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GANGTOK, 22 March: Whenelectricity returned to the maintown area of MG Marg and NewMarket today at 2:30 PM, the en-tire business community hereheaved a collective sigh of relief.A puncture in the distribution ca-ble feeding this area had snappedpower supply on 20 March and in-clement weather delayed repairs till22nd afternoon. Needless to add,business suffered and the weekendremained as dull as the weather.

Additional Chief Engineer,Power, NT Bhutia, disclosed that thereason behind the extended powercut was a puncture in the distribu-tion cable at Food Godown Service

Station. The heavy downpour on thenight of 20 March is believed tohave caused the puncture.

When NOW! reached the spotthis morning, Power SE, DKPradhan, was supervising a group ofnine workers trying to carry out therequired repairs. Mr. Pradhan pro-vided more details. Rain and light-ning on 20 March had damaged thehigh-tension, incoming cable toFood Godown which supplies elec-tricity to New and Old Market, herevealed. The junction tower hadalso been hit by lightning, he added.

Since neither rain nor lightningare new to Sikkim, the disruptionshould not have caught the depart-ment by surprise, one might ask.Given the information available, the

AMITAVA BANERJEE

DARJELING, 22 March: TheCommunist Party of RevolutionaryMarxist [CPRM] sought refuge ofthe Chief Election Commission toensure that electorates ofDarjeeling are not deprived of theirelectoral rights, as was the case inthe 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabhaelections. The GNLF had boycottedthese elections to ensure the victoryof the CPM candidates by block-ing the hill votes, alleged CPRM.

In a letter to TN Krishnamurthy,Chief Election Commissioner[CEC], CPRM tried to project thepolitical scenario prevailing in theDarjeeling hills vis-a-vis the Par-liamentary elections. The letterrecords that 4-Darjeeling Parlia-mentary Constituency comprises ofseven assembly seats of which threefall in the plains and four in thehills, covering two major linguis-tic groups. The letter states thatneither any national or any regionalparty had any organizational holdover all seven segments.

“In such circumstances it isonly the party in power which hasadvantages so as to manipulate and

hoodwink the electorates in turn-ing the table in their favour. And indoing so the ruling party of WestBengal that is CPM and the GorkhaNational Liberation Front [GNLF]also a ruling party of an autono-mous body known as DarjeelingGorkha Autonomous Hill Councilare working hand in glove since the11th Lok Sabha Elections…” readsthe letter.

“It is this hand in glove opera-tion that deprived the electorates ofthe Darjeeling Hills of their rightto vote with GNLF giving a boy-cott call to ensure CPM victory,”says RB Rai, General Secretary,CPRM.

The letter, which was dis-patched yesterday, also alleges thatin order to ensure the success of theboycott calls, the GNLF in the pasthad resorted to terror and intimida-tory tactics, which resulted in law-lessness in the Hills.

“…it is our strong apprehen-sion that the same situation mightbe created this time,” the letter goeson. “The apprehension is justifiedbecause on 20 March 2004, theChief Minister of West Bengal, Shri

Power PunctureSnag in distribution cable keepsMG Marg in the dark for 3 days

ANAND OBEROI

IMPHAL, 22 March: Sikkim held Mizoram to a 2-2 goal draw on DayEight of the ongoing Dr T Ao Doner football tournament at MapalKangjeibung here today.

The game was keenly contested as both the teams seemed equal toeach other in every department of the game. The first goal came early forMizoram, in the 13th minute, when Lalzamawia put in a beautiful headerpassed on from the right flank by Lalthengliana.

With a goal being scored the game was on in earnest with each teamtaking turns at the other’s goal in a see-saw of attacks and counter-at-tacks. Finally, Leezang Lepcha equalised for Sikkim in the 32nd minute.In another 8 minutes Sikkim scored their second goal when Tseten Bhutiaconverted a pass from Tashi Rapden. Sikkim now led 2-1.

The second half saw a tougher contest with the Mizos pressing for anequaliser while Sikkim fought well to save their goal. It was very unfor-tunate for the Sikkimese footballers that the equaliser for Mizoram camethrough a penalty shot in the dying minutes of the match.

SIKKIM HOLD MIZORAM TO A DRAW

CPRM shoots off Letter Of Complaintto CEC over Buddhadeb visit

I N S I D E

- turn to pg4

turn to pg 4

2; NOW!; 23 March, 2004

C M Y K

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

Artist, filmmaker, keen photographer, columnist with international magazines...It’s hard to pin Twan Yang down. Born to a Chinese father and Tibetan mother,he grew up in Kalimpong and worked in Sikkim. NOW! serializes Twan Yang’s

autobiography, Houseboy in India...

Elections are knocking on the doors andtime is running short for those whowant to file a nomination. I see most

leaders gathering a few people, hiring a cou-ple of vehicles and driving up to Mintokgangto seek an election ticket from the Chief Min-ister. Tomorrow another group of people willget together and drive up to Mintokgang forthe same purpose.

This activity is quite routine among poli-ticians these days. What I find astonishing isthat everyone wants to contest the electionson an SDF ticket. This is because they wantto win under the SDF umbrella; as individu-als they are not confident to win on their own.This clearly indicates that their intentions arenot so good.

Firstly, these people want SDF ticket; sec-ondly it is obvious if they win their intentionis to accumulate wealth. Their attitude clearlyreflects what they are opting for. Knowingall the facts, why is the public running aftersuch leaders? In fact, it is the people whoshould decide which person should be givethe party ticket as they have more knowledge

ELECTION &SELECTION

-11-

The railroad is set in a deepforest. We could hear onlythe noise of the river and the

cries of the birds in the trees abovethe station. But suddenly we hearda sharp whistle from the woods,which was repeated several times.Then I saw smoke rising up throughthe trees, dancing like water boil-ing in a pot, and soon the engineburst through the woods and ap-peared on the track in front of us.This was the first time in my life Isaw a railway engine. We took ourplaces in second class compart-ment, a small room with six win-dows through which one could lookout and see everything we passes.The train began to move, first veryslowly, and the smoke of the en-gine caused a smell entirely new tome. I became dizzy when I lookedout of the window, for I felt asthough I was flying through the airlike a cloud or a bird.

We reached the Siliguri sta-tion about sunset. I was aston-ished to see this flat country with-out hills or mountains, and no lessastonished to see the big stationand huge trains at Siliguri. In thestation I was bewildered and didnot know where to go. There wasa bridge we had to cross, and Iwas surprised to have to go up-stairs to get it. Soon I found outthat it brought us to the stationplatform on the other side of therails. The coolies brought ourthings and put them down on theplatform near the place where thetrain was to come, as my masterdirected. I was told to stay thereto look after it as well as the baby,while my master and mistresswent to he station tearoom. Igazed all around me at everythingI could see. It was all a wonderand surprise to me and entirelynew.

I was perspiring all the time

from the whole of my body andmost of all from my forehead, forthis was the tropical part of Indiaand the wind itself was hot. It wasunlike any wind we had inKalimpong, and so I began to thinkthat Kalimpong must be the bestplace to be in.

At last, about eight o’clock,came the train for Calcutta. In thistrain I had a separate seat in theservant’s compartment, with onlya few people inside, among themtwo Nepalese men and onewoman, and further on, three In-dians. At last we came to stationcalled Jalpaiguri, where the Nepa-lese got out. I went to my masterand asked for some food. Hecalled a food seller who waswalking up and down the plat-form and bought two annas worthof puri for me. I also got somevegetable curry. There was somewater in the bathroom, but it wasnot fit for drinking, and so I satalone and dumb like a wild ani-mal and could only keep thinkingof all the astonishing marvels ofIndia.

As soon as we reached

Sealdah Station in Calcutta, myears were filled with the cries ofthe coolies shouting: “Coolie,Sahib! Coolie, Sahib!” Theyraced after the train while it wasstill moving, and as soon as itstopped they rushed into the com-partment and began to take out theluggage, asking my master whichway to go.

During our stay in Calcutta wesaw many strange things such aselectric trains and two storied

houses and horse carriages andrickshaws pulled by men. I hadnot even dreamed about suchthings! In the hotel I had nothingto do in the daytime but to sit onthe verandah with the baby. Fromthere I could see everything thathappened on the street. Lookingat the street I was reminded ofevening in Kalimpong. There atthat time you will see birds fly-ing over the village in all direc-tions, and now here I saw motorcars and trams and buses or horsecarriages darting about withoutever stopping for a moment, justlike birds. I wondered how thisearth could stand such heavyweights pressing on it, and therolling of all these wheels, and thenoise of everything.

-to be coninued

What’s With The Weather?Given the number of Special Days that abound nowadays, it is diffi-cult to keep track of which days are more than just the dates that thealmanac announces them to be. And because there are so many ofsuch days, it is only natural that some pass away unnoticed. Todayis World Meteorological Day and save a token observation by theMet Office, it is bound to pass away unnoticed. While we may haveour reservations over how effective such days are in generating in-terest and information on vital issues, it is time we accepted that weignore the weather at our own peril

An overwhelming majority of scientists [it is still not an acceptedfact among the scientific circles] agree that earth’s temperature hasrisen during the past century. They differ on what caused it – man’suse of fossil fuel energy or the depletion in the green cover, but areunanimous in accepting that catastrophe awaits if global warmingcontinues unabated. And yet, global warming debates have slowlymoved away from the public domain. There was a time, which per-haps lasted till about five years back, when everyone was discuss-ing global warming. No examination paper was passed without ademand for an essay on global warming. Now, the debate haswarmed up to globalization. Without getting into the nitty-gritties ofwhat global warming is and how it could impact life on planet earth,let’s get straight into where we stand.

Ever wondered why nation after nation despatches senior sci-entists to the frozen extremities of the polar ice caps? Well, the sci-entists are there to check on their time machines. It’s called an icecore. Scientists collect ice cores by driving a hollow tube deep intothe miles-thick ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland [and in gla-ciers elsewhere]. The long cylinders of ancient ice that they retrieveprovide a dazzlingly detailed record of what was happening in theworld over the past several ice ages. That’s because each layer ofice in a core corresponds to a single year - sometimes even a singleseason - and most of everything that fell in the snow that year re-mains behind, including wind-blown dust, ash, atmospheric gases,even radioactivity. To drive home the point - fallout from the Chernobylnuclear accident has turned up in ice cores, as has dust from violentdesert storms countless millennia ago. Collectively, these frozen ar-chives give scientists unprecedented views of global climate overthe eons. Closer home, the glaciers serve the purpose of recordingand predicting future weather patterns. Little remains unknown aboutthe Gangotri glacier upstream from Delhi which has recorded de-tails of the scale of pollution industries downstream wreak on theenvironment. A crack in the glacier, a reduction in size, all point tothe steady march of global warming. Every millimeter shrunk ampli-fies the problems ahead. Now, about Sikkim. Mountaineers from theturn of the last century have recorded comments on the cracks onZemu glacier which feeds Tista and Rangit. Environmentalists haveoften spoken of the recession at Zemu. Lay people have complainedof the weather and how it follows no pattern anymore. If glaciers arethe first to detect changes in weather and predict the dangers ahead,don’t we, by virtue of living next qualify as being the first to get im-pacted by the changes the glaciers predict. Shouldn’t we thus bemore concerned? More informed?

VIEWPOINTKARMA LODAY ETHENPA

and familiarity with leaders of their respec-tive localities. They should then approach thehigh command to seek a party ticket for theleader of their choice.

Otherwise, if wedance to other people’sbeat than we ourselveswill suffer in the days to come.

If any aspiring leader is confident of win-ning, then why not fight as an independentcandidate to serve the people. People shouldrealise now from the past experiences thatafter winning the elections these people movewith flag cars and no longer want to see us.It is only during the elections that we get anamaste from them and an artificial smile on

their face. So, please don’t repeat mistakesto choose a ‘gentleman’ who will later havelittle mercy towards the downtrodden. Let’s

not fight among our-selves but remainunited as Sikkimese ir-respective of caste or

creed. We have other problems to solve suchas influx of outsiders. Sikkim has becomemore like a dustbin or breeding ground formosquito larvae. We are under threat. Let’snot be over ambitious, the time has come torebuild Sikkim for the coming generation,otherwise our grandchildren will spit on ourphotographs long after we have passed away.

Do not listen to politicians because they

never think of the people, they just lie andfool us. Their intention is to hold on to theirchairs and make lots of money. In this con-text I would like to quote one proverb: poli-ticians promise anything but do nothing; col-lect something and have everything.

Lastly best of luck for the one who getsthe party ticket and sorry for the ones whodon’t.

[The writer is a resident of Burtuk/Swastik, Gangtok]

Democracy does not only allow a person the lib-erty of holding an opinion, but also expressing itpublicly. If you feel strongly about something thathas been reported in NOW! or have an opinion onsome recent development, then share it with a wideraudience. While the LETTERS section will carryresponses to articles and news carried in NOW!,ACTION MAIL is about complaints and grievances.Wherever possible, NOW! shall also search out aresponse to the Action Mail. If not, then at least acomplaint would have been filed in the public do-main.write to: NOW!, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, East Sikkim.or email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

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GANGTOK, 22 March: A two-day Vendor Development Pro-gramme-cum-Exhibition beganhere today at the Sikkim Govern-ment College auditorium. Theevent, inaugurated by the ChiefSecretary, SW Tenzing, is being or-ganised by the Small IndustriesService Institute, Gangtok, in co-operation with SIDBI, Gangtok andNSIC Ltd., Guwahati.

Explaining the purpose of theprogramme, KN Sharma, AssistantDirector (Met), SISI, said it was toprovide a platform to the smallscale industry sector to display theirskills so that the larger industriesas well as the government couldoffload some part of their produc-tion processes on them. It was alsoin response to the need of Sikkimto stay in step with the race towardsindustrialisation as well as to intro-duce globalisation in the state, Mr.Sharma added.

The Chief Secretary, in turn,spoke highly of the skill and produc-tivity levels of the labourers in thestate. He also said that the wave ofglobalisation cannot be avoided andwarned that to miss the bus wouldbe mean marginalisation. Whileclaiming that the state governmentwas conceiving Sikkim as anotherSingapore, he said that instead offeeling apprehensive about Chinesegoods flooding our markets with theresumption of trade links with Ti-bet, “we need to take advantage ofthe big market that China offers.”

“Our biggest strength is our re-silience,” he said.

A Ray, Director, SISI, in hisaddress said that the exhibitionwould be a big boost for the devel-opment of the small-scale sector inSikkim. “The vendor developmentprogramme will help the smallerplayers in the manufacturing as

well as agro-based industries toidentify the needs and requirementsof the larger players and work ac-cording to those needs,” he said.

The present scenario was notencouraging he said and further re-

vealed that discussions were onwith industrialists for promotionalworks. He also explained that thesmall-scale industries should alsobe set up on the basis of the needsand requirements of the local peo-ple and environment.

Positive about the prospectsoffered by resumption of trade linkswith Tibet over Nathula, he stressedthat locals should also benefit fromthe trade boom.

“We should harness ourselvesto take advantage of this. Our in-dustries should be prepared at theearliest,” he said in relation to tradevia Nathula. He said that the rea-son why the small scale industrieshad not made much of an impactwas due to their inability to organ-

GANGTOK, 22 March: TheHong Kong Bazaar Expo beganhere today at Hotel Bayul. Thesame team which brought ChinaBazaar to Gangtok returns with thewares and items offered at the HongKong Market mela. This time themela is on for two months. Al-though right now only seven teamshave arrived, we are assured ofmore participating teams arrivinghere in the next few days.

Incidentally, most of the

goods on sale here are exportedfrom the southeastern countriesof Indonesia and Malaysia .These largely include crockeryitems, gift items, soft toys andhousehold items. Interestingly,every item sold here costs be-tween Rs. 90 to Rs. 150.

Manager, Hong Kong Marketmela, Khurshed Ahmed says hehopes that his initiative receivesand equally encouraging responsefrom the Gangtokians as his lastendeavour did.

HONGKONG BAZAARIN GANGTOK

a NOW REPORT

INTRODUCING THE BIGGER PLAYERSTO THE SKILLS OF THE SMALL SCALE

OPERATIVESise themselves as an association.This, he said was their weak point.

DR Kharrel, Spl. Secy. & Dir.[Industries], in his talk said that thesmall scale sector was necessary tocheck rising unemployment. TheSISI, he said provides techno-managerial consultancy services,vendor development, technologicalup-gradation, quality control andstandardisation. He said that therewas an urgent need to accelerate thepace of industrialisation in Sikkim.The main hurdle to this, he felt, wasthe non-availability of land.

Among those in attendance weredelegates from FOSMI [Federationof Small and Medium Scale Indus-tries], Kolkata. FOSMI is in Sikkimto study the scope of industrialisa-tion in the state. They will be hold-ing a meeting with various govern-ment officials, FOSMI president,Alok Goswami, said in his speech.He also expressed a desire to assistthe state government with small in-dustrial projects if the latter assuredquick disposal of bottlenecks thatheld up such initiatives.

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 22 March: A Partici-patory Technology Developmentprogramme for farmers was heldhere today at IDB Centre, LowerGhum, Namchi.

Participatory Technology De-velopment (PTD) is a programmefor the improvement of ginger cul-tivation using modern technologyunder the Indo-Swiss Project con-ducted in Sikkim by Dept. of Hor-ticulture.

PTD / SHG (Self Help Group)of Ghum and Sorok are also en-gaged in the same project.

The programme started at 11AM with a welcome speech deliv-ered by Raj Kumari Thapa, a so-cial activist. This was followed byintroductions to the programme byrepresentatives of the Dept. of Hor-ticulture. The Governor, V. RamaRao presided over the function asthe chief guest.

Navraj Gurung, Indo-SwissProject Officer along with KamalRai, president of the Self HelpGroup, updated the gathering on thetechnological, economic and socialbenefits of the project. Bhim RajThapa, social organiser, PTD/SHGalso shared his experiences alongwith Bhuban Singh Rai, an oldfarmer who focused on the difficul-ties in the farming of ginger. On thismatter, he asked the government toassist the farmers with more help.

Appreciating the active involve-ment of the farmers in the imple-mentation of the modern technologyof farming, ISPF handed a chequeof Rs. 10,000 to the farming com-munity. The PTD farmers were alsofacilitated with certificates of appre-ciation by the Governor.

The programme was also at-tended by DC South, SP South,Area MLA, Bhoj Raj Rai, DDOSouth and other department offic-ers with a large number ofPanchayat members and villagers.

Namchi Farmers benefitfrom modern technology

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Mangan gets aVyapari Front

DEEPAK SHARMA

MANGAN, 22 March: The SikkimDemocratic Front is slowly gettingserious about the upcoming pollsand has geared up its campaigningin North Sikkim in a big way.

The party called a meeting of thebusiness community of Mangan Ba-zar and the surrounding areas hereyesterday to reach the party’s mes-sage to this influential group. Themeeting, presided over by area MLA,Hissey Lachungpa, also had theMangan Bazar Committee president,Mahendra Malu, present along withmembers of the business community.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Lachungpa stressed on the need forthe development of Mangan Bazar.“There is a lot that needs to be doneto develop the Mangan Bazar. Thereis a need to boost business by improv-ing the infrastructure for the business-men. The SDF party is committed toproviding all opportunities to thebusiness community to boost eco-nomic growth in the district and theState as a whole in an atmosphere ofpeace and harmony,” he said.

Mr. Lachungpa said that theSDF, once it returns to power,would issue Identification Certifi-cates to all old business communitymembers in the State. He added thatthe Mangan Lower Bazar would beconnected by road with Dzongu. Healso announced that the SDF partywould be organizing a meeting withthe business community at Rangpoon 3 April, which will be presidedover by the Chief Minister andparty president, Pawan Chamling.

Later, 15 persons were selected forthe SDF Vyapari Morcha, which willlook into the problems of the businesscommunity and find solutions to themin co-operation with the SDF. Themembers of the SDF Vyapari Morchaare: Mahendra Malu, Umesh Shah, SriNath Prasad, Nageshwar Prasad, HSPradhan, Asha Agarwal, MukhiyaPrasad, Pratap Sharma, Pappu Malu,Madan Sharma, Neek Mohammed,Deepak Thakur, TT Bhutia,Deepchand Joshi and Raju Gupta.

puncture could have been caused byimproperly dug cable trenches. Therepairs took long because the cablespass through perhaps the biggestjhora in town. Persistent rain saw thejhora swell and made the cables in-accessible for repairs. Also contrib-uting to the delay was the extensivedamage caused to the cables, thereplacements for which had to bebrought in from Siliguri

While speaking to NOW!, Mr.Pradhan had assured that power sup-ply would be restored by 2:30 PM.Electricity surged through the dis-tribution cable exactly at that time.

Alternative healersdecide on Sikkim

for World CongressSARIKAH ATREYA

GANGTOK, 22 March: Sikkimwill, for the first time, play host to theWorld Congress of Holistic NaturalHealth Sciences when the VIthinstallment of the meet is held here atthe Community Hall on 27-28 March.

Organised by the Holistic HealthPromotion & Allied EducationFoundation, this two-day “mela”will bring together the different as-pects of alternative medicine, suchas homeopathy, acupressure, acu-puncture, naturopathy, Reiki,Ayurdeva, Tibetan Medicines, to onecommon platform and create aware-ness on this subject.

“The basic aim behind this is tospread awareness on alternative andnatural health sciences amongst thepeople, and its immense benefits,”Homoeopath and Chief Coordinatorand chairman of the Holistic HealthPromotion & Allied Education Foun-dation, Dr. Manohar Sunar, told apress conference here today.

The World Congress will alsocoincide with the VIIth Anniversaryof the Mani Himalaya Academycharter of the Holistic Health Pro-motion & Allied Education Foun-dation, in Siliguri.

“Although not fully recognizedby the Indian Government, alterna-tive and natural medicines havebeen recognized by the WHO. Ho-listic medical practices, as the namesuggests, takes care of the personas a whole, mentally and physically.Our country has a very rich historyin natural sciences which needs tobe revived and promoted in a bigway,” he said.

The World Congress will, in away, be a natural health mela wherepeople can come and gather infor-mation on any branch of alternativemedical practices. Free clinics,seminars, talks and exhibitionswould be part of the Congress.

Governor V Rama Rao is ex-pected to inaugurate the WorldCongress. Chief Minister PawanChamling will be the Guest of Hon-our. About 250 delegates, expertsin alternative medicines from allover the world are expected to at-tend the World Congress.

DARJEELING, 22 March: With thestudent inflow, one of the major in-puts to the economy of Kurseong,steadily declining and tourism at a low,the Gorkha Sanskritik Sangsthan[GSS] is all set to give Kurseong afacelift, aiming at socio-eceonomicupliftment. A 10-day Programme willbe organized by the GSS at MonteviotGround, showcasing the Nepali cul-ture and tradition in a broader perspec-tive of promoting national cultural in-tegration along with the socioeco-nomic upliftment of the region.

“The Boisakhi Mela, which tillnow drew only the Kurseong resi-dents will be given a new flavourand turned into a 10-day affair thisyear starting from 13 April. It willalso be upgraded from a local affairinto one projecting an aura of na-tional cultural integration,” saidAsha Mukhia Lama, Secretary, GSS.

The programme will include

Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee came toDarjeeling in a car with coverednumber plates for holding a closeddoor meeting with the chairmanDGHC Sri Subash Ghising.”

“The meeting of the two headsof ruling parties after declaration ofthe dates of the 14th Lok Sabhaelections is a sure indication ofmaking an understanding so as torevive the nexus for repeating theearlier jugglery of debarring andinhibiting the exercise of demo-cratic rights of the people of theDarjeeling Hill,” the letter of com-plaint alleges.

The CPRM has requested theCEC to conduct an enquiry into the

Kurseong prepares for festiveten days of Boisakh

from OUR CORRESPONDENT

participation from all the commu-nities. It will be a cultural jamboreewith traditional dance, music and ex-hibitions. On the more somber notethere will be seminars mainly on thefolk traditions. Traditional cuisineand stalls showcasing various cot-tage industry products will find aprominent place.

“In an era when politics is amechanism creating division, onecan count on culture as a unifyingforce,” added Lama.

She promised that it would notbe a drab routine mela. To add tra-ditional glamour, there would bethe “Gorkha Sundari Protiyogita”a beauty pageant which will havebeauties attired in traditional cos-tumes and ornaments.

Nepali folk dance forms willfind prominence in the cultural ex-travaganza even as they share cen-tre-stage with folk culture of othercommunities living in the hills in-cluding the Marwaris, Biharis, Ti-betans and Bengalis.

At the festival, twelve personswith outstanding achievements inthe field of music will also be hon-oured. Since a programme of suchmagnitude involves a hefty budget,GSS has approached the DGHCand the State for help.

“We are mainly relying on door-to-door contributions and sponsor-ship. Everyone is eager to do theirbit,” added Lama.

Stressing the grander plans onanvil, Lama added: “This time weexpect a lot of people from neigh-bouring districts and even stateslike Sikkim. People from Delhi andfrom other states having Nepalipockets have also shown interest.”

The organizers have decided toapproach various hotels, restaurantsand travel agencies to provide rea-sonable rates for the visitors dur-ing the programme.

“Along with upliftment of ourculture and tradition we hope to putKurseong in the tourism map by mak-ing this an annual event” added Lama.

details of the recent meeting be-tween Buddhadeb and Ghising andthe “compulsion of traveling in acar covering its number plates.”They hope that the democraticrights of the people of theDarjeeling Hills would be protectedby the CEC during the upcomingelections.

Meanwhile the covered numberplates of the CM’s cavalcade hasevoked some mystery in theDarjeeling Hills. When asked aboutthis, R. Mishra, Darjeeling PoliceSuper stated that it was done forsecurity reasons. When counteredwhy in the past when visitingDarjeeling, it was never seen thatthe CM vehicles had coverednumber plates, Mishra replied “Se-

curity norms keep on changing.”Prior to this the CM had visitedDarjeeling on 19 July 2003. An-other debate which is doing therounds in the Hills is whether theCM’s visit was official or not, withno one including the District Ad-ministration nor the CPM leadersbeing able to clarify. Dr. AaarizAftab, District Magistrate,Darjeeling however added that hisvisit was strictly in line with themodel code of conduct. Accordingto the Compendium of Instructionon Conduct of Elections, Peopleentitled to Z-Level security couldbe provided with Vehicles and Ac-commodation, but the expenseshave to be borne by the individual.“The CM has paid for the vehicles,food and accommodation” addedthe DM. “We went strictly by thebook and no officer met him eitherat Darjeeling or at Siliguri, keep-ing in line with the model code ofconduct.” he added .

Contd from pg 1

CPRM SHOOTS OFF LETTER OF COMPLAINT

TO CEC OVER BUDDHADEB VISIT

All this, however, impacted theweekend business at MG Marg.Hardest hit were businesses de-pendent on electricity. Restaurants,ice-cream parlors, photo-develop-ing shops suffered heavily. Most ofthe shops downed shutters by 6 inthe evening and a general air ofdesolation hung in the air

“We lost many of our custom-ers who had come to develop theirprints. Tourists who were supposedto get their photos did not get them.Not only did we lose business, butalso face,” said a shop owner.

Homes that missed the Indo-Pak one-dayer yesterday are stillsore with the department.

Contd from pg 1

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NAMCHI: The statue of GuruPadmasambhava at Samdruptse isslowly turning Namchi into a must-visit place for tourists. Apart fromthe local people who come herefrom all over the state, hordes oftourists are arriving here from Bhu-tan, Nepal and even Sri Lanka andJapan.

This is resulting in a majorboost in the income for those in thehospitality business.

Says Amos Subba, Manager,Hotel Mayel, “Even while thestatue was being constructed, thevisitors had started to come, butafter the inauguration of the statueit has increased three-fold.”

According to him, these dayswhile more than 500 tourists comein to the restaurant for a meal, nearlya 100 come here for lodging.

He’s not the only one happyabout the increase in business. B.Lama of Hotel Samdruptse, locatedon the Jorethang Road has 10 to 12groups coming in from West Ben-gal, South India, and even as far asfrom Japan almost everyday.

“Each group has more than 50persons and they have all come onlyto see the statue,” he says. Accord-ing to him while some stay over,many go on to visit Darjeeling andKalimpong.

The story is the same with otherhotels of Namchi. Often tourists areforced to stay at Jorethang becausethe hotels in Namchi are booked.

Equally happy are the taxi driv-ers who are busy ferrying passen-gers up and down fromSamdruptse. According to local taxidrivers, there are 80 to 90 vehiclesper day that make the trip. Witheach trip costing Rs. 200, it’s profittime for all the taxis.

Says, Raju Rai, “We no longerhave to look for customers. Nowthey look for us. We are much indemand.”

“This is a boom for Namchi. Ithas put the place in the tourism mapof India and the locals are nowreaping the benefits,” says MB Rai,Manager, PCS, Namchi.

Not only has the Samdruptsestatue increased business for localsit has also increased the tourismvalue of the whole region. “Aftervisiting Samdruptse, many of thesetourists also visit other tourist desti-nations in Namchi, and this is help-ing the region as a whole,” states

SOUTHBOUND

by PURAN TAMANG

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 22 March:Launching in a week’s time is aneffort at presenting history sans thegeographical boundaries of recentmake. “Darjeeling – Compendiumof Documents,” compiled and ed-ited by R. Moktan, a journalist anda politician who has followed de-velopments in Darjeeling andSikkim closely over the years, isslated for a 28 March release.

Mr. Moktan reveals that thebook is a “complete” compilationof historical documents relating toSikkim and Darjeeling.

Introducing the book in greaterdetail, he reveals that it has beendivided into four parts. Part-I dealswith various treaties and conven-tions from the Tripartite Treaty of1641 by which Phuntsok Namgyalwas coronated as the first Chogyalof Sikkim, to the Treaty of Tumlongwhich made Sikkim a British pro-tectorate. Treaties recording the giftof Darjeeling to the British to thecessation of Kalimpong and Dooarsto the British by Bhutan are re-corded in detail, including somelesser known conventions like theone of 1890 when Britain andChina met with Sikkim as the mainagenda. Forgotten nuggets from thepast like the 1813 Sikkim-Tibetconvention to decide the bounda-ries have also been culled out forpublication in the book.

Part Two of the book, informsMr. Moktan, deals with memoran-dums, resolutions and various set-

tlements. The 1917 memorandumof the Hillman Association[Darjeeling] submitted to the chiefsecretary of Bengal asking for aseparate territorial unit comprisingpresent Darjeeling along with aportion of Jalpaiguri District findprominence in this section. The firstdemand for ‘Gorkha Sthan’ raisedin 1943 by the then undivided Com-munist Party of India is also repro-duced alongside the 23 December,1983, memorandum submitted byGNLF supreme Subhash Ghishingto the King of Nepal seeking assist-ance in the creation of a separateGorkha state.

Part Three brings into focus thespeeches of Dambar Singh Gurung[the then president of AkhilBharatiya Gorkha League] and AriBahadur Gurung delivered at theconstituent assembly in 1946.

Part Four fleshes out the Sikkimconnection in more detail with re-productions of articles on theDarjeeling Grant Hope Namgyal[former Gyalmo of Sikkim].

Mr. Moktan insists that thebook is “very informative” and“will be a big help to the studentsinvolved in historical research onSikkim and Darjeeling.” He seesthe book as a kind of a guide for allthe intellectuals as well as politi-cians of the region.

As mentioned earlier, the authorhas watched developments on ei-ther side of Rangpo from close

THE TOURISM

EXPERIENCE COMES

TO NAMCHI

THE TOURISM

EXPERIENCE COMES

TO NAMCHI

Kiran Rai, a local travel agent.The statue, a lavish thanksgiv-

ing to Sikkim’s patron saint whoblessed the land, stands tall over theSamdruptse hill and sparkles in thewinter sun attracting everyone’sattention. A marvel of architecture,the project was brought to thepresent stage at the cost of Rs. 6.76crores. With the proposal to link thecomplex to Namchi via a gondoliastyled ropeway cleared,Samdruptse will attract even moretourists as the years go by. This is aprospect which makes everyone inthe tourism business here veryhappy.

a Govt. of India enterprise

Office of the General Manager Telecom

Gangtok : Sikkim

Bharat SancharNigam Ltd.

NOTICE

All BSNL subscribers arehereby informed that all tel-ephone numbers inGangtok beginning 222,223, 224 and 225 are beingchanged in a phased man-ner to now begin 20, ie isthe second number ofthese phones will hence-forth be “0.”

New book on Sikkim-Darjhistory will try to put thepast in perspective

- continued on pg6

6; NOW!; 23 March, 2004

C M Y K

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tryin I never been a quitah But I do deserve betta Believeme I will do bad Let’s forget the past And let’s start thisnew plan Why? Cuz it’s the same old routine And then

next week I hear them scream Girl I know you’re tired ofthe things they say You’re damn right Cuz I heard themlame dame excuses just yesterday That was a different

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LOVING BEENE,Certainly you must knowthe earth, at present weare at the darkest nightbut the bright sunshine

day is just waiting for us.Whatever the situation isyour love is all around me.

Lots of Love NORBU

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quarters. He was Private Secretaryto Sikkim’s chief ministers from1976 to 1986. Between 1986 to1992 he was the confidential assist-ant to the DGHC chairman. In 1996

This Los Angeles, California,USA-based multi-ethnic rapcrew joined artists such as

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Will.I.Am and Apl.de.Ap firstmet in 1989 as eighth grade stu-dents, and began performing

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and repeated the favour two yearslater on the trio's second album,Bridging The Gap. Sticking totheir non-confrontational mani-festo, this superb album confirmedBlack Eyed Peas as the spiritualand musical heirs of A Tribe CalledQuest and De La Soul. Their thirdalbum, Elephunk, generated a sur-prise UK chart-topper in Septem-ber 2003 with "Where Is TheLove?", which featured that year'sfavourite former boy band singer,Justin Timberlake. The Black EyedPeas enjoyed a second UK hit inDecember when the follow-up"Shut Up" reached number 2.

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from pg5The Tourism Experience Comes To Namchi

he became the Secretary General ofthe Sikkim National Front and wasappointed its president in the year2000. The preface for the book hasbeen written by CD Rai, editor,

Gangtok Times, and the introduc-tion penned by Dr. Harka BahadurChettri.

The book will be priced at Rs.350.

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49th Day Kutse Shegu of lateex-Panchayat Gyen Tsh.Lepcha who left for hisheavenly abode on 11February 2004 falls on 29March.All the well wishers, friendsand relatives are requestedto join us in offering prayersfor the departed soul at ourresidence at Lum LowerDzongu, North Sikkim.I, the present Panchayat ofLum along with bereavedfamily also take thisopportunity to thank all thosewho stood by us during thetime of bereavement andrequest our inability to thankthem individually.

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Maverick. Eccentric. Madman. Lesley John Carterhas been called many

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A teacher by profession, he’sbeen the principal of three schoolsin Kalimpong. Today he runs acoaching centre for students wherehe teaches English and Mathemat-ics.

But Lesley’s claim to fame liesin another sphere altogether. He hasthe distinction of having contestednearly every election in the past 18years. Many call him the “one-manarmy” of Kalimpong politics.

From Panchayat to Municipalto Assembly elections, he has con-tested them all, never bothed by thefact that he did not win any.

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LESLEY JOHN CARTER

I, Sudip Pradhan, s/o R. K.Pradhan, resident of DPH Road,Gangtok, have lost my IndianPassport bearing no. T-716313.If anyone finds it, please contactNOW! or call 9832090888 or225185

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which are still relevant,” he states.Still harbouring the desire to

change the world if he comes topower he says, “I want to becomean MLA and work for the people.”

The desire to work for the peo-ple made Lesley take his first stepsinto electoral politics in 1986 whenthe Gorkhaland agitation was at itspeak.

“I wanted to fight for statehoodfor the Gorkha people,” he recallsabout his foray into politics. State-hood did not come, but Lesley con-tinued his battle. Today he is happythat the demand is still being voicedby many others.

The first election that he con-tested was the panchayat polls of1986. He surprised many when helost the race by barely 125 votes.Soon, he started contesting the Mu-nicipal elections. In 1996 he stoodas a contestant for the assemblypolls and even secured as many as5,800 votes.

Fed up of standing as an inde-pendent he joined the BJP in 1998and was soon elevated to the postof party president of the Kalimpong

unit. The next year he contested theDGHC polls. In 2001 he stood asthe BJP candidate in the assemblyelections.

Not deterred by his losses andstill quite vocal about issues hefeels strongly about, he says, “It issad that the Nepali-Gorkha peoplehave been unable to get a suitablecandidate and solve the problem ofthe hills, problems, which the peo-ple of the plains do not understand.In the hills, the youth are leavingthe place for a secure future else-where.”

His future plans?To win an election.

can be emailed atsikkimnow@rediffmail.com

NOW!

8; NOW!; 23 March, 2004

C M Y K

Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita ZulcaNow! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

THEFINALONE �

today in

History23nd March

1910: Akira Kurosawa,celebrated Japanese directorof such acclaimed movies asSeven Samurai and Ran isborn in Tokyo, Japan.1919: Benito Mussolini, anItalian World War I veteranand publisher of Socialistnewspapers, breaks with theItalian Socialists andestablishes the nationalistFasci di Combattimento,named after the Italianpeasant revolutionaries, or“Fighting Bands,” from the19th century. Commonlyknown as the Fascist Party,Mussolini’s new right-wingorganization advocated Italiannationalism, had black shirtsfor uniforms, and launched aprogram of terrorism andintimidation against its leftistopponents.1929: First telephone installedin the White House.1931: Bhagat Singh washanged to death in the Lahorecentral jail along with ShivramRajguru and Sukhdeo.1940: All-India-Muslim leaguecalls for a Muslim homeland1956: Pakistan gets aConstitution,is proclaimed anIslamic republic.1987: Television soap “Bold &Beautiful” premieres in the US.1999: Bestsell ing authorThomas Harris delivers his600-page manuscript for hisnew novel, Hannibal, toDelacorte press. He hadpromised the book more than10 years earlier as part of atwo-book contract that paidhim a $5.2 million advance.

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GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist BUCKETHEAD has quit after a four-year stint during which the band released no new material.

The eccentric star, who wears a fried-chicken bucket on his headand talks only through a hand puppet, has become fed up with the band’sinertia, his manager told MTV. Guns N’ Roses have not released a brandnew studio album since 1991 (bar a covers album in 1993) and have rarely

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summer. There are also reports that a ‘supergroup’ called Col.Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains featuring Buckethead, Primus

bassist Les Claypool, GN’R drummer Brain and legendary funkkeyboardist Bernie Worrell will release an album this summer.

Ozzy Osbourne has been named the nation’s favourite ambassador to welcome aliens to planet earth.The well-lovedrock God has pipped Prime Minister Tony Blair and pre-

senters Ant and Dec as the face people want to represent them toalien life.

The poll, on Yahoo! News survey on the Internet, was carriedout following the discovery of signs of water on Mars. US presi-dent George Bush and glamour model Jordan came level in thesurvey - with just 9% of the votes. Ozzy, currently recovering froma near fatal fall from his quad bike, won 26% of the vote.

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The R&B singer, whose “wardrobe malfunction” at the Super Bowllast month, sent shockwaves through the nation, paid tribute to herspecial qualities on Saturday when she received a career achieve-

ment honor at the Soul Train Music Awards.With her breasts safely ensconced in a white gown, the 37-year-old

singer thanked her fans, without specifically mentioning the infamousfallout.

“You’ve been there for me during the good times as well as the bad,and you’ve lifted me up with your love. Your love and support has alwaysbeen a great source of comfort, especially in these last few weeks.” Herspeech frequently punctuated by cheers of love and support from the au-dience, Jackson said she was “amazed” to have endured in show businessfor 30 years.

The remake of the 1978 zombie classic ‘Dawn Of TheDead’ took £27.3m

(£14.9m) in its opening weekend,according to early estimates.

Mel Gibson’s Passion earnedanother $19.1m (£10.4m), bringingits four-week US takings to a$295.2m (£161m).

Ethan Hawke thriller TakingLives made its debut in third placewhile Starsky and Hutch fell tonumber four.

Johnny Depp’s new film Se-cret Window, in which he playsa writer haunted by a man whoaccuses him of plagiarism, en-tered in fifth place.

Dawn of the Dead is directedby newcomer Zack Snyder andreprises George Romero’s origi-nal in which a group of survi-vors are trapped in a shoppingmall surrounded by hungry zom-bies.

It follows the success of lastyear ’s remake of The TexasChainsaw Massacre , whichtopped the US box office chartin October.

OZZY - FRIEND OFLITTLE GREEN MEN

BUCKETHEAD’S OUT

There is still no sign of Guns ‘N’Roses’s long-delayed ‘Chinese De-mocracy’ album. The band’s label

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