Fiat Premiere, Mahindra Jeep, and Bullock Carts: Transportation in the Early 80s

The photograph from the early 80s captures a nostalgic scene featuring various modes of transportation that were prevalent at the time. The luxury Fiat Premiere in the picture belonged to the late Sagarmul Agarwal, the father of our Nagar Panchayat Councillor, Mukesh Agarwal. Dipak Bhutra, one of our seniors at Singtam Bazaar, fondly recalls, "I was fortunate enough to get a few free rides in that car. Riding in the Fiat Premiere during those days felt like being royalty."

Also visible in the photograph is a Mahindra jeep, parked at the extreme left, which belonged to Shri Tarachand Agarwal. This jeep was a common sight on the route between Singtam and Ravongla during those times. Bullock carts were the primary means of transporting goods from Bengal to Sikkim. Goods would first be transported from Siliguri to Rangpo (Bengal side), and then carried by bullock carts to Singtam. This image vividly captures a bygone era and the evolution of transportation in the region.

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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

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