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

 Nanda Kirati Dewan, a journalist from Assam traces the origin of the Gorkhas in India. Many people have misconceptions about the Gorkhas in India - that they are foreigners and have migrated from Nepal. There could not be a greater mistake than this. The Gorkhas are in fact the aborigines of India and they can trace their history back to ancient times. The Gorkha community is the product of Indo-Aryan and Mongoloid assimilation from ages past. As a linguistic group, they can trace their origin back to Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman beginnings. In fact, the Gorkhas consist of both Indo-Aryan and Mongoloid racial groups. In the Mahabharata and Manusmriti names of Khasa are mentioned. They are in fact the Gorkhas. The Gorkhas spoke the language then known as Khaskura Khasas as a community existed in Nepal which it later changed to another ethnic name. The Lichchhavis, one of the aboriginal tribes of India originally lived in the plains of present Nepal. During the early centu...

 by Nanda Kirati Dewan Photo Journalist/ Reporter; Guwahati (Assam) INDIA Gangtok based senior journalist from Sikkim Bijay Bantawa who is in Guwahati in a ten day visit for ground study on various spheres of life of Gorkhas in Assam today met members of various Gorkha organizations that includes All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU), Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh; Assam State Committee, Nepali Sahitya Kala Niketan, Nepali Mandir Prabandhak Samitee. The formal meeting presided by Purna Chetri Gorkha columnist and journalist was attended by Dr. Shanti Thapa  Assistant Editor “Hamro Dhwani”, Rohit Goutam Deputy Editor “Saparivar”, Nanda Kirati Dewan Guwahati Bureau Chief “Gorkha Times” , Gokarna Mishra former Executive Editor “Saparivar”, Sanjay Pradhan Publisher “Hamro Dhwani” and poetess Indu Prava Devi also representatives of the named organizations.  The “Meet and Greet Bijay Bantawa” program was held at the office of AAGSU, Gorkha Thakurbari ...

The Government of Assam today gifted One Lakh rupees to Junior International Boxer Shiva Thapa at Guwahati. Sports minister Bharat Chandra Narah handed over the cheque to Shiva Thapa. Also present on the occassion was Deba Bora, Press Adv to CM) and Hemanta Kumar Kalita (Hony Secretary, AABA) . His boxing ring performance put in the picture more than his age, ten boxing gold and three bronze medals from 14 national and international tournaments that he had participated can make any sports lover go crazy. But it isn’t in case of Shiva Thapa, a 16 year old promising boxer from Assam still in his teens. From his haul of 13 medals three had been achieved in foreign soils representing India. A gold medal in 50 kg category representing India at Hyder Aliyev International Boxing Championship held in Azerbaijan, Baku (May 2008) while two bronze medals were achieved at The IV International Sports Games "Children of Asia" held in Yakutia in 50 kg category (July 2008) and AIBA Worl...

  Nanda Kirati Dewan, Guwahati 14 th Oct. Guwahati: The All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union (AAGSU) the apex students’ body of Gorkhas of Assam last evening took out a mass candle light torch rally today in memory of the Bhimajuli killings and prayers for speed recovery of those injured in the violence through out Assam . In the capital city Guwahati the Kamrup Dist. Committee along with the office bearers of AAGSU central committee took to street with candle in hands at 6pm from the historic Nepali Mandir premises. Flagging off the rally by lighting a earthen lamp and offering prayers to all the deceased and injured Dil Bahadur Limboo President; AAGSU condemned the most inhuman act of violence in Bhimajuli that claimed as many as 14 lives that left some hundred in feared state of mind when National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) militants indiscriminately fired on houses of the people on 4 th Oct 2009 Sunday. Unfortunately 8 out of 14 killed were Gorkhas so the AAGSU is...

His boxing ring performance put in the picture more than his age, ten boxing gold and three bronze medals from 14 national and international tournaments that he had participated in can make any sports lover go crazy. But it isn’t in the case of Shiva Thapa, a 16-year-old promising boxer from Assam still in his teens. From his haul of 13 medals, three had been achieved in foreign soils representing India.  A gold medal in 50 kg category representing India at Hyder Aliyev International Boxing Championship held in Azerbaijan, Baku (May 2008) while two bronze medals were achieved at The IV International Sports Games "Children of Asia" held in Yakutia in 50 kg category (July 2008) and AIBA World Junior Boxing Championship held in Yerevan, Armenia in 52 kg category (May 2009). Shiva Thapa Ranked world number two after Sergey Krasnitsky from Russia in Junior World Male Rankings in 50 kg/110 lbs Flyweight Division, Shiva Thapa is in Gangtok along with his father Padam Tha...