I am a proud Sikkimese, and whenever someone points a finger at my Sikkim, it obviously hurts me. Being blessed to be born in this serene land of Sikkim makes me more attached to nature and its surroundings.
For the last seven years, I have been blogging about Sikkim and sharing my knowledge with the world. From my side, I am promoting my state and proving a point that a name called 'Sikkim’ exists around the globe. Sikkim is a small and young state….once an independent kingdom that became part of a mighty Indian Union.
For the last ten years, we (on our own) have been emerging…well, growing in different sectors like tourism, education, and others. Our state's growth in the last decade can be compared with any place in the world. We were in high spirits when the global travel guide Lonely Planet named our state the "best region to visit in 2014.” It was, in fact, a matter of pride for us.
A few days back, a writer published an article titled ‘North Bengal, Sikkim; Manas National Park’ on different bird sites about his trip report. It was a well-written family field trip report, and in some places, it was interesting, but I am sorry to say I found a few sentences about Sikkim that could have been written better.
Before going through his words, let me say a few things that make our Sikkim different from others. We are the first Indian state to outline an eco-tourism policy that helped develop village tourism. Sikkim is the first state in India to make laws for the conservation of forests and wildlife. Ten Minutes to Earth is a unique and pioneering initiative in the world. Sikkim has the highest road density in the country. Our state is encouraging adventure tourism on a larger scale, and people are individually self-dependent. In Sikkim, tourism is trade, and trade here means providing employment.
Well, the article reads that the writer was on his first visit to Sikkim and found three districts. To the readers outside Sikkim, I would like to share that Sikkim has four districts. Since the state has sensitive borders with China, most areas are restricted to foreigners, and others need official permits. Visitors can enter Sikkim through Rangpo and Melli but not without authorized letters, so beware of being caught.
I strongly advise the tourist to avoid what he writes: ‘Most tour operators will take clients to West Sikkim as it does not require a second permit, and cars from West Bengal are allowed in, too.’ In the past, a foreign visitor was politely returned from Sikkim because he did not have a proper permit, that too in West Sikkim. He had illegally entered through the West Bengal route.
Birding is one such field in Sikkim that is gaining popularity each day. He writes about Kitam Bird Sanctuary: ' This is the only bird sanctuary in Sikkim, and its website promises much. However, the planted forest looks very unsuitable for birds. I believe the declaration of Kitam as a bird sanctuary was more politically motivated than a suitable place for birds, and the only bird we saw after an hour was Red Junglefowl’.
Kitam Bird Sanctuary is the first of its kind when it comes to birding in Sikkim, and within a couple of years, we will have a few more bird sanctuaries in our state. I am just a year old when it comes to understanding birds. Whatever I have learned, I believe those shy souls do take their own moments to play hide-and-seek in the greenery.
If you are in Kitam and want to catch the best birding experience, you should be here from September-October and April-May. Don’t expect those feathered beauties to spread their magic in winter.
The planted forest, as the lines read, seems funny. With a forest area of 47.3 percent of the total geographical area, Sikkim is India's greenest state. Forests are our treasure, and we are into preservation—not politically motivated. We are just spreading green messages!!
I am sure whatever nationality we belong to, whether German or British, whether a Goan or a Gujarati, we all love our place and acknowledge good hospitality to anyone who visits us. When we write on the internet, millions of people read and watch it. A silly mistake can have a negative impact.
We, Sikkimese people, are peace-loving and would like to share our world.
Visit Sikkim- be our guest; return as a friend!!
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