Newar Communities Celebrate Bhimsen Puja and Jatra in Rongli, Sikkim

10.09.23, Singtam - The town of Rongli came alive with the spirited participation of Newar communities from various corners of Sikkim in the joyous Bhimsen Puja and Jatra festivities. The event, marked by exuberance and cultural fervor, witnessed a procession of Newar community members clad in traditional attire, dancing joyfully with Lakhey dancers from Bhimsen Mandir to the Melatar Community Hall in Rongli. The event was organized by Shri Bhimsen Maharaj Mandir Sanrakshan Samiti, Rongli, and supported by Newa Passa, newar organization from Rongli.

The second phase of the program, held at the Community Hall, featured a series of cultural performances and a felicitation ceremony. Praveen Pradhan, President of Shri Bhimsen Maharaj Mandir Sanrakshan Samiti, Rongli, extended a warm welcome to the attendees. Rudra Narsing Sakya, Chief Patron of the committee, eloquently spoke about the rich cultural legacy of the 121st Bhimsen Jatra at Rongli.

Students from Chujachen SSS, Rorathang SS, Rongli SS, and Sudunglakha Sakha Guthi mesmerized the audience with their enchanting Newar cultural dance performances.

The event was graced by the presence of distinguished guests including Rimpoche Shri Atul Shakya and associates, Gubaju Shri Alankar Shakya and team, along with Smt. Rama Tamang, Chairperson of the Sikkim Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SPCR), who presided as the chief guest.

Noteworthy attendees included Smt. Prava Pradhan, Zilla Upadakshya, Pakyong District; Shri Jaslal Pradhan, Olympian and Arjuna Awardee; Shri Uttam Pradhan, Nepali Cine Star; Shri Bikram Pradhan, former MLA, Shri Prashant Pradhan, Chairman, NHPC, Shri Nirpud Grunig, Shri Gagan Gurung, SKM Youth Secretary, Shri Damber Pradhan, SKM Vice-President (CEC); Shri Nirmal Pradhan, President, Sikkim Newar Guthi; Shri Bikash Pradhan, Culture Officer, Culture Department, Government of Sikkim; and Shri Mohan Pradhan Neeraj, Nepali literary writer, members of Zilla Panchayat and Panchayat (Chujachen Constituency), representatives from different communities among others, who added grace to the occasion.

A highlight of the event was the honouring of the 2023 National Florence Nightingale Awardee, Mrs. Ambika Pradhan (Pramila Pradhan), daughter of late GS Pradhan, Rongli by members of Newa Passa, a Newar organization from Rongli. A photo frame of Shri Bhimsen was also presented to the Chief Guest.

Addressing the audience, Smt. Rama Tamang, the chief guest, lauded the grandeur of the Bhimsen Jatra celebration and conveyed the heartfelt message from Smt. Krishna Maya Rai, wife of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Sikkim, who, unfortunately, couldn't be present.

The organizing committee extends heartfelt gratitude to the representatives of Sikkim Newar Guthi, Presidents and representatives of various Newar Sakha Guthis, Dhimey team Rhenock Sakha, Newa Passa and Lakhay team, as well as officials and staff from different departments, all the social Medias whose esteemed presence added to the auspiciousness of the occasion.

Shri Indra Pradhan delivered the vote of thanks, and the program was ably hosted by Miss Smriti Pradhan and Dr. Arun Pradhan.

Rongli my birthplace

BY SHITAL PRADHAN A small hamlet in an eastern side Silent raush on its way, The old silk route, More older it look Upon which I stay, Hey that’s Rongli, Rongli my birthplace Years went by, years dried up, Yet the small village is as it was, Silent, peaceful and introvert Today’s picture of Rongli, Houses as station bogie, Looks a cradle, from Chujachen, Upon which the blue sky, As if I can touch thee, Roaring River, As the legend we hear, Still watch with glee, The terror of 1890 somewhat forgotten, Yet another terrorizing moment, 68 was the year… 1968, When sky too wasn’t pleased. That was Rongli, Rongli of the past. Playing along the Baar-Pepal tree, Hiding in the Shivalaya, Watching videos and aloft Is a decent memory, now? Sweet time in treasure, Yet when I am in Rongli, I am happy, in whither sweet. Rongli my birthplace !

India’s illegal occupation of independent Sikkim has to be reversed

Extracted from Pakistan Defence India’s “Chief Executive” in Gangtok wrote: “Sikkim’s merger was necessary for Indian national interest. And we worked to that end. Maybe if the Chogyal had been smarter and played his cards better, it wouldn’t have turned out the way it did.” It is also said that the real battle was not between the Chogyal and Kazi Lendup Dorji but between their wives. On one side was Queen Hope Cook, the American wife of the Chogyal and on the other was the Belgian wife of the Kazi, Elisa-Maria Standford. “This was a proxy war between the American and the Belgian,” says former chief minister BB Gurung. But there was a third woman involved: Indira Gandhi in New Delhi. Chogyal Palden met the 24-year-old New Yorker Hope Cook in Darjeeling in 1963 and married her. For Cook, this was a dream come true: to become the queen of an independent kingdom in Shangrila. She started taking the message of Sikkimese independence to the youth, and the allegations started flying thic...

The coinage system of Sikkim

It is more or less a forgotten part of the development process of the then-small Himalayan kingdom, Sikkim . The introduction of the coinage system in Sikkim ceased the way it started. A study of the coinage system of Sikkim sheds light on the socio-economic and political history of the then-small state. The coins of Sikkim ended the way they appeared; they came from nowhere, and finally, they got lost out in the darkness. A handful of people around Sikkim and in the districts of Darjeeling now have these rare items in their collections. The coin of Sikkim is much sought after by numismatists interested in countries that no longer exist today. Before the British invasion of the land of Sikkim, the capital revenue system was never heard. Sikkim, being an agricultural foreground, had some parts of food grains given to the king as tax. Trade was carried out where things were exchanged between individuals. This system was prevalent even in the mid-19th century; oranges were exchan...

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

Search This Blog