday celebration included the felicitation of two Lepcha personalities, Nezing Lepcha and Dawa Lepcha, in recognition of the substantial contributions made by them towards conserving the Lepcha heritage, culture and way of life.
Nezing Lepcha, the president of the Namprikdang Namsoong Celebration Committee, was instrumental in establishing the Namsoong [Lepcha New Year] celebrations at Namprikdang in 1976. The celebrations have grown in strength since then.
Dawa Lepcha, more popular among newspaper readers as the ACT activist who undertook two rounds of awe-inspiring hunger strikes to protest hydel projects in Dzongu, is also an accomplished documentary filmmaker. His latest work, “Ritual Journeys”, a documentary on the life of a Lepcha Padim, has been selected for an ethnographic film festival to be held in London, UK, next month. His passion to document Lepcha rituals and practises and the precision with which he does so will definitely serve the present and future generations of Lepchas well.
Both individuals were aptly feted.

Dawa Lepcha’s “Ritual Journeys” selected for Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Films

FILM WILL PREMIERE IN GANGTOK ON SATURDAY
GANGTOK, 05 May: “Ritual Journeys”, a documentary film by cinematographer, activist and passionate archivist of Lepcha culture and way of life, Dawa Lepcha, with Anna Balicki Denjongpa as anthropologist consultant, has been selected for the prestigious Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Films 2011. Dawa will be travelling to London to present the film at the festival to be held from 23-26 June 2011. Significantly, Dawa has also been selected for a 10-day [12 to 22 June] course on film editing at the University of Manchester. The film has also been selected for the Freiburg Film Festival, Germany.
Before London gets to watch the movie, the opportunity comes to all interested in Sikkim as it premieres this Saturday, 07 May, at the main hall, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. Entry is free for the premiere screening which will have ‘Nekung’ Keepu T Lepcha as chief guest and begin at 2 p.m.
The film is an intimate portrait of Meyrak, an 80-year-old Bongthing from Dzongu. Dawa followed Meyrak with his camera and recorded his daily life and rituals over seven years from 2003 to the year 2010.