Here’s a Valentine’s Day story sure to warm everyone’s heart – in a show of love and compassion, gurdwaras across Northern California threw their doors open to aid and house nearby residents displaced due to spillways caused by the Oroville Dam.
Due to erosion in the spillway in Lake Oroville, a number of smaller towns could likely be flooded with water, so Sikhs in the region got to working towards a solution. They decided to house evacuees in any of the gurdwaras falling within 100 km.
Jaswant Singh, president of the Yuba City Gurdwara, was quoted by the Hindustan Times as saying, “We have decided to accommodate as many people evacuated from the flood-affected areas as possible.”
In order to help spread the word, the gurdwaras also made announcements on local radio stations. The Yuba City Gurdwara is currently providing aid to 20 families that reached their doorstep by Sunday night.
Gurdwaras in Sacramento, Fresno and Turlock have also chipped in. In fact, at one point, one gurdwara in Sacramento was helping as many as 250 people.
No one was turned away in their hour of need, and members of the temple even handed out Valentine’s Day cards to everyone who had been displaced in this tragedy.
The story about gurdwaras extending a helping hand has gone viral in America, with thousands of people hailing the work done by the members, many of whom are of Indian origin.
Given that the US is in the midst of a global controversy regarding a travel ban that prevents people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering, many US citizens have chosen to highlight this altruistic move to stress that immigrants add to the rich tapestry of any nation.
@POTUS A note on immigrants in america: Every Sikh temple in Sacramento has opened their doors to evacuees fleeing the Oroville Dam disaster
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Haven’t all of us dreamt of going to the Northeast for vacations at least once?
Beyond the regular travel routes, those who have already visited, might acknowledge having had a little trouble commuting, since most parts in the region are enveloped by hilly terrains, making it kind of difficult for infrastructural facilities like rail or airways. Well, not without leveling away the huge magnanimous stretch of the hills.
Now, a young entrepreneur from Sikkim has made it really easy to commute around the state and to the other seven sisters with absolute ease and comfort!
Rewaj Chettri, all of 23, runs a travel agency based in Gangtok, that provides rental car service, known as NE Taxi, helping people to go anywhere in the whole of the Northeast! With an aspiration to provide the best transportation services in the entire Northeastern region, the agency was established in 2013.
“The idea came to me during my college days in Northeastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, also known as NERIST, where I was doing my B.Sc. in Forestry. The problem was that there were taxi services in the northeast, but nothing very well organized. I really wanted to start something that does not just provide easy commuting but also in a systematic manner and more important, with rides that could be tracked,” he said.
The best part about the service is that not only do you get a luxurious and comfortable ride throughout your trip; you get the services of a travel guide as well!
Isn’t that something unique!
You might be wondering about safety concerns, but fret not! “Every driver who is currently part of NE Taxi, undergoes various background and drug tests along with an intense defense-driving course. Only after they pass it do they get inducted,” Rewaj clarifies.
NE Taxi has also collaborated with Impulse NGO network, which deals with human trafficking and is based in Meghalaya, as a solid measure towards providing a safe and sound environment for tourists, but more than that, to keep a check on the human trafficking in and around the region. An important aspect of this collaboration is the efficient use of technology where they will be sharing a software that is in sync with the Impulse Case Info Centre (ICIC) and which will be installed with the NE Taxi app that is soon to be launched.
Rewaj explained that under this collaboration, the drivers will be given access to the software wherein an SOS button will be attached. The moment a driver or a passenger suspects any case of trafficking, they can utilise the SOS app that will then report the incident to the nearest police department or authority. “Not all the cases may be subject to human trafficking. For this, the drivers will be duly trained under a special course that will help them identify potential trafficking cases before they report the cases,” he adds.
Currently, with an operational team of 20, Rewaj has come a long way from the famous young entrepreneur, who had so many ideas in his head that he launched close to 30 startups at one point!
Last year, Rewaj won the prestigious ‘The Entrepreneur 3,’ a business competition at Young Leaders Connect for his business plan of NE Taxi. YLC is a platform that brings together young leaders and achievers from across the northeastern states with the hope of developing greater awareness and understanding of the region, as well as to establish a powerful network of like-minded people.
Back in March, NE Taxi had launched a new venture named NEshare, a shared ride service in the city of Gangtok. “Not only does this benefit the passengers, but the drivers as well. The sharing option will ensure that the drivers have more passengers in a single trip rather than having been blocked by one passenger,” Rewaj said.
Making the service even more convenient, the NE Taxi team plans on expanding to the Android and iOS platforms and will be launching the app that can be used more conveniently by June. “Unlike earlier times where one could not track drivers or be too sure of the service, this app will make the entire process more easy and have a more organized functioning, where everything can be tracked and monitored,” he adds.
Screenshots of soon to be launched app. Source: Facebook
The app will give you the opportunity to curate your own travel package according to the requirement. Compared to the traditional tour packages where you had to take what is offered by a travel company, you get to customise even small details.
The young entrepreneur, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s words, takes pride in being a job creator and not a job seeker, and currently employs more than 500 drivers, opening up better scope for employment opportunities for the youth in Sikkim, a state reportedly harbouring maximum number of unemployed educated youth in India.
For more information on NE Taxi, you can click here.
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We have often come across literary works that chart the journey of rivers from its point of conception to its demise. For centuries, poets have mused over water bodies and often crafted beautiful analogies that link them to mankind.
And the Teesta Flows is a chronicle about the Teesta, a river that originates in Sikkim and flows across the state till it converges with the river Brahmaputra (in Bangladesh). The interesting part however is, the underlying story about the journey that closely resembles the many transitions a woman goes through her life.
A visual documentation by a couple from Kolkata, who spent almost eight years charting the river’s course, the book is in memorium to their daughter, whose untimely death left an abyss so vast that nothing seemed capable of filling it ever again.
Until they stumbled upon the banks of their daughter’s namesake, once again.
Teesta
Utpal and Samita Chaudhuri, whose love for the river began much before the birth of their daughter, have many fond memories spent by the banks of the feisty river during the ’70s. The couple who met as classmates in the pharmacy department of Jadavpur University had decided their daughter’s name close to a decade before she was even born.
“We were part of the mountaineering club in our University and would often go for trekking to north Bengal and Sikkim. It was during one of those trips that we’d fallen in love and had decided that if we ever have a daughter, we would name her Teesta,” says Utpal, a retired government employee.
According to the local communities in Sikkim, the river never remains still and splashes around with gurgling noises, just like a naughty little child causing a ruckus at home. Samita and Utpal fondly remember their daughter’s naughty antics, right before leaving for school.
“Every morning, the house would resemble a battleground where everyone would be running behind her, trying to make her eat her breakfast while she ran across rooms, knocking things that came in her way” reminisces Samita, who teaches pharmacy at Kolkata’s Jnan Chandra Ghosh Polytechnic College.
Losing their only child to encephalitis in 2000, the couple were inconsolable; they finally found respite, if only a little, on the banks of Teesta. For years, Utpal would not touch his camera, the device he used to document their child’s growing years, apart from their travels.
The grief-stricken parents, in search of solace and tranquillity, decided to head back to the banks of Teesta, the river that seemingly had a link to everything in the life that they had built together. Here, they found what they had lost: their Teesta.
As the river gurgled past the boulders and the rocks, lashing out, the resemblance seemed too uncanny, for Utpal and Samita.
“When our daughter was about eight months old, we had thought of taking her to north Sikkim to show her the river’s birthplace but unfortunately, we could never get the permission. Somewhere in 2005, we felt that the urge to make that journey,” says Utpal.
It was during the summer of 2006, that Samita found peace on the banks of lake Tso Lhamo in Sikkim.
Utpal and Samita on the shores of Teesta
“This is the place where Teesta is born and I found my daughter, once again”, says Samita.
It was in that moment that an idea struck Utpal and he decided to chart the journey of the river with his camera, just the way he clicked photos of his daughter during her growing days.
“The river’s birth, its journey into adolescence and finally, the woman it becomes; we wanted to be part of that ” says Utpal.
Almost eight years later, the journey Utpal and Samita embarked upon that took them across two states and a different country altogether, resulted into a photo-book whose narrative is penned by Samita.
Though never overtly mentioned anywhere in the book, the work is a memoir in dedication to their daughter, who like the river Teesta, is forever etched in their hearts and minds.
To know more about And the Teesta Flows, click here.
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2016 turned out to be a great year for Sikkim, as it clinched the honour of being India’s first fully organic state. The state’s farmers have become 100% organic, their produce free of chemical pesticides or genetic modification. However, it also means their fruit and vegetables are smaller, less vibrant and more expensive than conventionally available non-organic, which makes marketing a major challenge.
As this caught the attention of brothers Abhinandan and Abhimanyu Dhakal, they devised a plan—introducing crops which would be unique and could be grown only in Sikkim.
Thus the duo started Shoten Group, an enterprise that helps farmers grow two distinct crops—yacons (ground apple) and shiitake mushrooms.
Abhinandan with the farmers of Sikkim
After researching on about 30 varieties of crops, Abhimanyu and Abhinandan shortlisted yacon and shiitake mushroom because of their health benefits and the fact that it can be grown only in a region where the temperature remains below 25 degree Celsius.
Yacon is native to South America, a neutraceutical root that is a naturally occurring sugar substitute. It tastes sweet but does not increase the blood sugar levels, a boon for diabetes patients. It has 80 to 90 per cent water as well as high fibre content and aids in digestion, relieves constipation, acts as a probiotic and is known to help in colitis and yeast infections.
Popularly consumed as syrup, yacon also reportedly helps in reducing bad cholesterol, boosting immunity, skin rejuvenation and weight loss.
A popular root-fruit worldwide, the brothers made it possible to grow it in many parts of Sikkim.
A Yacon farm (left) and the fruit (right)
Shoten group, which started working with 43 farmers in 2016, on a contract farming model, now has over 190 farmers associated with them.
“Initially people here would grow ginger and turmeric, which can be grown anywhere else too other than Sikkim. The focus of the team was to promote products that can be exclusively grown in the Himalayas,” says Abhinandan.
“Both yacon and shiitake can be grown only on the cold mountains and hence one has to come to Sikkim to get them,” he adds.
As Abhinandan puts it, market forces drive prices lower due to production in the plains as well. The team aims to work on Himalayan exclusivity, which has received further boost by Sikkim going organic.
With the contract farming model, the group gives non financial, technical support to these farmers as well as a buy back guarantee. This way they can grow the product efficiently and are also assured of a fixed payment.
The startup claims that in comparison to crops like ginger and turmeric, a farmer can earn four times more by growing yacon and eight times more by growing shiitake mushroom.
Shiitake mushroom
Joseph Jacob, Abhinandan’s friend from college who is also part of the venture is handling the marketing and strategy from New Delhi.
“Initially the challenges were many. The first was the difficult mountain terrain, migration of youth from farming, non-remunerative prices for their produce and unattractive portrayal of farming. However both the government and the officials were very supportive and everything fell in place,” Abhinandan says.
Unlike yacon, shiitake mushroom is well-known among consumers and hence marketing of the products needs two different approaches. In case of ground apple, the group has to make the consumer aware of its taste and benefits; in case of shiitake mushroom, farmers have to be taught about benefits of growing it. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) became their knowledge partner to accomplish this task since 2014.
Abhinandan’s journey started when he was pursuing Masters in Environmental Economics at the University Of New York.
Abhinandan Dhakal
He would often think that the most impact would be generated if one works in sectors like agriculture and water management. He chose to come back to India and got a job as an analyst at People’s Science Institute, Dehradun, where he worked for a year.
His work spanned 21 villages across Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which helped him in collecting data and developing relations with farmers.
“The wealth of the Himalayas and what it offered to the world struck a deep chord in my heart,” he says.
But this was also his first brush with the harsh realities faced by farmers in mountain regions. He realised that these farmers would benefit from adopting sustainable practices. Around this time, he accepted a partnership in an agro-based startup in Tanzania which specialised in organic farming. Eventually when he returned to Sikkim, he was armed with ample information on the subject.
Abhinandan came back with the determination to help farmers with the knowledge he had acquired. His brother Abhimanyu agreed to be a partner in the startup and the duo credits a number of influencers, from state Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling to the state governor Shriniwas Patil in their success. They also say that PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the ‘organic feat’ at national and international forums has helped greatly.
The next step was to make farmers aware of the farming model adopted by Shoten group. These was achieved by giving farmers hands-on training.
This year, the 190 farmers of Shoten group have planted 3000 kg of seed covering 30 acres in 16 clusters in all four districts of Sikkim and the total production is expected to be around 300 tonnes.
“To make agriculture attractive, we have to make farming cool and profitable. We seek to make farmers learn, unlearn and relearn the art of business and mould them into units of sustainable agri-business that take care of their immediate and prospective future needs. We will be relentless in our pursuit to make this possible,” concludes Abhimanyu.
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T he mountains up in the North East have this uncanny quality of being able to hide the most exquisite vistas in plain sight. Follow the road-signs and make your way along the winding roads and you are sure to reach a viewpoint that boasts panoramic vistas or a monastery that houses years of ancient wisdom.
However, get off the beaten track, take a turn off the main route and follow that mountain trail and you are likely to be greeted by the sight of a quiet hamlet nestled on a hillside – wooden houses painted in myriad colours dotting the landscape, esoteric prayer flags fluttering in the wind, children dressed in the unmistakable blue and white of a school uniform making their way back home, some furry friends happily trotting behind them – life unfolding with a characteristic tranquillity that is so unique to the mountains!
Nestled in the North Eastern Himalayan foothills, Sikkim for years has been a haven for travellers and tourists alike.
If you’re a tourist with a mission, there are sights and sounds galore that will make your Instagram feed proud! If, however, you’re a traveller, you’ll be amazed at the vast expanse of unexplored terrain that this mountain state has to offer.
In my many years of travelling in and around Sikkim, sometimes making my way through crowds of Bengali chatter to witness the spectacle of sunrise at a particular peak, and some other times as a solo traveller trudging along with a hefty backpack that often looks heavier than me, I’ve discovered that for those that seek, Sikkim has many hidden delights!
Over the years, I’ve learnt to carefully manoeuvre my way around the many tourist hotspots and find sanctity in the more removed corners of the Himalayan foothills.
To Gangtok or Not to Gangtok: Choose Wisely
View of downtown Gangtok at dusk
Gangtok, being the state capital, is the most sought-after base for the crowds thronging to Sikkim. Being at the centre of most tourist activities, Sikkim has all the conveniences that city life offers, but in the backdrop of the mighty mountains. Located at a height of 1600m, it is characterized by numerous cafes, hotels and touts, all of whom want your business. If it is your first time in Sikkim, a visit to MG Marg is a must, if nothing, for the fragrance of the freshly baked goodies that linger on the paved mountain streets early in the morning.
ProTip: When in Gangtok, head to the Secretariat area. Located just below the erstwhile King’s Palace, this particular area hosts majestic views of the mountain town below, while being a quick 12 minute walk away from the tourist babble following a shortcut any local will be happy to show you. It is close enough for you to make that quick trip to the bar downtown, yet away enough, to let you enjoy that quiet tea at sundown, while you watch the majestic valley below disappear in the cloud cover.
If, however, you have the luxury and liberty of time and choice, head to Rumtek. Nestled in the slopes of the mountains diametrically opposite to the main Gangtok town, Rumtek is a small hamlet about an hour’s drive away. Home to the very famous Rumtek Monastery, you are likely to find crowds of tourists on a day trip from Gangtok heading up in packed tourist vehicles intent on collecting their share of good karma!
At Rumtek Monastery, the serenity and seclusion, despite the throngs of people right outside, is likely to catch you off guard. The Tibetan monks, young and old, dressed in their deep maroon and orange robes coupled with the eclectic curio shops add more than a dash of enigma to the already humbling setting.
The towering peaks in the distance, their tops disappearing into the clouds, the terraced farms and plantations around, the Buddhist chants being carried by the wind, make for a wonderful afternoon spent in the serenity of the mighty Himalayas.
Rumtek village
The road between Gangtok and Rumtek, is lined with eclectic farms, homestays and organic estates many of which offer accommodation at reasonable prices. With gorgeous views of the valley below, narrow trails that open up to extensive alpine meadows, timid streams that turn into raging waterfalls with a single generous shower, Rumtek makes for a very pleasant stay away from the city chatter. Warm smiles and genuine hospitality, traditional Sikkimese handicrafts, kitsch decor and the unrelenting green is a welcome change from the commercialization of the tourist hotspots around.
Spend some quality time at a Trekker’s Base in Yuksom
Yuksom
Traversing through rainforests and into picturesque meadows, Sikkim is known the world over for its several trekking routes – the Dzongri-Goecha La trek being one of the most sought-after. On one of my escapades of romancing the mountains, I spent a week ambling about in the hamlet that is the entry point for the Kanchenjungha National Park – Yuksom, a quaint little village that was once the first capital of Sikkim. As is characteristic of places that have a long history, Yuksom, established somewhere during the 1600s, has this old-world charm to it.
Located about a quarter hours’ drive from Pelling – another tourist hotspot in West Sikkim – the hamlet is used to fleeting faces. A narrow motorable road leads you into this quiet village where you are likely to come across mountaineers from across the world, either setting off or coming back from various treks.
Spend an evening chatting them up over a cup of butter tea – the warmth of the butter and the tea combined helps to keep warm — the warm glow of the memories are likely to stay much longer!
Dubdi monastery
If you’re not up for an arduous trek through the mountains, some of the smaller hikes around might interest you. An uphill climb through a lush forest trail will bring you to Sikkim’s oldest monastery –Dubdi Monastery. Situated at the top of a hill at a height of 2100m, the solitude of the place has this unique comforting quality, while the towering view it offers tends to overwhelm. I spent a memorable afternoon there, meditating amidst the reverberating Buddhist hymns, and came back a few knots lesser. You probably will too!
Trek the Rhododendron Trail
In yet another secluded corner of West Sikkim, is the mountain town of Varsey. Transportation is sparse to these parts of the state, so make sure you reach Jorethang, the connecting town, by midday. Another connecting vehicle will then take you up the terraced valleys, often along with locals headed back to their village after a hard day’s work.
Having crossed the small, cosy and less famous village of Okhrey, Varsey is the starting point to the famous Rhododendron trail. One of the things that stayed with me about this trail was the enchanted green of the forests. The blue skies, dotted with the ferocious green cover come together to create a magical misty hue that lasts through the trail, making it seem right out of a fairytale! No wonder that it is called one of the most scenic trails in the far West.
Once in Okhrey, you can stay overnight and start your journey to Hilley the next morning. It’s about 10km by car and the last 4km on foot – the more adventurous can start early and trek the whole way. As I made my way past a small natural lake, some breathtaking views of Mt. Kanchenjungha and endless stretches of rhododendrons, the age old saying that insists that it is about the journey and not the destination, made a lot of sense.
At the end of the trail, rests a lone wooden house that often doubles up as a guesthouse for the intrepid traveller that chooses to stay the night. The owner, much to our delight, greeted us with many enthusiastic stories of his own travels and bowls of steaming Maggi!
Get a taste of the traditional Lepcha cuisine
The taste of Sikkim in all its authentic glory also lies in its esoteric cuisine. Having recently been declared as India’s first fully organic state, fresh organic produce lines the markets as well as the traditional Lepcha kitchen. Wild ferns, nettles, bamboo shoot and mustard leaves are often combined with traditional spices into mouth-watering delicacies. Whether you are a vegetarian or a fond meat-eater, the fine mix of sharp and bland flavours that is typical to the cuisine here is sure to leave you asking for more. If you’re among the more adventurous, try a traditional cooking class. Most hotels will be happy to arrange one on request.
Take a day to do absolutely nothing
Kids playing at Pemyangste Monastery
A getaway into the idyllic foothills of the Himalayas remains incomplete if you can’t forgo the pace of an urban lifestyle. A fulfilling characteristic of mountain life is the slow and serene quality to it – the lungs full of fresh mountain air, the waking up to the chirping of birds, the vibrant shades of green all add to the experience. To truly experience the taste of life in the mountains, take a day to do particularly nothing – walk around one of the village trails, or just sit and soak in the sun, while you watch the colourful birds and butterflies. Breathe in, and like the locals advise, take a moment!
(Written by Aishwarya Guha)
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Almost 20 years ago, when a young Swiss student made her way to the Tibetan Buddhism Centre in San Francisco, little did she know that her life was going to be altered forever. Helen Kamph, then in her mid-twenties, had already spent a year volunteering at SEMCOL in Ladakh while falling in love with India and its many mysteries. Naturally, when she met Topgay Tapaka, a young Sikkimese man at the Centre, they hit it off instantly.
The love story that transpired sustains a huge organic estate today where travellers can enjoy the magnificent views of the mighty Himalayas while also learning all about organic gardening.
“It’s been a long journey,” Helen reminisces. “From my very first visit to Sikkim I have been intrigued by people’s knowledge of the land and their simple lifestyle. I think modern society could benefit a lot by re-introducing some of that simplicity and lifestyle that is very much in tune with nature.”
When Helen and Topgay came back as a married couple to make Sikkim home, they set up base in Topgay’s native village, Rumtek. Barely an hour’s drive from Gangtok, the state capital, Rumtek has the perfect makings of an idyllic refuge in the mountains. About 3 km before the famous Rumtek monastery, the road curiously turns uphill, opening up to a 3-acre organic garden.
As I made my first uphill climb to the foot of the estate called The Bamboo Retreat, the drudgery of having to carry my hefty backpack soon disappeared – I was greeted by a sprawling garden filled with flowers in an array of bright, joyous shades and an overtly enthusiastic staff.
This would be my abode for the next few weeks while I got my bearings about permaculture and other organic gardening techniques.
Over extended chat and chai sessions with Norbu and Tara, locals who have been tending to the garden with Helen’s help for years now, I learnt that the organic garden was Helen’s pet project, years before organic gardening became an ‘in’ thing in Sikkim. Growing up in the countryside, Helen had always had a penchant for big gardens. As a child, she helped her mother grow all sorts of herbs and vegetables and process them into healthy homemade foods, a practice that she brought with her to The Bamboo Retreat.
The estate uses its produce of flowers, fruits and vegetables, to sustain the hotel and the restaurant that boasts of a delicious traditional Sikkimese spread. Several plants like nettle, wild fern, mustard, and bamboo shoot, all come from the garden. As do the garlic, turmeric, ginger, lettuce, potatoes, and tree tomatoes. The recent additions of the strawberry and sweet lime plants have just begun to bear fruit!
The star attraction from the garden, however, is the herbal tea section. Spread across almost a kilometre is an assemblage of pudina or mint, peppermint and stevia plants. While the mint and the peppermint add the unique flavour to the tea, stevia is the natural sweetener. A little more research into stevia, and I soon realized that the health food communities have been advocating its use as a sugar substitute for years owing to its no-calorie, natural origins. The herbal tea is also a favourite amongst the guests. A relaxing cup of this particular mix, not only gets you a good night’s sleep, it’s also known to help with relieving symptoms of gas and indigestion.
The tender leaves, tips, and buds are carefully selected and plucked and dried in the sun to be stored for future use and to be sold to curious city dwellers like me.
At a very young age, Helen had begun to realize the benefits of eating healthy and living in harmony with the land. “It is my deep conviction that working with the land is essential in order for human beings to stay rooted, grounded, in-tune and in balance. Instead of moving further and further away from agrarian societies, I think humanity would be much better off, much happier, if they would begin to re-connect with the earth through growing food, caring for animals, protecting and safeguarding domestic animals, vegetables, grain and fruit varieties.”
Over the next few weeks, as I watched Tara and Norbu adroitly weed, pluck and cultivate the estate, I realized much of what Helen meant. Weeding every 10 days or so was, as I learnt, the key to keeping up a garden; and weed, however pretty to look at or deep rooted, needed to be removed.
But then again, everything has its place in nature. The weeded plants and shrubs were integral to making the manure, or what veteran gardeners call ‘mulch’. These plants are added to cow dung, sprinkled with a generous helping of wriggling earthworms and left to decay for about a week. The resulting mixture is what provides nutrition to the plants for weeks to come. Over the ensuing days, I learnt to select and prune diseased and broken stems, making sure that the lower stems of shrubs were getting enough light to grow, soaked coriander seeds overnight and spread them carefully over the freshly prepared ground.
Next, I covered the whole area with tall branches and leaves, so that birds would not peck away at the newly planted seeds, and right about a week later we witnessed the seeds sprout tiny saplings.
The garden also produces its own supply of smudge-sticks, spice powders, grain varieties– all of which are housed in the eclectic souvenir shop within the estate itself. Additionally with the purpose of promoting eco-tourism and local culture, the estate regularly organizes workshops on bamboo handicrafts, carpet weaving, thanka paintings for inquisitive guests.
In another feat of generosity altogether, the proceeds from the souvenir shop and all such workshops go into safeguarding the future of Sikkim, one child at a time. Every year, the estate funds the education of one underprivileged child at the Human Development Foundation of Sikkim. The estate also regularly organizes workshops that impart skill training to the locals – one such workshop that The Bamboo Retreat staff takes pride in is a recent course in administering first aid with Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) with a couple of Swiss volunteers.
Helen, who has spent almost 20 years in India now, is just as much Indian as any of us. She notes how Sikkim, beautiful and monumental, is much like her childhood home in the Alps. “I feel deeply connected to the Himalayas. It’s like I was meant to find home here. We first started Bamboo Retreat, because we wanted a confluence of cultures – the East and the West have many things that they can learn from each other.” Sipping her cup of morning tea, in the sprawling garden overlooking the valley she tells me that she wants travellers to find a taste of home in the hills.
I for one, certainly did!
(Written by Aishwarya Guha).
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Besides being the first and only 100 percent organic state in India, Sikkim will now also have the credit of entirely banning the supply of non-organic agriculture, horticulture and livestock produce.
The proposal, which was raised by Department of Horticulture and Cash Crops, found approval during a recent cabinet meeting presided by Pawan Kumar Chamling, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, and will be implemented from March 31, 2018, in a phased manner, reports PTI.
As per an official release, a notification that will direct suppliers upon necessary actions to be taken for compliance with the cabinet decision will be issued shortly.
This will mandate the prohibition of non-organic agricultural and horticultural and livestock products entering the state.
The non-organic processed products which will be barred entry include— maize, beans, brinjal, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, capsicum, carrot, chayote, cucumber, drumstick, lady’s finger, leafy vegetables, spinach, pea, radish, tomato, pointed gourd, banana, guava, mango, orange, papaya, ginger, green chilly and turmeric.
Products like millet/finger millet, soyabean, rapeseed, mustard, onion, potato, garlic, milk & packaged milk and mustard oil cake, will face the same consequence from March 31, 2019.
This will be a significant move for Sikkim, as most of domestic consumption supply like that of cereals, vegetables, pulses, poultry products and fruits is heavily dependent on markets in neighbouring states like West Bengal.
Publically advocating against produce that is not grown organically, the CM had announced that his government would ban the supply of fruits like banana and mango from outside from next year on Wednesday. He had also mentioned that consumption of these produces is hazardous to health as these are ripened with use of chemicals.
With its lush green forests, and rich flora and fauna, Sikkim is truly one of the most beautiful states in India. Much of this is credited to the policies of the Forests, Environment, and Wildlife Management Department.
According to The Hindu, a more recent addition to Sikkim’s nature conservation policies makes an effort to encourage citizens to preserve nature by forming lasting bonds with trees.
If you were to open the Sikkim Forest Tree (Amity and Reverence) Rules for 2017, you would come across a section which states the following:
“The State Government shall allow any person to associate with trees standing on his or her private land or on any public land:
(i) by entering into a Mith/Mit or Mitini relationship with a tree in which case the tree shall be called a Mith/Mit tree;
(ii) by adopting a tree as if it was his or her own child in which case the tree shall be called an adopted tree;
(iii) by preserving a tree in remembrance of a departed relative in which case the tree shall be called a Smriti tree”
So, what is “Mith”?
Also called Mitini, this refers to the practice of forging a relationship with the tree in which the man or woman regards the tree as his or her brother.
This follows the age-old tradition of the relationship between man and nature, and any tree protected by this relationship cannot be felled or damaged, as per government rules.
1. Pick a tree
This tree can be both on your personal property, or in a public area. If you would like to adopt a tree on someone else’s property, Sikkim’s rules require that the owner be compensated the full amount of the market value of the timber to be obtained from the tree, and both parties must enter into the agreement.
2. Fill out the required forms
Depending on the type of relationship you would like to forge, the government has a special form. This is available on the government website and requires you to detail the reasons why you wish to adopt a tree.
3. Assessment by the Assistant Conservator of Forests
The Assistant Conservator of Forests will investigate whether or not the tree is available for adoption, to form a Mit/Mith or Mitini relationship. Once the tree is approved, the Assistant Conservator will provide you with a date, in which you can perform any ritual you see fit and make an entry in the official register.
After this process is completed, the department issues a certificate with the coordinates of the tree and just like that; you can now be family to a tree!
The certificate issued to adopters.
Speaking to The Hindu, Thomas Chandy, Principal Secretary and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests said, “We will take up the issue in a major way at the upcoming Paryavaran Mahotsav being organised by the Sikkim government.”
The Pakyong airport in Sikkim is spread over 990 acres and is the first greenfield airport to be constructed in the north-east region of India, and the only airport in the state.
Over the years, several landslides near the runway, resulted in work being suspended twice, but it was finally constructed and a fixed-wing 19-seater Dornier 228 IAF aircraft landed on the runway on March 5.
The first plane to land at Pakyong Airport- an IAF Dornier. Image Courtesy: Twitter.
The aircraft had a smooth landing, and all systems worked well. Officials stated that the aircraft had a normal landing despite low visibility.
The aircraft made several trial low passes over the runway, on February 28th, just to get used to the process. According to an official quoted in the Economic Times, this is the beginning of aviation connectivity for Sikkim.
The airport is an ambitious Rs 350 crore project, is awaiting the DGCA’s nod, for beginning commercial operations, which will help to put Sikkim on the country’s aviation map.
According to AK Srivastava, the Chief Secretary of Assam, a private airlines flight, carrying high-ranking officials of the Airport Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, is expected to land in the Pakyong airport on March 10.
Pakyong will be advantageous for those who want to take a flight to Sikkim, as presently the nearest airports to Sikkim are Bagdogra, which is 124 km away in West Bengal, and the Paro Airport in Bhutan. The new airport will be an excellent opportunity for those of you who haven’t yet experienced this beautiful mountainous abode.
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On May 16, 1975, Sikkim became India’s 22nd state, and over the last four decades, the erstwhile Himalayan kingdom has emerged as a model state, although the achievements of the state government have largely gone under the radar.
With a population of over just 6 lakh, the state has an impressive record in literacy, poverty alleviation, organic farming, women empowerment and sanitation, among other sectors.
In its 43 years of existence as a state of the Indian Union, nearly 23 years and 5 months have come under the chief ministership of Pawan Kumar Chamling. On April 29, Chamling became the longest-serving chief minister of India, surpassing Jyoti Basu of West Bengal.
Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling. (Source: Facebook/Pawan Kumar Chamling)
Winning five consecutive terms as chief minister is an indicator of the good work his administration has done for the state, and here are four achievements that other state administrations can look to emulate:
1) Cleanliness
Long before Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on the Swachh Bharat campaign, Sikkim became India’s first open-defecation state in 2008.
According to a 2016 NSSO survey, 98.2% households in Sikkim were equipped with clean toilets, while all its citizens use the community or household toilet.
The Chamling government embarked on its total sanitation drive in 2003, conducting extensive on-ground campaigns to sensitise its citizens about improving sanitation and hygiene standards and the potential health benefits that follow such practices.
Next on the list was the construction of latrines in households, public areas and schools, developing more efficient drainage system in major cities and installing public filters for drinking water.
The administration also made it compulsory to have a sanitary toilet at home to be qualified for any benefits from the government or to contest in village-level polls.
Another significant facet of the Sikkim model of cleanliness is the strict enforcement of civic rules. Smoking in public spaces results in a fine of Rs 200 while urinating results in a fine of Rs 500.
Clean Sikkim (Source: Facebook)
“Sikkim, which in 1998 became the first Indian state to ban disposable plastic bags, is also among the first to target single-use plastic bottles. In 2016, Sikkim took two major decisions. It banned the use of packaged drinking water in government offices and government events. Second, it banned the use of styrofoam and thermocol disposable plates and cutlery in the entire state in a move to cut down toxic plastic pollution and tackle its ever-increasing garbage problem,” says this UN report.
However, concerns remain about the state’s battle with plastic.
“Instead of plastic bags, people are opting for non-woven polypropylene bags which have a texture of cloth but are, in fact, plastic and people use them thinking that they are eco-friendly. So, the government needs to strengthen implementation more seriously and promote alternative options,” said Rajendra P Gurung, CEO, Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Sikkim (ECOSS), a local NGO. “Also, multi-layered plastics like tetra paks, chips packets are a problem. People eat lot of instant noodles here, so that is also adding to non-biodegradable waste,” he added.
Having said that, the state is ahead of the national curve when it comes to getting rid of the scourge of plastic.
2) Organic farming
Nearly 15 years ago, the state government decided to shun chemical pesticides and fertilisers and return to natural methods of farming. Today, Sikkim has the distinction of becoming the first state in India to go 100% organic in the agriculture sector.
Although it had the advantage of never being a state which extensively used chemical fertilisers and pesticides, the turnaround nonetheless has been remarkable. From cutting subsidies on chemical inputs by 10% every year, it eventually banned its use altogether.
Under its ‘Sikkim Organic Mission,’ the government first began by spreading awareness about the benefits of organic farming, after which it offered farmers seeds and manure for the same. It also trained its farmers to adopt organic methods, and slowly but surely, they have embraced the change.
“We started building the entire infrastructure that was needed for this massive change. Biofertilizer production units, seed processing units, automated greenhouses, soil testing labs, mobile soil testing labs, cold storage units and food processing units—all that was needed to complete the organic cycle started springing up in Sikkim,” said one government official to The Better India.
In 2016-17, a ‘fully organic’ Sikkim produced 80,000 MT (metric tonnes) of chemical-free vegetables.
By January 2016, the state achieved its goal of going 100% organic, although challenges remain in sourcing organic manure, battling pesticides and depending on neighbouring West Bengal to feed its resident population and tourists.
3) Greater representation of women in public life
Unlike many other states, Sikkim leads the charge on the greater representation of women in politics. The Chamling administration instituted 50% reservation for women in urban and local bodies. What’s even more impressive is the institution of 30% reservation for women in government jobs. In Sikkim, women enjoy full inheritance rights to parental properties.
In 2008, the state assembly passed the Sikkim Succession Bill 2008, which gives the girl child full right to inherit movable and immovable properties of her parents at par with male members. Also, the consent of the wife is mandatory in buying or selling of land in Sikkim.
For representational purposes only. (Source: Facebook)
Just years after the Chamling government took office in 1997, it began the Small Family Scheme initiative, which encourages girls to marry late by offering monetary incentives. Grants are provided to 13-years girls to join school and understand the advantages of marrying at a proper age, thus allowing for greater implementation of basic family planning objectives.
4) Poverty reduction
“By ear-marking 70% of the State budget for rural development from the very first day of our Government, we set our target of alleviating poverty from rural areas, where more than 75% of our population resides. We set forth the process of devolution and decentralisation of power to the grassroots level. With fully functional Gram Prashashan Kendras and 31 Block Administrative Centres, the administration has now reached the doorstep of the rural people,” wrote Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling in a Facebook post celebrating his tenure.
The results of this policy initiatives were remarkable. As per data published by the erstwhile Planning Commission, there was a 70% fall in the number of poor people between 2001 and 2012. The state today has one of the lowest poverty levels in the country—population below the poverty line (BPL) fell from 30.9 % in 2004-05 to 8.19% in 2011-12—a stunning 22% decline. In the same time period, approximately 23,000 households transitioned away from BPL.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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Sikkim has some of the most spectacular terrain primed for mountain biking. The rocky slopes make for fun downhill runs, and the steep climbs burn the muscles. Well, if you think mountain biking was tough, it is about to hit an all-time high difficulty–thanks to India’s highest mountain biking race, to be held in Sikkim, from 26th June 2018.
The North East Today reports that this race will be organised by the Sikkim North District Administration, in collaboration with Mountain Goats Adventure Company and Hub Outdoors, the EPIC 17000 Mountain Biking Race is touted to be the “highest race in the world’.
This means that nowhere have riders faced conditions akin to what they will face here.
The mountain biking event in Sikkim will cover approximately 330 km in 4 days. Representative image only. Image Credit: Preetham Kumar
“Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” and “Secure Himalayas”, are the themes for the second edition of the race, which made a mark in the prestigious Red Bull events, in its first year. The aim of this edition is to take the race globally, and put it on the mountain biking race calendar worldwide.
In the first edition, the race had just local riders, but this time, riders from all over India, as well as Nepal and Bhutan, will attend. The EPIC 17K, as it is called, is in line with the State Government’s vision for sustainable development of tourism in Sikkim, a state that has been promoting adventure tourism, to empower the youth and kindle entrepreneurship development.
The 4-stage race covers a 330-kilometre distance. The first day, riders will start from Mangan, riding till Lachung town. On the second day, the route starts at Lachung, and carries on to Yumesamdong, and back to Lachung. The third day, riders will ride from Lachung to Thangu, along with the Lachen axis. The final day, the riders will ride from Thangu to Gurudongmar Lake–the race’s final destination. Obstacles present in the race will increase as the stages progress.
Authorities presiding over the race had a meeting on Thursday, 24th May conducted by the District Collector Karma R Bonpo.
The Collector told the publication that he was optimistic about the event being a game-changer for tourism development in the area. The race will be an apt platform to showcase the biodiversity, and natural beauty of Sikkim. The event will also attract the youth into the industry, stirring entrepreneurship within them.
The Indian Army will contribute medical and logistical support on race days, and the rescue team will be led by an eminent Everester, Kazi Sherpa.
Safety will be a priority as ambulances, and two medical units will follow riders from the front and the back, as they battle for the Rs 2,50,000 prize, sponsored by the District Administration, and Rajya Sabha MP Hissey Lachungpa.
Mountain biking at high altitudes is difficult because of the uneven terrain and the rarefied air that makes it tough to breathe. Hopefully, riders will have a blast, and be safe during this 4-day adrenaline-pumping event!
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Establishing road connectivity in India’s frontier regions, especially up in the mountains is an arduous task. Thus, in a significant development on Thursday, the Centre inaugurated the 578-metre long Theng Tunnel in North Sikkim, which authorities argue will improve connectivity in both North and East Sikkim, especially since the devastating 2011 earthquake had extensively damaged the link road.
“I am extremely honoured to dedicate this tunnel to the people of Sikkim on behalf of the Government of India. The difficulties faced by the people of North Sikkim on account of the troubled communication link between Gangtok and Chungthang, were always a concern for us,” said Subhash Ramrao Bamre, Minister of State for Defence according to The Statesman.
The tunnel bypasses a treacherous stretch of road between Gangtok and Chungthang, which frequently remains closed due to land slides and shooting boulders, reports IANS.
The construction of Sikkim’s longest tunnel was undertaken by Project Swastik, an arm of the Border Roads Organisation in its Eastern sector. The contract was handed over to a private firm in 2016 and completed last month. The tunnel was constructed at a cost of 45 crores and is equipped with LED lighting, a firefighting system, control room and emergency exit.
Going by the structural design, the tunnel can handle vehicles travelling at 40 km/h and 500 vehicles per day, since it’s located in a high seismic zone.
Besides facilitating greater connectivity and better inflow of tourists, the tunnel will also serve the Centre in ensuring greater border security.
“It will not only ease the hardships of locals and tourists but will also assist the Army in moving men and material,” a senior official told The Statesman.
A significant feature of infrastructure development in the frontier regions, especially those situated in the rough mountain terrains of Ladakh, is the work carried out by our armed forces. In Sikkim, major infrastructure work around connectivity has been undertaken by Project Swastik since 1968.
“Today, Project Swastik maintains 806 km of strategic roads in Sikkim and is engaged in road projects in East Sikkim namely-Flag Hill Dokala (33 km), Tamze-Khola (8.6 km) and Tamze Pt 4685 (16 km). We are committed to developing these three roads on a war footing, and all efforts are being made to complete these at the earliest. We have an ambitious target up to 2021 and have work worth Rs 1580 crore for improvement of roads in Sikkim,” said Lt General Harpal Singh, the DG of Border Roads.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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We have often come across literary works that chart the journey of rivers from its point of conception to its demise. For centuries, poets have mused over water bodies and often crafted beautiful analogies that link them to mankind.
And the Teesta Flows is a chronicle about the Teesta, a river that originates in Sikkim and flows across the state till it converges with the river Brahmaputra (in Bangladesh). The interesting part however is, the underlying story about the journey that closely resembles the many transitions a woman goes through her life.
A visual documentation by a couple from Kolkata, who spent almost eight years charting the river’s course, the book is in memorium to their daughter, whose untimely death left an abyss so vast that nothing seemed capable of filling it ever again.
Until they stumbled upon the banks of their daughter’s namesake, once again.
Teesta
Utpal and Samita Chaudhuri, whose love for the river began much before the birth of their daughter, have many fond memories spent by the banks of the feisty river during the ’70s. The couple who met as classmates in the pharmacy department of Jadavpur University had decided their daughter’s name close to a decade before she was even born.
“We were part of the mountaineering club in our University and would often go for trekking to north Bengal and Sikkim. It was during one of those trips that we’d fallen in love and had decided that if we ever have a daughter, we would name her Teesta,” says Utpal, a retired government employee.
According to the local communities in Sikkim, the river never remains still and splashes around with gurgling noises, just like a naughty little child causing a ruckus at home. Samita and Utpal fondly remember their daughter’s naughty antics, right before leaving for school.
“Every morning, the house would resemble a battleground where everyone would be running behind her, trying to make her eat her breakfast while she ran across rooms, knocking things that came in her way” reminisces Samita, who teaches pharmacy at Kolkata’s Jnan Chandra Ghosh Polytechnic College.
Losing their only child to encephalitis in 2000, the couple were inconsolable; they finally found respite, if only a little, on the banks of Teesta. For years, Utpal would not touch his camera, the device he used to document their child’s growing years, apart from their travels.
The grief-stricken parents, in search of solace and tranquillity, decided to head back to the banks of Teesta, the river that seemingly had a link to everything in the life that they had built together. Here, they found what they had lost: their Teesta.
As the river gurgled past the boulders and the rocks, lashing out, the resemblance seemed too uncanny, for Utpal and Samita.
“When our daughter was about eight months old, we had thought of taking her to north Sikkim to show her the river’s birthplace but unfortunately, we could never get the permission. Somewhere in 2005, we felt that the urge to make that journey,” says Utpal.
It was during the summer of 2006, that Samita found peace on the banks of lake Tso Lhamo in Sikkim.
Utpal and Samita on the shores of Teesta
“This is the place where Teesta is born and I found my daughter, once again”, says Samita.
It was in that moment that an idea struck Utpal and he decided to chart the journey of the river with his camera, just the way he clicked photos of his daughter during her growing days.
“The river’s birth, its journey into adolescence and finally, the woman it becomes; we wanted to be part of that ” says Utpal.
Almost eight years later, the journey Utpal and Samita embarked upon that took them across two states and a different country altogether, resulted into a photo-book whose narrative is penned by Samita.
Though never overtly mentioned anywhere in the book, the work is a memoir in dedication to their daughter, who like the river Teesta, is forever etched in their hearts and minds.
To know more about And the Teesta Flows, click here.
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2016 turned out to be a great year for Sikkim, as it clinched the honour of being India’s first fully organic state. The state’s farmers have become 100% organic, their produce free of chemical pesticides or genetic modification. However, it also means their fruit and vegetables are smaller, less vibrant and more expensive than conventionally available non-organic, which makes marketing a major challenge.
As this caught the attention of brothers Abhinandan and Abhimanyu Dhakal, they devised a plan—introducing crops which would be unique and could be grown only in Sikkim.
Thus the duo started Shoten Group, an enterprise that helps farmers grow two distinct crops—yacons (ground apple) and shiitake mushrooms.
Abhinandan with the farmers of Sikkim
After researching on about 30 varieties of crops, Abhimanyu and Abhinandan shortlisted yacon and shiitake mushroom because of their health benefits and the fact that it can be grown only in a region where the temperature remains below 25 degree Celsius.
Yacon is native to South America, a neutraceutical root that is a naturally occurring sugar substitute. It tastes sweet but does not increase the blood sugar levels, a boon for diabetes patients. It has 80 to 90 per cent water as well as high fibre content and aids in digestion, relieves constipation, acts as a probiotic and is known to help in colitis and yeast infections.
Popularly consumed as syrup, yacon also reportedly helps in reducing bad cholesterol, boosting immunity, skin rejuvenation and weight loss.
A popular root-fruit worldwide, the brothers made it possible to grow it in many parts of Sikkim.
A Yacon farm (left) and the fruit (right)
Shoten group, which started working with 43 farmers in 2016, on a contract farming model, now has over 190 farmers associated with them.
“Initially people here would grow ginger and turmeric, which can be grown anywhere else too other than Sikkim. The focus of the team was to promote products that can be exclusively grown in the Himalayas,” says Abhinandan.
“Both yacon and shiitake can be grown only on the cold mountains and hence one has to come to Sikkim to get them,” he adds.
As Abhinandan puts it, market forces drive prices lower due to production in the plains as well. The team aims to work on Himalayan exclusivity, which has received further boost by Sikkim going organic.
With the contract farming model, the group gives non financial, technical support to these farmers as well as a buy back guarantee. This way they can grow the product efficiently and are also assured of a fixed payment.
The startup claims that in comparison to crops like ginger and turmeric, a farmer can earn four times more by growing yacon and eight times more by growing shiitake mushroom.
Shiitake mushroom
Joseph Jacob, Abhinandan’s friend from college who is also part of the venture is handling the marketing and strategy from New Delhi.
“Initially the challenges were many. The first was the difficult mountain terrain, migration of youth from farming, non-remunerative prices for their produce and unattractive portrayal of farming. However both the government and the officials were very supportive and everything fell in place,” Abhinandan says.
Unlike yacon, shiitake mushroom is well-known among consumers and hence marketing of the products needs two different approaches. In case of ground apple, the group has to make the consumer aware of its taste and benefits; in case of shiitake mushroom, farmers have to be taught about benefits of growing it. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) became their knowledge partner to accomplish this task since 2014.
Abhinandan’s journey started when he was pursuing Masters in Environmental Economics at the University Of New York.
Abhinandan Dhakal
He would often think that the most impact would be generated if one works in sectors like agriculture and water management. He chose to come back to India and got a job as an analyst at People’s Science Institute, Dehradun, where he worked for a year.
His work spanned 21 villages across Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, which helped him in collecting data and developing relations with farmers.
“The wealth of the Himalayas and what it offered to the world struck a deep chord in my heart,” he says.
But this was also his first brush with the harsh realities faced by farmers in mountain regions. He realised that these farmers would benefit from adopting sustainable practices. Around this time, he accepted a partnership in an agro-based startup in Tanzania which specialised in organic farming. Eventually when he returned to Sikkim, he was armed with ample information on the subject.
Abhinandan came back with the determination to help farmers with the knowledge he had acquired. His brother Abhimanyu agreed to be a partner in the startup and the duo credits a number of influencers, from state Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling to the state governor Shriniwas Patil in their success. They also say that PM Narendra Modi’s emphasis on the ‘organic feat’ at national and international forums has helped greatly.
The next step was to make farmers aware of the farming model adopted by Shoten group. These was achieved by giving farmers hands-on training.
This year, the 190 farmers of Shoten group have planted 3000 kg of seed covering 30 acres in 16 clusters in all four districts of Sikkim and the total production is expected to be around 300 tonnes.
“To make agriculture attractive, we have to make farming cool and profitable. We seek to make farmers learn, unlearn and relearn the art of business and mould them into units of sustainable agri-business that take care of their immediate and prospective future needs. We will be relentless in our pursuit to make this possible,” concludes Abhimanyu.
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T he mountains up in the North East have this uncanny quality of being able to hide the most exquisite vistas in plain sight. Follow the road-signs and make your way along the winding roads and you are sure to reach a viewpoint that boasts panoramic vistas or a monastery that houses years of ancient wisdom.
However, get off the beaten track, take a turn off the main route and follow that mountain trail and you are likely to be greeted by the sight of a quiet hamlet nestled on a hillside – wooden houses painted in myriad colours dotting the landscape, esoteric prayer flags fluttering in the wind, children dressed in the unmistakable blue and white of a school uniform making their way back home, some furry friends happily trotting behind them – life unfolding with a characteristic tranquillity that is so unique to the mountains!
Nestled in the North Eastern Himalayan foothills, Sikkim for years has been a haven for travellers and tourists alike.
If you’re a tourist with a mission, there are sights and sounds galore that will make your Instagram feed proud! If, however, you’re a traveller, you’ll be amazed at the vast expanse of unexplored terrain that this mountain state has to offer.
In my many years of travelling in and around Sikkim, sometimes making my way through crowds of Bengali chatter to witness the spectacle of sunrise at a particular peak, and some other times as a solo traveller trudging along with a hefty backpack that often looks heavier than me, I’ve discovered that for those that seek, Sikkim has many hidden delights!
Over the years, I’ve learnt to carefully manoeuvre my way around the many tourist hotspots and find sanctity in the more removed corners of the Himalayan foothills.
To Gangtok or Not to Gangtok: Choose Wisely
View of downtown Gangtok at dusk
Gangtok, being the state capital, is the most sought-after base for the crowds thronging to Sikkim. Being at the centre of most tourist activities, Sikkim has all the conveniences that city life offers, but in the backdrop of the mighty mountains. Located at a height of 1600m, it is characterized by numerous cafes, hotels and touts, all of whom want your business. If it is your first time in Sikkim, a visit to MG Marg is a must, if nothing, for the fragrance of the freshly baked goodies that linger on the paved mountain streets early in the morning.
ProTip: When in Gangtok, head to the Secretariat area. Located just below the erstwhile King’s Palace, this particular area hosts majestic views of the mountain town below, while being a quick 12 minute walk away from the tourist babble following a shortcut any local will be happy to show you. It is close enough for you to make that quick trip to the bar downtown, yet away enough, to let you enjoy that quiet tea at sundown, while you watch the majestic valley below disappear in the cloud cover.
If, however, you have the luxury and liberty of time and choice, head to Rumtek. Nestled in the slopes of the mountains diametrically opposite to the main Gangtok town, Rumtek is a small hamlet about an hour’s drive away. Home to the very famous Rumtek Monastery, you are likely to find crowds of tourists on a day trip from Gangtok heading up in packed tourist vehicles intent on collecting their share of good karma!
At Rumtek Monastery, the serenity and seclusion, despite the throngs of people right outside, is likely to catch you off guard. The Tibetan monks, young and old, dressed in their deep maroon and orange robes coupled with the eclectic curio shops add more than a dash of enigma to the already humbling setting.
The towering peaks in the distance, their tops disappearing into the clouds, the terraced farms and plantations around, the Buddhist chants being carried by the wind, make for a wonderful afternoon spent in the serenity of the mighty Himalayas.
Rumtek village
The road between Gangtok and Rumtek, is lined with eclectic farms, homestays and organic estates many of which offer accommodation at reasonable prices. With gorgeous views of the valley below, narrow trails that open up to extensive alpine meadows, timid streams that turn into raging waterfalls with a single generous shower, Rumtek makes for a very pleasant stay away from the city chatter. Warm smiles and genuine hospitality, traditional Sikkimese handicrafts, kitsch decor and the unrelenting green is a welcome change from the commercialization of the tourist hotspots around.
Spend some quality time at a Trekker’s Base in Yuksom
Yuksom
Traversing through rainforests and into picturesque meadows, Sikkim is known the world over for its several trekking routes – the Dzongri-Goecha La trek being one of the most sought-after. On one of my escapades of romancing the mountains, I spent a week ambling about in the hamlet that is the entry point for the Kanchenjungha National Park – Yuksom, a quaint little village that was once the first capital of Sikkim. As is characteristic of places that have a long history, Yuksom, established somewhere during the 1600s, has this old-world charm to it.
Located about a quarter hours’ drive from Pelling – another tourist hotspot in West Sikkim – the hamlet is used to fleeting faces. A narrow motorable road leads you into this quiet village where you are likely to come across mountaineers from across the world, either setting off or coming back from various treks.
Spend an evening chatting them up over a cup of butter tea – the warmth of the butter and the tea combined helps to keep warm — the warm glow of the memories are likely to stay much longer!
Dubdi monastery
If you’re not up for an arduous trek through the mountains, some of the smaller hikes around might interest you. An uphill climb through a lush forest trail will bring you to Sikkim’s oldest monastery –Dubdi Monastery. Situated at the top of a hill at a height of 2100m, the solitude of the place has this unique comforting quality, while the towering view it offers tends to overwhelm. I spent a memorable afternoon there, meditating amidst the reverberating Buddhist hymns, and came back a few knots lesser. You probably will too!
Trek the Rhododendron Trail
In yet another secluded corner of West Sikkim, is the mountain town of Varsey. Transportation is sparse to these parts of the state, so make sure you reach Jorethang, the connecting town, by midday. Another connecting vehicle will then take you up the terraced valleys, often along with locals headed back to their village after a hard day’s work.
Having crossed the small, cosy and less famous village of Okhrey, Varsey is the starting point to the famous Rhododendron trail. One of the things that stayed with me about this trail was the enchanted green of the forests. The blue skies, dotted with the ferocious green cover come together to create a magical misty hue that lasts through the trail, making it seem right out of a fairytale! No wonder that it is called one of the most scenic trails in the far West.
Once in Okhrey, you can stay overnight and start your journey to Hilley the next morning. It’s about 10km by car and the last 4km on foot – the more adventurous can start early and trek the whole way. As I made my way past a small natural lake, some breathtaking views of Mt. Kanchenjungha and endless stretches of rhododendrons, the age old saying that insists that it is about the journey and not the destination, made a lot of sense.
At the end of the trail, rests a lone wooden house that often doubles up as a guesthouse for the intrepid traveller that chooses to stay the night. The owner, much to our delight, greeted us with many enthusiastic stories of his own travels and bowls of steaming Maggi!
Get a taste of the traditional Lepcha cuisine
The taste of Sikkim in all its authentic glory also lies in its esoteric cuisine. Having recently been declared as India’s first fully organic state, fresh organic produce lines the markets as well as the traditional Lepcha kitchen. Wild ferns, nettles, bamboo shoot and mustard leaves are often combined with traditional spices into mouth-watering delicacies. Whether you are a vegetarian or a fond meat-eater, the fine mix of sharp and bland flavours that is typical to the cuisine here is sure to leave you asking for more. If you’re among the more adventurous, try a traditional cooking class. Most hotels will be happy to arrange one on request.
Take a day to do absolutely nothing
Kids playing at Pemyangste Monastery
A getaway into the idyllic foothills of the Himalayas remains incomplete if you can’t forgo the pace of an urban lifestyle. A fulfilling characteristic of mountain life is the slow and serene quality to it – the lungs full of fresh mountain air, the waking up to the chirping of birds, the vibrant shades of green all add to the experience. To truly experience the taste of life in the mountains, take a day to do particularly nothing – walk around one of the village trails, or just sit and soak in the sun, while you watch the colourful birds and butterflies. Breathe in, and like the locals advise, take a moment!
(Written by Aishwarya Guha)
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Almost 20 years ago, when a young Swiss student made her way to the Tibetan Buddhism Centre in San Francisco, little did she know that her life was going to be altered forever. Helen Kamph, then in her mid-twenties, had already spent a year volunteering at SEMCOL in Ladakh while falling in love with India and its many mysteries. Naturally, when she met Topgay Tapaka, a young Sikkimese man at the Centre, they hit it off instantly.
The love story that transpired sustains a huge organic estate today where travellers can enjoy the magnificent views of the mighty Himalayas while also learning all about organic gardening.
“It’s been a long journey,” Helen reminisces. “From my very first visit to Sikkim I have been intrigued by people’s knowledge of the land and their simple lifestyle. I think modern society could benefit a lot by re-introducing some of that simplicity and lifestyle that is very much in tune with nature.”
When Helen and Topgay came back as a married couple to make Sikkim home, they set up base in Topgay’s native village, Rumtek. Barely an hour’s drive from Gangtok, the state capital, Rumtek has the perfect makings of an idyllic refuge in the mountains. About 3 km before the famous Rumtek monastery, the road curiously turns uphill, opening up to a 3-acre organic garden.
As I made my first uphill climb to the foot of the estate called The Bamboo Retreat, the drudgery of having to carry my hefty backpack soon disappeared – I was greeted by a sprawling garden filled with flowers in an array of bright, joyous shades and an overtly enthusiastic staff.
This would be my abode for the next few weeks while I got my bearings about permaculture and other organic gardening techniques.
Over extended chat and chai sessions with Norbu and Tara, locals who have been tending to the garden with Helen’s help for years now, I learnt that the organic garden was Helen’s pet project, years before organic gardening became an ‘in’ thing in Sikkim. Growing up in the countryside, Helen had always had a penchant for big gardens. As a child, she helped her mother grow all sorts of herbs and vegetables and process them into healthy homemade foods, a practice that she brought with her to The Bamboo Retreat.
The estate uses its produce of flowers, fruits and vegetables, to sustain the hotel and the restaurant that boasts of a delicious traditional Sikkimese spread. Several plants like nettle, wild fern, mustard, and bamboo shoot, all come from the garden. As do the garlic, turmeric, ginger, lettuce, potatoes, and tree tomatoes. The recent additions of the strawberry and sweet lime plants have just begun to bear fruit!
The star attraction from the garden, however, is the herbal tea section. Spread across almost a kilometre is an assemblage of pudina or mint, peppermint and stevia plants. While the mint and the peppermint add the unique flavour to the tea, stevia is the natural sweetener. A little more research into stevia, and I soon realized that the health food communities have been advocating its use as a sugar substitute for years owing to its no-calorie, natural origins. The herbal tea is also a favourite amongst the guests. A relaxing cup of this particular mix, not only gets you a good night’s sleep, it’s also known to help with relieving symptoms of gas and indigestion.
The tender leaves, tips, and buds are carefully selected and plucked and dried in the sun to be stored for future use and to be sold to curious city dwellers like me.
At a very young age, Helen had begun to realize the benefits of eating healthy and living in harmony with the land. “It is my deep conviction that working with the land is essential in order for human beings to stay rooted, grounded, in-tune and in balance. Instead of moving further and further away from agrarian societies, I think humanity would be much better off, much happier, if they would begin to re-connect with the earth through growing food, caring for animals, protecting and safeguarding domestic animals, vegetables, grain and fruit varieties.”
Over the next few weeks, as I watched Tara and Norbu adroitly weed, pluck and cultivate the estate, I realized much of what Helen meant. Weeding every 10 days or so was, as I learnt, the key to keeping up a garden; and weed, however pretty to look at or deep rooted, needed to be removed.
But then again, everything has its place in nature. The weeded plants and shrubs were integral to making the manure, or what veteran gardeners call ‘mulch’. These plants are added to cow dung, sprinkled with a generous helping of wriggling earthworms and left to decay for about a week. The resulting mixture is what provides nutrition to the plants for weeks to come. Over the ensuing days, I learnt to select and prune diseased and broken stems, making sure that the lower stems of shrubs were getting enough light to grow, soaked coriander seeds overnight and spread them carefully over the freshly prepared ground.
Next, I covered the whole area with tall branches and leaves, so that birds would not peck away at the newly planted seeds, and right about a week later we witnessed the seeds sprout tiny saplings.
The garden also produces its own supply of smudge-sticks, spice powders, grain varieties– all of which are housed in the eclectic souvenir shop within the estate itself. Additionally with the purpose of promoting eco-tourism and local culture, the estate regularly organizes workshops on bamboo handicrafts, carpet weaving, thanka paintings for inquisitive guests.
In another feat of generosity altogether, the proceeds from the souvenir shop and all such workshops go into safeguarding the future of Sikkim, one child at a time. Every year, the estate funds the education of one underprivileged child at the Human Development Foundation of Sikkim. The estate also regularly organizes workshops that impart skill training to the locals – one such workshop that The Bamboo Retreat staff takes pride in is a recent course in administering first aid with Travel Agents Association of Sikkim (TAAS) with a couple of Swiss volunteers.
Helen, who has spent almost 20 years in India now, is just as much Indian as any of us. She notes how Sikkim, beautiful and monumental, is much like her childhood home in the Alps. “I feel deeply connected to the Himalayas. It’s like I was meant to find home here. We first started Bamboo Retreat, because we wanted a confluence of cultures – the East and the West have many things that they can learn from each other.” Sipping her cup of morning tea, in the sprawling garden overlooking the valley she tells me that she wants travellers to find a taste of home in the hills.
I for one, certainly did!
(Written by Aishwarya Guha).
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Sikkim, one of the tiniest states in India, stands out from the others thanks to the several firsts it has to its name.
The Himalayan state’s progressive track record has received yet another boost after it announced its ambitious plan of implementing a universal basic income for all of its 6,10,577 citizens.
This is perhaps, the first ever time that any democratic state in the world has employed such a scheme.
What exactly does universal basic income mean?
Well, it is a statewide programme whereby every resident of the state is paid a set income on a regular basis, regardless of their income, resources or employment status.
The primary objective of the scheme is to help citizens achieve their basic needs.
With this move, the state government of Sikkim is setting a rare precedent of a people’s government that indeed works for its people.
However, this is not the first time that Sikkim has put such path-breaking initiatives into action.
Here are five times when the state set an example for the rest of the nation:
1. In 1998, Sikkim was one of the first Indian states to completely ban plastic bags, and two decades down the line, it has emerged as the only one in the country to have successfully implemented the ban.
2. India has been classified as one of the world’s most unsafe countries for women, but Sikkim begs to differ. Touted as the best Indian state for women in the workplace, Sikkim has recorded relatively fewer crimes against women—thanks to its high rates of female workforce participation.
Also, with 50 per cent reservation for women in urban and local bodies, Sikkim leads the charge on the greater representation of women in politics!
3. The state has also managed to decrease its poverty ratio between 2004 and 2012 by a stunning margin of 22 per cent. It claims to have achieved this through the process of devolution and decentralisation of power to the grassroots level.
Also, these years observed a 70 per cent fall in the number of poor people, making Sikkim one of the states with the lowest poverty levels in the country today.
4. Two years ago, Sikkim completed a mission that was initiated in 2003. It became India’s first fully organic state by eliminating the use of pesticides and fertilisers.
This feat found greater recognition when Sikkim was pronounced the first ever 100 per cent organic state in the world.
5. Beating 51 nominated policies from 25 countries, Sikkim’s transition to the organic way of life earned it the Future Policy Award for 2018 last year.
Termed as the “Oscar for best policies”, the award is conferred by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in recognition of pioneering policies that promote agro-ecological and sustainable food systems across the world.
On February 1, the people of Sikkim will be able to access free state-sponsored healthcare in the new 10-storied Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Multi-Speciality Hospital (STNM) in Sochaygang, which is three kilometres away from Gangktok.
It will be the second largest government hospital in India, according to publications in the Northeast.
The 1002-bed hospital will come only second behind the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The original 100-year-old STNM Hospital, once situated in the centre of Gangtok, will now shift its premises to the new hospital.
Here are five things you should know about the hospital:
1) It took nine years and a mammoth Rs 1,281 Crore to construct this hospital, spread across 15 acres of land.
2) Taking the geography of the area into account, the main block of the hospital has been constructed with earthquake-resistant material. As per reports, the hospital can withstand an earthquake measuring up to 8 on the Richter scale.
3) The hospital is expected to be on par with global standards. Besides a separate general, surgical and speciality departments, the hospital has 23 operation theatres that can all function together at the same time.
Besides, the “hospital is equipped with highly sophisticated equipment, including MRI, CT scanners, orthopantomogram machine and Doppler fetal monitor, among others,” reports The Telegraph.
4) Since the hospital is situated three kilometres away from Gangtok, the state government has commissioned eight buses that will run around the clock to transport patients and hospital attendants back and to the hospital for free.
5) For the time being, the hospital has recruited 47 expert doctors and 261 nurses full time. Many more are expected to be appointed in the coming months.
6) Those accompanying the patients can stay over at a 119-bed Yatri Niwas lodging facility set up on the hospital premises which will also offer meals.
7) Beyond the hospital, the State government is also expected to complete a college complex on the hospital premises comprising of hostels for boys and girls, lodging for teaching and non-teaching staff and an administrative block in three years.
“We are trying to start classes of the medical college at the old STNM Hospital from June. The government has given its approval. The college will take in 100 students every year,” said Vishal Chauhan, the commissioner-cum-secretary of the state health department, speaking to the media.
Besides residents of Sikkim, the hospital has the potential to take in patients from the Northeast and the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. This is indeed a landmark moment for the people of Sikkim.
(Edited by Vinayak Hegde)
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Lomas Dhungel, a 34-year-old science and mathematics teacher at the Government Senior Secondary School in Sikkim’s Makha village, is doing something few in this country are.
Under his ‘Hariyo Makha–Sikkim Against Pollution’(‘Hariyo’ is a vernacular word for green) project started in 2015; he is working towards a sustainable future with the help of his students by recycling waste through multiple initiatives.
But that is not all. He is also generating revenue from the project and using the money to sponsor the education of five local students.
Can it get any better?
“I grew up in a village 15 km away from Makha where I never saw pollution. That changed when I grew older and moved to cities. I could see the distinct difference between polluted and non-polluted areas,” recalls Lomas, in an exclusive conversation with The Better India.
In 2001, Lomas was in Gangtok when he found out for the first time that disposable polythene bags had been banned all over the state. This prompted him to learn more about the ill-effects of plastic, particularly of the single-use variety.
“These two memories form the basis of my motivation to tackle pollution,” states Lomas.
In 2013, he began exploring the idea of recycling all that waste. He soon followed up by collecting garbage from his neighbours, segregating it and selling the dry waste to scrap dealers and recycling units. “However, there wasn’t much success here. I had to think bigger,” he says.
Lomas noticed that Makha had no formal system of waste collection. He was particularly peeved by the locals and tourists, who would litter the streets with empty packets of chips. These had no resale value, so ragpickers would often burn them, resulting in the emission of toxic pollutants.
“In 2015, I came up with the idea of collecting these packets, cleaning them, and sticking them together with cello tape to make book covers. I presented this idea to my students and school authorities, and after receiving their approval, I approached students from Class 6 to 8, asking them to bring waste packets to school, while requesting my students from Class 9 and 10, whom I taught physics and mathematics, to clean the packets. We stuck the plastic packets together with high-quality cello tape, and fashioned them into book covers,” says Lomas.
This initiative was a major hit with school students.
Lomas standing in the middle with the book covers made of plastic chips packets. (Source: Hariyo Makha- Sikkim Against Air Pollution)
So far, students from the school have converted around 50,000 packets of chips into 3,000 book covers, and these are sold to schools from nearby villages.
Through this initiative, they even helped a student, who had dropped out of school because of financial constraints, to resume her studies.
“In fact, we were able to fulfill the book cover demands of one entire school. We are looking to take this further by collecting 50,000 more plastic covers and converting them into book covers.”
In 2017, Lomas began another eco-friendly initiative with motivation coming from seeing students using a single side of A4 papers for their assignments. “All this paper was getting wasted. These sheets are often sold to scrap dealers or burnt without anyone using them,” says Lomas.
He reached out to his school and others in neighbouring villages to give them assignments of students who had graduated.
“Initially, the initiative wasn’t generating any interest. However, consistent efforts eventually led 20 schools to donate more than 30,000 waste pages by the end of that year. These were converted into 300 notebooks by 82 students in the first phase and 53 in the second. Each student had to spend 15 minutes every day on this project,” says Lomas.
For nearly every 100 books the school sold, the money collected helped sponsor one student’s education. Of course, not all that money came from sales—Lomas contributed half the amount.
Students of the Government Senior Secondary School in Makha village, Sikkim with their recycled notebooks. (Source: Hariyo Makha- Sikkim Against Air Pollution)
However, thanks to these efforts, two female students were able to gain admission into the BA programme of IGNOU, Gangtok.
Besides papers, however, students also segregated the stapler pins attaching them together. “In total, we collected 10,000 pieces of stapler pins, which we sold to scrap vendors for recycling purposes,” he adds.
His latest project, which he started last year, is called the Golden Rupee.
For Lomas, his battle against pollution isn’t all about generating alternative means of revenue, and the Golden Rupee initiative, he believes, is symbolic of this belief. For him, this is a civic duty.
So, what does this initiative entail?
Every three months, Lomas and his group of students collect dry waste from various households, including plastic, tin, glass (particularly bottles), and sell it to scrap dealers and recyclers for a grand total of Re 1 irrespective of the amount of waste collected.
Total amount scrap donated by school: More than 500 kg No of ‘Golden Rupees’ earned: 4
“These initiatives are not only protecting the environment but also introducing a sense of civic study in the students, and helping them with their studies. The one condition I have set for students who want to join me in this work is that they must attend school and perform better in their academics. Many of them have taken up this challenge,” says Lomas.
Lomas with his students. (Source: Hariyo Makha- Sikkim Against Air Pollution)
Thanks to his initiatives picking up steam, Lomas receives invitations from various non-profits, hospitals, government offices and others to spread awareness about waste management.
His efforts are finally bearing fruit, and with the entire village community invested in his initiatives, Lomas is doing his part to make Makha better than he had found it.
What about you?
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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As the sun sets in the Rongbul village of the South Sikkim district, children rush home guided by the street lights and the last rays of the sun.
It has been quite a day for them. After their classes ended, they attended a tournament at the village sports ground.
Now, they will reach home, complete their homework and prepare for their forthcoming classes.
Today, these activities feel normal for the villagers of Rongbul, but till only three years ago, the school was not functioning properly, and the village suffered from irregular electricity supply.
And these were just two of the several problems plaguing the village.
Courtesy: Raj Yadav.
Things took a turn for the better after the appointment of IAS office Raj Yadav, as the South Sikkim district magistrate (DM) in 2014.
In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it was his leadership that brought about a transformation in villages like Rongbul.
“After the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) was launched in 2014, I thought about tweaking it in a way that the district administration would take direct responsibility of the villages they adopt. And so, the District Administration’s Adopted Village or DAAV was formed. While SAGY was launched as a way to encourage rural development in a broad manner we went to the grassroots levels of the villages and addressed their issues,” Yadav said.
And thus began the journey of rural development that promised to transform about 2000 lives in each village that was adopted.
The objective
Courtesy: Raj Yadav.
As the IAS officer mentioned, the objective was to bring development in the most remote villages of the South Sikkim district.
Situated at an altitude of 4400 ft, the sub-tropical Rongbul Gram Panchayat Unit (GPU) is prone to constant droughts and water scarcity. Even then, agriculture is the primary occupation in the five villages under it.
Irregular supply of power, lack of teachers in the government school and a general lack of enthusiasm for development were some of the primary concerns of the villages.
Add to that the fact that they suffered from frequent droughts and IAS Yadav was looking at quite an impoverished area in the state.
Unsurprisingly, it took no time for him to confirm that Rongbul would be the first GPU to be adopted and converted into a model village under the DAAV project.
“‘Aapno gaav, aap banao’—which in Nepali means, ‘you build your village,’ was the mantra,” Yadav says. “The first step was to gather the gram panchayat and speak to them. Without effective, two-way dialogue, we couldn’t have zeroed in on the targets to be tackled. We took suggestions from all the people there—men, women and children and found out that their needs were very basic. They wanted a reliable supply of water and electricity before anything else, and so, that’s where we focussed.”
The execution
Courtesy: Raj Yadav.
After a meeting the representatives of the people of Rongbul, the district authorities started planning its development.
The aim was to bring communities and authorities together to ensure the village was transformed in a way that the villagers would be happy to maintain.
“With the first GPU, one of our biggest challenges was to motivate people to join our forces. Initially, they did not trust us too much, but we began the work anyway, roping in the adults during designing and the children in beautifying the school buildings. Before we knew it, the villages and the district administration were working together for the DAAV project,” Yadav tells us.
In his book, ‘I am DAAV,’ Yadav mentions in great detail about the sub-projects undertaken in Rongbul. From agriculture to land revenue and from roads and bridges to human resources, each project was carefully planned and executed under the departments of the police, disaster management, civil supplies and consumer affairs, and others.
The villagers, of course, joined the brigade, providing manpower as well as financial aid wherever the funds were low. The IAS officer explains that the funds assigned for specific projects or tasks could not be transferred to DAAV, and thus, at times, the district administration faced a cash crunch.
However, the villagers were encouraged to contribute towards the development of their villages which they did quite happily.
The result
Courtesy: Raj Yadav.
It took the DM and his team about eight months to transform Rongbul. the village was equipped with a school building and qualified teaching staff. They now have a regular supply of electricity and water as well.
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), bank accounts and Primary Health Sub Centres (PHSCs) were established in the GPU, to ensure an improvement in the lifestyle of the residents.
To ensure the proper maintenance of new schools, banks, ICDSs and PHSCs, Yadav started the ‘Each Friday, Field Day’ project wherein the authorities visit the departments under their control to understand their status. If you visit the Rongbul GPU website, you can see the schedule that was undertaken in 2016.
“For a major part of the project, we focused on developing and maintaining the existing infrastructure. The Rongbul GPU has a population of about 2000 people, and when we completed the project successfully, we decided to replicate it in four other GPUs also,” Yadav tells TBI.
After the success of Rongbul, Yadav’s district administration went on to adopt the GPUs of Lingi Paiyong, Tinik Chisopani, Mamley Kamrang and Sanganath—each of them were equally underdeveloped and populated.
Courtesy: Raj Yadav.
In his tenure as the DM of South Sikkim, he ensured that each of these GPUs was transformed within 6-8 months. Once again, the communities were involved in the process.
Currently, the IAS officer is the additional secretary to the finance department of Sikkim, but he hopes that he will get an opportunity in the future to serve as a DM of yet another district where he can replicate the DAAV project.
“It was a unique programme initiated by the district administration. We tried to achieve 100% in every aspect in those GPUs through community participation. If I get [a] similar opportunity in future I will try to work with [the] same strategy”, he tells the East Mojo.
An initiative which ensures that development is undertaken for the people, and by the people, DAAV is certainly an inspirational project. We hope that more authorities take note of it and replicate it in their villages.
(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)
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