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

FIRST IN SIKKIM SERIES:  To Shri Dille Singh Ghale goes the credit of being the first Forest Manager of the Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim in 1905, and such was his dedication towards his duty that he did not even let off his wife for not following Forest Rules. His wife had illegally brought a head load of firewood from the forest area illegally, for which Dille Singh Ghale imposed a fine of five rupees on her. Despite the intervention of Durbar, his wife was not able to seek any help, and eventually, she paid off the fine. The incident shows how firm and sincere he was towards his duty.  It was under his direction that the classification and demarcation of forest land into three categories of Reserve Forest, Khasmal, and Gorucharan were done and notified from 1908 to 1912. The basis of scientific forest management was thus initiated by him. He is also the person behind the publication of the first Forest Manual in 1914.  About his contribution, he can eventual...

I was not born when Sikkim got merged with the mighty Indian Union, but being a student of Sikkim History, all that is available to me is a rack of books by different authors and those old folks who had been part of that historical “April ‘73’ Agitation”.  When I go through the history of Sikkim, April ‘73 Agitation holds an important role, mostly as the turning point of the Independent Sikkim and the Sikkim State. The mass demonstrations against the Chogyal rule shocked the 300-year-old monarchy system and ushered in democratic rule in Sikkim.  The agitation was a result “due to big differences which ensued with the demand of repoll in one booth by Kazi Lhendup Dorji and Mr. Krishna Chandra Pradhan, as such the Chogyal had to face the people’s agitation launched by the Joint Action Committee with the tacit blessings of the Government of India. This people’s political movement spearheaded by Kazi Lhendup Dorji finally resulted in Sikkim joining the mainstream as the 22nd State...

Lets also speak through old photographs.... The two photographs taken during 1973 revolt against monarchy rule shows two different pictures of the pre-merger activity at Sikkim that changed the political scenario of the then independent Himalayan Kingdom. The place shown in both pictures is MG Marg at the heart of Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim.