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

A fascinating anecdote about the legendary singer Kishore Kumar's visit to Sikkim surfaced on social media, shedding light on a remarkable moment in his life. This incident is believed to have taken place during the late '60s or early '70s, at Nathula, Sikkim, near the India-China border. The iconic singer was invited to perform in front of the Indian Army stationed there.  During this momentous occasion, Sunil Dutt, a respected Bollywood actor and close friend of Kishore Kumar, encouraged him to sing on stage. However, Kishore Kumar had to overcome with nervousness, compounded by the cold weather in the region. Initially, he hesitated to take the stage. Drawing inspiration from their successful collaboration in the movie "Padosan," they devised a clever plan. Kishore da agreed to sing but from behind Sunil Dutt, as a way to ease his apprehension.  As the performance commenced, Kishore Kumar became completely immersed in the enchanting melody, oblivious to the fac...

Her claim to fame are popular songs like Phulda Jore Pari , O Mero Priyatam , Masakka Maskera , Chiso Batas , Badal Pariko Desh Ma , and Relimai . A household name in the Nepali listening audiences, Sukmit Gurung has a legacy to speak for. Born in a Lepcha family in Gangtok as Sukmit Ongmu Lepcha to father Bi Ongmu Lepcha and mother Pasang Chiring Lepcha , she started singing for the church in her teens. She quickly entered the Nepali music industry, winning the singing contest in Radio Nepal at a young age. Because of her contribution to Nepali music, she was appointed as the assistant music director in Nepal Pragya Prathisthan , a government organisation to promote Nepali literature, music, art and culture

Aruna Lama was popularly known as the Nightingale of the Hills for her voice. Her legacy is only next to Narayan Gopal. This statue at Bijanbari is the only known statue of her ever known to date.

Singtam, May 29: Indian Idol 4 Runner up Kapil Thapa’s official website was launched at 34 th Singtam Basibiyalo held at Singtam Community Hall. The website www.kapilthapaa.com is designed by BP Bajgain and shall be updated by Shital Pradhan. Kapil Thapa was also felicitated for his contribution towards music on the occasion. Distinguished guests present included (Chief Guest) Rudra Poudyal, former Director, HRDD,   Kapil Thapa, Suresh Lama, BP Bajgain, TV Actress cum model Sakuntala Sharma, Actor Mahendra Bagdas, Actor Mahendra Gurung, Musician Ruben Sahi, Singer Gangaa Mukhiya, Singer Prakash Sundas, Social worker YB Pradhan, Dawa Sherpa, TB Pradhan, members of Singtam Nagar Panchayat and others. Speaking on the occasion Kapil Thapa thanked Singtam Basibiyalo for the honour and also thanked Sikkim for voting him during his Indian Idol season 4 finals. Thapa said his musical journey to the finals of Indian Idol was not possible without ...

2011, Singtam  Autograph taken during the website launch of Kapil Thapa at Singtam 2017, Rangpo Indian Idol 4 Runner up Kapil Thapa hails from Dehradun Autograph taken on 31.12.2017, Rangpo

Sushma Dahal, a class x student from Chujachen SSS was adjudged the winner of the above 15 years age group singing competition held at SDF Bhawan, Gangtok on August 30, 2009. The musical competition organized by Sagar Prakashan Gramin Prativa Samrakchan Society, Taksang showcased the local talents from all the corners of the state. Over 500 participants had participated in the competition. The show was highlighted as the Rural Level Talent Hunt (Gramin Staaar Ma Pratibha Ko Khoj).   Sushma Dahal being introduced with the Chief Guest State Buildings Minister Tilu Gurung Sushma Dahal was given a tough rivalry by the other 12 competitors to win the coveted prize. Her song “Mann lage Jodi dinna” was well appreciated by the enthralling crowds of the judges. The day also saw other singing and dancing competition in different categories. Minister Tilu Gurung was the Chief Guest of the event. The prize distributions shall be held on September 6 th during the Gramin Prativa Evam Shrast...

When I was writing this article, I took notice of the talks about the documentary film  Sikkim,  directed by the maestro Satyajit Ray.  Had Sikkim not remained a thumb-sized state of mighty India and had Ray not been the larger-than-life character after receiving the ultimate dream in filmmaking (the Oscars) in today's scenario, I am sure no one could have ever talked about Sikkim , the long-lost documentary film made on the monarchy rule of Sikkim then in 1971.    It was thought to be lost, and how a single copy was found in the lab of British film archives and how it was converted into DVD format is still more of a mystery, but all thanks to technology, I am sure some days later, we shall watch Ray's fantasy of Sikkim on screen. So when everyone is talking about this small documentary, why not refresh ourselves with a few other Hindi films that were picturized in this spectacular and serene part of Sikkim?      The panoramic beauty of the...