Proud to be a Sikkimese: Sikkim Travel, Culture & Local Heritage

Earth Sensitive quake predictions For Monday, 25 June 2007. LEGEND for OVERVIEW: Size = My surety of area for quake. Red Circle = Probable quake to STRONG quake. Triangle = Very Strong/Stronger quake (Usually takes extra days). Blue Circle, etc. = Uncertainty of symptom area for probable quake Places to watch. Good luck to all. For Monday, 25 June 2007. -------------------------------------- NORWAY BASIN area (66.56 -1.24) Quinghai, China area (33.76N 91.24E) SIKKIM, INDIA (27.37N 88.19E) (Indication of depth - STRONG) Guadalupe Victoria, Mexico (Medium) Italy Utah India-Pakistan Border Region (27.84N 71.50E) Azores to Strait of Gibraltar area South Atlantic Ocean (12.45S 21.01W) BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN, REGION (26.62N 142.90E) NEAR THE COAST OF YEMEN (12.30 N 44.56E) (Second day symptom - STRONG) Kuril Islands (46.78N 152.81E) (Second day symptoms - Very Strong) http://earthquakepredictionbytiempe.blo...

Sikkim Express Memories Sarikah is the new Executive Editor of Sikkim Express in 2007. I had the same post, though not as 'formalised' in 1987. In those days, it was really just the Managing Editor Mr. Ram Patro [now deceased] and the Executive Editor [yours truly] who were the 'editorial staff'. There was Dhriba Gurung, who was the Editor and staff of the Nepali langauge side called 'Himali Bela'. Sikkim Express was the first newspaper in the region to go 'offset'. There was an immense composing machine, a primitive comupter which would work on Wordstar commands. We were also the first in Sikkim to have an electronic typewriter on the golf-ball principle. Sikkim Express was where I received my 'hands on' training in computers. I started on the princely sum of Rs 700 a month, upped to rs 900 two months later, and after six months, I was re...

Gangtok, 20 June: Though Mahendra P. Lama has been appointed as the vice-chancellor of Sikkim Central University in principal yet he hasn’t been appointed officially, this has been disclosed by the Human Resource Development Minister, G.M.Gurung. Minister Gurung speaking to the Mail, said that for being vice-chancellor there need so many official formalities, such as the body would be made in the University to recommend Vice-chancellor officially besides the union government again should intimate to the body for the appointment of V.C. “Actually, the President under the recommendation of Union Government has only recommended Mahendra P. Lama not appointed.” Gurung clarified. Speaking on the location of the University, Gurung said the government had at first thought of Timi Tarku, but there didn’t become feasible because there was short of land. “For the university, there needs more than 250 Acre for its but at Timi Tarku the land is less than 200 acres,” he said. It should be mentioned...

The 3rd General Election of Press Club of Sikkim was held on June 23 in which Shri C.D. Rai, an octogenarian senior journalist re-elected as the President of Press Club of Sikkim for third consecutive term. Out of 79 votes cast, Shri C.D. Rai secured 48 votes, while Mrs. Santosh Nirash another septuagenarian journalist secured 30 votes. For the three post of Vice-Presidents, Miss Hemlatta Gurung secured 65 votes followed by Shri Ranjit Gurung 62 votes, Radha Pradahn 39 votes, Shri M.B. Limboo 38 votes and Mrs. Riti Pradhan 14 votes respectively. Miss Hemlatta Gurung, Shri Ranjit Gurung and Mrs. Radha Pradhan elected for the post of vice-presidents. In the post of General Secretary, Shri Bhim Rawat defeated Shri Hemanta Giri by the margin of 43 votes. Shri Rawat secured 61 votes while Giri secured only 17 votes. In the three post of Joint Secretaries, Sum...

GANGTOK, June 22 : The Sampoorna Kranti Diwas was observed by Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) party today in all constituencies of the state with the intention of ushering a fresh revolution of welcome changes and development in this tiny Himalayan state. Sampoorna Kranti Diwas for Rumtek constituency was held at Ranipool Tata Stand witnessing congregation of SDF party workers of the same constituency with area MLA Menlom Lepcha as the chief guest. Addressing the occasion today, Menlom Lepcha said, revolution simply does not mean a physical revolt but signifies a rebellion in the mind and the characters of an individual. “A revolution is setting optimistic and innovative ideas to lead the society for significant improvements”, Mr Lepcha said. Opining Chief Minister Pawan Chamling as a revolutionary leader in building a newer and all-round better Sikkim, the area MLA invited every individual from the masses to join hands in accompanying Sikkim to newer heights of dev...

GANGTOK, June 22: The Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on development of tourism related infrastructure in the State. The MoU was signed between Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) represented by RK Mathur, Advisor, and LB Chettri, Chief Executive Officer on the behalf of Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) here today in the presence of GP Upadhaya, Commissioner-Cum-Secretary, Tourism Department, officials of the Tourism Department and executives of the IL&FS. The STDC and IL&FS would be selecting areas for Tourism Infrastructure Development in Sikkim under the Public – Private – Partnership – format. Initial targeted areas for development are ropeways connecting places of tourist importance, development of air connectivity in the State, high end hotel projects, high end tourist resorts and medium range hotels. A Project Development Committee which will be constituted with equa...

First-time filmmaker Shivajee Chandrabhushan’s 107-minute, black and white film, Frozen (Hindi/ Ladakhi ), is going to Toronto Film Festival 2007 in the Discovery Section, the festival’s only competition section, tailored for emerging filmmakers from around the world. The film, which has in its cast Danny Denzongpa , Gauri, Shilpa Shukla, Angchuk, Anuradha Boral, and Yashpal Sharma, explores the displacement of people. The filmmaker, a 35-year-old Mumbai-based photographer born and brought up in Delhi, explains why he chose to make the film sans colour. “We chose Ladakh as the backdrop and landscape is stark. We shot in winter when there is no green anywhere. We wanted that look since it goes with the film’s name, Frozen , which is symbolic of the mind of the people who are running under threat of being displaced with an army setting up camp at their place,” says the director who is a trekker. The movie has been filmed in Stakmo, which is an hour’s drive from Leh. “Cameron Bailey, th...

GANGTOK, June 20 : The Governor V Rama Rao on June 19 attended the 6th Summit of North Eastern Council on Railway Connectivity at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, chaired by the Union Minister of DONER and Chairman of North Eastern Council, Mani Shankar Aiyer. The 6th Summit of North Eastern Council was attended by Governors and Chief Ministers of North Eastern states, members of the NEC and senior officers from Planning Commission, Finance Ministry, Home Ministry, Railway Board and NEC states. Addressing the summit, Governor V Rama Rao drew attention to the fact that Sikkim has been waiting for rail connectivity ever since its merger with Indian Union in 1975. He highlighted the tremendous constraints faced by Sikkim in accessing the mainland with only one road passing through a politically sensitive area of the neighboring state. Observing that railway projects are being taken ...

GANGTOK, June 20: Be careful before you decide to dumb your garbage on the roadside during the night. You may just end up being roughed up by the cops and fined for this act. The Sadar Thana Police have challaned 67 individuals found guilty of dumping their wastes on the road especially at night time under the cover of darkness in the last one week. Cops both in uniform and in plain clothes have taken a new role these days-that of nabbing opportunist Gangtokians sneaking in the dead of the night and casually dumping all their day’s garbage right on the roads. This callous practice was uncovered by the cops during the course of their night patrolling duty. Dumping the garbage on the roadsides, along the 31 National Highway and the arterial roads in the Capital seem to be the easy way out for most Gangtokians, faced with rudimentary garbage disposal and manageme...

Affected citizens to continue their protect until all hydro-electric power projects in Dzongu are stopped and others in the State reviewed GANGTOK, June 19: Members of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT), Concerned Lepchas of Sikkim (CLOS) and the Sangha of Dzongu began their indefinite hunger strike at the BL House here from today, protesting against the arbitrary sanctioning of mega hydel power projects in the State, especially in North Sikkim by the State Government. Three members-Dawa Lepcha and Tshering Ongdup Lepcha of ACT and Tenzing Gyatso Lepcha of CLOS began their Satyagraha and indefinite hunger strike in front of the BL House, in an effort to draw the attention of the State Government to the long-term implications of mega hydro-electric power projects especially in the Dzongu area of North Sikkim. This decision to go on this hunger strike has been prompted by total the lack of empathy shown by the State Government towards the concerns of the affected...

Mother’s loved ones The Lepchas are an endangered indigenous peoples whose identity is under threat from the dominant religions and peoples Deepak Roy Delhi The Lepcha are the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim wedged between the kingdoms of Nepal and Bhutan but they have become a minority in their own tribal homelands. These people were described in old British sources as forest dwelling "fairy worshippers", and remain a fascination for anthropologists. The term Lepcha is a mispronunciation of Lap-chea name given to them by Nepali migrants. The Lepchas, however refer to themselves as Rongpas, ravine-dwellers in their own tongue and also as Mutanchi Rongkup, or " Mother's loved ones". The Lepchas are said to be original inhabitants of Sikkim. They existed much before the Bhutias and Nepalis who migrated to the state. Before adopting Buddhism or Christianity they are known as the believers in the bone faith or mune fa...

Update; Tashi called and the Summit push is a go! He has started climbing from ABC and expects to summit on the 14th. Dispatches Tashi spent his childhood in Darjeeling, the famed British hill station and tea growing area. He attended St Paul's School - a private boarding school in the strict British tradition. He made himself quite a name in the outdoor education field, excelling at distance and sprint running, soccer, cricket, gymnastics, karate, hockey and horse-riding as well as in more artistic pursuits such as oil painting and batik . Tashi then went on to the University of New Delhi to gain a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. But his first love has always been the outdoors and, especially climbing. He was solely responsible for establishing the Delhi University Climbing Club and excelled at all the climbing and outdoor adventure course at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling....