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

Old photographs do take you to those bygone days and one such moment was when Tashi Lama, one of my very good friends from Singtam sent me an old school photograph. He was a class junior to me at East Point English School at Singtam now more famous and upgraded to East Point SSS. Tashi sent me two photographs and both of them were more than nostalgic for me and I do remember that particular moment. The dance program was performed by the school students during the 1990 Independence Day at Singtam Mandi Bazaar. The ground is no more here, instead a shopping complex has been erected. In almost 19 years I have forgotten the names of a few guys who were dancing then. The two people that really excited me in the photograph were Sapna Verma and Pem Tshring Bhutia. Thanks to the internet, I came across Sapna after more than 18 years this late winter and it was more than pleasure exchanging scraps with her. With Pem Tshering, we studied from Nursery to class xii after which he left for veterina...

Goal.com Indian skipper Bhaichung Bhutia stated that one of the key reasons why the team has been performing well in the last few years is that there haven’t been many changes... India have won the Nehru Cup twice and also confirmed their participation in the 2011 Asian Cup by winning the AFC Challenge Cup. The Nehru Cup Player of the Tournament feels that this has got to do a lot with the same set of players being in the squad. “We were not very consistent in this tournament but we won when it mattered the most. The team has been doing well for the last two-to-three years. Previously, there have been too many changes in the national set-up and hence no continuity. “If you see the best teams around the world, they have a fixed set of players. It’s not that those who do well domestically wouldn’t get a chance as in the last camp, we did see a lot of new faces,” said the Sikkimese Sniper. Bhaichung was all praise for Subrata Paul but added that India need to improve on its defending from...

Bhaichung Bhutia, the only Indian football player to have played 100 international matches was a class junior to me during my schooling days. When i was in class xii studying at TNSSS as a PCB student he was at class xi at TNA but busy with football boots. I still remember watching him play against our school football team. The year than was 1992-93. The matches between TNSS and TNA was nothing short of what the cricketing world have curiousness when India plays Pakistan. None of the teams wanted to loose. TNSSS never had that excellent players like Sherap, Ram and Laxuman, the twin brothers and Bhaichung himself that capitulated many famous wins for their school TNA but they could give them a strong fight for the result of the matches. Bhaichung was already a star in his schooling days and his Boys club, the most popular football team at Gangtok. By the end of 1993 he shifted to Kolkata and he never looked back. So today when i read on newspapers people of all age praising for Bha...

Photographs shared by Arpan Pradhan Bhaichung Bhutia being welcome at Gangtok after winning the dance competition on Sony Channel. The show Jhalak Dhikla Jaa had Bhaichung Bhutia sharing dance stage with many celebrity stars and eventually winning the show with his choreographer Sonia.

from Sikkim Reporter Gangtok: Padmashri Baichung Bhutia, India’s Ace footballer and now winner of 3rd Jhalak-dekhla-ja thanked all his well wishers in press conference on Sunday at a hotel here. He attributed his success in Jhalak-dekhla-ja to two reasons. One, a good choreographer like Sonia; two, SMS vote support he got from his well wishers in Sikkim, Darjeeling, Kalimpong and other places. “Within the two months of the dance competition, we (Mohan Bagan) won I-League Supper Cup football”, Baichung told reporters, adding, “I give first preference to football because that is my career while dance is only a part of my experience and now I will be back again playing football”. Sharing his dancing experience with reporters he said, “When I won the trophy that was my happiest moment but when I first performed in the stage I felt sad because first dance was not in sink with music and track”. He th...

PHOTOGPAPHED BY SHITAL PRADHAN FROM PALZOR STADIUM

BY SHITAL PRADHAN FROM PALZOR STADIUM Gangtok : Expected to be the best match of the event the finals at the 30th All India Governor's Gold Cup was not as interesting as it would had been. Nepal's Three Star club won by a solitary goal when the play was 20 minute remaining. The first half of the game went goal less and dominated by the Army Eleven.But luck along with prayers of the entire spectators played more to Nepal boys. Twice in the game the ball kicked by the Army player hit the goal post denying them moments of joy. Kiran Chamjang There were many times when Army team solely dominated the game but towards the end one single chance and Nepal team grabbed the opportunity. Entire stadium wanted Nepal to win but the irony of all the Army team won the heart of entire stadium. Kishore Rai, jersey no. 9 scored the winning goal. Admist the slackly first half by the winning team and the little better second half it was the goalie Kiran Chamjang the hero of the match. It was Kiran...

I am not a football fanatic, but I cannot deny the fact that when such a significant event is being held in my own state, I can't ignore what's happening. It has been a long time since I last watched a football match at Palzor Stadium in Gangtok—perhaps more than ten years. I still remember the last state tournament I attended, which was way back in 1997 when our very own Bhaichung Bhutia played his first tournament in his home state after a successful season with East Bengal. I vividly recall his incredible bicycle kick in one of the matches during the Santosh Trophy while representing Bengal, which helped make Bhaichung the star he is today. The crowds naturally flocked to the stadium when he played in Gangtok during an event like the Governor's Gold Cup. I was there with my younger brother, just to watch Bhaichung. Ironically, Bhaichung was a year junior to me during our schooling days. When I was preparing for my class twelve examination at Tashi Namgyal Senior Secondar...