I never thought that someday, my passion for understanding Sikkim would have followers and well-wishers across the globe. Just before writing this article, I received an email from Volker from France wondering about my fascination with bringing out things about Sikkim that no one had ever thought about.
I was looking for information with him regarding a person named Robert Godet. He was a Frenchman, writer, photographer, adventure lover, and family friend to the Royal family of Sikkim. In the 1950s, he made several flights to Sikkim in his small two-seater airplane, probably making him the first to fly across the Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim.
Sometimes, my friends call me a wanderer since I visit places looking for lost pieces of Sikkim's past. Sometimes, it's the oral documentation, while on a few other occasions, the materials I get around keep me silent. For the last decade, I had been at Singtam, my hometown, and doing my own research on Sikkim History, but this time around, I have moved to a new place with the hope that my work would get a new charter of life and I could continue to do what I am expected the most by my readers.
Last week was an eventful one for me. I got transferred from Burung Primary School, now Burung JHS, to my new destination, Upper Dalapchand Secondary School. In between, I had my first television interview aired on Nayuma TV. I am happy to be at Dalapchand, a half-hour drive from Rongli Bazaar, the place that is the home of Sikkim's first Post Office, now forgotten in the wheel of time.
Just the day I joined Upper Dalapchand SS, my new staff told me that the name Dalapchand means a flat rock where travellers heading for Tibet prior to the late 1880s would stop to rest. To my surprise, I could see that rock from the school balcony.
I could not hide my smile when I was shown a small path leading to the bamboo bushes and told that it was a mule path that had stopped after the 1960s. I feel I am at home, and I am sure I shall enjoy my stay here. But I, too, cannot forget my stay at Burung, my first posting as a primary school teacher.
After spending six years of my teaching life at Burung JHS as a primary teacher, I had my share of experience there. It is now more of a memory to be part of the Burung School family, where I have learned about different walks of life. I have had many unforgettable moments with my students and fellow staff at Burung. There were eight staff; Headmaster NT Bhutia, followed by other teachers, Uttam Shivakoti, Kamal Sharma, M B Tamang, Ganga Hamal, Savitra Dahal, Indira Rizal, and myself.
Among the teaching staff, I am thankful for Burung for giving me an opportunity to meet a friend like Indira Rizal. She was always a source of encouragement for my work. She would read every published article of mine and did not hesitate to ask if she did not understand anything.
Still fresh in my mind is making my students participate in the state-level dancing competition at Nachyo Babari. Those students who had never been to Gangtok and their cultural performances limited to school functions performed in front of celebrities like Uttam Pradhan, Kamal Rai, and Pema Tsedun and with a packed audience at SDF Bhawan. Though we did not progress further, the joy of my dancing student was enough to make me happy, and I felt that I had succeeded. I arranged educational tours for students to Gangtok and Science Centre, Namli, in successive years.
One of many memorable moments was the football tournament I took my students to at Chuja School. We lost handsomely, nine goals to nil. Our school did not have a playground, but I saw those boys playing football on the roads nearby. I wanted them to participate and have fun; I always believe it is important to participate, and a win or a loss is always part of a game.
I have always lived my life with the smiles and joy of my students, and I am happy I was one of their close friends, someone with whom they did not hesitate to speak their minds.
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