I owe this to Sikkim Express. Since the oldest daily newspaper in Sikkim, the Sikkim Express, allowed me to write a column on Sikkim's history, I have yet to look back. Over the last 20 months, I have written over 100 articles under the column "Himalayan review" that have helped me grow as a student of Sikkim History. Sometime around, I am referred by Sikkim Historian by my well-wishers, which I find very embarrassing.
The history of Sikkim is vast, and over the last half a dozen years, I have dedicated myself to understanding Sikkim, yet I feel there is still time for me to be called a Sikkim Historian. My friend tells me that to become a historian, one needs to have a will and a desire, not a degree or a certificate. But sometimes you go unnoticed when you do not have a formal qualification. I am learning, and I feel better calling myself a student of Sikkim History'.
Being a Botany Honours graduate from Sikkim Government College at Tadong and being interested in the glorious past of Sikkim was something even my close one never expected from me but ….(what a big but ?) I believe destiny had another plan for me. I still say I am nothing; many people in our state are more qualified than me, and they should have done it. Whatever I write is information around us; we never give an ear to it, nor do we listen to it. Or it could be that people don't have time to care about history, which has always been tedious. I know that sometimes I might be wrong in my information, but I limit myself to make it happen to its lowest.
Sangharsh NGO from Rongli felicitated me a few weeks back along with other 9 personalities, including Prashant Tamang, Indian Idol 3, in a musical ceremony held at Rongli Bazaar. It was a pleasant memory to receive my first award for the small effort I had put into writing about the history of Sikkim, more precisely, the ancient Sikkim. I am thankful to the trio of Praveen Pradhan (President), Biren Gurung (General Secretary), Kushal Pradhan (Joint Secretary), and other members of the Sangharsh NGO for considering me for the honor. Sikkim Express gave me a much-needed platform that helped me spread my little knowledge about Sikkim to people around me.
I received calls from every corner of the state about people's reactions to my article. I am happy to hear most of my readers are students. I always believe this, i.e., the young generation needs to be taught about our glorious past. We call upon preserving and conserving our glorious past, yet we never think of the vast mass of students that need to be introduced to Sikkim History in their school syllabus in their early schooling. Through this medium, I request that the higher authority develop an introductory lesson on Sikkim history in government schools.
Today, I have my small yet intriguing identity, which was only possible with Sikkim Express and other newspaper mediums, including Now, Samay Dainik, and Voice of Sikkim, among others who have always supported me. I am thankful for all of them. Facebook, a social networking site, is the other medium that helped me introduce to my readers, and today, at the moment of this writing, I have over one thousand fans that follow my blog “Proud to be a Sikkimese."
The love and warm response I received from people across the globe show that people are still interested in learning about Sikkim, which is very encouraging for me. My blog, “Proud to be a Sikkimese,” has been viewed by 64848 people around the globe, with 100 subscribers directly subscribing to their email addresses.
This is just a small beginning, and I am sure the love and warmth I have received so far will be with me in the coming days, too.
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