Sikkim Newar Guthi's Historic Shradhanjali Programme

23.09.23: Sikkim Newar Guthi has spearheaded a ground breaking movement called the "Newar Madhumaha Shradhanjali Programme-2023" (in Newar Language: BIBHA WAHKA DHEKU). The program aims to stand-in connections, offer solace, share grief, and provide financial assistance to bereaved Newar families during times of loss. Sikkim Newar Guthi hopes to bring about a sense of unity among each and every member of the community and instill a sense of belonging to the Newars of Sikkim by being there in times of hardship.

The Dream project envisaged by Sikkim Newar Guthi (SNG) under the able leadership of Bhaju Nirmal Kumar Pradhan, the President of SNG was conceived a year before i.e 2022. After repeated meetings, discussions and reviews among the different Sakhas from all over Sikkim, the program was agreed upon unanimously in the Annual General Meeting at Auditorium, Namthang Senior Secondary School on 30th July 2023 and finally started on 18th Sept’23.

The program states that each Newa house of Sikkim would offer prayers and contribute Rs 20 in favour of the grieving family. This collection would be handed over to the bereaving family, personally by the members of the Central Executive Committee member, Coordinator and Sakha executive committee members along with a Samvedna Patra.

There is nothing one can say to alleviate the pain of a family which is grieving the loss of a loved one; but the initiation of such a program can certainly provide comfort and support for them during such a difficult time. In this way, each and every Newars of Sikkim can grieve the loss of a fellow member of their community and stand in solidarity with the family of the deceased.

On September 18th, 2023, a team comprising Nirmal Kr. Pradhan, President of SNG, Mahendra Kumar Pradhan, Vice President, Dr. Sushen Pradhan, General Secretary, Basant Pradhan, Chairman State Chief Coordinator, Sunil Pradhan, Youth Secretary, Sishir Pradhan, Publicity Secretary, Binita Pradhan, CEC, and I K Pradhan, CEC, along with Youth Core Members paid a visit to the bereaved family of Karna Bahadur Pradhan from the Timburbong Sakha in Soreng District, where his mother, Late Subha Maya Pradhan, aged 103 years, had passed away. Dr. Sushen Pradhan, the General Secretary of SNG, briefed the gathering about the program and observed a two-minute silence to remember the departed soul.

Nirmal Kumar Pradhan, President of SNG, and Basant Pradhan, Chief Coordinator, emphasized the significance of the program. K B Pradhan, President of Soreng Sakha, and his team provided full cooperation to the central SNG and extended their best wishes to the SNG CEC team for their continuous efforts to bring all Newars of Sikkim together. A Samvedna Patra, along with Rs. 19,280/- (nineteen thousand two hundred and eighty rupees) was handed over to the bereaved family by Nirmal Kumar Pradhan, President of SNG, and Basant Pradhan, Chairman State Chief Coordinator, along with other members of SNG.

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 ...

Sukunda: Newa`s five elements

(Information by Dipak Shrestha) Sukunda is a typical traditional Nepali oil lamp made of brass. The front part of this lamp shows a tiny icon of Ganesha, the god of luck and success. On its front is a small cup fixed in the shape of a Yoni used to put the wick. Fixed on the back of the lamp is a fascinating loop handle designed with a five-headed serpent (sometimes a mythical dragon or makara) raising its head in a very watchful attitude. A small spoon with a nagakanya on top generally replenishes the reservoir's oil. The artistic work on this unique oil lamp reflects the remote past of a very famous Buddhist legend. The Legend A long time ago, Kathmandu Valley was a large lake inhabited by nagas(snakes). In the middle of the lake was a beautifully blooming thousand-petalled lotus flame. When Buddhisattwa Mahamanjushree heard about this, he rushed to the valley from China to pay homage to the flame. The entire valley rang up with the thundering strike of his mag...

Early Poets of Sikkim : Subhash Deepak

During the early two decades of the twentieth century young boys belonging to rich and aristocratic families including upper caste Brahmins were sent to Darjeeling or Benares for studies. These young boys naturally got an opportunity to encounter the new trends of awakening like the National movement of Indian Independence. The influence of great literary personalities like Lekhnath Poudyal (1884-1965), Lakshmi Prasad Devkota (1909-1965) and Balkrishna Sama (1902-1981) is very much evident on the poets associated with Apatan Sahitya Parishad . This was the time when Parasmani Pradhan , Surya Bikram Gewali and their worthy associates had already had their influences on the young poets. ‘The tide of awakening had swept throughout the area like Sikkim , Darjeeling, Benares and Dehradun . During the second and third decade of 20th century Dharanidhar Koirala’s ‘ Naibedya ’ (1920), Mahananda Sapkota’s ‘ Mana Lahari ’ (1920) marked a break with the traditi...

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

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