20 April, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

Tuesday, 20 April, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 22 Gangtok � Rs. 3Bharat Sanchar

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Dear readers,

Yesterday’s edition of NOW! [19April, 2004], could not hit thestands for reasons too obvious toeven state. Yet, for the benefit ofreaders outside the region - theabsence of two vital ingredientsthat decide our regularity - electric-ity and phones. The two factorscontinue to remain beyond ourcontrol, but arrangements havebeen put in place that we don’tmiss a deadline for these reasonsagain. Our apologies to our read-ers and advertisers who had tobegin a new week without NOW!

-ed

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 19 April: No biggieshave yet taken the trip to the DC’soffice to file nominations as yet.While the F&CS Minister in theoutgoing government, KBChamling, filed his nomination onSaturday, on Day-3 of the nomina-tion process, three made their can-didatures official. The Congress [I]candidate for Lachen Mangshila,Anil Lachenpa, SDF nominee forLoosing Pacheykhani, ManitaMangar [Thapa], and an independ-ent from the SC reserved constitu-ency of Khamdong, JiwanLamichaney, officially entered theAssembly polls fray today.

Two of the nominations - Ms.Mangar’s and Mr. Lamichaney’s -were filed at the office of the Dis-trict Magistrate [East], who is alsothe Returning Officer for the Dis-trict. Mr. Lamichaney is a formerpanchayat member fromKhamdong who reportedly fell outwith the SDF when he was refused

a renomination.Interestingly, the SDF candidate

from Loosing-Pacheykhani is alsoa panchayat member, albeit a sit-ting one, and makes her debut inAssembly elections. Ditto for Mr.Lachenpa who contests the Assem-bly polls for the first time. Formerlywith the SDF, he split from the party

Manita Mangar, SDF, Loosing-Pachekhani

Movable properties:� Liquid cash-Rs. 3,50,000 with her and Rs. 1,50,000 with her hus-

band� Children’s Gift Growth Fund (UTI) Total 200 units� Two LIC policies in her name of Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 20,000 qtly

each� Four LIC policies in her husband’s name, one worth Rs. 75,000

and the rest three worth Rs. 1,00,000 each.� Two Maruti vans� 20 tolas of gold worth Rs. 1,40,000 in her name and five tolas of

gold in her husband’s name worth Rs. 35,000. Two tolas of goldworth Rs. 14,000 in her daughter’s name

� 1.5 kg of silver plates, idols, jewellery worth Rs. 27.000Immovable properties:� One RCC GCI roof ancestral property at Chota Singtam, Kadamtam,

valued at Rs. 10,48,360� Land in her father-in-law’s name measuring 5.5 hectares in which

her husband has 1/3 share. Total market value - Rs. 11,00,897

some time back for SikkimSangram Parishad and joined Mr.Bhandari when he moved to theCongress camp earlier this year.

There are more firsts in the mak-ing if the tidings favour the two debu-tantes. While the Cong [I] candidatewould become the first Lachenpa to

3 NOMINATIONS FILED ON DAY-3Two freshers and one independent

enter the fray, officially

turn to pg 7

ManitaMangar

takes theoath in

support ofaffidavits

filed alongwith her

nomnationpapers

on 19 April

STORM CLAIMS 4LIVES AT RANGPO

a NOW REPORT

RANGPO, 18 April: Four people[from the West Bengal side] losttheir lives while several were injuredin a raging storm that struck Rangpotoday. The calamity occurred ataround 9 PM destroying severalhouses here. M.Tshering [40] andhis wife Cheki Tshering [43] losttheir lives on the spot when a treefell on their house, while SabinaThapa [14] , also a resident of thesame locality died on her way to thehospital. Several others were in-jured. Six victims of the storm havebeen admitted at the STNM hospi-tal while 2 have been admitted at thelocal medical facility.

GAC-SIBLAC are Cong [I] fronts: ChamlingPURAN TAMANG

RAVANGLA, 19 April: Address-ing a well-attended public meetinghere today, the chief minister andSDF president, Pawan Chamling,lashed out against the Gorkha ApexCommittee and Sikkim BhutiaLepcha Apex Committee, accusingthem of vitiating the communalharmony of the State and for beingthe “branches” of the State Con-gress unit.

Ravangla, incidentally, falls inthe BL reserved constituency ofRalong where SDF’s DD Bhutia isseeking a third consecutive term.

GAC and SIBLAC, which areat opposing ends of various sensi-tive issues in the State, were bothheaded by members of the SDF un-til the GAC chairman, GM Rai [andSDF vice-president], was expelledfrom the party and the SIBLAC con-venor, Tseten Tashi Bhutia [an SDFMLA], resigned recently.

Mr. Chamling today allegedthat while the former SIBLAC con-venor had exposed that he was al-ways hand-in-glove with Mr.Bhandari by accepting a Cong [I]ticket for the upcoming polls, Mr.Rai, even though he plans to con-test as an independent, has struckan alliance with the Bhandari-ledCong [I] in the State.

SIBLAC and its former con-venor, Mr. Chamling said, tried to

turn to pg 7

Chamling at the Ravangla public meeting, 19 April

2; NOW!; 20 April, 2004

C M Y K

Artist, filmmaker, keen photographer, columnist withinternational magazines... It’s hard to pin Twan Yangdown. Born to a Chinese father and Tibetan mother, hegrew up in Kalimpong and worked in Sikkim. NOW!serializes Twan Yang’s autobiography, Houseboy in India...

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

-33-

The Capitol Cinema, in themiddle of Bombay’sBoribunder bazaar, had

made a contract for some weekswith this dancing company, so weall went there first to leave ourthings, and then in search of rooms.My sahib and memsahib stayed inthe Roral Hotel, which was not farfrom the sea. Next to our room wasthat of an Americal step-dancer andactor in Warner Brother’s filmcompany, Billy Carrow, thebrother of the actress NancyCarrow. Several of the danc-ers prepared their own food,which was much less expen-sive than eating in a big ho-tel. They always carried anoilstove and all the kitchenutensils and dishes withthem wherever they went.

The dancing show be-gan the day of our arrival,and I had to go to the thea-tre with my master’s dinner.Afterward I sat looking atthe magician’s and acrobats anddancers till twelve o’clock at night.I was permitted to see the showevery evening during the stay of thecompany on Bombay and I learnedby heart many of the tunes such asthe Spanish song “Valencia” and avery good one called, “Daisy,Daisy, Give me your answer, Do!’

After two weeks in Bombay thehead of the dancing company quiteunexpectedly decided to go to

Egypt and from there to Europe.Unhappily, there was no possibil-ity of getting a passport for me toleave by sea, so I had to remainbehind. My master, however, verykindly arranged for me to work withhis friend the American step-dancer. “You had perhaps better askhim yourself and tell me the result,”he said. So I went to the Americansahib and spoke to him about it. Hewas still young, about twenty-two

years old. He answeredthat a Pathan servanthad stolen a valu-able diamond ring

from him and that he did not trustIndian servants any longer. He didnot use the word “trust,” which Idid not know that time, but said thatthis Pathan was “no good” and thathe ‘did not like him”

I then said, ‘Sir, me no bad boy,me Christian; me work very goodfor sahib, if sahib takes me forwork.”

At last he answered, making hiswords so simple that I could under-

stand him: “John, you Chinaman;you coma and work for me. AllChinese boys, good boys!”

On the day that my Germanmaster was to leave, he took me toMr. Carrow and said, “This boy isa very good boy and I like him. Hehas worked well and is honest.”This I heard. When these two sa-hibs stopped talking, they shookhands, and my German master toldme to work well and gave me four-teen rupees as bakshish and a por-trait of himself riding a white horsein cowboy dress to remember himby. I felt very sad when he went

away and left me behind.I stayed in the same ho-

tel with Mr. Carrow, sleep-ing on the verandah. Nextday he took me to his big stu-dio near Colaba, where hegave dancing lessons. Twoyoung ladies were alreadywaiting to take a lesson instep dancing. These two girlsbegan their practise to mu-sic, moving their feet fast but

their body only very slowly. Thefeet were beating the floor like adrum. I thought this was a verystrange dance indeed. My mastertaught this for one hour or half anhour at a time and charge five ru-pees for a lesson. I very often hearda tune played called “Dinah,” andsometimes a tune would be playedcalled “The Music Goes Round andRound.”

To be continued

Getting to know the fineart of step dancing

Kalimpong has long beencalled a school town. Infact in a recent issue of a

local fortnightly, an attempt hadbeen made to study the impact thatthe presence of so many schoolshad on the economy of the town.Even by the conservative estimatesof the writer who was obviously notan economist, the figures werequite staggering if youcompared it with theother revenue genera-tors such as tourismand even floriculture.

There are a number of reasonsbehind the proliferation of schoolshere. The main is perhaps the pio-neering efforts of the missionaries:the quality of whose institutionsprovided Kalimpong with thathappy tag. However, the reasonswhy they chose a relatively lesspopulated town to proffer their edu-cational services is something thatneeds more pondering upon. Al-though as altruistic as the endeav-our may sound today, the sprawl-ing Homes was actually meant atleast initially for the orphan im-ports rather than the unfortu-nates of the local variety. Ofcourse, today the approach ismore balanced. DGH extendsits magnanimity to all and sun-dry, including the talented children

of the Gandhi Ashram. But therewas a time and that too not verylong ago when the appointment ofa local for a senior post was moreof an aberration than the generalrule.

DGH however by all standardsis still today the school that has theold world charm about it. The cot-tages are quaint, the campus almost

idyllic in its locale and landscape.It is still a learner’s true and refresh-ing abode. The other schools, bothold and new, also occupy differentniches. All, no doubt, contribute tothe vibrancy that the presence of somany young people brings to asleepy place like Kalimpong. Infact, doomed is that businessman

who does notfactor in the

presence of these kids in a majorway in any of his ventures.

There is a sense of generalcheer when the schools reopen.Everyone from the driver to thebookseller to the clothes vendorheaves a sigh of relief and looksforward to serving the young schol-ars for one more year. Of course,this does not mean that officialdom

comes out of its generallethargy to make things alittle better and comfort-able for the young folkswhose presence here is so

vital for the general well being ofthe town. The road that leads toalmost any school whether it isDGH, or GHS or SUMI or SAS orJUBILEE HIGH or anywhere arein a state of utter disrepair. To makeroom for the trucks that are parkednear the Novelty Cinema, those go-ing to the SJC and SAS and else-where have to take a long detour.Of course no one is complainingyet. There is so much to do both inthe class and elsewhere that it cer-tainly does not leave much time for

whining. So anytime you need tomake a show of token aware-ness on AIDS or pollution or

anything else just bring in thehappy procession of our long-suffering students and they willdo your job for you.

A brief recap of the story so far:• The political parties made a mock-ery of their mandate and fritteredaway the gains of 1990.• The royal massacre struck a blowto the national psyche and the coun-try is only now coming to termswith its implications.• Feckless democrats found them-selves incapable of dealing with thesavage tenacity of the Maoists.• Never happy with 1990, the royalright used the disarray to stage

October Fourth.• After messing around initially, theparties got their act together andforged an alliance to fight that ret-rogressive royal step.• There is now blood flowing notjust in Bhojpur and Beni but alsofrom heads of protestors on thestreets of the capital.• Under pressure to make a face-saving backtrack, King Gyanendramoots elections in Pokhara.• Defiant parties say nothing doing,Your Majesty, reinstate parliamentotherwise we will unleash our stu-dent wing.

SCHOOLDUTY lsewheree

NEPAL

CrossroadsThings can’t stay in this state of

disequilibrium for long, somethinghas to give. Someone with visionand statesmanship has to step in toset the country back on the rails. Inour polity, that person should havebeen the head of state. But the mon-arch is mired in controversy and haslowered himself down to the levelof other political players.

We have come to similar cross-roads in our country’s history be-fore, but none as critical and withsuch far-reaching consequencesas this one. Maybe it was wish-ful thinking to hope, as we didin this space last week, that san-

ity would prevail and we wouldhave a ceasefire in the new year.

Nepalis are asking the politicalparties on the streets: is your agita-tion going to bring us anywherenearer to a resolution to the con-flict? They are asking the king: whyare you letting this drag on? Andthey ask the Maoists: haven’t youdone enough harm already?

So, as the country drifts from atripartite power struggle to a bipo-lar confrontation between democ-racy and anti-democracy, the peo-ple may be forced to chose a multi-

turn to pg 3

Our Cynicism Defeats UsDemocracy is perhaps the most optimistic of all systems. UnlikeCommunism or for that matter even Capitalism, it endorses a lotof faith in the people and allows them the final say in the shape ofthe future. While other systems keep the decision-making rightslimited to a few hands, democracy lets the people decide everyfive years whether they want the course of things to change orcontinue. It is thus ironic that the voters are turning increasinglycynical of democracy itself. The moment they get swayed by jeepsand gypsies full of hollering youth as yardsticks of a leader’s “hold,”they reveal how they have distanced themselves from the issuesat hand. Elections might be fought on lung-power and muscle, butthey are won in the very personal experience of the secret ballot.

Without digressing from the point further; it is a common re-frain among the voters that their leaders change once they win.Promises of development are forgotten and the leaders becomecorrupt. In fact, the people have become so cynical now that pollpromises mean little to them. This is also why troublemakers findsuch fertile grounds to sow their conspiracy theories and whip upemotional support for “issues.”

But Democracy continues to remain optimistic. The latest ex-ample comes in the form of the latest Election Commission direc-tive making it compulsory for candidates to file their property re-turns and details of their criminal records. This is not the EC justtrying to throw its weight around trying to embarrass the candi-dates. It is the EC doing the people’s job. It should have been thepeople who demanded this information from those wanting to leadthem. But they didn’t, so the EC stepped in. But the whole initia-tive would be lost if the people do not reciprocate. The cynicismmentioned earlier is already being seen. One look at the propertydisclosures and the people turn away saying the candidate is ob-viously hiding a lot. Just about everyone will make that comment,but we can rest assured that no one will take it to the next level -challenge the declarations made. The whole idea behind mandat-ing that such details be furnished is for anyone who doubt’s itsauthenticity to challenge it in the right forum - the Election Com-mission or the Courts. When voters fail to do that, they defeat yetanother attempt to make democracy more vibrant and responsivein India, and in Sikkim.

20 April, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

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party republic as the least of allevils. Indeed, the slogans on thestreets are superceding Maoist graf-fiti in is radical content.

The differences between theconstitutional forces are relativelyminor, they should be easily re-solved with an interim team accept-able to all political parties and theking, and which can be entrustedwith the task of holding electionsfor a new parliament to debatesweeping constitutional changes.

This crisis provides us a chanceto make a breakthrough in nation-building and devise a more inclu-sive polity. After the sacrifice of

10,000 Nepali lives, it is now pos-sible to attain that objective with-out further bloodshed.

Contd from pg 2

Crossroads

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 19 April: Eachevening as she heads home, the onething that Sona looks forward to issitting on her favourite bean chairand watching God TV. It is some-thing she came upon quite bychance one evening as she surfedthe channels aimlessly. Shestopped, she heard and she washooked. Today it is a daily fix sheneeds to go on with her life.

“I just love God channel. Itteaches you about life and peopleand shows you ways to live a mean-ingful and fulfilled life,” she says.

Sona is not the only one to feelthis way. Today, there are hundreds ofChristians who tune in to God chan-nel daily and live by its teachings.

“I feel very blessed to watchthis channel daily. The voice of Je-sus is spreading all over the worldthrough God Channel and chang-ing our lives forever,” affirms

Palden, a recent convert.So what is this God TV?For those who have not yet come

upon it, God TV is the first-ever, daily

Christian channel in the world.Launched on 01 October 1995, itstarted by broadcasting in Europe fora few hours every day. Today, God

TV is broadcast via ten different sat-ellites to more than 200 nations allover the world including India.

“We have been praying for thiskind of a ministry for many years. Thepeople here are hungry for the Gos-pel and God is going to do a wonder-ful thing through God Channel,”states Sharon, a die-hard believer.

She has found God. It’s on chan-nel 9 on her TV, with just FashionTV separating it from the K-serials.“God TV has saved me,” she tells us.

God TV manifested itself fromnowhere two years back in Sikkimand today it continues to win overpeople. This ‘divine’ channel evensports a MTV style “God” logo atthe top corner of the screen as ear-nest American Evangelists deliverhour long Godbytes.

The programmes consist of re-ligious teachings, praise and hymnsand holy sermons. “But the chan-nel is also very practical in its ap-proach and shows you another way

to live,” informs R Namchyo,former Director, Education and aregular God TV watcher.

“In this materialistic world, itshows the value of seeing thingsfrom a spiritual angle and we needthis,” she adds.

For many Gangtokians, it is theBenny Hinn Healing programme,which is the most popular. Telecastat 8 pm and again at 7: 30 am, itconsists of spiritual teachings,songs, prayers for the sick andneedy and is watched by peoplecutting across all ages.

Although some sceptics feelthat God TV is addictive as peoplewho should rightfully be marketingsoft drinks relentlessly sell the lord,with helpful Biblical quotationsflashed up on screen, fact remainsthat this life-changing medium ofChristian television is finding newconverts everyday. God Channel ishere to stay and is touching heartsacross the state.

A Gangtok family huddles together to watch GOD TV

FINDING GOD ON TV!

from OUR CORRESPONDENT

DARJEELING, 18 April:Darjeeling is all set to get an AIDSResearch Centre, thanks to theKripa Foundation, run by the JesuitMissionaries.

Addressing a gathering on theoccasion of its 12th anniversaryyesterday, 17 April, Fr. Joe Pereirafrom Mumbai, who is the founderof the organization, said that afterthe great success in the rehabilita-tion of chemical dependents, itwas time to move on. Thus Kripawould be gearing up to counter theAIDS menace along with Hepati-

tis C.The Research centre is likely to

come up at Pedong, near Kalimpongwhere Kripa owns a 10 acre plot.

“The facility will include a re-search centre, rehab centre and ameditation centre all under oneroof,” added Fr. Joe.

As for income generation,Kripa is also thinking of cultivat-ing medicinal plants. “Groundworkwill begin soon and we will havean architect come over soon to sur-vey the land. Fr. Joe in the meantime will scout for donors and fund-ing agencies for this noble cause,”added Rajen Dewan, a counsellor.

AIDS Centre to comeup at Pedong

The anniversary which was cel-ebrated as “Unity Day” saw a turn-out of more than 300 people fromDarjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpongand as far as Nepal.

A skit written and directed byRavi Mukhia based on the “Prodi-gal Son” but adapted to bring outthe trauma faced by recovered ad-dicts once they go back to theirfamilies, claimed many an ap-plause. Songs and dances alsoformed an integral part of the cel-ebration. Doctors and counsellorsalso gave talks on various aspectsrelated to drug abuse.

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4; NOW!; 20 April, 2004

C M Y K

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a NOW REPORT

4TH MILE, JN ROAD, 19 April:A 200-strong gathering braved thecold and intermittent rain yesterdayto get a look at their new SDF can-didate, Mingma Tshering Sherpa.The 62 year old Mr. Sherpa is notexactly ‘new’ and does not like be-ing identified as belonging to anyparticular community.

A former MLA from RakdongTintek who has sat in the Assem-bly for 10 years says, “I have cutoff Sherpa from my name. I am nowjust Mingma Tshering. I don’t wantto be seen as belonging to any par-ticular caste because in the presentpolitical scenario, caste and com-munalism have created havoc. I amfor all communities and I requestyou to consider me as belonging toall castes,” he appealed.

MINGMA TRADES IN TRADE ROUTE PROMISES

When Mr. Sherpa started speak-ing on the reopening of Nathula fortrade, he picked his topic well. JNRoad, after all, is the erstwhile SilkRoute and most people living hereserviced this route when it was inoperation. Mr. Sherpa assured theJN Road residents that the Nathulabarrage of goods will pass throughtheir area and return them their tra-ditional source of income.

“You will have a trade routepassing right through your village,”he assured.

This comes in sharp contrast tohis opponent’s stand in the Congresscamp, who, when he was leadingSIBLAC led a delegation to Delhito protest the reopening until the BLrights were safeguarded.

Stressing that BL rights weresafe with the SDF, Mr. Sherpa calledon the people to decide for them-

selves whether they wanted eco-nomic development under his partyor status quo under the Cong [I].

“He [Tseten Tashi Bhutia] saysthat the security of the BLs is un-der threat. I am a BL and I don’tfeel insecure,” Mr. Sherpa said, dis-missing the claims of his rival.

The meeting was also attendedby Ms. Karma Ongmu of the SDFChelli Morcha and former FinanceMinister and area MLA, RamLepcha, along with Panchayatmembers and Zila Adhyaksha.

He also ensured that the sanc-tity of the waters of the Tsomgowould be protected with a separateparking space for vehicles ferryingtourists to this popular tourist spot.

“I will make the region the sec-ond Gangtok of the state if the SDFis voted to power. You will getproper identity papers along with

the inclusion of all names in thevoters’ list,” he said while assuringproper domicile status for the resi-dents of his constituency.

Mr. Sherpa also alleged that theCongress was spreading of “ru-mours” that the entire population ofJN Road was with them in prepara-tion for its plans to rig the elections.

“The Congress has infiltrated thearea with the intention to vote using

wrong names. I have information thatthey have trained ten people fromSiliguri in guns and khukuris and willbe bringing them over,” he warned thepeople. His information he attributedto the daily reports he received fromhis moles in the opposition party. Thencame the bomb shell: “I have infor-mation that in the opposition party’smeeting there was a proposal to putRs. 50 lakhs on my head.”

a NOW REPORT

JORETHANG, 19 April: A meet-ing of the Akhil Kirat Rai Sanghheld here yesterday at PanchsheelBhawan denied reports publishedin a local daily that the Rai com-munity had decided to boycott thepolls at Chakung after Bina Rai wasdropped as the SDF candidate.

Instead, the meeting thanked theSDF president, Pawan Chamling forallotting the Lok Sabha party ticketto Nakul Rai. Ms. Rai, who was alsopresent at the meeting, said that shehad accepted the party decisiongracefully and understood that it wasdone in the larger interest of the partyand not as a personal affront.

Although self-professedly“apolitical” the Association hasmade an exception by endorsingfull support for the Rai candidatesof the SDF, including the LokSabha candidate. The association

Cong plans to rig Pathing elections,

alleges SDF candidate

The audience at the SDF meeting at 4th Mile, JN Road on 18 April

North officials to

stay in Northa NOW REPORT

MANGAN, 19 April: Governmentofficers working in the north districthave been asked by DC, PS Targain,not to cross the Rangrang bridge intheir government vehicles withoutobtaining permission from his of-fice. This ruling will be effective tillthe elections are over. Unless anemergency occurs no official will beallowed to move out of the districtwithout prior permission.

Meanwhile, the Election depart-ment has completed the revision ofvoters ID cards for north Sikkim.Voters who have not obtained theirElectoral Photo Identity Cards cannow produce any of the 14 listeddocuments to prove their identity atthe polling booths and exercise theirvoting right in the upcoming polls.

also made and appeal to all the Raisin Sikkim to support the same.

The meeting was attended byRastaman Rai, Zilla Adhyaksha,West; Dr. Nayan Rai from Namchi,Gopal Rajalim, president, AKRS,south Sikkim, Kiran Rai fromTipalay, CB Rai, Jhum Panchayat,DS Rai, Returning Officer, Bina Raiof Nandugaon, PM Chamling, gen-eral secretary, AKRS and NarendraRai and GL Rai of Jorethang.

In another development, ameeting of the Mangar Associationof South Sikkim, held on 18 Aprilat its office in Namchi, apart fromdiscussing various association-re-lated issues thanked Mr. Chamlingfor giving the Mangar communitya representative in Manita Mangarwho is the SDF candidate forLoosing-Pacheykhani. It was alsodecided at the meeting that theMangar Association would supportthe SDF in the upcoming elections.

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KALIMPONG, 19April: In a gen-eral meeting called by theKalimpong SDO, Dr. AK Yadav, toinstruct all political parties on thegeneral rules and do’s and don’tsfor the up-coming polls, the Peo-ple’s Democratic Front [PDF] andGNLF-C convener, Col. DKPradhan clearly stated his disagree-ment with the policies of the GNLF.

“They had boycot the last elec-tions, but we have made prepara-tions to counter them this time, forvoting is the right of the generalpeople and we will make sure thatthey get their deserved right,” saidPradhan. He also strongly opposedthe DM’s and the EC’s decision toallow campaigning only from the

26th of this month.Showing discontent on the au-

thorities’ decision to allow only onepolitical party to campaign at atime, Pradhan questioned, “Howcan one ignore such major electionswhich can change the whole courseof the nation, besides we have onlytwo big days to address the publicin large gatherings [Wednesday andSaturday], both of which now seemto be beyond our reach”.

He also showed his discontentover the absence of the GNLF fromtoday’s meeting saying, “The partywhich needs the most assistanceand knowledge is absent.”

The Congress [Hills] was rep-resented by Basheer Ahmed, andthe CPRM by Aman Chisti.

The SDO, on his part, stressedthat successful elections wouldneed a team-effort from all the con-testing political parties. “Politicalrivalry has to be healthy and allpersonal battles will have to beavoided,” he reminded.

Pradhan criticises GNLF absenteeism

from Kpg all-party meet

20 April, 2004; NOW! 5

C M Y K

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in SchoolsDEEPAK SHARMA

MANGAN, 19 April: A trainingprogramme on Environmental Edu-cation in School System was organ-ized here on 16 April by DistrictCo-ordinator, Sarva SikshaAbhyan, Department of Education.

Around 35 headmasters ,principals and Panchayat mem-bers of the north district weretrained on environmental educa-tion by Additional Director,Educat ion Depar tment ,Gangtok, Karma Shangderpa,Deputy Director, SonamLepcha, Joint Director [North],Dhiraj Rai member of NGO, NBKarki and other members.

The theme of the training wasto create environmental aware-ness. All the speakers stressed thatgood environment was our wealthand we should protect and takecare of it.

The participants were askedto spread the message of conser-vation through both theory andpractical projects and to helpstudents further pass the mes-sage to others so that all canbenefit from it.

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GANGTOK, 19 April: The argu-ment over who leads the SikkimSangram Parishad continues. Al-though the working president,Rajendra Upreti, had already in-formed the Press that DB Basnet[who recently claimed SSP presi-dentship and expelled Mr. Upretialong with two others from theparty] had resigned from the SSPin August 2003, at a press confer-ence yesterday, he released photo-copies of the resignation letter.

Both, Mr. Basnet and JairungLama, who had addressed a pressconference recently and stakedclaim to SSP, had resigned from theparty in August 2003, Mr. Upreti re-vealed and added that copies of the

resignation letters have also beenforwarded to the EC.

Also released on the day wasthe SSP manifesto for theupcoming polls. While Mr. Upretiwould be contesting for the LokSabha, the party will be fieldingabout 4 to 5 candidates, it is learnt.

“We will contest from thoseconstituencies where we have astrong presence and are sure towin,” says Upreti.

As to the question of fieldingonly a handful of candidates, Mr.Upreti said that this was just a to-ken effort of the party and added

that they would certainly be backin full strength at the next elections.

“We are now relatively inexperi-enced and new to the election andpolitical scenario, so it will take sometime for us to grow as a party,” he said.

The modest eight-page party pro-gramme and policy declaration hassome interesting revelations. Reserva-tion for all communities is mentionedalong with the intention to increase theassembly seats to 40 and parliamen-tary seats to 4. The SSP manifesto alsosupports district status for all existingsubdivisions and creation of more sub-divisions while promising autono-

mous status for north Sikkim.The party also promises to re-

quest the central government to de-crease the number of IAS, IPS, andIFS personnel posted to Sikkim. In-terestingly, also promised is moneyin lieu of free uniforms for students.

While the Election Commissionof India’s decision to uphold Mr.Upreti’s claims of the continuance ofSSP as a party over Mr. Bhandari’scontention of its merger with Cong[I] is old news, the ECI judgementon the issue, copies of which weredistributed to the press brings somenew information to light.

The Congress vice-president,Hem Lall Bhandari’s explanation formerger makes for interesting read-ing. Representing the SPCC [I]president’s claims of merger withECI, Mr. Bhandari, the ECI verdictrecords, explained, “gradual erosionof the strength of the SSP post 1999as the reason behind the decision ofthe merger.” In its verdict, the ECIdeclared the “merger” of the SSPwith the Indian National Congress“not valid”. “It was only a case of afew individuals of the party, or atbest, a group of the party joining theINC,” the judgement reads.

We are the original Sangramis, asserts Upreti

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candidateGANGTOK, 19 April: The GNLF[S] candidate for Gangtok, PintsoBhutia has left the party to join theSDF. This took place at an SDFmeeting for the Gangtok constitu-ency held at Lall Bazaar here today.

An SDF press release informsthat while reiterating his support forthe SDF candidate for Gangtok, NKPradhan, Mr. Bhutia said, “If thereis any party that is working for thepeople in Sikkim it is the SDF andif there is any leader who is takingSikkim along the path of progressand development then it is PawanChamling.”

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 19 April: Thedream of Adarsha - “to servethe poor and needy” - wasfinally converted into realityhere today.

Adarsha, a centre providinghealthcare, is the first of its kind inKalimpong. Established about fourmonths ago, its goal is to serve thepoor and the needy. Following thisobjective every 21st operation atthe centre is done free of cost.

Kumari Rai, 38 who had beensuffering severe back pains for sev-eral months says, “I feared the costsinvolved in the Gall Bladder opera-tion I needed, but now I am reallyfeeling happy and really want tothank all who have been with methrough this rough patch.”

She not only received a help-ing hand from Adarsha but lots oflove and support from the staff andauthorities of the nursing home,she adds.

The nursing home providessuch specialized operations asUrosurgery, Laparoscopic surgery,Advance eye surgery and

Artholopy. Dr. John Matthews, a renowned

Laparoscopic surgeon from KothariMedical Centre, Kolkata, had op-erated on Kumari Rai.

“He had promised that he’dshare this dream of mine by pro-viding for the underprivileged,”says Dr. P. Chettri, the Director ofthe nursing home, and also a SaiBaba devotee.

“Baba had once said that ac-tions prove more in life, hence Ibelieve that I have not only fulfilledmy dream but also the teachings of

Baba,” Dr. Chettri contends.“This nursing home should

now prove to be an inspiration andan example for all those who runmedical services, besides the onlyother objective I have is that ourHills should possess the health fa-cilities of Vellore,” he added.

The others doctors present wereDr A Chatterjee an eye surgeonfrom Alokow- Kolkata, Dr ArunSasmol –only Arthoscopic in NorthBengal and local doctors AjoySitling and S Guha.

NURSING HOME BUILT ONADARSHA PRINCIPLES

Central Observersarrive

GANGTOK, 19 April: CentralObservers [General and Expendi-ture] to oversee the upcoming si-multaneous polls in Sikkim werescheduled to arrive here today, in-forms an IPR press release.

Deputed as Expenditure Observ-ers are: AK Agnihotri, IRS and LavSaksena, IRS. The General Observ-ers are: Sanjay Nandan, IAS,Sanjeev Kumar, IAS, Ms. Malini V.Sarkar, amd Saurabh Chandra, IAS.

All the Central Observers arebeing accommodated in the StateGuest House, Bhanu Path. Theywill also visit the Districts duringtheir stay in the State. Any politicalparty or candidates can seek an ap-pointment with them by calling224840.

6; NOW!; 20 April, 2004

C M Y K

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Kutse SheguThe 49th Day “Shegu” of late Dhondup Tshering Bhutia who ex-pired on 4th March 2004 falls on 21st April 2004. All relatives, friendsand well- wishers are requested to join us in offering prayers forthe departed soul at Tshoka Tshum, Nam Nang, Gangtok. Wewould also like to take this opportunity to thank all those wo ex-tended their help in our hour of bereavement.Pempa Bhutia (wife), Namgyal Dorjee Bhutia, son , Nedup Doma Bhutia, Daughter,Passang Bhutia, Brother, Chung Chung Bhutia Sister-in-law, Lhakpa Bhutia , Brother,Tshewang Bhutia, Brother. Ph. 98320-71692, 227970 Enchey Compound, Tibet Raod.

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JOB An MNC needs 40Freshers, Gnaduates/ Un-der-graduates for Manage-ment Training with GoodSalary and Future Pros-pects. Walk-in-Interview atGround Floor, Oberoi Build-ing, New Market, Gangtok,between 11AM to 3PM

SARIKAH ATREYA

GANGTOK, 19 April: One of thethree women candidates from theruling Sikkim Democratic Front[SDF] in the fray for the ensuingAssembly polls, Manita Mangar[Thapa] is all set to contest from theLoosing-Pacheykhani constituency.

Although a newcomer and afirst-time entrant into big-time poli-tics, Ms. Mangar has been activeat the grassroots level.

An active panchayat leader, 36-year-old Manita joined active poli-tics in 1997 when she contested thepanchayat elections and won. It wasthe SDF’s decision to implement 33percent reservation for women inPanchayats that prompted her to con-test the Panchayat elections, she says.

“It was the SDF’s policy topromote women and my desire toserve the people that basicallydrew me into politics,” she saidwhile talking to NOW! straightafter filing her nomination papersat the office of the District Col-lector, East here today.

A resident of Kadamtam, she isreported to be popular in her con-stituency due to her involvement inthe Panchayat.

Being involved with the peopleat the grassroots level in her con-stituency, Ms. Mangar claims sheis well-versed with the problemsand aspirations of the people fromthe area. And naturally, she is moreconcerned with issues relating towomen and children.

“The SDF government, in thepast two terms has done a great dealfor the empowerment of women in

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the State - socially, economicallyand politically. Also, the party hasbeen addressing gender concerns inthe State through an array ofwomen-specific welfare and em-powerment programmes, I feel,there is still a lot to be done.

“One of the main problems ofwomen and the girl-child in ourState is the lack of access to educa-tion. This is mostly due to igno-rance and the social bias againstwomen in general. It is thereforevery important to educate the girl-child in order to ensure that she getsall her rights,” she says.

The main problems facing herconstituency, she says, are lack ofproper educational facilities, roadsand drinking water supply.

“One of the major cause forconcern in the area is the large

number of dropouts, especiallyamongst the girls. There is this needto ensure that the girl-child is prop-erly educated. Another major prob-lem faced by our people is that ofdrinking water supply, and grow-ing unemployment,” she informs.

There has been a persistent de-mand of the people of the area toconvert the Pakyong subdivisioninto a District.

“Most of our problems wouldbe solved if this demand is ful-filled,” Ms. Mangar feels.

If voted to the Assembly, Ms.Mangar says she will actively pur-sue better education for the girl-child while also concentrating onfinding solutions for the variousproblems of the constituency.

Ms. Mangar is pitted againstBharat Basnet of the Congress [I] .

MANITA MANGAR

GROWING FROM THE GRASSROOTS

20 April, 2004; NOW! 7

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I walked away the day I decided to follow the bright promising lights.I walked in search of fame and money, yearning to be fulfilled, im-mersed in the richness of glitter and adoration. I knew the world was

mine to conquer. I got it all, that’s what I thought.What else can you think when you bat an eyelid and have thousands

at your feet. As people milled around me, I was alone in the crowd. Isearched willingly, unwillingly. I found nothing because I did not knowwhat I was looking for. The emptiness of clinking glasses, the depravityof social drinks, the bitterness in the empty laughter followed me in

a little love

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An island adrift I float

In an ocean of untamed feelings

The news of truth, tantalize,

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EC Helpline for Voters

A Helpline has been set up in the Office of the Chief

Electoral Officer, Sikkim bearing the following telephone

number – 10780

Anyone having difficulty in trying to trace his name in

the Electoral Rolls / Voters List or enquiring about the Poll-

ing Stations where they are registered as voters, may kindly

ring up this number and request the Attendant online for

help in obtaining the information. While seeking help from

the Attendant at the Helpline, the electors are requested

to kindly indicate their full name and their father’s name

to facilitate the search.

The Election Department has also hosted the Elec-

toral Rolls in the Chief Electoral Officer’s Website whose

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This site can be browsed from any internet café as

well as in all the forty Community Information Centres (CIC)

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“mislead” the BLs by fanning “un-founded fears” in a bid to move theBL community against the govern-ment and SDF. “Now that he sits withMr. Bhandari, we know who he wasworking for,” the SDF president said.

He further reminded the peoplethat it was Mr. Bhandari who in1994, after he was toppled by BLlegislators over the Income-Tax is-sue, fielded the first Sherpa candi-date from a BL seat to “teach theBLs a lesson.”

“Today, the same person hasabandoned the Sherpas in a bid toplease the BL voters. We don’t be-lieve in playing up one communityagainst the other and refuse to getdown to such low tricks,” Mr.Chamling stressed.

The SDF candidate fromRalong, Health Minister in the out-going government, DD Bhutia, alsoderided alleged attempts to play upcommunal feelings by the Opposi-tion. The meet was also attended bySDF candidate for Wok, CB Karki,and Khamdong, BM Ramudamu.

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mock derision. I stood in the limelight, like a joker in the pack; soughtafter but seeking. When the lights dimmed I had a vague satisfaction ofseeing stubs of cigarette, empty cans tossed in the aisles. In those papercups I saw the reflection of what my life could be. The semblance oforder had a chaotic similarity to a mock artist like me. I wanted to crybut the tear glands were dry, wasted on the stage where I played parts tosuit the fancy of my audience.

It was ironic. I had arrived, but except the ovation of an audience wellsatisfied, I had nothing left in me. I felt used and empty, tossed by thewhimsical dreams of the faithless masses. I sought for love, got admira-tion for what I portrayed. I was tired of playing a role on and off screen. Iran from pillar to post searching for the one thing that eluded me. I soughtit in the bars, studios and all the places where people go to make theirdreams a reality.

I ran making a jovial noise, throwing witticism into thin air. Finally,defeated, I sat and cried. As I rested my head on my empty laurels, fromsomewhere distant I heard a melody beckon me. It was the celebration inthe voice which touched me as my soul silently stilled in awe. The wordsof the hymn floated in the evening air, “As I look into your loveliness, allthings that surround me become shadows in the light of you…”

As I sat entranced, I began to understand that I was no longer alone. Ifelt the sweet presence of someone beside me. Something I had been look-ing for, someone I had lost but who had found me. It was that instant Iknew my quest was over. I knew that I was no longer o be like an emptydiscarded bottle on the highway, I had a purpose in life. It was THE TRUTHI had been seeking and, that too in all the wrong places but love hadreached out to me when I had given up hope. It was then I understood theessence of life. To accept the gift of LOVE, to LOVE and to let LOVEconquer all.

the

Contd from pg 1

GAC-SIBLACare Cong [I]

fronts... represent Lachen-Mangshila in theAssembly, Ms. Mangar would notonly be the first woman representa-tive from Loosing-Pacheykhani, butalso the first from SDF to win fromthe constituency.

There are few similarities in thecontest laid out for the two. WhileMr. Lachenpa finds himself pittedagainst a sitting MLA and minis-ter, Hissey Lachungpa, who com-fortably trounced Nedup Lachenpa[SSP] in 1999, there are fewer wor-ries for Ms. Mangar. She goes upagainst Bharat Basnet of the Cong[I]. A former Youth Congress presi-dent, Mr. Basnet had filed his nomi-nation papers from Soreng againstMr. Bhandari in 1994. His paper’swere however rejected. He later leftthe Congress to join the SDF onlyreturn to the Cong [I] earlier this

year.The sitting MLA from Loosing

Pacheykhani, JK Bhandari hadwon by the slimmest margin inSikkim’s electoral history - 5votes. He was an SSP MLA wholater joined the SDF but was de-nied a renomination this time.

Ms. Mangar forms part of thetrio of women candidates put up bythe SDF this time. Apart from her,the party has renominated KalawatiSubba, sitting MLA from Yuksom,and another newcomer, NimkhitLepcha from the Ranka constitu-ency. The party claims that thismove is part of its policy to giveadequate representative to womenin the State.

Interestingly, an independentcandidate could not submit hisnomination papers today when heapproached the Returning Officer[East] with incomplete documents.

Contd from pg 1

2 freshers and 1 independent

enter the fray, officially

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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

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HELSINKI: The last three workerelves at Father Christmas’s officialheadquarters in Finland’s Arctichave been fired as Santa Park grap-ples with its finances.

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works for Santa Park.”Lack of visitors has meant that

the number of Santa’s little helpersis now down to two, a far cry fromplans to employ 120 staff on amonthly wage when the park opened.

Some 800 km north of Hel-sinki, this is where letters ad-dressed just ‘To Santa’ arrive. Theelves were supposed to help Santaand guide visitors around the park.

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9434217584

CARDIFF, Wales: Prince Williamhas made his debut on the waterpolo squad of the Scottish nationaluniversities. But his efforts in thepool were not enough to save histeam from defeat.

The squad lost both its gamesSaturday - one to Wales and one toIreland - at the annual Celtic Na-tions tournament.

The 21-year-old prince, secondin line to the British throne, attracteda crowd for his first public meet,earning a big cheer when he helpedprevent Ireland from scoring at onepoint. His form in the pool also wonsupport from his opponents.

“He gave as good as he got wasthe word in the changing room afterthe game,” said Welsh captain Oliver

Newcombe, 22. “We didn’t singlehim out for any special treatment.Water polo is a hard sport to play.”

Uniformed and plain-clothes po-lice were at the tournament at theWelsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff,south Wales, to protect the royalcompetitor. The athletic William isteam captain of the water polo teamat St. Andrews University, Scotland,where he is studying geography.

PRINCE WILLIAM MAKES WATERPOLO DEBUT

UK & U.S. SUBMARINERS

PLAY POLAR SOCCERTwo nuclear submarines, one Brit-ish and one American, surfacednear the North Pole on Monday foran impromptu game of soccer, Brit-ain’s Royal Navy said.

The two vessels surfacedthrough two naturally occurringgaps in the ice about half a milefrom each other after completing ajoint underwater exercise.

“The crews of HMS Tirelessand USS Hampton are gearing upfor a game of football,” Com-mander John Parris said.

“It will probably be Englishfootball (soccer) since I doubt ourlot know much about playingAmerican football,” Parris said.