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Royal flags of Kingdom of Sikkim (1877-1975)

Sikkim (India)   Image by Mario Fabretto Description of the flag Historical flags 1877 - c. 1914 c. 1914 - 1962 1962 - 1967 Description of the flag From Barraclough (1971):  "Sikkim, formerly a protectorate of India, was incorporated as the twenty-second state of the union in May 1975, and the office of the hereditary ruler, the Chogyal , was abolished. Sikkim has, or had, a flag of white with a red border all round, and a yellow Chakra (fimbriated in red) in the centre."  "...the Chakra [is] a Buddhist symbol representing the Law of Dharma , or eternal change." The Chakra on the flag of Sikkim is different then the one on India's flag. It has eight spokes rather than the many spokes on India's, and has an ornate "nub" on the wheel at the head of each spoke. Don Hagemann, 28 November 1995 [editor's note: The source of this quote is not Barraclough (1971), but probably a later edition of the ...

Paan Singh Tomar : A forgotten national hero

Paan Singh Tomar was a strange name for a Hindi film to me when I read about it in a newspaper a few months back.  The fact that I have been a fan of Irrfan Khan since his  Banegi Apni Baat  days made it obvious for me to watch this movie, and as the name suggested, I was sure I might have something very different to watch. Story of an athlete of a world-class, seven times national champions at Steeple Chase in the 50s and 60s, a participant at the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games and his journey as a “baaghi” as Irrfan Khan playing Paan Singh Tomar repeats in the movie is the backdrop of the story.  No doubt Paan Singh Tomar, the persona, is the winner of the movie, a sportsman who faded with time and, despite bringing laurels to the nation, was forced to rise against the law. This movie can be listed as one of the best movies by Irrfan Khan, and his natural acting has made Paan Singh Tomar live on screen.  The newspaper clip Paan Singh Tomar with his wife Indir...

JANHA BAGCHA TEESTA RANGIT

This was a national song of Sikkim sung in the Nepali language during the monarchy system. During the merger with India, the song got banned and later re-released. Two words on the 8th para, which earlier said 'Rajah rah Rani,' were replaced with "Janmah bhumi."     This song was dedicated to the King and Queen of Sikkim. The song lyrics were penned by Sanu Lama, and the music was composed by Dushyant Lama.  The song was first sung on the birth anniversary of Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal on April 4, 1970, at Gangtok by Aruna Lama, Dawa Lama, and Manikamal Chettri.    JANHA BAGCHA TEESTA RANGIT,  JAHAN KANCHENDZONGA SEER   YEHI HO HAMRO DHANA KO DESH,  TAPAWAN HO PYARO SIKKIM     INTERLUDE     PHULCHAN YEHA AANGANAI MAA,  CHAAP , GURAS, SUNAKHARI   SWARGASARI SUNDAR DESH KO  HAMRO PYARO PYARO JANMAHBHUMI     JANHA BAGCHA……     BATASHLE BOKCHAA YAHA,  TATHAGAT KO AAMAR WAANI ...