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

Today I happened to cross the Rangchang Khola Bridge, the very steel bridge that is in news after its collapse few weeks back. More of a first time happening Bridge collapse in Sikkim, I was taken aback when I heard the news for the very first time. I was still at Dalapchand when the incident happened and I received a call from Bajgain daju wanting me to find information about the incident. When I came across the debris of the ill-fated steel bridge I wasn’t able to believe that this was the very bridge that I had walked through when I was on the visit to Mangan and its surroundings during Earthquake relief work. I still remember clicking photographs of the panoramic beauty of the valley from the bridge. More than ten people had died when a concrete steel bridge collapsed over Rangchang khola (river) around 1.15 pm in North Sikkim. According to news media the bridge collapsed due to the weight of a 48 wheelers truck carrying power equipment. The truck was loaded with heavy weight ...

News and Photographs by DEEPAK SHARMA MANGAN, October 3: Due to earthquake measuring 6.8 scales on Sept.18th by 6.12 pm the North Sikkim was hardly affected at Saffo, Chungthang, Dzongu and Mangan. Till 22nd Sept. total 41 death cases was been confirmed in North Sikkim. Details of deceased bought at Mangan Distt.hospital for post mortem on Sept.19th & 20th- Teesta Urja Ltd. Saffo, Audit-V (9persons, Bisnu Lama, Tek Bdr Subba, Santosh Kr Singh, Ranjit Nath, Narayan Darjee, Gopal Gurung, Dambar Subedi, Dinesh Rai & Binu Lama), Abir Construction, Saffo, Audit-V(2prsn, DD Gupta in DGM post & another staff is unidentified still), Local people at Saffo(2persons, Tashi Lepcha, Panchayat Saffo & Passang N Lepcha staff of Mangan SSA), Barfok(1, Norzang Lepcha), Toong(1, Ganga Rai) and Mangan, Ambithang, Belivers Church, Pastor(1, Nirmala Tamang) and GREF 86 RCC, Lachen(1, Vijay Kumar)of Himachal Pradesh. On 21st Sept, 12 deceased bodies were bought at Mangan, Ringhim hel...

New Heaven Dance Institute, Singtam, East Sikkim is all set to come with state-level dance competition “Sikkim Dance Ka Maha Mukabla” to nurture the local promising talents within the state to the national level under the banner of Red Panda Rover Crew, Singtam. “Sikkim Dance Ka Maha Mukabla” is to begin on June 10, 2010, at Gorkha Dharamsala, Singtam. The dance competition shall feature junior and senior groups. The junior dance competition shall have participants below 14 years and feature solo dance while for the senior category, the competition participants should be above 14-24 years and they have to compete in a group dance. A group dance category shall feature 9 participants.  Winners of the Junior Category shall be rewarded with Rs 10,000 while the first runner-up shall be presented with Rs 5,000 along with trophies and certificates respectively. Similarly in the Senior Category, the bumper prize is Rs 25,000 while the first runner-up shall be presented with Rs 15,000 alo...