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

  21.06.26: Shri Norden Tshering Tamang has been elected as the new President of the Sikkim Motor Transportation Workers Association (SMTWA). In the election held today, Tamang secured 195 votes, defeating his rivals, Shri Rajesh Lama (166 votes), Shri Rupen Limboo (28 votes), and Shri Rukesh Lama (1 vote). For the Vice President post, Shri Deepak Pradhan and Shri Rajesh Darnal both received an equal count of 193 votes each, while Shri Rajesh Tamang received 8 votes. Following the tie, Shri Darnal stepped down to support Shri Pradhan's candidature, confirming Shri Deepak Pradhan as the Vice President. For the General Secretary post, Shri Pranesh Sharma defeated Shri Basant Pradhan with a final count of 233 to 161 votes. The Election Committee was managed by an administrative team including Shri Kumar Rai (In-charge), Shri Tenzing Sherpa, Shri Pradip Tamang, Shri Lakpa Tamang, Shri Bhanu Lepcha, Shri Khunarayan Sharma, Shri Santosh Pradhan, and Shri Mohan Pradhan. It was fur...

  The Ridge in Gangtok, known for its long and narrow hilltop, is widely popular today as Ridge Park, a must-see destination for tourists. Some twenty-three years ago, while working as a news reporter for Weekend Review, I first heard of the King Edward bust at Ridge Park and the small, traditional memorial house associated with the King Edward Memorial. Since then, I have struggled to find documents to support this claim. However, I am pleased to have finally found a reference to the King Edward Memorial in the 1922 book, A Concise History of the Darjeeling District Since 1835 with a Complete Itinerary of Tours in Sikkim and the District by E. C. Dozey. While much remains unknown about the original King Edward bust, it was eventually replaced by a bust of John Claude White, which was later succeeded by a bust of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India. Interestingly, about ten years ago, I discovered the original bust of J.C. White sitting under a tree on the prem...

The Lt. Shanker Lamichaney Chess Tournament 2026 was held on June 7, 2026, at Singtam. 40 players participated in the tournament and showed great strategic skills across five competitive rounds. In the Under-18 age category, Aarav Pradhan secured the 1st position, followed by Arnav Rai in 2nd place, and Suyog Shital Pradhan in 3rd place, with all three top achievers remaining unbeaten throughout the entire tournament. In the Under-11 age category, the top spot was claimed by Sufiyan Nasim, while Yedhant Agarwal took the 2nd position, and Palak Agarwal finished strong in 3rd position. The event was organized at Euphoria Restaurant, Singtam, in collaboration with the Knight Chess Academy Singtam. To support the young local talents of Singtam, the tournament was sponsored by the family of Lt. Shanker Lamichaney – Mrs. Devika Lamichaney (his wife) and sons – Ashish Lamichaney and Anand Lamichaney. Notably, this is the very first time a chess tournament has been hosted inside a restaurant...

  Local chess talents Suyog Shital Pradhan and Aarav Pradhan have officially secured their FIDE ratings following a stellar performance at the recently concluded 6th Dolakha International Chess Tournament 2026 in Nepal. Suyog earned a standard rating of 1495 and a rapid rating of 1595, while Aarav achieved a standard rating of 1478 and a rapid rating of 1570.