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

In recent times I am very impressed with the work Barun Roy is doing in his blog http://beacononline.wordpress.com/. Through the exchange of emails, we do correspondence and I too had an opportunity to get published some of my articles. With Barun Roy's blog each day I get to read new information from the past that gives me immense pleasure. In today's news, he put on a proposed map of Pakistan designed by Chaudary Rehmat Ali and the interesting input there is the region of Sikkim merged in it. The map is set prior to pre-independence days. Ali is the founder of the Pakistan National Movement. He coined the word "Pakistan" for 30 million Muslims who lived in the five northern units of India; Punjab, North West Frontier (Afghan) Province, Kashmir, Sindh and Baluchistan. He spoke of an independent homeland for Muslims, Pakistan, in the northern units of India, "Bang-i-Islam" for Muslims in Bengal, and "Usmanistan" for the Muslims in Hyderabad-Deccan...

By Barun Roy GJM’s paranoia with Subash Ghisingh could ultimately lead to it checkmating itself. GNLF and Subash Ghisingh by not offering resistance to the GJM Anti-Subash, Anti Sixth Schedule could land itself in the good books of the tribals with majority in the villages and tea gardens. GJM should at this very moment should be lobbying at New Delhi against the Sixth Schedule Bill not laying seize over Subash Ghisingh. ‘Fast Unto Death’ should have been carried out in all the state capitals of India not in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Kurseong and if possible abroad. Indefinite strike has party antagonized people. It should be immediately lifted. “What the hell is going on here?” was the question that I was greeted with at the market yesterday by a friend of mine, who had arrived from Germany and along with his wife just wanted to stretch his legs at one of the premier hotels in Darjeeling. “I tried to call you up but as usual you were no where to be found. We ha...

Lal kothi, now the seat of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council(DGHC) was once a place dedicated to Queen Bhawani Dewan Roy and originally known as ‘Gori wilas’. Maharajah Prasad Nath Roy had build it in the likeness of a western villa and was in fact the Maharaja’s own private ‘Taj Mahal’ dedicated to his beloved wife. During the British Raj itself, Giri. wilas became very popular among the British officers as the king and the queen hosted sumptuous parties. It is said that British officers would be seen hurrying towards Giri.wilas in caravans of rickshaws to attend one of such parties. Darjeeling also being the summer Capital of Bengal, even the Governor was said to have been a frequent visitor. However, the British fascination of the Palace and its surrounding eventually worked against the Maharaja as it was ultimately occupied by the British Government in 1942, who took possession of the same ‘out of reasons of the Maharaja’s inability to the maintain the palace’. In 19...