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

Statesman News Service SILIGURI, Dec. 7: The Gorkha National Liberation Front has resolved to revive the demand for a separate Gorkhaland state in case the Centre failed to clear the Darjeeling Sixth Schedule Bill in the next session of Parliament. The resolution was adopted at the GNLF's branch committee meetings, held simultaneously in Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik today. While the meeting in Darjeeling held was presided over by the branch committee president, Mr Deepak Gurung, at Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik the meetings were chaired by Mr Indra Narayan Pradhan, Mr Dawa Pakhrin and Mr LB Rai, respectively. “All the branch committees have unanimously resolved to serve the Centre an ultimatum for it to clear the Bill in the next session of the Parliament, failing which, the GNLF would revive the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state,” Mr Deepak Gurung said. Accusing the Centre of backtracking from the in-principle agreement, Mr Gu...

Statesman News Service GANGTOK, June 11: Having failed to vote for the Indian Idol contestant Prashant Tamang due to the alleged congestion in the mobile network, locals ransacked the Reliance office here today. The residents of the town alleged that congestion in the mobile network of the Reliance and BSNL, two major cellular service providers in the state, has made it difficult for them to vote for Prashant. Trouble broke out after a Reliance official allegedly misbehaved with one Ms Freza Singh when she called up the company’s customer care centre in Siliguri yesterday to lodge a complaint regarding poor network. Locals went berserk when Ms Singh brought the matter to their notice today. They visited the Reliance office here and demanded a written apology from the Reliance officials. Mr Nikunj Bihari, manager of the Reliance’s Sikkim branch, sought three hours’ time from the agitators to take a decision. After three hours passed and Mr Bihari failed to submit a writt...

Statesman News Service GANGTOK, June 7: Never before did a policeman arrest so many people at one go. He is doing it but, arresting their imagination by the thousands. He is Prashant Tamang, a policeman by profession and an Indian Idol aspirant by choice. Prashant, young, savvy and talented is a Darjeeling born boy. He has climbed several notches in the programme reaching a round from where he could well emerge as the Indian Idol. Whether he does or not, he has taken Sikkim by storm and the people here are showing it. They gathered on the streets, on sidewalks and parks today to express solidarity with the performer. “Go ahead, we are with you,” was the collective wish for the potential champ as they one and sundry got busy punching cell phone buttons to cast that one more vote which might help him scrape through to the next round. “He is our man,” claimed a proud DIG Range Mr Akshay Sachdeva today, obviously excited with the achievement of a fellow man in uniform. Cele...