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SUPER!Geyzing, Soreong, Jorethang and Pakyong get marked onUD&HD’s map for “integrated development.” The Departmenthas taken tenders for construction of a “supermarket” each inthese towns. Earmarked for a total of Rs. 4 crore budget, theproject has a 2-year deadline. The Department might not besatisfied with the bids it has received, but promises that workwill start by mid-October...

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2 NOW! Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002

THARPU: The 22nd FoundationDay of Sri-Janga-YakthungShakthim Pho-chumbo (Sri JangaLimbu Culture Association) wascelebrated in a grand manner atTharpu, West Sikkim on August23.

The function, organised bySYSP Committee, was graced byAnimal Husbandry Minister, PSGoley as the chief guest.

Addressing the gathering, Mr.Goley informed that a LimbuCulture Bhavan was beingconstructed at Tharpu. He alsoreiterated the government’scommitment to get the Limbu andTamang communities included inthe Scheduled Tribes list. Hefurther requested the public and theNGOs to utilise well the fundsprovided by the government for thedevelopment of their culture andlanguage.

Minister, PWD, RB Subba,who was also present for thefunction, announced that the long-pending demand for inclusion ofLimbu and Tamang communities inthe ST list had already been clearedby the Cabinet committee and thatit was presently in the Parliamentfor final clearance. He also assuredthat this inclusion would “in noway” harm the interests of thosecommunities already in the ST list.

IPR

UP-FRONT

GANGTOK: The negotiationsmight still take some time, but offi-cials at the Urban Development &Housing Department are convincedthat work on construction of super-markets for the four towns ofGeyzing, Soreong, Jorethang andPakyong should begin no later thanOctober 15, after the panchayatelections are over.

Talking to NOW! the Chief En-gineer, UD&HD cum Secretary,Housing Board, GD Mimani, re-vealed that the four supermarketsare being funded under the Inte-grated Development of Small andMedium Town Scheme sponsoredby the Government of India. Eachconstruction is expected to costabout Rs. 1 crores with the GOIchipping in with 90 per cent of thecost and the remaining 10 per centbeing funded by the State govern-ment.

The project took its first stepforward on Monday when the De-partment tendered the work. Theproject has already hit a minor snagin the sense that the bids are not asreasonable as the Departmentwould have wanted them to be. Mr.

Mimani admitted that even the low-est offer was “comparatively on thehigher side” and that the Depart-ment would like to “negotiate” oncertain points before awarding thework. The final say on the award ofwork lies with the Committee whichincludes the Secretary UD&HD asits Chairperson and representativesfrom the Finance, Planning and De-velopment departments. The Com-mittee was constituted by the GOI.All sanctions and approvals for theproject are whetted by this Commit-tee, Mr. Mimani informed. Once theCommittee has cleared the project,it will be sent to the Centre for fi-nal approval.

The Department is, however,working on a tight leash as far astime is concerned. The project isslated for a 24-month schedule forcompletion. There is also a catch inthe form of a Rs. 1 crore ceiling onit. Should the project head for a costescalation because of delayedprogress, the bill would have to befooted by the State Government.Mr. Mimani assured that no timewould be wasted on starting theproject and revealed that the workwould be awarded soon after thepanchayat polls were over. “Workshould start sometime around Oc-

a NOW REPORT

tober 15,” he said.It is also learnt that the super-

markets at Jorethang and Pakyongwould be bigger complexes than theone’s proposed for Geyzing andSoreong. Each will have a parkinglot with provisions for all types ofshops within the complex. Every-thing from vegetable stalls to gar-ments showrooms will find spacein the new complex, it is learnt.

While responding to the querywhether these areas really neededsupermarkets, Mr. Mimani main-tained that the project was not justfor the immediate future. “Thepopulation might be small at presentand occupancy might even be lowin the beginning, but such infra-structure will become a necessity inthe future,” he maintained.

Interestingly, here is also a pro-posal for a similar supermarket forRongli which has been delayed forwant of land. Apparently the fourprojects got off faster because allstructures are coming up on Depart-ment land. Till such time that ac-quisition remains a problem forRongli, the project will remain stag-nant. As for the lucky four, it re-mains to be seen whether the 2-yeardeadline can be met.

SUPER!UD&HD TENDERS WORKFOR 4 SUPERMARKETS

GANGTOK: Acting on an increas-ing number of complaints from lo-cals about vendors selling stale meatand other eatables, the Sadar Thanahere swung into action and has thusfar arrested three persons on chargesof selling stale and rotting foodstuffs.

On August 24, the local policedetained Man Bahadur Thapa whenthey found him selling pork, whichwas “not fit for human consump-tion”, at the Lall Bazaar meat-stall.On the same day Sanu Roy whoruns a tea and sweet stall at LallBazaar was also detained when hisshop was allegedly found stockedwith stale sweets.

The crackdown on such “irre-sponsible” vendors continued whenthree days later, on August 27, thepolice seized a sack of rotten beeffrom a meat counter near Vajra Cin-ema Hall, owned by one ChakraTamang a resident of Arithang. Hetoo has been detained.

This practice, though hazardousfor the people had gone unnoticedtill date. A local English weekly hadrecently done an expose on the pro-

liferation of rotting meat on sale incounters all over the capital andeven the Consumers’ Forum hadtaken note of the same. The recentarrests, however, make for the firstcrackdown on the trade.

Officials at the Sadar Thanapoint out that the people themselveshave to be alert and inform the au-thorities if they find anything amiss.Officials maintain that the policewas very alert and frequently con-ducting raids to nab those sellinganything which was not fit for con-sumption, but they needed the sup-port and cooperation of the peopleto be really successful.

The Department of Health, asalso the Department of Animal Hus-bandry should have conducted regu-lar checks, recount officials, but in theabsence of any such initiative, stalefoodstuffs continue to get sold overthe counter. It is not possible for thepolice to keep a continuous check onsuch vendors and given the limitedpersonnel at its disposal, the SadarThana can at best conduct raids oncein a while. If those entrusted withkeeping the meat and food stall freeof stale stuff did their job, Gangtokwould keep in much better health.

a NOW REPORT

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GANGTOK: Controversy refusesto let go of the State unit of the Con-gress (I). Their misadventures witha proposed induction of SSP chief,Nar Bahadur Bhandari barely over,they had to deal with the off-on ex-pulsion of its General Secretary,Jigme N. Kazi. A controversy thatrefuses to play down. It surfacedagain this week with the All IndianCongress Committee (I)’s SC/STDepartment inviting Mr. Kazi for aseminar on SC/ST issues. The letterof invitation was seen as a vindica-tion of Mr. Kazi’s earlier claim thathe continued to be a Congressman.

In an attempt to set things right,the Executive Body of the SikkimPradesh Congress Committee (I)met on August 26 and decided towrite to the AICC’s SC/ST Depart-ment Chairman, G. Venkatswamy,to debar Mr. Kazi from attendingthe Seminar since he had alreadybeen expelled from the primarymembership of SPCC for his “anti-party activities.

Explaining the faux pas, theSPCC (I) General Secretary, Press& Publicity, Tseten Lepcha, informsthat the letter of invitation to Mr.Kazi was “apparently” extendedbecause the “report” of his expul-sion could not reach Mr. Swamy intime. Mr. Lepcha further explainsthat the delay was because of theparty’s “large” size. “The expulsionof Mr. Kazi was, however, inti-mated to Mani Shankar Aiyar, incharge of northeast and Sikkim,”Mr. Lepcha adds.

In the meantime, the SPCC (I)has welcomed the inclusion ofLimbu and Tamang communities inthe ST list of the State and has also“resolved to protect the interest ofthe Bhutia Lepchas in Sikkim.”This is interesting in light of Mr.Kazi’s statement pointing out thathe would raise the pros and cons ofthis development at the seminar.“The central high command hasbeen intimated that in the event thatMr. Kazi is allowed to attend andaddress the seminar in spite of ourrequest, the SPCC (I) will not beresponsible for any controversy thatgets created due to his views,” Mr.Lepcha adds.

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3NOW!Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002 RECAP SIKKIM

HARDLINE by PANKAJ THAPA

rajdh

ani

INSHYING

AWAY FROMA FIGHT

DIKCHU: The dam promised prosperity and onits heels slipped in crime. The damsite at Dikchuis already grappling with several social problemsand now even the facillitators of the hydel projecthave been hit. According to a complaint filed withthe Police Out-Post here by Soma Enterprise, oneof the companies contracted for the NHPC projectat Dikchu, the storeroom of the company was bro-ken into and various materials stolen in the weehours of August 20.

Reports suggest that at around 3 am on the saiddate, the lock of the storeroom of the company at

the NHPC dam site here was broken and the store-room vandalised. Several items such as driller rodsand a LPG gas cylinder were stolen. The drillerrods, of which about 60 are believed to have beenstolen, were tipped with diamond and ranged inlength from 5 ft to 15 ft. The driller rods, it mightbe mentioned here, are placed inside compressorsand used for tunneling. Along with the diamondtips they should fetch a good price as scrap mate-rial.

ASI PT Denzongpa, of the Dikchu OP, whileinvestigating the case recovered some of the drillerrods from a field in Tumin about 15 km fromDikchu towards Singtam. The cops have, however,not been able to work out a list of suspects as yet.Following the initial breakthrough, the case hasbeen handed over to the Sadar Thana at Gangtok.No arrests have been made thus far.

a NOW REPORT

DAM BURGLARYDIAMOND-TIPPED DRILLERS STOLEN

FROM PROJECTSTORE-ROOM

As if the slides were not enough (above), thetunneling at Dikchu now has to deal with thieveswith a weakness for rods that drill...

4 NOW! Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002POWER-PLAY

GIVE BACK TO THE EARTH MORE THAN WHAT YOU HAVE TAKEN FROM ITSTATE POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD, GOVERNMENT OF SIKKIM

GANGTOK: Former Chief Minis-ter and Opposition Sikkim SangramParishad President, Nar BahadurBhandari is offended. He feels thatthe allegations made by his succes-sor, Pawan Chamling, on the occa-sion of Pang Lhabsol that the exten-sion of Central Direct Taxes to Sik-kim was a result of Mr. Bhandari’sactivities were in “bad taste”.

Expressing his apparent dis-pleasure over the remarks made byMr. Chamling on August 22 duringthe Pang Lhabsol festivities here atMG Marg, Mr. Bhandari decriedthat Pang Lhabsol was “a purely re-ligious and cultural festival of thepeople of Sikkim” and not “a dayfor political comments.” “Chamlingshould not have used the day to set-tle scores,” he said.

It might be mentioned here thatMr. Chamling had asserted in hisspeech that the Centre had been“forced to slap” excise duty and gifttax in Sikkim to bust a money laun-

dering racket involving politicians,businessmen and some Bollywoodfilm stars during the Bhandari regime.

“The Centre had no option butto enforce excise duty and gift taxin the State when some business-men in connivance with the thenruling politicians, gifted hugeamounts to Bollywood stars to turntheir black money into white. TheState was initially exempted frompaying the taxes. To take advantageof this, Rs. 25,000 crores worth ofmoney was laundered off as gifts,which led to huge loses to the Stateexchequer,” he had said.

While Mr. Chamling’s assertionsare common knowledge in Sikkim,Mr. Bhandari reserved his for somesharp criticism as he retorted at aPress conference here on August 24that, “Mr. Chamling should not for-get that he was in my governmentfor seven and a half years.”

“I am not happy with theChamling government for using areligious function to tarnish myimage, that too in front of the gov-ernor, who was the chief guest on

the occasion. This is not tolerable,”Mr. Bhandari said.

Mr. Bhandari also expressed hisdispleasure over the dragging of thegovernor’s name into the ongoingspeculation over Mr. Bhandari’s at-tempts to join hands with the BJPin some newspaper reports. Thenewsreports were apparently trig-gered by a meeting Mr. Bhandari isalleged to have had with the Gov-ernor in Delhi recently. Mr.Bhandari, however, explained: “Ihad called on the governor andMadam Sahani in New Delhi re-cently to enquire about their healthas both of them were undergoingtreatment there. Since I was also inDelhi at that time, it was my dutyas a former CM, former MP andpresently MLA to pay a courtesyvisit. It had nothing do with my per-sonal political agenda.”

On his party’s possible mergerwith the BJP and the reasons be-hind this move, Mr. Bhandari said,“Now, I fully realize that becauseof the many obstacles hinderingproper governance by a regional

party and more importantly, the fol-lies of the present government andits failure to implement central gov-ernment programmes properly, it isimportant for the future of the Statethat a national party forms a gov-ernment here.”

Mr. Bhandari admitted that hemet almost all senior BJP leaders inNew Delhi recently to discuss thepossibility of merging his SSP withthe BJP. “I told them that if they areinterested to strengthen the BJP unitin Sikkim, we are ready to mergeSSP en masse into the BJP,” he in-formed, adding that he laid downcertain conditions for this. “I toldthem that first they had to understandthe problems of the State. If the BJPhigh command is ready to accept ourentry en bloc, we will join for thewelfare of the State,” he said.

While most see Mr. Bhandari’sfeelers to BJP as a recent develop-ment, informed sources reveal thatthe groundwork was being laid evenas he was discussing possiblemerger with the Congress (I). TheBJP angle gained currency after the

Cong-SSP merger fell through.Mr. Bhandari claimed that the

BJP was “thinking very seriously”about his proposal and that he wasexpecting a positive response soonin this regard. In fact, he even re-vealed that he has written to the BJPleaders in Delhi wanting to knowwhether they were interested in con-testing the upcoming panchayatpolls. “If they want to, even thoughSSP will not be fielding any candi-dates, I will ask my cadre to votefor BJP candidates,” he said.

Given to sensationalism, Mr.Bhandari even suggested that therecent explosion in which a HomeGuard personnel was injured whilehandling stolen detonators “couldindicate that Maoists are alreadyactive in the State.” Mr. Bhandariwarned that the incident was “seri-ous” and that the governmentshould “wake up and take notice”.Expressing his “apprehensions”over the incident, Mr. Bhandarisaid, “According to my source,Maoist activities have alreadystarted in Gangtok.”

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK: An informal gathering of media persons was organized atRaj Bhavan on August 26 at the behest of the Governor. Not so much apress conference as a parley of friendly pokes and counter pokes all inkeeping with the Governor, KN Sahani’s policy of maintaining friendlyrelations with the press.

In the course of the friendly chat, the Governor disclosed the imminentvisit of Union Minister, Disinvestment, Aroun Shourie to the state, which isscheduled for September 14. He is to preside the second convocation cer-emony of Manipal Institute of Technology. He also hinted at the possibilityof a visit by the Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Mrs.Sushma Swaraj to the state on October 4, which could also see the officialinauguration of the Doordarshan transmission centre in the state.

Recalling the recent episode in which his name was associated with astatement made concerning the ‘political ambiguity’ of SSP chief NB Bhandari,the governor denounced it as a case of “yellow journalism” and said that noharm would have occurred had the facts been placed in the proper manner.He maintained that as long as he was Governor he would have no relationwith any political party but would be accessible to all peoples.

The governor also made an appeal to the people of Sikkim to helpdevelop the State Archives by donating any historic document or valuablepiece of literature on Sikkim they might have in their possession.

BACK IN BUSINESS

HAVING INITIATED THE MECHANISATION FOR AN EN-BLOC

MERGER WITH THE BJP, BHANDARI GETS BOISTEROUS

a NOW REPORT

Getting casualwith the G’nor

a NOW pic

CONGRESSMAN STILLJIGME N. KAZI TO ATTEND AICCSEMINAR ON TRIBAL ISSUES

GANGTOK: What the state unitdoes, the central body is unmindfulof. This at least holds true for theCongress (I). The Sikkim PradeshCongress Committee (I) had earlierannounced the “expulsion” of itsGeneral Secretary, Jigme N. Kazi,to which the former Editor had re-torted that the SPCC (I) did not havethe powers to expel him. “Despitewhat they might say, I remain a Con-gressman,” Mr. Kazi had told thisreporter in his living room whichstill displayed a Congress flag.

Mr. Kazi’s assertions of con-tinuing to be a Congressman wereborne out by a letter from the AICC(I) Chairman, SC/ST Department,G. Venkatswamy, inviting him overfor a National Seminar on “issuesand problems pertaining to SC/ST

communities of the country”. Mr.Kazi, was invited for the August 30seminar in his capacity as the Chair-man, SC/ST Department of theSPCC (I).

Mr. Kazi, while refraining fromcontinuing with allegations andcounter allegations on his status inthe party, has, through a press re-lease, informed that he would beraising “vital issues” relating to theSikkimese Bhutia-Lepcha tribals.Restoration of political rights of theBLs will obviously figure in Mr.Kazi’s list of issues and a fresh onegets added in the form of the “prob-lems and prospects” arising out ofthe likely inclusion of Limbus andTamangs in the ST list of the State.The two communities had thus farbeen accommodated in the OBClist, but their inclusion in the ST listhad been a promise made by all po-litical parties in the recent past.

a NOW REPORT

Mr. Kazi has also assured to“outline” the need for fresh delimi-tation of assembly constituencies inthe state to “ensure fair, just andgenuine representation of the SC/ST communities in the Sikkim Leg-islative Assembly.

“Besides seeking political andeconomic empowerment of thebackward SC/ST communities inthe State, Mr. Kazi is also expectedto raise the issue of seat reservationfor SC/ST candidates in govern-ment jobs and educational institu-tions during the seminar,” the re-lease adds.

The seminar will also be ad-dressed by the Congress President,Sonia Gandhi, and is scheduled tobe attended by all Congress ChiefMinisters, PCC Presidents, CLPleaders and office bearers of the SC/ST departments and delegates fromthe States.

rajdh

ani

IN ...AND AGAIN

5NOW!Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002 FROM THE SPOT

PANG LHABSOL AT RAVANGLA

TheCarnivalcomestotown

pix GURU T. LADAKHI

RAVANGLA: Sonam Dorjee andDD Bhutia must be proud of whattheir initiative of 17 years ago hasgrown into. The two, who now siton opposite sides of the State As-sembly, had, 17 years back decidedto bring Pang Lhabsol celebrationsto the then sleepy town of Ravangla.The newly constructed ManiLakhang there provided them withthe reason and Pang Lhabsol cameto town. Today, the event is a three-day carnival which not only attractsrural folk from all over South dis-trict, but also domestic and foreigntourists wanting to get a look-see athow the Sikkimese indulge in somerevelry.

The religious significance apart,the three-day fest, which has nowincorporated such elements as a lo-cal Boogie Woogie dance competi-tion, provides the locals with somebreak in the otherwise monotonousdrag of monsoons in Sikkim. Theorganisers have even worked in aunique way for encouraging localtalent. The cultural programme onthe first day made it mandatory forparticipating teams to perform sansgadgets. Dances were allowed inthe competition only when choreo-graphed to the tune of live music

and chorus.This year, the rains were even

more harsh, but the organisers, thePang Lhabsol Celebration Commit-tee, Ravangla, deserve credit forhaving pulled off a major feat inorganising the celebration. All thestalls were put up in pouring rainwhich slowed to a drizzle only onthe final day - August 22.

The rains notwithstanding, thecelebrations drew a handsomecrowd wanting to see how the localboys, trained by Ralong Monasterymonks and Topchen Takapa, theHorticulture Officer at Ravangla,stepped to the complexities of thePang Toed dance on the final day.They were not disappointed. Theboys, now into their fifth year ofperforming the Warrior Dance,made up with exuberance what theymight have lacked in skill. Mr.Takapa, while talking to NOW! re-vealed that what is being staged inRavangla was only an extension ofthe age-old practise of performingthe Pang Toed dance at RalongMonastery. The Mani Lakhang hereis apparently attached to the RalongMonastery. “The Pang Toed dancehas been traditionally performed atRalong Monastery ever since the

a NOW REPORT

one at Tsuklakhang in Gangtok byPemayangtse monks. The twodances differ slightly since they areperformed by monks from differentsects,” he informed.

The gathered janta was alsotreated to a volleyball final betweenDrivers Association and Borong VIwith both teams fielding skilledvolleyball players from Nepal andKolkata.

While some locals had expecteda lower turnout this year because ofthe rains and also because the I-Day,another event that draws people tothe sub-divisional town fell only aweek earlier, the numbers that even-tually braved the monsoons gaveeveryone at Ravangla a reason tosmile. More smiles were stretchedwhen the rural sports events werestaged with locals participating insuch games as shot-put, bambooclimbing and pillow-fights. Theevent was open for all and manyimpromptu matches thrilled thegathering.

The celebrations were presidedover by the Social Welfare Minis-ter, OT Lepcha as the Chief Guestwith the area MLA and MinisterHealth, DD Bhutia in attendance.

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Sikkim Grahamite AssociationCongratulates

Shri K. N. BhutiaSikkim Grahamite Association would like to congratules ShriK. N Bhutia, Special Secretary, Income & Commercial TaxDivision, Finance Department, Govt. of Sikkim for beingconferred with the “Certificate of Meritorious Service” onthe occasion of Independence Day 2002 in recognition ofthe outstanding services rendered by him to the State.

Shri Bhutia has always excelled in every department thathe has served whether it be Mines & Geology, Sikkim Khadi,Rural Development Department, Sikkim Tourism Depart-ment or the Finance Department looking after Income &Commercial Tax division.

He has been the General Secretary of the Associationfrom since its inception and has always been the backboneof the Association.

The Association is really proud of him and wishes himmany more years of dedicated service to the State and thecountry.

Dr. K. BhandariVice-President, Sikkim Grahamite Association

Gangtok

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6 NOW! Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002

GANGTOK AUG 28-03 SEPT, 2002

SIKKIM MATTERS

DEEPFOCUS

by RANJIT SINGH

ED-SPACE

OBJECTS IN THE REAR-VIEW MIRRORHistory, they say is always written by the victor who decides whichaspects of the vanquished history suits his greater plans andwhich bits are best left untold. The same has held true for thehistory taught in schools in India. The curriculum is embarrass-ingly North-India-centric so much so that even though studentslearn by rote the names of all those who made it emperor in theSlave Dynasty, ask them about what the northeast was up to inthe meantime and they draw a blank. It is accepted that prior tothe advent of the East India Company, there was no conceptcalled India. The region was a collection of empires, kingdomsand princely states. Each with its own intrigues and their ownhistories. So the history we learn in school is actually the com-posite histories of the areas which came together to form theUnion of India in 1947 and later. Well, not really. The focus is toolimited to the areas which either the British researched well orwere studied in detail by later day historians. Only the histories ofareas which were on the ascendent in the 19th century and be-yond are taught. Take a close look at the number of MPs eachstate has and the number of pages devoted to those areas inbooks teaching Indian History will be directly proportional to thatnumber. But that’s not history. The blind-spotting of areas thatgot cut off with partition is even worse. The Muslim League forexample was a part of the Indian Freedom Struggle and the de-mand for creation of Pakistan came much after the movementhad progressed. We, however, read very little of the role playedby this group. Icons like Subhas Chandra Bose and Bhagat Singhtoo are glossed upon. But that’s another debate.

Before progressing further it is important to make clear why westudy history at all. The main reason is to get a better under-standing of where we belong - where we fit into the larger schemeof things. There has been much talk about making Sikkim jointhe mainstream which is why it is not enough to just studySikkimese history in schools in Sikkim. Sikkim needs to figure inthe history books studied elsewhere in the country. In junior school,students learn of what Confucius meant to China even beforethey are taught when and how Sikkim joined India. Ask a child,even in Sikkim, which dynasty ruled Sikkim and chances are thatyou will get the wrong answer. One is not suggesting going paro-chial here, but Sikkim does have a history that’s worth learning.Few dynasties have ruled for the three hundred years that theNamgyal dynasty has to its credit. The British rule which hogsthe history books lasted less than a hundred years and stretched200 years if we include the East India Company’s presence onIndian shores. Surely the British intrigues with Tibet should makefor interesting reading as should the Nepali adventures in Sikkimunder Prithvi Narayan Shah. If kids can learn of the distant GreatWall of China, why can’t the story of the Lepcha tower of pots betold to them. There are some who might argue that most of whatis passed off as Sikkimese history is actually myth. Well, it willremain so till some serious study is conducted on it. It might notbe out of place to even suggest here that Sikkim should preparetwo chapters on Sikkimese history to fit into text books for schoolsall over the country and take it to the Centre for whetting by thetext book boards for inclusion in the syllabi. Everyone is talkingabout rewriting the History textbooks anyway and this might beone of the few constructive changes in it.

SIKKIM MATTERS FOR

NOW!

I am very glad to see that NOW!is truly living up to its “Sikkim

Matters” image. The Special Fea-ture on Pang Lhabsol carried in yourlast issue was the need of the houras a lot of misinformation and dis-tortion has been making the rounds.Pang Lhabsol is an integral part ofour cultural heritage.

All the best wishes for your con-tinued success.Sem T. Ongmu, Gangtok

BLOWN AWAY

Your story Blown Away reallyblew my mind. To think that

nearly 30,000 detonators are kept insuch a careless manner. The unfortu-nate incident involving Suraj Chettricould have been averted if the au-thorities had been more diligent.Thanks to NOW! we know the sorrystate of affairs. All these years theexplosives have been lying aroundunguarded for anyone to walk in andtake some home. We are lucky a big-ger incident did not take place.Rajen Chettri, Siyari

Indian Politics never ceases tobewilder. We may rant and raveat the decadent lot of leaders

we’re besotted with but Shake-speare would have been hard-pressed to come up with the kindof tragic-comedian, topsy-turvy fileof renegade characters that makepossible the Great Indian Drama.

The latest chapter in this ongo-ing series is perhaps the most in-credible in its incredulity. That thereshould be a debate at all as to whois king when he is well enthronedand entitled seems utterly nonsen-sical and uncalled for. But that iswhat most newspapers are talkingabout. And what makes the mattermore intriguing is that there is goodcause for the breaking of heads overthis seemingly headless issue.

So if Atal Bihari Vajpayee – ourconstitutional king – is not ruling,who is? Ever since the cabinet re-shuffle, which saw the re-designa-tion of Advani as Deputy PrimeMinister, this debate has been on inthe editorial columns of the nationaldailies. But the point missed outhere is not who is actually holdingthe reigns of governance but howthe constitutional sovereign is be-ing overruled.

The resignation of the UnionPower Minister Suresh Prabhu lastweek casts another dark and gloomyshadow over the prime minister’spower domain. It not only reflectspoorly on the prime minister butalso on constitutional propriety andcabinet etiquette.

The Prime Minister is the headof the union cabinet. The selectionand rejection of cabinet ministersis the prerogative of the prime min-ister and each individual cabinetminister is responsible to him. ButSuresh Prabhu’s resignation runscontrary to the basic norm of thecabinet system and reveals that se-lection or rejection is no longer inthe prime minister’s hand.

Suresh Prabhu did not resignbecause his prime minister askedhim to or due to embroilment in anycontroversy. He resigned becausehis party boss, Bal Thackeray,wished him to do so. Prabhu be-longs to the Shiv Sena, which is an

Who’s in Charge?

ally of the BJP, and Bal Thackerayis the Shiv Sena supremo. In thestrange world of the NDA govern-ment it is not the prime ministerwho has in his hands the strings ofcontrol but the leaders of the vari-ous coalition ministers who chooseor dismiss his ministers for him.

Nor is it the prime minister’ssatisfaction, which the coalitionministers strive to achieve. Theirone point agenda is to seek patron-age of their respective party supre-mos. This becomes evident from thefact that Thackeray recalled Prabhu,as he was “unsatisfied” withPrabhu’s work. In an interview toShiv Sena mouth-piece ‘Saamna’,Thackeray lamented that his minis-ter had failed to create a“Maharashtra lobby” in New Delhi.So Prabhu was axed as he failed tobe energetic enough to meet hisparty’s requirements for funds.

If individual cabinet ministers

do not care to show any allegianceto the prime minister, are propelledby the instincts of their party bossesrather than their “constitutionalboss”, and if the prime minister,under compulsion of heading a rag-time coalition, is on perpetual ten-der-hooks as regards his equationswith his cabinet colleagues, then aserious question arises as to who isin charge here. The principle of col-lective responsibility, too, is thrownout the window. The cabinet, whichis collectively responsible to Parlia-ment, is now individually respon-sible to other individuals. In theword of a national daily “termino-logical inexactitude” is whatGeorge Fernandes is guilty of whenhe says that the opposition has noright to boycott him in Parliamentbecause it is the prime minister’sprerogative to choose him- as it wasto accept his resignation after theTehelka scam.

With the distinction betweenparty, government, cabinet and coa-lition blurring over time so is thepower and indisputable authority ofthe prime minister. Perhaps theseare the fallouts of a coalition gov-ernment. But somehow one gets thefeeling that the nation is being heldto ransom – unnecessarily.

MORE SPORTS

I have been reading your paper forquite sometime now, and I think

that you people are doing a goodjob. I especially enjoy Dear Dee,and the Rajdhani helps me knowwhat is happening in the town,keeps me well informed. The stand-ard of the paper is really good and Ihope that you will maintain it. ButI wish there was more sports newsin your paper.Laden Tamang, Tadong

A MORE LOCAL RAJDHANI

I have been a regular reader sinceyour first issue and I think your

paper is just too good. I like the writ-ing style and the whole look of thepaper. Just one suggestion, is it pos-sible to include more local itemsabout the town in the Rajdhani sec-tion?T. Dorjee, Development Area

CAREFUL ON THE BUZZ

This is regarding your BazaarBuzz column. Although I en-

joy reading it when I have nothingelse to do, I really wonder if whatyou write is the truth or just yourfertile imagination working over-time. Please don’t pass as newsthings which you make up. A re-cent incident about which youwrote was not about me but every-one else thinks it is. I am sure oth-ers are facing the same problem. Ithink its high time your paper gotmore serious.Name withheld

INFORMATIVE NOW

I’m a visitor from Delhi and I hap-pened to get hold of a copy of

NOW. I really liked the well-writ-ten newspaper, with excellent fea-tures and with a very good layout. Igot to know a lot about the cultureand the happenings in Sikkim,which no travel guide would haveever told me. The editorials are atpar with any mainstream nationalnewspapers and I wish “NOW” allthe success. Keep up the good work.Parikshit Singh

LETTERS�

Readers are invited to share their views, opinions and reactions to news-items carried in NOW! Theletters may be edited for language and content and the name of the writer withheld on request. Personalattacks will not be carried, but letters raising pertinent issues will be shared with readers. Please mail allfeedback to NOW, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, Gangtok East Sikkim. email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

Move over Stephen Hawking. Stephen Wolfram is here. The British-born theoretical physicist-turned -software millionaire is the gen-

ius in the classical mould. After going through Eton, Oxford and Caltech,he earned his doctorate at the age 20 in 1979, and ever afterwards grap-pled with the abstruse and tangled issues of particle physics. But in 1982he dropped out from academia, started a software company, earned mil-lions, and devoted himself to writing a book that would change science aswe know it.Twenty years later he has emerged with the promised tablet ofnew science, which is simply titled as “A New Kind of Science.”

He published the book, which runs into 1200 plus pages, himself be-cause there are hundreds of computer graphics which form the backboneof his theory of science, and he would not trust the other publishers withthe accurate reproduction.Wolfram, like any genius, is not modest. He iscock-sure that what he had written will cause a tectonic shift in science,and that post-A New Kind of Science, it will not be possible to go back tothe old ways of doing science. Another radical assumption of Wolfram’smagnum opus is that it should be accessible to the non-science reader aswell. Whether the non-science reader will plough through the 843 pagesof text, interspersed profusely with computer-generated graphics, even ifhe were to ignore the 300 pages of notes, has to be left an openquestion.Wolfram provides a teaser of sorts on his Internet site, where hehas put up sample pages of “A New Kind of Science”, which gives aglimpse of his simple language and the computer graphics. In the Pref-ace, he notes: “my hope is to share what I have done with as wide a rangeof scientists and non-scientists as possible. In modern times it has beenalmost unheard of for genuinely new science to be presented for the firsttime in a book that can be read by non-scientists.”

And he almost succeeds.What will intimidate the non-science readers is not the abstruse ideas

and the opaque language, but the 800 pages of reasoning.It cannot be saidat the moment whether Wolfram has really heralded a revolution in sci-ence, but he has indeed unfurled the standard of rebellion. He has ques-tioned the accuracy and ability of mathematics to explain the universe.He declares without much ado: “Three centuries ago science was trans-formed by the dramatic new idea that rules based on mathematical equa-tions could be used to describe the natural world. My purpose in this bookis to initiate another such transformation, and to introduce a new kind ofscience that is based on the much more general types of rules that can beembodied in simple computer programs…the crucial realisation that ledme to develop the new kind of science in this book is there is in fact noreason to think that systems like those we see in nature should follow onlysuch traditional mathematical rules.”

The idea that mathematics is not really all that good in explaining theuniverse has been around for the last few decades. Both Stephen Hawkingand Roger Penrose, the two famous British theoretical physicists, had been

A New Kind OfScience

PARSA VENKATESHWAR RAO Jr on Stephen

Wolfram’s book that maychange science

as we know it...

turn to pg 8

7NOW!Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002 ESSAY

It was a typical monsoon afternoon. Thelight drizzle was routine, only made biting by the higher altitude of Tsomgo. It

was also off-season and relatively low key,yet, some 100 vehicles plied their way to thelake at 1320 ft for a date with the gods onAugust 22. The fact that the day coincidedthis year with Pang Lhabsol might have keptsome away from Tsomgo, but there wereenough to welcome the assortment of Jhakriswho had in turn descended to welcome theGods back from their slumber through theNepali month of Sawan. It was Guru Purne(Full-moon of the Gurus) which coincideswith the festival of Raksha-bandhan. “Wehave been praying through the night welcom-ing the gods back,” revealed Dhan Bahadur,a Jhakri from 15 Mile, as he took a break fromhis dervish swirling on the banks of Tsomgo.

No one knows when and why the Jhakrisstarted arriving at Tsomgo to observe GuruPurne. Locals inform that earlier Jhakris fromall over Sikkim would walk all night to reachTsomgo by daybreak and then proceed to of-fer prayers at the shore of the lake beforelaunching into a glorious display of their su-pernatural skills. Nowadays, most Jhakrisprefer the more comfortable carriage of thejeeps, but they come nevertheless. The num-bers are definitely down, but the spirit re-mains.

When asked the significance of Tsomgo,even the Jhakris recount a muddled story ofthree sisters who came to live there and themiracles that followed. It is common knowl-edge that the Jhakris worship Mahadev(Shiva) and Kali (the female force). Tsomgohas a Shiva temple where all Jhakris maketheir first stop and their legend attaches a fe-male force to the spot (by way of the legendof the three sisters) and the two combine tomake Tsomgo as good a spot as any for theannual convocation of sorts. Nepal, where thefestival is much more recognised and grander,sees Jhakris from all over the country gatherat Kalingchowk, a hamlet in Dolkha in north-eastern Nepal, but that’s another story. Theday is quite big in Darjeeling, too and per-haps subdued in Sikkim because it is observedin the out of the way, off-season Tsomgo.

But it is a spectacle nevertheless. Theslight drizzle and the occasional swathe ofthe sun added to the exotic experience ofwatching a sway of white frocks, topped withred bandanas, strips of bells and the rhyth-mic beating of the Jhakris’ drums. Jhakriskept trickling in through the day, their swirl-ing steps reaching a crescendo as they ap-proached the temple and parted a way forthemselves through the throng of believerswho, too, had arrived to pay their obeisanceto the Gods.

The Jhakris moved through the motionsof offering prayers as if in a trance, dancingto the rhythm of their drums, they jumpedand swirled around as their bodies shook inuncontrollable bouts. These, a person accom-panying Dhan Bahadur, informs us are the

signs that a spirit has entered them. We haveseen them go through these motions manytimes in the past, but there is something fas-cinating about watching so many of them gothrough a collective primordial exercise offaith. These after all, are our faith healers.

We were also told that on the day atTsomgo, we get to see a battle of powers be-tween the Jhakris. Preparing for a showdownof supernatural powers, we were disappointedfor having taken it literally. The Jhakris flaunttheir power by of the number of interns theybring along for their first initiation. GuruPurne is the day when Jhakris officially be-gin the training of their students. The morethe number of students, the more powerful isthe Jhakri considered. We had picked on themost powerful one at Tsomgo in DhanBahadur. He had four disciples. All otherscame in solo with only a helper carrying theirBumpa, the copper vase filled with flowers.

Dhan Bahadur informs us that the pilgrim-age is also undertaken to “renew” their pow-ers. When he goes into a trance, Dhan Bahadurinforms, he enters into a brief contact with in-visible forces, a contact externalized by a con-trolled up-and-down shaking of his shoulders.From this contact he draws strength for hiswork of healing in the coming year, we aretold. Given the absolute faith obvious in theeyes of the collected gentry, we too, believehim and make an offering of a bottle of XXXrum topped with wild flowers plucked en-routeto Tsomgo. Dhan Bahadur is launching intoanother communion with the spirits and webeat a hasty retreat allowing the lady behindus to get answers about the problems hound-ing her family.

Apart from the Jhakris there were manyat Tsomgo who were there not just for thespectacle. Many lay people, too, made offer-ing at the lake. When asked what they prayedfor, the reasons ranged from prayers to blessedwith a child to getting that long-awaited pro-motion. Most also offered the hard stuff tothe Jhakris for a peep into the future.

While one can understand legends at-tached to Tsomgo, it was confusing (and alsointeresting) to find a solitary Jhakri twirl atthe Baba Harbhajan Singh Mandir further up.Most believers who kept their date withTsomgo also made the trip to BabaHarbhajan’s Mandir which saw a traffic jam,both on the road and the temple as the swayof humanity and diesel spewing jeeps strug-gled for space in the complex and on the road.

The trip, even for an atheist, is advised,if not for the colourful display of an alterna-tive faith fast going extinct, then for the riotof colours that line the road all through. Flow-ers which don’t get to bloom in spring be-cause of the snow cover are at their resplend-ent best at present.

“Saio, saio, saio le bumba saio”

WELCOMING BACK THE GODS

Dhan Bahadur (third from left) does hisJhakri jig at Tsomgo [top]; Lay peoplemake offering at the lake [left] and the

Jhakris offer their prayers from a specialspot behind the Shiva Temple [bottom]

NOW! pix

8 NOW! Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002

rajdhaniIN

EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

KATHMANDU: Ever since thestate of emergency was declared inNepal, the number of Maoists inIndia has increased rapidly, espe-cially in the bordering states ofUttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Ben-gal. According to Nepalis residentin India, the Nepal Ekata Samaj -banned by the Indian government -continues to function. Residentscomplain that they are harassed byboth Maoist activists and Indiansecurity forces. More prone to har-assment are Nepali migrant work-ers. Bhakta Lal Hirachan who runsa lodge in Gorakhpur district, In-dia, says, “Previously, thousands ofNepali migrant workers wouldcome seeking jobs. Today, the num-bers have dwindled.”

Immediately after the visit toIndia of Prime Minister SherBahadur Deuba, Hirachan’s lodge,patronised by a large number ofpeople from Nepal, was raidedtwice in the middle of the night.Many Nepali residents likeHirachan told Samacharpatra thatthe Maoists had created an environ-ment in which normal people try-ing to make a living were constantlyunder the suspicion of Indian secu-rity forces. While Nepalis living inIndia for a long period have experi-enced relatively fewer problems,Nepalis entering India recently inorder to escape the murder and vio-lence in Nepal, are getting caughtbetween the security forces and theMaoists. Many have been leaving thebordering Indian states and goinginland. As the Maoists wreak havocin Nepal and then seek refuge in In-dia, the Indian public is beginningto suspect any Nepali of being aMaoist. Children of resident Nepalisbeing enrolled in schools in India areoften looked on with suspicion by theschool administration.

According to resident Nepalis,earlier, members of the NepaliEkata Samaj, an organisationclosely affiliated with the Maoistsand currently banned, would trou-ble people for donations. Recently,their activities have decreased.Tilak Kaku, a high-ranking Indiansecurity official from Uttar Pradesh,told Samacharpatra that Indian se-curity officials were prepared tohelp Nepali residents who sufferedany injustice. But like other Indiansecurity officials, he said, “Whereare the Maoists in India? The Mao-ists are in Nepal. If they come here,we can only send them back.” De-spite this assurance, Nepali resi-dents stress that the Maoists, includ-ing leaders and cadres, are seekingrefuge in bordering Indian states.Nepal Samacharpatra, 17 August

KATHMANDU: Maoists in hide-outs in India are having a tough timeafter Indian security was beefed upin New Delhi, Uttaranchal, Bihar,West Bengal and Sikkim. And theyhave been alienated from their sup-porters in India.

Among the senior Maoist com-manders Rit Bahadur Khadka, AjabLal Yadav, Yan Prasad Gautam andKrishna Sen Ichhuk have been killed,while Krishna Dhoj Khadka, womanleader Rekha Sharma, and youth lead-ers Shiva Dangi, Tara Bhandari andShashi Shrestha, etc have been ar-rested. The Maoist information net-work has also been assaulted.

On the other hand, the Maoistcentral command is vertically split.Our sources say that powerful cen-tral committee and politburo mem-bers Mohan Baidhya (Kiran) RamBahadur Thapa Magar, NandaKishor Pun (Pasang), Barsha RamPun, Poshta Bahadur Bogati, TopBahadur Rayamajhi, KrishnaBahadur Mahara, Dev Gurung,Matrika Yadav, Santosh Buda

(Rolpa), Bam Dev Chhetri andBuddhi Yonjan are firmly againstany talks with the government. Avertical split between those for andagainst talks with the governmentis visible within the party.

Prachanda supporters like CPGajurel, Haribol Gajurel, PamphaBhushal, Hisila Yami, PrakashDahal, Agni Sapkota, Dr BaburamBhattarai, Suresh Ale Magar, ShaktiLamsal want to use peace talks as atool to distract the government fromits operation against the Maoists.

A third fraction, led by GopalKhambu and other leaders JhakkuPrasad Subedi, Dipak Dahal,Chatur Man Rajbanshi, is trying todistance itself from both thePrachanda Path and the Badal Path.

Commission

demands

bank account

of Ex-minister

JoshiKATHMANDU: The JudicialCommission Monday requested theRastriya Banijyaya Bank to furnishdetails of the bank accounts openedin the names of former MinisterGovinda Raj Joshi and his wife andchildren after assessing that theproperty details submitted by Joshiwere incomplete.

The Commission formed toprobe the property of individualsholding public posts after 1990, hasasked the bank to furnish the de-tails of Joshi’s accounts withinseven days. Joshi is second in theline to be questioned by the Com-mission. The Commission headedby Supreme Court Judge BhairabLamsal had asked the bank to for-ward the details of the financial sta-tus of Minister for Physical Plan-ning and Works Chiranjibi Wagle afew days back. The bank had re-vealed that Wagle had some sixhundred thousand rupees in hisbank account

TROUBLED MAOISTS RUNOUT OF HIDEOUTS

There are still other Maoist leaderswho want to use the upcoming elec-tions, Jana Morcha-style: DineshSharma, Dina Nath Gautam,Basanta Shrestha, Bimala Subedi,Devendra Paudel, Dev Nath Yadav,Ishwor Chandra Gyawaqli, JaiKrishan Goit, Kumar Dhakal,Kumar Shah, Ramesh Chaulagai,Surya Yadav, Surya Thapa, ThamanPariyar and Hemanta Prakash Oli.

We have not been able to learnthe names of seven other leaderswho support talks with the govern-ment, but our sources tell us thatShakti Bahadur Basnet, TilakPariya, Uma Kanta Khanal and JayaPuri Gharti could be among theirnumbers.

Ghatna Ra Bichar, 21 August

THE PLIGHTOF NON-MAOIST

NEPALIS ININDIA

THESTING OF

URBANISATION

THESTING OF

URBANISATION

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struggling with different kinds of mathematics to understand the universe.Wolfram cuts the Gordian knot. He is for abandoning mathematics.He

wants to replace the mathematical model of the universe with that of acomputer program. And he has a very disarming argument as to why thetransition should be made to a post-mathematics world. He writes: “In thehistory of science it is fairly common that new technologies are ultimatelywhat make new areas of basic science develop. And thus, for example,telescope technology was what led to modern astronomy, and microscopictechnology to modern biology. And now, much in the same way, it is com-puter technology that has led to the new science that I describe in this book.”

The matter-of-fact immodesty of Wolfram shines thorough when herecalls that his present quest really goes back to 1972, when he was a 12-year-old, and he was looking at the physics textbook, and the topic ofrandomness. The picture that showed the pattern of randomness on thecover of the book did not convince him. And he tried to simulate it on hiscomputer. He writes: “The computer to which I had access at that timewas by modern standards a very primitive one. And as a result, I had nochoice but to study a very simplified version of the process in the book”And he feels that but for the technological problems, he would have dis-covered many of the insights in his new book way back in 1974!Thewunderkind does not confine himself to explaining the methodologicalnecessity to replace mathematics with that of a computer program as abetter and more accurate way of explaining the universe. He pursues thequestion that has baffled philosophers and theologians for millennia: thatof free will. He states the problem: “Ever since antiquity it has been agreat mystery how the universe can follow definite laws while we as hu-mans still often manage to make decisions about how to act in ways thatseem quite free of obvious laws.”And Wolfram rams home his point onceagain that he has found an answer to the eternal riddle: “But from thediscoveries in this book it finally now seems possible to give an explana-tion for this. And the key, I believe, is the phenomenon of computationalirreducibility…For what this phenomenon implies is that even though asystem may follow definite underlying laws its overall behaviour can stillhave aspects that fundamentally cannot be described by reasonablelaws…For even though all the components of our brains presumably fol-low definite laws, I strongly suspect that their overall behaviour corre-sponds to an irreducible computation whose outcome can never in effectbe found by reasonable laws.”

Scientists are hedging their bets. They do not want to dismiss “A NewKind of Science” as a madman’s ranting. They cannot dismiss it out of handbecause Wolfram is not an outsider, and he is a challenger of the systemfrom the inside. It is sure to excite the non-science reader, but it will remainan exciting curiosity.It is hard to ignore the fact that Wolfram is overstatinghis case. The sequencing which forms the minimal alphabet of a computerprogram, and which is capable of attaining Himalayan heights of unprec-edented complexity, is but one of the many probable keys in making senseof the universe. The model of the computer program has the advantage ofutmost simplicity, and which is capable of generating a system whose be-haviour is a tangle of complexity. But the computer program remains adevice which is the local product of a human brain, and we cannot fall intothe old trap of credulity that the universe answers to our conceptual model,whether it is a mathematical equation or it is a computer program.But Wolf-ram has shaken humanity out of its mathematical slumber, which has begunwith Plato. He has demolished the iconic status of mathematics. And hedeserves all praise from all those who could not master mathematics, andwho hated the subject and themselves for it. Wolfram has set humanity freefrom the tyranny of equations.

A New Kind Of ScienceContd from pg 6

9NOW!Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002 DESPATCHES

Most people in Kalimpong tend to believe that the only other placewhere they celebrate 15th of Au-

gust with greater fanfare than their own townis New Delhi. But that, I believe, is just adeference they show to the Capital. I wasthere at college for a few years and I did notrealise until afternoon that it was the 15th ofAugust. In Kalimpong, it’s not like that. Youare aware of the 15th of August in January orwhenever it is that you get your new calen-dar. It is, I guess, one of those few occasionsthat touch the lives of 100 per cent of thepeople here. A government thing, yet all lookforward to it. Earlier, the Independence Daycelebration was observed without any politi-cal symbolism, attached to it. Now, of course,wrapped up in the fanfare is also the mes-sage about who is the Boss in Kalimpong.But more on that later.

My own memories of I-Day as a child isthe sight of flickering lights faraway in thehills beyond Relli. They were the torches thatat pre-dawn showed the villagers the way toKalimpong town. On I-Day, all roads lead toMela Ground. Yes, they come from every-where. It seems that the entire subdivisionalpopulation is there and join the party as ven-dors from Siliguri and elsewhere arrive in fullforce with their assorted arsenal of gimmicksand contraptions. For the busty-folk, this isthe one occasion where they can savour thesights and sounds of Siliguri in the securityof their own backyard. So, they go aroundsipping sugarcane juice crushed by those fan-tastic machines, buying flutes and balloonsand damru-gaadi and generally having thetime of their lives.

Ringside seats around Mela Ground areat a premium with the Tibetans usuallycamped out on the eve of the grand day intheir distinctive tents generally well-equippedwith thermoses filled with tea and otherhealthy drinks. People used all their contactsto get a berth on terraces that overlook the

town. Meanwhile, back in the villages andthe town, kids take up odd-jobs, run seem-ingly impossible errands to make some quickmoney to indulge themselves on I-Day. Itseems everyone prepares for it. The schools,

whose participation add much colour to pro-ceedings of the Day muster all their creativeenergies to come up with something grand.This intention normally translates into newdrills, march-past set-up and at times entirely

new uniforms which the kids sport on thatDay only and let it rot in their cupboards forthe rest of the year. This time, one was treatedto the spectacle of a certain school making agrand entry to the ground on motorcycles, notunlike what they do in circuses. Speaking ofschools, there was one case in a nearby vil-lage that celebrated its I-Day on August 14just to give time to their students to enjoy theReal Thing in Kalimpong. Of course, littledid the authorities realise that unfortunate dayhappened to be the I-Day of our neighbourlyadversary and they were made to feel the fullbureaucratic brunt for their oversight.

It’s a free for all and certainly the crea-tive juices in Kalimpong never dry up.

For a town that had at one time boastedof business transactions worth Rs. 400 mil-lion everyday, the 15th of August is a flash-back to those grand days long gone. Dayswhen Kalimpong was on the world trade map,a busy caravan sarai where intrepid Marwarisfrom Rajasthan, Newars from Kathmandu andTibetan traders, all joined in a party that wasnever to last. Post ’62 and everything fell si-lent. Kalimpong once again was the town thateveryone forgot. It was a garden town wherenursery men grew exotic orchids in the anti-septic silence of their tissue culture labora-tories. It was a post-retirement haven wherea Roerich bought Croker T or the Raja ofBurma sought to spend his days in the quietof Panorama.

But on 15th of August, the commerce,the colour and the commotion come back. Forone day in a year., Kalimpong shakes the in-sipid hangover of a permanent recession andcomes out in full force to party, to spend, torevel and bask in the hedonism of a carnival.Of course, lost somewhere in all the show isthe patriotism, but there have always beenother forums to express the same. 15th ofAugust is when we became free and is thatday of the year when Kalimpong frees itselfand lets off some steam.

KalimpongASTATE OF

Mind

I-Day - The KpgExperience

by PRAVEEN MOKTAN

A fortnightlater, theft andmurder turnsto theft and

double-murderfrom our CORRESPONDENT

KALIMPONG: Even for a townused to violence, the events of thepast month at 16th Mile here havebeen disturbing. What started off asa suspected murder for theft, hasnow become a double murder. It isnot just the murders that have ran-kled the locals, but also the mannerin which the victims were killed anddisposed.

Villagers in 16th Mile found thedecaying and decapitated body of14-year-old girl Munna Chettri onAugust 23. The severed head andthe body were buried at differentlocations and have added a freshtwist to a nearly month-old un-solved case of homicide and theft.

The latest victim was workingas a domestic help in the house ofKB Thapa, a teacher of PagangGumpa High School here. His wifehad been brutally murdered earlierthis month.

Preliminary investigation by thecops had led to them to believe thatMr. Thapa’s two domestic helps, thesecond a Rajbanshi boy, had com-mitted the murder to make awaywith the loot - a loan Mr. Thapa hadwithdrawn at the time. Both hadbeen absconding since then.

With the discovery of the body,the needle of suspicion now swingsto a solitary suspect who remainsuntraced.

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NEW DELHI: In a major initiativeaimed at speedy and all-round de-velopment of North-East, the Un-ion Government has released a sumof Rs 3,173.06 crores till Augustthis year under the Prime Minister’sAgenda for socio-economic devel-opment of North-Eastern region.

The initiative envisages a totalinvestment of Rs. 9,094 crore. Itcomprises 27 projects ranging fromrural infrastructure developmentprojects, irrigation and educationalinfrastructure development tostrengthening of internal security,besides horticulture and IT devel-opment etc.

The Rural Infrastructure Devel-opment Fund has got the highestshare. Of this Rs. 117.28 croreshave been provided for constructionof 12 new National Highways en-compassing 1962 kms to ensurebetter connectivity between theNorth-Eastern region and the restof the country. In order to provide aboost to information technology inthe region, Rs 220 crores have beensanctioned for creation of compu-ter information centers in 487

In the Court of Additional District

Magistrate, East at Gangtok

AFFIDAVITWhereas, I, Ben Sharma, S/O LateSrikanta Sharma, aged about 29 years,by faith Hindu, by occupation unem-ployed, permanent resident of Rhenock,East Sikkim, at present residing at Up-per Syari, Gangtok, Sikkim, do herebysolemnly affirm and declare as under.1. That my correct and full name isBEN SHARMA as recorded in the Cer-tificate of Identiofications whereas ithas been wrongly recorded as “BENPRASAD SHARMA” in myA.I.S.S.C.E. certificates and also inother documents.2. That, both the above name i.e. BenSharma and Ben Prasad Sharma areof the same person i.e. myself.The Affirmation made above in para 1and 2 are correct and true to the best ofmy knowledge and belief and nothing hasbeen concealed/suppressed therein.I have signed this Affidavit on this, the16th day of August, 2002 at Gangtok,East Sikkim.

sd/- Ben Sharma, Deponent

IN THE COURT OF ADDITIONAL DISTRICT MAGISTRATE, EAST AT GANGTOK

AFFIDAVITWhereas I, Aiti Subba, daughter of Shri Ran Bahadur Subba, aged about 34 years, by faith

Hindu, by occupation Government Servant, resident of Namphok Busty, South Sikkim, do hereby

solemnly affirm and declare as under:

1) That my correct name is “Aiti Subba” as recorded in my Certificate of Identification bearing

memo No. 698, dated 14th November 1986 issued by the District Collector (South), including

my Service Record.

2) That by mistake my name has wrongly been recorded as “Aitaya Maya Subba” in my

Academic Certificates and “Aita Maya Subba” in my Employment Card bearing No. 1569/87

dated 1-7-87.

3) That “Aiti Subba”, “Aitaya Maya Subba” & “Aita Maya Subba” as disclosed above are the

names of same and one person i.e. myself.

4) That I am swearing this Affidavit to affirm that my correct name for all practical purpose,

purport and record shall be “Aiti Subba”.

The statements made herein above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief and

nothing has been concealed therein.

And I have verified and signed this Affidavit on this the 21st day of August 2002 at Gangtok,

East Sikkim.

Deponent (Aiti Subba)

Rs. 3173 crores

released for NE; PM’s

agenda makes

headwayblocks. Rs 100.15 crores have al-ready been disbursed under theproject.

In order to tap the immense po-tential of hydro-power projects, atotal sum of Rs. 109.23 crores havebeen provided for Teesta Hydelproject and Loktak Downstreamproject. In addition, Rs. 12.53crores have been disbursed for elec-trification of 500 tribal villages andRs. 52.00 crores have been providedfor laying electricity transmissionand sub-transmission lines in the re-gion.

As insurgency is a major prob-lem in the region, Rs. 273.80 weredisbursed for expansion of security-related expenditure. In addition,while Rs. 18.09 crores were pro-vided for fencing of Indo-Bangla-desh border Phase-II, Rs. 118.32crores were disbursed for policemodernization. Other major initia-tives include provision of Rs. 4.39crores for export development fund;peace bonus to Mizoram to the tuneof Rs. 182.84 crores and disburse-ment of Rs. 4.10 crores for bordertown development etc (PIB).

GANGTOK: BJP Rajya Sabha MPfrom Lucknow and the vice-presi-dent of the Kendriya HindiShikshan Mandal, Rajnath Singh‘Surya’, under the Ministry of Hu-man Resources was here this weekon a two-day visit.

He was here to attend the val-edictory function of the HindiBhasha Sanchetna Shivir, organisedby the Kendriya Hindi ShikshanMandal, in collaboration with theState Education Department.

The 21-day workshop was heldto train Hindi teachers from schoolsacross the state. The valedictoryfunction was held on August 23here. The eighty-one teachers whoattended the workshop wereawarded certificates by Mr. Singh.The ten toppers have been selectedto undergo further training at theKendriya Hindi Shikshan Mandalheadquarters in Agra.

Every year this institute trains

about seventy odd Hindi teachers ofthe State, in order to promote theteaching of Hindi language and lit-erature in the schools and colleges,and to make Hindi the link languagein the county.

This institute was formed in themid-50s basically to train teachersto teach Hindi in non-Hindi speak-ing states of the country. TheKendriya Hindi Shikshan Mandalhas been active in Sikkim for aboutten years now.

Rajya Sabha MP from Sikkim,PT Gyamtso, the Director, Educa-tion Department, Norden Tsheringand a large number of teachers andofficials were present in the valedic-tory function.

Later, speaking to media per-sons, Mr. Singh disclosed that thereare four other sub centers of theShikshan Mandal apart from theone in Agra. They are located inShillong, Guwahati, Mysore, andDelhi. He said that one such subcenter would soon be opened inDimapur in Nagaland, at the request

of the government of Nagaland.The center in Agra trains about

200 teachers from non-Hindi speak-ing states of the country and has anannual budget of about Rs. 11crores, Mr. Singh said. “We alsotrain foreigners, basically foreigncitizens of Indian origins at ourcenter in Agra. We get about 80such students every year,’ he said.

Mr. Singh said, “We ensure thata certain standard of the Hindi lan-guage is maintained. Therefore, itis important that the teachers toteach this language are properlytrained in all aspects of this lan-guage.” He said that the standardof Hindi language taught in theschools and colleges in the non-Hindi speaking States has “im-proved a great deal.”

Mr. Singh also disclosed that theKendriya Hindi Shikshan Mandalfacilitates Hindi language expertsfrom non-Hindi speaking Statesevery year at the Rashtrapati Bhawanin New Delhi. A total of 15 awardsare given out every year, he said.

a NOW REPORT

Lucknow MP in Sikkimto promote Hindiwomen

IN

NOW!

WE NEED

DAY-CARE

CENTRES

WE NEED

DAY-CARE

CENTRES

GANGTOK: Nearly one lakh peo-ple were bound in brotherhood with“Raksha-Sutras” on the occasion ofRaksha Bandhan by the SwayamSevaks of the Rastriya SwayamSeva Sangh. The Raksha-Sutra issupposed to be the symbol of na-tional integrity, patriotism andbrotherhood. The exercise was partof the Sangh Parivars RakshaBandhan (Sawan Purnima) celebra-tion throughout Sikkim observedfrom August 21 to August 25.

Many organizations, depart-ments, schools, temples and mon-

One lakh vows of brotherhoodasteries participated in the initiativewith even Christians and Muslimsbeing included in the tying of theRaksha- Sutras, for Sarva DharmaSamman.

Cultural programmes, bhajansand other programmes wereshowcased at Rhenock, Pakhim,Machong, Gangtok, Geyzing,Namchi, Sombaria, Legship,Jorethang and sixty other places,informs a release issued by the RSS.

On August 21, a programmewas organized at the Shanti Bhawanin Gangtok. It was presided over byTara Mani Nepal, and the ChiefGuest of the occasion was,

Garjaman Rai, President of theNHPC Contractor Sangh.

The Speaker Ashok Singhi saidthat the Sangh was a social and cul-tural organization and that some“politically motivated” peoplehave tried to tarnish the reputationof the Sangh from the very begin-ning. He also alleged that somenewspapers and magazines “influ-enced by foreigners and others”have tried to distort the image ofthe RSS, but the people who knowthe Sangh have been helping theSangh in continuing with theirgood work. He also said that theSangh has never splintered sinceits inception in 1925.

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK: A meeting of the AllSikkim Government Workchargedand Muster Roll Employees Asso-ciation (ASGWMREA) was held atthe waiting Room of Krishi Bhawanhere on August 22.

The meeting was chaired byGopal Gurung, President,ASGWMREA, and attended by themembers of the central executivecommittee and the Advisor of theAll Sikkim Government Drivers’Association, Indra Bahadur Chettri.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Chettri asked the members of theAssociation to stay united and ap-prised them of their rights and re-sponsibilities.

According to a press release is-sued by the Association, the mainagenda for the meeting was to dis-cuss the alleged “injustice” meted

out by the “senior” ranking officialsof the Agriculture and HorticultureDepartments on Class IV temporaryworkers employed in the depart-ments.

Many workers placed theirgrievances before the meeting andafter much deliberation, the Asso-ciation passed a six-point resolu-tion. The meeting also decided toplace the demands before the Stategovernment.

The Association has demandedthat the number of seats for MusterRoll and Work Charge employeesin the said Department be increasedto its original number. It has allegedthat the total number of seats tillJune 1, 2002 were 275, which havenow been reduced to 130 by the sen-ior officials, “for reasons bestknown to them.” The Associationhas said that by reducing thenumber of seats, many would bedeprived of employment opportuni-

ties in the Department.The Association has also de-

manded that Muster Roll employ-ees working in the Department formany years be regularized accord-ing to their seniority. It has de-manded that the decision taken bythe two departments to permanentlyabolish such Class IV posts asfieldman, maali, chowkidar, etc tobe reconsidered. All the vacantposts of LDCs and peons in the de-partments should be filled up withMuster Roll workers already in theservice of the departments accord-ing to their ability and seniority, ithas demanded.

The Association has further de-manded that the order given by theChief Minister in 2001 to fill thevacant posts in the various depart-ment with Muster Roll employeesemployed in the same departmentsshould be immediately imple-mented.

CHARGED ABOUT WORKMR and Work-Charge employeesdisagree with “seniors,” demand

regularisation

a NOW REPORT

11NOW!Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002 BUSINESS

SIKKIM’S

BANGLA

DREAMSJoint release of the first-everBangla tourist guidebook on Sik-kim published in Sikkim, SwapnilSikkim by Minster, Sikkim Tour-ism, KT Gyaltsen, Minister forTourism, West Bengal, DC Dakua,and the Tourism Minister,Meghalaya, Momin. The bookwas released at TTF 2002, inKolkata on August 2, 2002. PKDong (ED, STDC) can be seen inthe pictures helping the ministers.The book has been publishedGangtok-based Metroprints,which has already published suchpopular titles as Gangtok in a Nut-shell and a series of quality post-cards on Sikkim.

GANGTOK: Large cardamom is the mostimportant cash crop of Sikkim, with an areaof 23,500 hectares under its cultivation. TheState produces about 85 percent of India’stotal share in the cardamom production, anestimated 4,000-4,500 metric tonnes.

The production of large cardamom em-ploys about 16,949 framers, of which about1,500 are small and marginal farmers. Formany of them, cardamom is the only sourceof income.

Sikkim’s present average productivity ofthis important cash crop has however, seen asharp decline over the years, with a produc-tion average of only about 155 kg per hectare

GANGTOK: The Agricultural Ex-port Zones “AEZ” recently intro-duced by the Ministry of Com-merce, Government of India, aimsat promoting export of specifiedproducts grown in a contiguous areawith the objective of providing re-munerative returns to farmers onsustained basis by improved accessto exports.

To take benefit of the AEZScheme of Government of India,Department of Horticulture, Gov-ernment of Sikkim, with the ap-proval of government project pro-posal for the development of AEZfor ginger, floriculture and cherrypepper have been prepared throughthe consultancy services of IDFCNew Delhi & Natural SynergiesLTD., Chennai. The estimated costof the AEZ project are given as un-der:1. AEZ for Ginger: Rs 2461.50lakhs2. AEZ for Floriculture & Cherry

STOP-PRESS: SikkimPolice, in connection to theassault of Mohan Gurung(for details see Rajdhani-Shying away from a fight),have arrested Dhiraj Ranaand Bijay Rai of Pani Housearea. The police are hopingto make more arrests soon.

GEYZING: A 2-storeyed, 8-roomed annexe building of TharpuSecondary School, constructed at acost of Rs. 17 lakhs under the Non-lapsable pool of resources was in-augurated by the Minister, Educa-tion & Law, RB Subba on August23, 2002.

Mr. Subba, who is also the areaMLA, in his address informed thatunder the 10th Five Year Plan,4,000 teachers would be imparteda 6-month training for effectiveteaching and learning. Expressinghis concern over the increase inanti-social activities like drug abusein rural areas, he requested theguardians and teachers to be alertand guide the children in the rightdirection. While commenting on thepoor performance of govermentschools, he said that deliberationsare being held to sort out the short-comings of the education policiesand to work out ways and means torectify the same. However, studentsshould also put in labour to achievegood results as should the teachersgo about their jobs sincerely, headded. With almost every facilitybeing provided to the schools, herequested the public, teachers andstudents to care for the school astheir own property.

The Joint Director, Education,in his welcome address outlined thework done by the government in thefield of education, which he saidcould be seen by all.

-IPR

NEWANNEXE

FORTHARPU SS

Sikkim ready for ExportsPepper: Rs 3311.00 lakhs.

The sources of fund for theproject consists of existing schemeof Government of Sikkim, SpicesBoard, Ministry of Agriculture (TMon Horticulture) Ministry of FoodProcessing Industries, NationalHorticulture Board, NABARD andmajor share is to come from privateinvestors.

The financial assistance issought for activities that includeproductivity management, microirrigation, improvement in productquality through R&D, pre and postharvest training and extension serv-ices, maintaining cool chain, devel-opment of international level pack-aging material, market develop-ment, freight assistance for selectedproducts and transport assistancefor selected regions. Credit frombanks is also sought for farmers atconcessional rates for purchase ofinputs, at par with packing creditto exporters.

The declaration of Sikkim as anagricultural export zone is expectedto give the economy of the state a

gigantic boost. With the generationof employment opportunities is ex-pected a general improvement ineconomic standards. Not only willthere be an acceleration in the ex-port potential of the state but alsoan improvement in productionstandards and quality which in turnwill lead to a reduction in the costof the product. The export of agri-cultural goods also means extra for-eign exchange earnings, which inturn could be used for developmentof infrastructure.

The AEZ proposal has alreadybeen approved by the SteeringCommittee, Ministry of Commerceof APEDA, Ministry of Commerce,and Government of India.

The Government of Sikkim hasdesignated the Department of Hor-ticulture as a nodal agency for de-velopment of AEZ in Sikkim. Toprovide finance to develop AEZ forginger, floriculture & cherry pep-per a MoU was signed between theAPEDA and Government of Sikkimon August 26 at Conference HallTashiling, Gangtok.

per year, primarily because of two reasons -the lack of high yielding plant varieties andabsence of replantation in the older growingareas of the State. These factors have had anenormous impact on the livelihoods of thefarmers.

The usual economic bearing of cardamomorchard is for about 12 years. After 12-15years, the orchards need replantation. Thepeak age of large cardamom is between fourto eight years.

The average yield of a good orchard isabout 480 kg per hectare and the maximumyield can go up to 1000 kg per hectare de-pending on variety and orchard management.However, due to the earlier cited factors, car-damom yield has gone down over the yearsfrom 250 kg per hectare in 1975-76 to 153kg per hectare in 1996-97.

It is estimated that over 80 percent of thebushes in Sikkim require immediate replan-tation if the State is to stay on top in carda-mom production.

“Cardamom can be the life capsule ofSikkim,” says Dr. Utpal Gupta, Senior Sci-entist, (transfer of technology) of the IndianCardamom Research Institute, Regional Re-search Station, Spices Board, Tadong.

“To be able to tap the full potential ofthis cash crop and earn substantial returns, it

is essential to replace the local uneconomiclarge cardamom with elite planting materi-als,” he adds.

Dr. Gupta has been actively involved incrop improvement work on large cardamomat RRS, Tadong and has been successful inevolving high plant varieties suitable for dif-ferent elevations and agroclimatic zones inSikkim. According to him, to augment thedecreasing production, the RRS has evolveda number of methods, which include exten-sive replantation scheme and development ofa superior variety to give a better yield.

The RRS has set up a gene bank inPangthang and on the basis of multi-locational yield evaluation, two types of highyielding selections of large cardamom havebeen found and both are recommended forlarge scale planting.

The two selections are SBLC-5(Kanchanjonga) and SBLC-50 (Himali). Ac-cording to Dr. Gupta, both the varieties be-long to the local cultivar Sawney and are suit-able for cultivation in medium to high alti-tudes. The RRS team, with Dr. Gupta hasbeen working to develop these high-yieldingvarieties since 1986. Dr. Gupta said that withthese varieties, the production could go up to100 kg per hectare. The RRS, 1997 onwards,introduced the varieties to cardamom culti-

vators. Beneficiaries were selected fromthroughout the State as well as from theDarjeeling hills and provided with the twohigh-yielding varieties. About 40 hectares inSikkim and 15 hectares in the Darjeeling Hillswere planted with the new varieties and noware in the yielding stage. “With these two newvarieties, production can go up to six timesmore,” said Dr. Gupta. He added that in or-der to improve the yield, farmers should adoptRhizome Multiplication Technology, whichis “more effective and more economical.”However, this technology carries the risk oftransferring plant viral diseases such asFoorkey and Chirkey from the mother plant.

“Only a few farmers have started to usethese two new varieties. If more farmers cameforward and started using them, the produc-tion of cardamom would yield the much de-sired results,” Dr. Gupta said.

The two new selections are to be plantedin the months of June and July, when there isenough moisture in the soil. “Proper irriga-tion is also extremely important as it enhancesthe productivity. It is also advisable to useorganic fertilizers made from cow dung,” Dr.Gupta said.

There is a need to evolve a comprehen-sive strategy to revive and sustain cardamomyields, Dr. Gupta felt.

REPLANT TO REJUVENATE - THE MANTRAIS CLEAR FOR SIKKIM CARDAMOM

Average productivity of

large cardamom, per-

haps Sikkim’s main cash

crop, has been falling

each year. It is time now

for replantation drives,

advise experts...

by SARIKAH ATREYA

FOR UNITY,PEACE ANDHARMONY

GANGTOK: The Pang-Lhabsolfestival was observed with muchfanfare here on August 22. Despiteinclement weather, the celebrationhere drew a handsome crowd eversince it kicked off with the offeringof khadas to the Statue of Unity andlighting of the ceremonial lamp.Governor, Kidar Nath Sahani, pre-sided over the festivities as theChief Guest with the President ofthe Pang-Lhabsol Samaroh Samiti,Thukchuk Lachungpa handing overthe Abhinandan Patra to the Gov-ernor and the Chief Minister.

In his address the President ofthe Samiti requested the CM to helpthe Samiti in providing proper roof-ing for the area where the Statue ofUnity stands.

The Governor, while addressingthe people, said that the people ofSikkim should maintain peace andharmony among themselves. Healso said that Sikkim was an inte-gral part of India and the people ofSikkim Should join the fight againstcross-border terrorism sponsored byPakistan.

The Chief Minister, PawanChamling, while addressing thegathering said that Pang-Lhabsol isa historical festival of peace, unityand social harmony. He assured thathis Government would always workfor the good of the people of Sik-kim. He said that the RathongchuHydel Project was sccraped by theGovernment keeping in view thesocial harmony and religious tolera-tion, even though scraping theproject meant a loss of severalcrores in terms of invested money,power generation and employmentopportunities.

He said that the reservation ofseats for the Limbus and Tamangswould not affect the other peopleentitled to these reservations. Healso assured the gathering that the12 seats of the Bhutia-Lepcha com-munity would not be diluted.

a NOW REPORT

12 NOW! Aug 28-03 Sept, 2002

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Baba Offset, Tadong. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 70949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

SPORTS

GANGTOK: The Sikkim AmateurBoxing Association has come a longway since its inception in the year1995. Now the Association is allgeared up to host the 35th Boys and1st Girls Junior National BoxingChampionship. History is being cre-ated, as this is the first time that anational level boxing event is be-ing held in Sikkim; add to it the factthat this is the first time that a Na-tional level championship is beingheld for Girls.

At a press conference organizedby the Association, the SABAPresident and DIG (Range) SDNegi, informed that some 300 to400 Boxers and 100 officials from

1ST GIRLS JUN. NATIONAL BOXING TOURNEY TO BE HELD IN SIKKIM

all over the country would be par-ticipating in the event. It is expectedthat around 150 women will partici-pate in the game. He said that thiswould be a great opportunity for thegame to be popularized in Sikkimand to introduce the culture of box-ing to Sikkim.

There will be twelve weightcategories in the Boys Champion-ship right from the Light Fly (48Kgs) to Super Heavy (Above 91Kgs). In the Girls Championshipthere will be PIN Weight (45 Kgs)to Heavy Weight (91 Kgs). TheAssociation has been organizingthe State Open Boxing Champion-ship and the Kanchendzonga AllIndia Invitational Boxing Champi-onship every year, but it is for thefirst time that a national champi-

onship is being held here and theAssociation sees it as a great chal-lenge and honor.

The Association has already is-sued the prospectus and joining in-structions to the Indian AmateurBoxing Federation who will in turnintimate the same to all the affili-ated boxing units around the coun-try. To meet the international normsof amateur boxing, computerized-scoring system will be used duringthe championships, Mr. Negi in-formed.

He further informed that the lo-cal boxers were doing very welland that three of them, AshokSubba, Bikash Tiwari and SondhyaGurung have also trained in na-tional coaching camps apart fromparticipating in Zonal and Nationallevel tournaments.

While on the performance oflocal pugilists, Mr. Negi disclosedthat in the North Eastern Sports fes-tival the boxers of Sikkim managedto win 2 Golds, 2 Silvers, and 2Bronze medals. Chimi Wongmubagged a Bronze medal at the Na-tional level thus becoming the firstlocal lass to bag a medal in a box-ing event. The Association hopesthat local participants would per-form well in the Championship andget the exposure they require. TheState Open Championship will beheld from September 5 to Septem-ber 7 this year and this is expectedto help the Sikkim boxers preparefor even bigger events. Coachingcamps for the State contingent arealready underway with many box-ers preparing to graduate from sim-ple sparrng to the blood and sweatof the squared circle.

When it rains...

Would you risk these steps next to a jhora somewhere in Gangtok evenif the downpour was soaking you? None dared on Monday evening whenthe sultry afternoon was interrupted by a downpour backed by boister-ous thunder and lightning. And yes, the phones went promptly dead too.

a NOW! pic

SHORTCUTS by LAKPA DORJEEShould have

known she was

preparing for Rakhi

when she sent no

card for

Valentine’s

Day

DAD! Anu is coming!Could you tel her that

I am not at home.PLEASE!!

THE SQUARED CIRCLEAND THE FAIRER SEX

Sikkim’s Sangdi Lepcha celebrates her silver medal winning perform-ance at Women’s East Zone championship in Arunachal Pradesh, 2002.

by SUMANLATA PRADHAN

PLEASE SEE THE RATE BOARD BEFORE THE PURCHASE OF ANY P.D.S. ITEMSITEMS UNDER PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

1. Rice

2. Sugar

3. Wheat and wheat products

4. S.K. oil.

MONTHLY ALLOTMENT OF P.D.S.ITEMS TO THE CONSUMERS

1. Rice

a. 12 Kg per head per month for APL families

b. 35 Kg per family per month for BPL families.

c. Annapurna Yonjna -10 Kg per beneficial per

month.

d. Antoydaya Yonjno – 35 Kg per month family.

2. Sugar - 700 gms per head per month

3. S.K. Oil – 1.25 liters per head per month.

� Weighment of goods by Stone, Bricks, Metals or

any other non-standard weights is an offence.

If you have any complaints about defects on goods purchased or deficiency inservice you hired - please contact the District Consumer Disputes RedressalForum of your respective District or the Department of Food & Civil Supplies

and Consumer Affairs for Redressal of your grievances

AlertConsumer

BeAn

Department of Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer AffairsGOVERNMENT OF SIKKIM