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

Darjeeling, April 21: Lakpa Bhuti overcame her natural embarrassment and got tonsured in public to show the Tibetan men and women standing around her that nothing should come before their love for phayul (fatherland). It was 10am at Chowrastha in Darjeeling and the Tibetans had gathered there to observe Black Monday to protest against the recent Chinese crackdown on their brethren in Tibet. Bhuti (top) shows the way to the other protesters and children with tonsured heads and the Tibetan flag painted on their faces. Pictures by Suman Tamang Until the moment Bhuti came forward and got her head shaved, the crowd appeared hesitant about its chosen form of protest. Bhuti’s act broke the spell. ...

Siliguri has a high number of Tibetan exiles A powerful explosion has ripped through a house in the Indian state of West Bengal, killing at least three people. A police chief said the dead have not yet been identified, but that they may be Tibetans. The owner of the house, in the town of Siliguri, said that it was rented by a Tibetan exile who said he was using it in connection with a computer business. But the police maintained that after the blast they recovered a large quantity of explosives and detonators. They say that timers were also discovered. Police said those killed were perhaps members of an underground group who had rented the house by providing false identities. The BBC's north-east India correspondent says that Siliguri - in the north of the state of West Bengal - has been used as a base or transit point for a number of...

During the course of the 18th & 19th centuries British forces were almost constantly engaged in conflict somewhere on the planet, mostly in and around the periphery of the Indian sub-continent. A consequence of these obscure and long forgotten colonials wars is a sprinking of memorials to the sons of Cumbrian gentry who died in these far flung places. One such is at Greystoke - (I think! This picture was taken by a friend and we omitted to make a record of where). It commemorates Lieutenant Edmund Hudleston, Royal Artillery, 6th son of William Hudleston of Hutton John, who died in 1889 at Padong in the eastern Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, famous for the great peak of Kangenjunga. The reason Hudleston was there is quite complicated, a consequence of British imperial shenanigans. Sikkim came to the attention of the British Raj as a consequence of expansionist Nepalese policies which in 1814 led to war between the two countries leading to the defeat of the Nepalis in 1816. In 1...

Shillong Tibetan’s family ready to make ‘supreme sacrifice’ for freedom E.M. JOSE Shillong, March 28: Tsering Dolma’s face shows no signs of pain. What shines bright in her eyes is the fierce determination of a woman who is ready to die for a cause for which her husband tried to give his life on Wednesday. Tsering, wife of Shillong-based Tibetan Kalsang Damdul, who attempted self-immolation on Wednesday on the Sikkim-Bengal border, today said she and her two-year-old son were ready for the “supreme sacrifice” for Tibet and its people. Damdul had said his action was spurred by his “inner voice”. Cradling her child at their Jhalupara residence in Shillong, Tsering said she was “brimming with courage and confidence” after the brave act by her husband. “For the sake of Tibet, we are ready to sacrifice our lives and even our child.” There are nearly 700 Tibetans in various parts of Shillong. Most of them either run restaurants or sell fruits and clothing. It was on March 1...

It was yet another day, this was day three of protest against the Brutal Chinese Regime. The Peaceful Marcher's who took the long trek from Siliguri on 20th March arrrived here at the Sikkim Border On 23rd of march.Till than they have been protesting for the lackadaiscal move by the Sikkimese Government, since they have not been allowed to gain access into the capital of Sikkim. Today is the Third day of Protest,and they even called for unanimous decision to launch Indefinite hunger strike continuing from yesterday, for not letting them access. The youth's resentment was clearly visible about how deep the conflict was in Tibet. They are still determined to enter the border, but the spearhead of their organization have called for patience and perseverance.There was even an attempt by one for the protestor's to inflame himself with,but immediately he was stopped by the Indian Police and the Tibetan Volunteer's who were also controlling their friends situation. ...

Tibet & Sikkim By Teo Lempesis Standard Landscape 10x8 inches (25x20 cm) 64 pages Published: February 27, 2008