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

{ I started writing columns in newspapers with an article on my grandfather some twelve years back, and today, when I flip over the pages of bygone days, I do see his intuition upon me in things that other people care little about.  This article is my tribute to my grandfather for what I am today!! ]   The rain failed to mar the funeral procession of my grandfather at Rongli, his birthplace.  Thirteen days passed by, and in the last two weeks, it is clear weather that has helped his relatives and well-wishers to give their last visit to offer prayers at his residence. I do notice a silence and emptiness around my grandfather's residence. Despite the moving crowds, his absence is felt. His commanding voice and the way he wanted his family members to unite on every occasion echo in my small mind.   Siba Narayan Pradhan, more popular as Sibay Gurubau, was a couple of months short of his ninety birthday when he passed away, and he was the oldest person in Rongli. He i...

Gnathang at the height of 13000 ft is a beautiful place compared to Ladhak in north India. I have been to this place few times and each time the charm of this silent valley attracts me. Be it the famed British cemetery or the Baba Dham nearby, this place do have visitors all the year. My last visit to Ganathang that was on 14.09.2014 had something new to add to my readers. I came upon a white capped redstart. Basically, I had been much familiar with this bird species at Shantinagar, Singtam, my home that I find every time I visit the nearby river. The elevation of my place is around 1400 ft and it did amaze me to find one at the height of 13000 ft. Later I get to know that that this bird was in a breed phase. It was normal for this bird to reach for higher altitudes for breeding. Only one bird was found at an undergoing construction house, moving around. White capped redstart is popular river water bird and can be prominently distinguished with its white pattern on its head...

[I had been collecting stamps for the last six years but it was only after I got into the postal history of Sikkim, the name philately had a new meaning to me. I looked for more information and talked with many of my acquaintances across India, the USA, and Germany in regard to the early days of Sikkim's Postal History. The more I went deeper, the more information was coming out and to my surprise, the first picture of Sikkim’s Postal History went much ahead to 1861.] An envelope carried by a runner from Yatung to Rawalpindi through Sikkim in 1861 Nick Rhodes in his “ Notes on Postal History of Sikkim (1888-1947)”  mentions a rare philatelic postal envelope that was sent from Yatong on March 5 th,  1861 presumably carried by a military runner. The mail had reached Darjeeling (via Sikkim) that had its cancellation B68 and dispatched with a red Darjeeling Dispatch mark on March 9 th .    The envelope also had a postal mark of Meerut and Rawalpindi. Though no mail ...

Postal envelope showing the Rangpo cancellation of 1909 Last year I read in one of the daily newspapers from Gangtok mentioning the heritage status to be given to the Rangpo Post Office for being the second oldest post office in Sikkim. Truly, it is an appreciating gesture but how correct is it to give the year of establishment as 1927. I rushed through other newspapers that carried the story but I did not find any changes in the year of establishment. Surprisingly, being related to philately I felt I need to provide some input about Sikkim's Postal History. So how about this, I have a scan of postal envelopes with a clear postal cancellation of Rangpo that reads 9 October 1909. So it makes a clear picture that Rangpo Post Office was set up prior to 1909.   On a similar account, I read in the newspapers about Rhenock making a bid for the first post office in Sikkim. I am not so sure about the old post offices; here I am talking about the houses in which the post office was se...

Frozen Water " Ice Cone" at Gnathang Frozen Water " Ice Cone" at Gnathang

Gnathang is at an altitude of about 12000 feet. Pin Code : 737102 

I found this photograph inside a monastery at Gnathang, near Nathula Border. Very little is known about these people but the local people added that the person sitting was the Rimpoche of the Gnathang Monastery and the people surrounding were Sikkimese officials from British Administration.  Gnathang, situated at around 12,000 feet above sea level is the most crucial place in Sikkim that changed the political scenario of Sikkim's royal administration. A battle was fought between the British and Tibetans where with the defeat of the Tibetans, Sikkim too came under the scanner of becoming the British Protectorate. Thus Sikkim's administration went into the hands of the British. the year was 1890.  30.09.24: Mentioned on Facebook Page 'Naldjor' Tsampa Lama Ngathang Lingpa -  He is also known as Burma Lama (bur ma bla ma) as he later left Sikkim and went to Burma. Some even say he originally came from Burma. Actually some twenty years ago there arrived a letter from Ran...

Re-Incarnation Organisation concluded its annual day 2009 with the final of Inter Village level Volleyball tournament and Open Dance competition, which was held at the Parakha School premises yesterday. The programme attended by a large number of people from nearby areas saw several village rural sports participated by school students and locals. GS Pradhan, former educator and senior citizen from Parakha was also felicitated on the occasion. The volleyball tournament was won by Shantideep Sangh from Bara Pathing defeating Kanchenjunga Club from Linkey in a closely fought match. The dance competition was won by young school going student groups from Modern Dance Academy, Rongli. The winners were awarded a trophy and cash. Speaking on the occasion, Praveen ...

As always when I come across stories related to Sikkim history my feet have no boundaries. I had heard about a small war memorial at Gnathang along the Sikkim-Tibet border a few years back but due to unavoidable circumstances, I was not able to visit that place. So when I set foot at Gnathang this March I was very excited. Well, there is a War Memorial in Gnathang but more than that a neglected one. Despite its historic importance, I believe it has lost its existence. The dry overgrown grasses and the broken nameplates of the memorial speak of the negligence. World history remembers the event as the Sikkim Expedition in 1888. There are around 15 graveyards in the War Memorial of those soldiers representing the British Expeditionary Force that fought a war against the Tibetan Army in 1888 at Gnathang. The British Force stayed at this remote mountainous corner between 1888 to 1895 and the memorial reflects the determination and grit of those people most of whom were in their mid-20s and ...