Success story of Hariyo Makha initiative celebrated

SINGTAM, March 16: A felicitation program was organized at the school premises of Adarsh Vidhya Mandir (AVM), Singbel, East Sikkim on March 14. Shital Pradhan, a teacher and a blogger was the Chief Guest of the day. The event also saw the presence of B.B. Chettri (Headmaster, Dipudara Primary School), Lomas Dhungel (Founder cum Developer, Hariyo Makha), Bhim Prasad Nepal (1971 Bangladesh war veteran), along with SMCs, SHGs, students and locals.

The event was the celebration of the success story of Hariyo Makha initiative. Lomas Dhungel led Hariyo Makha initiative had shared his idea on upcycling plastics for book covers to Ajambari Self Help Group (Singbel) for a social experiment on cleanliness. For this purpose, a small Plastic Collection centre was established at Singbel in November last year.

More than 300 volunteers including the public, students and teachers from 11 government and 2 private schools from both East and South districts had collected and donated around 30,000 plastic pieces that were up-cycled for making more than 2100 book covers of AVM. The schools included Makha SSS, Singtam SSS, Sonamati Memorial SSS, Bermiok Tokal SSS, Lower Samdong SS, Tumin SS, Kambal JHS, Singbel JHS, Bhirkuna JHS, Dipudara PS, Kokaley PS, Adarsh Vidhya Mandir and Bethesda Academy. Lomas Dungel won National Award last year for his initiative.

Assuming a weight of 5 gm per plastic, the idea led to a reduction in waste by 150 kg along with countless areas required for their disposal. In addition to cleanliness, the experiment also led to a new type of Seasonal Employment earning a total of Rs. 21,000 out of the works. A part of the revenue is also expected to be utilized for the educational purpose of at least two female SHG members, said Lomas Dhungel.

Shital Pradhan, the Chief Guest of the day appreciated the efforts of the SHGs in completing their goals. He added such a program should be supported and shared with other parts of the state. The student volunteers and SHG members also received certificates from the hands of the Chief Guest. Other speakers of the day included B.B. Chettri and HL Adhikari, Principal, Adarsh Vidhya Mandir.

Snake like fish caught in Singtam River

The Indian mottled eel, locally known as Raj Bam, was recovered from the Singtam River at Golitar this early morning. The snake-like fish weighed around 7 kg and was four feet long. The local people said that they had never seen this species for so long. Such mysterious-looking marine fish are also sighted from time to time on the river banks, local people added.

Sikkim Mahinda Thero: A national hero of Sri Lanka

Sikkim Mahinda Thero BY SHITAL PRADHAN I first heard about S Mahinda Thero in 2005 while in Kolkata when I was asked by one of the stamp dealers whether I was interested in a 20 paisa stamp of S Mahinda Thero issued by the Sri Lankan Postal Department in the early 1970s. I collected philatelic items on Buddhism, but I never understood who he was talking about. He told me, as I was from Sikkim, I might be interested to know more about the person, and he went on to add it was Sikkim Mahinda Thero, a Buddhist monk who is regarded as a national hero, a famous poet in the Sinhalese language whose poetry promoted patriotism and the revival of Buddhism to this part of the Island. He promised to send me the stamp of S Mahinda Thero from Colombo through the mail, but I have never heard from him since then. However, regarding my limited concern, it was enough to know that such a person keeps the name Sikkim with honor and pride in Sri Lanka. I had the name...

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 ...

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

Search This Blog