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

 

21.06.2021 : The 69th Battalion of Sashastra Seema Bal in Rhenock (East Sikkim) organized International Yoga Day. All force personnel, from the Border Out Post at Lungthung (at a height of 12,725 feet) to the headquarters of the 69th Battalion in Rhenock, participated in the event. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all necessary precautions were taken, including social distancing, to ensure the safety of the unit personnel during the event.

Ganesh Pradhan, Sikkim State Awardee, founder of famed Ram Gauri Sangralaya and Evergreen Nursery from Rhenock called me up last week and very excitedly said – my Nolina plant gave flower. I could feel his happiness that could be compared to excitement of a child. Over the years, Ganesh Aja (my relationship with him) had always shared his happiness with me and when he talked about the flowering of a plant, I too felt there was something special. He told me this species of flowers in thirty years. He had never seen or heard this flower bloom in any part of Sikkim till now. To me, this flower was exceptional and I felt it should be documented. I don’t deny the fact that this plant might have flowered in Sikkim but documentation is important, so my interest grew in it. Beaucarnea recurvata , locally known as Nolina or most popularly identified as Elephant’s foot or Pony Tail palm is a xerophyte flowering plant. Native of Mexico, this plant is one of the most popular ornamenta...

RONGLI, OCTOBER 20 : Students of Riverine Elementary School, Melatar, Rongli from classes 4 to 8 went for an educational tour at Rhenock on October 18. The school team was escorted by Bikki Rai, Principal, and Yamuna Rai, Incharge. The places of the visit included Government College Rhenock and Ram Gauri Sangrahalaya, Rhenock.  The students explored different sections of the library, computer science laboratory, classes, and administrative building of the Government College. At Ram Gauri Sangralaya the students and teachers enjoyed the collections of old manuscripts, driftwood arts, philately section, and other museum collectibles. They also visited the EverGreen Nursery nearby.  The students recorded information they learned from their field trip. Nehal Das, Sita Sharma, Anisha Pradhan, and Radhika Pradhan were other teachers present at the trip. Bikki Rai, the Principal thanked the attendants from the college faculty who helped students throughout th...

SINGTAM, May 08 : Sikkim Philatelic and Numismatic Society held its General Meeting at Rhenock on May 6. The meeting was first for the new year and many important talks on the development of the hobbies in the state were discussed at Ganesh Pradhan, President SPNS’s residence. Present on the occasion was Anand Yonzone, Director, North Point Academy, and Mrs. Nilema Yonzone both from Darjeeling, along with members of SPNS from Darjeeling, Siliguri, and Sikkim. Anand Yonzone chaired the meeting that decided to work on different plans for the year 2018. Some important matters included a display of philatelic and numismatic exhibits at different places of Sikkim, philatelic workshops at different schools, membership drives, a celebration of SPNS’s 12 th  anniversary. Shital Pradhan, Secretary, SPNS was the host of the day. Ganesh Pradhan, President, SPNS gave the welcome speech. On the behalf of SPNS, Pradhan congratulated Roshan Prasad and Vivek Yonzone for their Silver med...

SINGTAM, JUNE 13: Eminent Philatelists from Sikkim and West Bengal jointly celebrated the completion of ten years of the Sikkim Philatelic Society . A get-together was organized at Ram-Gauri Sangralaya, Rhenock to mark the occasion where a small philatelic exhibition cum General Meeting of the Society was also held. The highlight of the day was the renaming of Sikkim Philatelic Society as Sikkim Philatelic and Numismatic Society . Plan to organize a stamp exhibition in September; formation of hobby club in schools, membership drive, and others was discussed. A general meeting was held where Sushil Karthak , a well-known philatelist from Siliguri , and Ravi Sevak , philatelist and numismatic expert from Kolkata was the President and the chairperson.  Different matters of importance for the development and the promotion of the hobby were discussed. Ganesh Pradhan , President of Sikkim Philatelic Society gave the welcome speech and appreciated the presence of the distingu...

This photograph from the book 'The Gates of Thibet' is the only photograph of Taksari Chandrabir Pradhan. The photo was taken in 1893 at Rhenock Bazaar, he is sitting next to Rhenock Kazi, and Louis the author next to him standing. There were six Taksari families in Sikkim who were addressed as “Taksari”. Those Taksari included Lachhimidas Pradhan, Kancha Chandrabir Pradhan, Chandbir Pradhan Maskey of Pakyong, Jitman Singh Pradhan, Prasad Singh Chettri of Tarku Estate, and Bharaddoj Gurung of Khani Goan. “Kanchenjunga” magazine published from Gangtok in the early 1960s in one of its issues carried an article on Taksaari Chandrabir Pradhan, the same man behind the introduction of Sikkim’s coin system. It said Taksaari Chandrabir Pradhan received the royal order from the Chogyal to cut down the jungles and set up a dweller at Singtam. He further went up to establish Rangpo and Pakyong too.

The - 10, Nagarik Uthhann Seva Sanstha, a voluntary social welfare society based at Rhenock carried out a social venture on August 23 by providing some relief materials to the 40 victims, mostly students of age 7 to 14 years at Chhuba, Kolakham West Bengal. The children had been residing at a relief camp at Lingseykha MSK School. The July 7, 2015 landslide tragedy had affected 81 families in that area. Similar drives were also conducted a month back for those affected families. The organization had provided school stationaries including books, copies, geometry boxes, uniforms, slippers, and others.  Eatery things, medicines, and other needful items were also distributed at the camp.

 first published in SPARK magazine, edited by Shital Pradhan “…..his hunger never stops.” This often-repeated phrase echoed by many of his friends aptly suits the persona of Mr. Ganesh Kumar Pradhan. Known mostly among the associates as a humble and soft-spoken gentleman, this grandfather has so far successfully carved a niche of himself among the odds.                               His Ram Gauri Sangalaya, named after his parent’s name is a self-made personal museum that has in a short time capitulated his name and fame across the state and beyond. The three-story museum house has had visitors including the Governor of Sikkim Shri V. Rama Rao, numerous ministers, MLAs, Chief Secretaries, DGPs, High ranked officials from Army, and others beyond the state to have been to his home. Some of the noted personalities of ‘who is who’ of Nepal...

In my little knowledge, there are two instances that a tortoise was ever recorded in Sikkim, on both occasions the tortoise was reported to be Indotestudo elongata .     * The first recorded instance was during the last week of July 2008 a little yellow tortoise was found by two labours working at the site of a Rock Garden construction, at the base of nearby Tarey Bhir (South Sikkim) on the bank of a seasonal rivulet called Khanni Khola. that was later identified by Usha Lachungpa Sr. Research Officer (WL), she identified it as a male Sal Forest Tortoise Indotestudo elongata (Blyth) of the Family Testudinidae. * The second finding was from Chalamthang near Rhenock (East Sikkim) on June 27, 2011 . The yellowish color tortoise weighed around 3.5 to 4 Kg. It was later taken to Kitam Bird Sanctuary. It was rescued by Mani Kumar Pradhan, resident of Chalamthang. The department confirmed the species as Indotestudo elongata , an endangered species. This cold-bloo...

[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 ...