Gangtok’s Going Grey

Some light & grey plays are possible only in the hills. Like this crazy view of thick clouds over Burtuk and Bulbuley while the Sun shines over Ranka and Gangtok beyond. This was the view available late Tuesday afternoon from above the Selep water reservoir area. [TSHERING EDEN]

159 year old Ringhem Monastery, Mangan

MANGAN, 24 Sept:  The more than a century and a half year old Ringhem Choling Monastery above Mangan was extensively damaged in the 18 September earthquake with 70% of the structure, including statues inside the monastery, having crumbled away.
Karma Bhutia, president, Ringhem Choling Monastery, while speaking to NOW! informed that the monastery was constructed in 1852 and renovated in the year 1913. The statues and other belongings of the monastery have been taken out and kept in house nearby in the monastery premises, he informed.
Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, it may be recalled, had visited the monastery yesterday and assured immediate reconstruction and directed the area MLA to begin the process forthwith.

The Strong Shoulders of Lepcha Youth

Youth from Lingzya in Upper Dzongu carry provisions to the village from Mangan. This was on 21 September, Wednesday, the day when the road from Mangan into Dzongu was finally opened some distance into the Lepcha reserve. This photograph was taken in the afternoon. As per the youth, it would only be past nightfall that they reach the village. This hike, from the road-head to their village, taking them over some still active landslides and the still fresh memories of the Sunday evening earthquake….

Building crumbles in Singtam

Meena Hotel at Singtam crumbled under the earthquake's assault. No one was killed in this mishap although 5 people died in and around Singtam. 

The Night After

Rattled by the Sunday evening earthquake, people were too jumpy to return home, especially since the aftershocks kept rolling in till 4 a.m.

MG Marg, Gangtok at around 10 p.m. Sunday night

Tadong, Gangtok on Sunday night

Building collapses in Lumsey below Gangtok

A 5-storeyed recentlty-completed building collapsed at Lumsey below Gangtok due to the earthquake of Sunday evening. The family had, thankfully, not moved in yet hence no one was injured in the mishap. 

Around Gangtok, 19 Sept 2011

A four-storeyed under-construction building collapsed at Chongey, in the outskirts of Gangtok on Sunday. No one was in at the time. 

Cracks on the facade of the Human Resource Development  Department at the Tashiling Secretariat at Gangtok.

Landslides triggered by the earthquake litter roads around Sikkim, like this one a short distance out of Chandmari. 

Owlet rescued

RESCUED! An owlet rescued by a passer-by from the army cantonment area at Tadong on Wednesday. This fledgling, which had probably fallen down from its nest, was being attacked by crows when it was rescued. It was eventually taken by a forester who is keeping it under his care at present. It is already trying to fly, and it is hoped that it will take off and return free over the next week.

Mahavir Jayanti in Gangtok

Shri Jain Swetamber Terapanth Sabha, Gangtok, organised a rally in Gangtok on Saturday to mark the observance of Mahavir Jayanti. The rally of about 65 ‘Jainis’, started from the SNT Gate, made its way to MG Marg and across to New Market via Tibet Road. The procession carried placards of featuring sayings by Mahavir and marched chanting prayers.

Possible only during a bandh

Ranipool, East Sikkim, 04 April 2011

Kids get right of way for once. 6th Mile, Tadong, East Sikkim, 04 April 2011 

The Bandh Begins, Gangtok 04 April 2011

Jhora-Jam

The wet weather of the week has exposed the wreck that the drainage system of Namchi has become. Clogged with garbage and assorted debris, the jhoras cannot be expected to be of much service to the South district headquarter town when the monsoon opens up in full fury in the coming months. The jhora photographed above runs through the heart of Namchi, servicing the vegetable market as well. The entire stretch is now stinking and is dangerously clogged. It needs urgent clean-up and save from any further dumping.

GO, INDIA, GO!

The hills might be known more for football, but it is cricket which has now grown as the more popular spectator sport here. The India-Pakistan World Cup semifinal saw a slew of public screenings around Gangtok today. Many faces sported the Tricolour paint, giant flags were strung across MG Marg and every nukkad had a TV placed outside, like this one [above] on Tharo Line where Team India supporters watched the broadcast from a difficult angle and high passion. They even draped a Tricolour on the TV to underline which team they were cheering for. The pic below is of the match in progress at MG Marf. These photos were taken before the Indian batting collapse, when Sehwag and Tendulkar were still on the crease.

THIS HAS TO BE WRONG!

A yak “grazes” in the garbage dump at Tsomgo, below the lake and tucked away behind the shopping complex there. Brought down from its pastures so that visitors to this popular tourist destination can ride a “majestic” yak, this one must surely be feeling cheated. This is definitely not on. The concerned authorities should ensure that this photo-op is not offered again.

THE WORLD CUP IN NAMCHI!

Now that the Cricket World Cup has reached the knock-out stage with minnows finally out of the way, viewership too has ratcheted up. Big-screen TVs have started occupying convenient public spaces, bringing stadium-like excitement to cricket viewing even in the hills.
Here, the India-Australia match being enjoyed in Namchi. Alma Computer & Technical Education Centre of Namchi fixed up a projection display of the match at the Central Park. This was on the initiative of the centre head Dipen Subba and DR Chettri and had the OC, Namchi Police Station, CB Basnet, over as the guest of honour to boot.

Holi in Sikkim

At Dikchu in East Sikkim

Tourists at MG Marg

Kids at MG Marg

Supermoon over Gangtok

Supermoon as seen from Gangtok on 20 March, 2011, at 5 a.m. Photograph by SONAM GYATSO

When even one brings joy

Tomorrow, 20 March, is World Sparrow Day. A few days old House Sparrow chick perched on an iron angle at the photographer’s rooftop garden in Tadong, Gangtok. Its roosting place is in the same home. The House Sparrow is disappearing in other parts of the world, and every new arrival is a cause for celebration. For more details, readers can log on to www.housesparrow.com
[photographs and caption: Ongden Lepcha, Range Officer]

Now Showing in Gangtok

Only during highway bandhs

There are some scenes possible only when the National Highway 31A is closed for regular traffic. A taxi stand empty of passengers or any activity is one such. This is the mainline taxi and bus station at Deorali in Gangtok. 

The highway monkeys, pampered by highway commuters to the extent that they appear to have forgotten how to forage food in the forests or fields, rummage through the rubbish at Rangpo. With traffic denied on the highway, there are no meals for these simians either.