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

Regarding Sikkim's perspective, the first three  Everest Expeditions hold special significance for a person named Gyalzen Kazi, who was a landlord but played an important role during the expeditions. Gyalzen Kazi was the interpreter for the 1921 Everest and 1922 and 1924 Expeditions.  It is well said that Gyalzen Kazi and Karma Paul, another interpreter from Darjeeling, had a significant role in the Everest Expeditions. Gyalzen Kazi was known more for his role as an interpreter but to my findings, he was the first mountain explorer of Sikkim. Another interesting finding that came to me was the page of the Aritar Dak Bungalow Visitor Book with the names of five 1922 Mt Everest Expedition mountaineers. Charles G. Bruce, Edward "Teddy" F. Norton, Dr Arthur Wakefield, C. John Morris, and C. Geoffrey Bruce had signed the visitor book during their stay at the Dak Bungalow on July 29 and 30, 1922.  Though I felt a little sad not to find Mallory’s name in the book, nevertheless...

As the old saying goes, legend never dies. George Mallory and his teammate Sandy Irvine went missing while trying for their third attempt to conquer the mighty Mt. Everest when they were just a few hundred meters below the summit. The year was 1924, and 75 years later, a search team was lucky enough to recover the legendary Mallory's body with his badge struck on his weathered cloth.  This story of George Herbert Leigh Mallory has always fascinated my little fantasy. My excitation knew no boundary when I read that Mallory, on three separate Mt Everest Expeditions (1921, 1922, and 1924), had passed through the valley of Sikkim on their way to Mt Everest from the north side of Tibet since the route through Nepal was closed for Western foreigners. The failure of the 1921 and 1922 Everest Expeditions did not deter him. He once replied to a reporter, ‘Because it is there,’ when asked why he wanted to scale Everest. The phrase went on to be a record book as one of the popular phrases...

A Special Cover featuring the Legend –Tenzing Norgay was released from the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling today commemorating the 105th Birth Anniversary of the Legend. The cover was released at a function organized by the HMI celebrating the 105th Birth Anniversary of Tenzing Norgay . After conquering the highest mountain peak – Mount Everest in 1953 with Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay was always associated with the HMI, Darjeeling ever since its establishment in the year 1954. He was the first Director of Field Training of the HMI and an advisor till his death. A special cover is a cover (an envelope) that is released for a special person, occasion, monument or place.  It has to be approved by the Postal Department of India. They are released in limited quantities and so they hold philatelic values and are sought by Philatelists and collectors all around. The special cover and the special cancellation for the event were d...

PIC: BENTLEY BENTHEM As the old saying goes by, legend never dies. George Mallory and his teammate Sandy Irvine while trying for his third attempt to conquer the mighty Mt Everest went missing when they were just a few hundred meters below the summit. The year then was 1924 and it was 75 years later a search team was lucky enough to dig out the missing corpse of the legendary Mallory with his badge struck on his weathered cloth.    This story of George Herbert Leigh Mallory had always fascinated my little fantasy. My excitation knew no boundary when I came to read that Mallory on three separate Mt Everest Expeditions (1921, 1922 and 1924) had passed through the valley of Sikkim on their way to Mt Everest from the north side of Tibet since the route through Nepal was closed for western foreigners.  Failure of the 1921 and 1922 Everest Expedition did not deter him. He once replied to a reporter ‘Because it is there’ when asked why he wanted to scale the Everest. It is...