As a child, Sandeep Tambe would spend his holidays with his parents and two sisters in their ancestral village of Nakawal in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district.

Nakawal is a picturesque village along the Narmada river marked by vast farmlands and surrounded by the Satpura Hills. He would enjoy his vacations amid nature with friends living in nearby hamlets inhabited by the Gond and Baiga tribes.

While the future Indian Forest Service officer knew that he shared a unique bond with mother nature, he had no inkling that one day he would play an instrumental role in reviving the socio-economic and environmental fortunes of Sikkim.

However, it was years before Tambe could realize that bond. For most of his early life was spent in the steel-manufacturing hubs of Rourkela and Bhilai, where his father was employed by the Steel Authority of India (SAIL).

He was just like any other young man finding his way in the world.

Then, in 1990, he got admission into IIT-Bombay for a BTech degree in Mechanical Engineering.

“IIT Powai has a beautiful campus, situated in picturesque surroundings with the Vihar and the Powai lakes on either side. It’s close to the Borivali National Park. I joined the Wildlife Club and thanks to it, I got the opportunity to visit various wildlife areas like the Sahyadris in the Western Ghats, Mudumalai National Park, Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Bharatpur Bird Sanctionary and the Namdapha Tiger Reserve. That was the time I got immersed into nature and the issues surrounding it. It was also the time I realised that this is what makes me tick, and naturally I set my career path along the lines of nature conservation,” says Tambe, speaking to The Better India.

However, convincing his parents wasn’t easy.

The perception among many middle-class families was that civil service jobs like the Indian Forest Service were risky.

Dealing with politicians and the mafia was a part of the job, and they were concerned about his safety.

“After graduating from IIT-Bombay, I worked at Infosys for about three years in Bengaluru, before I joined the Indian Forest Service in 1997. Two years of training ensued at the National Forest Academy in Dehradun, where they taught us aspects of forest and wildlife management, following which I was allotted the Sikkim cadre in 1999,” says Tambe.

These cadres are allotted in a random manner, and when he was assigned to Sikkim, it was a bolt from the blue. He had hoped to get his posting somewhere closer to home in Central India and realize his dream of conserving the Kanha National Park or Bandhavgarh.

At the time, very little was known about Sikkim. With no idea about the place and without any friends in the state, there was a great deal of anxiety and apprehension. Tambe felt that his dreams of working in nature conservation would fall apart before he even began.

His first posting in Sikkim was as Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife) overseeing two districts—South Sikkim and West Sikkim. With a threadbare staff, inadequate infrastructure and poor communication links, the challenge of enforcing national laws protecting forests and wildlife in a region where poaching, excessive open grazing and logging had become a way of life, was massive.

Protecting forests

Most of the forests in Sikkim are old growth, marked by majestic oak chestnut and fir trees.

Unfortunately, these forests had been deeply fragmented. Besides indiscriminate grazing, herders would indulge in clearing large areas and collecting large quanties of tree fodder and firewood. As a result, openings were created in the forest, degrading the habitat quality and resulting in biodiversity loss.

“We were a small staff of 10 forest guards and few officers tasked with managing two districts. In addition, these herding practices were taken up far above the village, and so many of its residents knew little about it. Less than 10% of the village households were engaged in herding as an additional source of income, while the rest of the people were into traditional mixed farming.

The only way we could protect these forests was to strengthen their connect with the local community. Moreover, we explained that healthy forests would bring in eco-tourism benefits and had the the potential to become a source of livelihood for them,” explains Tambe.

“We organized awareness campaigns, where we showed the impact of these herding practices through slide shows and organised the locals into what are known as eco-development committees (EDCs), giving them authority to take action against errant practices and raise awareness through various programmes. In a way, we strengthened their sense of ownership and their bond with the forest,” he adds.

While the initiative began in 1999 and EDCs were put in place by the following year, it took until 2003 for the process to start functioning well.

The abiding message was ‘these are your forests, and they are for your own future, while we (forest officials) are just trustees in conserving them. If the forests are damaged, you will suffer the most.’

By constantly drilling home these messages, this link between people and the forests was strengthened. However, there was another trick up the forest officer’s sleeve.

Through the EDCs, the local community applied societal pressure on these herders stating that their practices were inequitable and unsustainable. That began working against them, while forest department officials began enforcing the regulatory provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.

So, the twin pressure from the locals and wildlife department, besides unstinting political support from Chief Minister Pawan Chamling, ensured this initiative’s success, and by 2007, illegal open grazing, logging and hunting had come to an end.

“He (CM) convinced the herders to give up their unsustainable livelihoods,” says Tambe.

The state government also gave these herders compensatory support, bought their cattle and distributed these animals to poor farmers. This was the additional financial support they received from the government to quit the forests and return to their farms in the villages.

Protecting Lakes

Aside from overseeing the protection of lakes, Tambe was also instrumental in coming up with a policy framework to protect the famous high-altitude lakes of Sikkim like the Tsomogo, which is on the way to the famous Nathu-La pass, Khecheopalri, and Gurudongmar.

While these lakes are mass-tourist destinations, they were suffering. Poor sanitation facilities and solid waste strewn around the lakes were a blight. This was particularly the case with Tsomogo lake.

“Working alongside WWF India, we spoke to the gram sabha of a village overseeing the lake and enabled them to organize themselves together as Pokhri Sanrakshan Samitis (PSS) to protect the lake. The policy enabled the PSS to collect Rs 10 as entry fee from all the tourists, which they would use to engage Pokhri Rakshaks (lake guardians). These guardians would ensure that the surroundings are kept clean, sanitation facilities are well maintained, and the lakes are conserved. Sometimes, in the event of unexpected snowfall, wheren tourists get stuck in these parts. the PSS would swing into action and assists with in relief and rescue operations as well,” informs Tambe.

In order to institutionalize this arrangement, the Lake Conservation Guidelines were approved by the state government, which provided the framework for the PSS, what functions it would play, how it would generate resources and how monitoring would be done. This policy went operational in 2006.

“It helped tourists enjoy a better experience of these lakes, the lake was preserved, and locals benefited from it—a win-win situation for all. This must framework has the potential to be replicated in other Himalayan states as well,” he says.

MGNREGA

As per government figures, Sikkim’s poverty levels came down from 30.9% in 2004-05 to 8.19% in 2011-12. The way the state leveraged the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has played a critical role in this phenomenal drop. Sikkim is also among the leading states in implementing this jobs scheme.

Following his success in his lake and forest protection initiatives, Tambe was fast-tracked the the Department of Rural Management & Development and given the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of this landmark jobs and public assets creation scheme.

While a lot of funds were at the disposal of gram panchayats, the key challenge was the lack of functionaries with expertise on the ground to implement this scheme.

In other words, a whole machinery comprising of junior engineers, agriculture extension officers, horticulture inspectors, and accounts staff to offer technical support was needed at the village level to ensure functionality.

The MGNREGA scheme took off in 2006, and by the following year, it had become operational on the ground.

For every five gram panchayats, the state government developed a cluster support office, known as the Gram Panchayat Support Office Vikas Kendra (GVKPSO). These are essentially state of the art centres which had a battery of functionaries, like accountants, horticulture, forestry and agriculture experts, engineers and others who would on the ground help these gram panchayats operationalise rural development projects. Besides technical, financial and accounting support, these functionaries also ensured that accurate records of these projects were maintained,” says Tambe.

Secondly, officials needed to ensure that the implementation process was democratic and bottom up. To ensure this happens, a system was set up whereby at every gram sabha, systemic planning took place to ensure that requirements for specific projects came from the village residents themselves—grassroots planning. Thirdly, they needed to ensure that the money was spent in a transparent and accountable manner, and leakage of pubic funds was blocked.

“We trained some of the best NGOs in Sikkim to conduct social audits on various NREGA projects. These social audits by the gram sabha and facilitated by these NGOs are is what sets Sikkim apart because very rupee spent is accounted for. Expenditure records were compiled and presented by the NGOs to the gram sabha, and people who were working on these projects would verify he expenditure records matched with the field reality or not,” informs Tambe.

It created a system whereby all these records are presented in a public forum, and in case some misappropriation is found recovery is taken up from the erring functionary.

These are close-knit communities where everyone knows each other. This created fear among officials of being labelled as corrupt by members of their own community if they misappropriated funds.

“This fear itself resulted in officials refraining from corrupt practices. Initially during the first rounds of social audits, there were many agitations by the functionaries, particularly those who had endured public shaming for allegedly indulging in financial wrongdoing. Luckily, we had the necessary political support, rural development minister backed our measure for social audits,” adds Tambe.

These social audits ensure that the money is utilised well, besides assuring the quality of the public assets created. “Nonetheless, while all this was happening, there was a realisation among us that while the scheme was performing its role as a safety net to ensure households didn’t fall further into poverty, it wasn’t really actively lifting them out of it either,” reminisces the forest officer.

What they decided to do was utilise this money to create income-generate assets on the lands of those struggling under the weight of poverty.

For these objectives, the government came up with the Gram Panchayat Pro-Poor Perspective Plan (GSP). As per this plan, 50% of NREGA funds allocated to a village would be spent on creating these assets on the lands of the poorest 20% of households in that village.

These households were identified using participatory wealth ranking with functionaries on the ground and participation from local village residents.

Thus, besides receiving wages, these income-generating assets like water storage tanks, cattle sheds, horticulture plantations, and pigsties were also created. Framed in 2010, the policy began to make a difference on the ground within two to three years.

Now, the people had a direct stake in constructing these assets and contributed with real vigour. Add the social audit clause and what you have is a successful system in place.

A shining example of this model at work is the Dhara-Vikas (Spring-Shed Development) initiative aimed at reviving springs during the latter years of Tambe’s tenure in the rural development ministry.

“During the summer months, when these springs dried up, women had no option but to go downhill to a bigger spring to collect water and trudge back uphill. This created a lot of hardship for the whole family, as women could not take up livelihood activities and children were often late to school,” he explains.

On exploring the problem, he found that the problem was two-fold—change in land use and shifting rainfall patterns. From light drizzles, the monsoon period witnessed heavy rains, while the winter rains had become non-existent. As a consequence, there was a greater surface runoff, while the springs didn’t have the necessary time or the means to recharge themselves.

Also Read: Bengaluru Techie Single-handedly Revives Lake in 45 Days, Plans to Save 45 More by 2025!

Responding to this concern, he took the following steps: Identify recharge areas of the springs and dig trenches and ponds in these the recharge areas to catch the surface runoff.

This completely transformed the scenario on the ground and caught the attention of many states who have now started their own spring revival programmes.

Awards and accolades

In 2015, Tambe then the Special Secretary of the Rural Management and Development Department in Sikkim, joined as a professor in the Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal where he is sharing his expertise and experiences with the next generation of green managers.

His time in Sikkim earned him many accolades including his selection in a list of top 25 persons of the year by Forbes India in 2010.

He was also conferred with the TN Khoshoo Memorial Award in 2012, Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration in 2013 (Institutional), Sikkim State Award for Meritorious Service in 2014, National Award for Excellence in Sustainable Livelihoods and Transparency and Accountability in 2014 and 2015 respectively (institutional) and even the Best Teacher Award by IIFM students in 2017.

What a remarkable career in public service!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Who doesn’t want a vacation? An extended leave from work to travel to a place in your bucket list is the dream, isn’t it?

Now, imagine if you travelled for a living?

Meet Ankita Kumar and Sharanya Iyer, who are content creators from Bengaluru and Mumbai, respectively.

Their abiding love for travel took them on a path of bringing these two paradigms together and create content out of their travel exploits! However, it is their latest outing, Caravan Chronicles, that will leave you completely awestruck.

The duo spent an entire month travelling through the towns and villages of Sikkim while living in a tempo traveller-turned-caravan named Luna.

We spoke to both Ankita and Sharanya, who shared with us their fantastic journey with us.

“The idea behind Caravan Chronicles was conceived by our biker friend Rohith Subramaniam, who had observed the concept of caravaning throughout his travels in Europe. When he shared the idea with me, I was totally game, and in 2017, we travelled across the country, from Kerala to Himachal Pradesh for 100 days in a Matador. That was the Season one of Caravan Chronicles,” says Ankita.

Sharanya joined these guys while they were in Rann of Kutch, which happened to be one of the most challenging terrains they had travelled to.

“We faced many difficulties during this time, but she stuck on and we still ended up having so much fun. That’s when I realised that if she could manage so well in some of the toughest phases of the journey, she would be the first choice if we were to go forward with Season two,” she adds.

Sharanya mentions that the first leg of their travels did so well and received such excellent traction that they decided to go ahead with the next leg.

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Weeeee! We hardly ever see Rohith this excited for a picture haha. Think it was something to do with this being the last shot of the day @letsdroom . . . . . . #caravaningindia #caravanchronicles #droomcaravanchronicles #droombindaasghoom #vanlife #caravanning #caravanlife #campmonk #caravanity #exploremore #homeiswhereyouparkit #takemoreadventures #vanlifeproject #vanlifeexplorers #vanconversion #homeonwheels #adventuremobile #lifeontheroad #noplanisthebestplan #homegoals #letsgosomewhere #wildernessculture #adventuresawait #lessismore #freepeople #borntoroam #letsgosomewhere #lesscomfortmorelife #getoutthere #wildandfree

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 9, 2018 at 5:01am PDT

“Perhaps, this is because caravaning is still such an unexplored avenue in India. The greater perk with caravaning is the concept of slow-travel. You can stop wherever you want, explore places at your own pace and cook or do everything in the van. As Rohith has set out to South America for a two-year-long bike trip, both of us decided to kickstart Season two of Caravan Chronicles with the greater motivator being why can’t two girls go ahead with caravaning?” she says.

The duo still is in awe of how they managed to pull it off.

“From getting a vehicle together to getting it to Sikkim and then traversing through one of the toughest states, when it comes to securing permits as well as challenging landscapes—the trip was filled with crazy moments, but it was also incredible!” Ankita adds.

Why Sikkim?

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So emotional right now, because we can FINALLY present our caravan, our home, our baby Lunaaaaa to all of you! It's been quite a journey to get her in shape. @monkey.inc and @trulynomadly have been a two person team for a while now, but the minute they hit Gangtok, the local people went to unfathomable lengths to help fix her up over the past 3 days. One long, painful all-nighter and another mentally exhausting scary mignight garage rendezvous later, she is finally bright and happy on this sojourn around Sikkim! Back in Bangalore, when she was first painted blue, the colour was totally messed up. We didn't know any better, and it turned out very dark and meh. After a whole week of paint prep, we had to go back to the drawing board for a second time. And that's when we got her to this minty fresh blue which we absolutely loved. But with Indian vehicle modification laws, came the decision to wrap her in white vinyl sticker to get her across state borders without cop issues. Once she hit Siliguri though, with the white sticker, out came many sections of our yummy blue! Ahhhh, long agonizing story short, we found some angels in disguise who helped us paint her Again overnight, and then @whirlwnd worked hard with us over another 12 hour overnight shift to get the art on both sides finished in time. We went with a simplistic nature theme with Sikkimise style Thangka clouds on this side you see, all handpainted and designed a day before it went up on Luna. And then, our trip officially began last evening. We got out of Gangtok and made it to the idyllic Temi Tea Gardens in Southern Sikkim and spent the day shooting and taking in the utter beauty of this State. Sigh. We're home. Caravanning in India is an adventure everyday. And we've learnt so much from it already! •••••••••••• So glad to be collaborating with @jockeyindia and @jockeywoman , thank you for bringing our dream to life! And huge thanks to our caravan partners @trippywheels for giving us Luna, @amrutamofficial for being our self-care partners and @ourguestdiary for being bomb local partners!

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on Apr 20, 2019 at 9:31am PDT

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Look at our Loony Luna making her way around the edgy Dzuluk Loops of Eastern Sikkim! This was such a gorgeous day of driving our home on wheels through parts of the Ancient Silk Road between Tibet and India! The clouds kept swirling in and out and added a mysterious vibe to our time here. So surreal! . Thank you for renting her out to us @trippywheels ! . . #sikkimtravel #sikkim #sikkimdiaries #caravanning #caravanninglife #hippiebus #luna #homeiswhereyouparkit #silkroad #homeonwheels #vanlifediaries #vanlifeexplorers #caravanningindia #indiapictures #_soi #girlsquad #girlpower #indiantraveller #vanlifeproject #indiatravel #traveldiaries #campervan #vanlifemovement

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 18, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT

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What some beautiful mornings look like! The van door spread wide open, hot tea and snowy mountains for a view. This is the Tsomgo lake in East Sikkim. To be honest, we were more enthralled by the lakes right before it. This was one of the most touristy spots we've been to on this trip. The lake is swarming with loud tourists, people selling you stuff, bored yaks standing around waiting for some equally bored tourist to ride them. Overall not a spot I'd recommend. But the way to it is spectacular!! It still has snow in parts and trust me Luna looked absolutely stunning against the dewy snow. Shout out to our Caravan Partners @trippywheels for letting us paint her in bright colors and do up the interiors with dream catchers and trippy blankets to match our vibes. For all you caravan lovers, check them out if you want to rent a caravan and have a lil adventure of your own. . . : @cpproductions17 . . #knowsme #caravanningindia #caravanchronicles #sikkim #sikkim_diaries #sikkimtravel #sikkimdiaries #sikkimtourism #lifeontheroad #noplanisthebestplan #letsgosomewhere #vanlifestyle #khg #vanlifeideas #vanlife #vangirls #vanlifediaries #vanlifemovement #vanlifedreams #vanlifeexplores #vanlifediaries #vanlifeproject #adventureladies #dametraveller #camperlife #homeonwheels #homeiswhereyouparkit

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 4, 2019 at 5:33am PDT

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Hello hello! Back after a brief break where the lack of network helped us focus on living in the moment and soak in all the pure goodness of this erstwhile Kingdom. Sikkim is SO fascinating, we haven't been able to pick up my jaw from when we dropped it close to a month ago. It has fast become one of our top favorite States in India! We've met tribes that thrive deep inside forests, seen landscapes straight out of Shangri-La, played catch and stare with yaks grazing on endless green blankets, battled sickness and conquered AMS like bosses (thanks Diamox and @tagalong_travel !), sat in on prayers that have moved our very souls in remote monasteries, befriended leeches and voluntarily fed them our blood, had copious cups of chai in cozy kitchens and slept like babies (or old aunties) with early nights and early mornings. All because of this beautiful blue baby Luna. She's allowed us to stop and smell the roses (read rhododendrons) in full bloom and given us so many moments where we've just stopped and patted our backs for pulling this off. There is no other way we would've rather explored this GORGEOUS State. So many specific stories and experiences to share with you guys soon! Until then, @trippywheels , @monkey.inc and I would like to start a petition to keep Luna. How on Earth can we ever let her go? . . @cpproductions17 @bhaskar_maina07 . . #vanlifeexplorers #vanlifejournal #adventureladies #sikkimadventures #vanlifediaries #hippybus #hipstergram #slowtravel #globetravel #travelpassport #awesome_earthpix #naturelovers #incredibleindia #indiaphotography #himalayangeographic #bbctravel #vanlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #homeonwheels

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 13, 2019 at 7:11am PDT

“Both of us are fascinated with Northeast India. However, since we planned to travel between April and May, which is the peak time for monsoon, we were worried as not all the states there are equipped with good roads and infrastructure. We were seeking a balance, where a state would give us an ample amount of things to do in a month while giving us variety in terrains. That’s how we zeroed in on Sikkim,” Sharanya explains.

Through their posts, one can observe the myriad changes in Sikkim’s landscape. West Sikkim, which is where their journey began, is full of green and verdant panoramas, while the northern parts gave them cultural experiences with the area replete with monasteries and interactions with the local community members from the Bhutia tribe.

And then there was snow in the higher altitudes!

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Look at our pretty Lunaaaa! Man what a feeling it was going through these stunning landscapes with her. A big part of why we chose Sikkim was because it has soooo many different landscapes. From snow clad mountains to pretty valleys, green meadows to giant waterfalls, Sikkim you're a stunner!! This was taken on the way to Gurudongmar Lake and it looked a LOT like Spiti and Ladakh. Super roads, stark, open vistas and of course the beautiful Himalayas as the backdrop. @jockeywoman isn't this an absolute dream place to drive through? . . . . Photo courtesy – @cpproductions17 @bhaskar_maina07 . . . #caravanningindia #caravanchronicles #sikkim #sikkim_diaries #sikkimtravel #sikkimdiaries #sikkimtourism #lifeontheroad #noplanisthebestplan #letsgosomewhere #vanlifestyle #khg #vanlifeideas #vanlife #vangirls #vanlifediaries #vanlifemovement #vanlifedreams #vanlifeexplores #vanlifediaries #vanlifeproject #adventureladies #dametraveller #camperlife #homeonwheels #homeiswhereyouparkit

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 25, 2019 at 12:05am PDT

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Nothing much, just chilling with Baby Luna at the beaaaautiful Yumthang Valley in full bloom. Awesome, comfy camping chairs courtesy our gear partners @zenmountaingear. . . . .Photo courtesy – @cpproductions17 @bhaskar_maina07 . . . #caravanningindia #caravanchronicles #sikkim #sikkim_diaries #sikkimtravel #sikkimdiaries #sikkimtourism #lifeontheroad #noplanisthebestplan #letsgosomewhere #vanlifestyle #khg #vanlifeideas #vanlife #vangirls #vanlifediaries #vanlifemovement #vanlifedreams #vanlifeexplores #vanlifediaries #vanlifeproject #adventureladies #dametraveller #camperlife #homeonwheels #homeiswhereyouparkit

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on Jun 2, 2019 at 12:14am PDT

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Luna has been home to so many different people in Sikkim, even if fleetingly so! This was a precious day when she hosted 20+ kids from the Pelling Village School in West Sikkim These kids were so ecstatic to see her and understand caravan culture. Their enthusiasm and excitement was so infectious, that their laughter and squeals rang loud inside Luna loong after we took them on a spin around their town! We turned on our disco lights, sang local songs and created quite a storm together Luna misses her little guests! . . #sikkimtravel #sikkim #sikkimdiaries #caravanning #caravanninglife #hippiebus #luna #homeiswhereyouparkit #silkroad #homeonwheels #vanlifediaries #vanlifeexplorers #caravanningindia #indiapictures #_soi #girlsquad #girlpower #indiantraveller #vanlifeproject #indiatravel #traveldiaries #campervan #vanlifemovement

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 24, 2019 at 12:39am PDT

While the panoramic views certainly captured their attention, the women also mention that the state has some of the friendliest people they have ever met.

“We were mesmerised by their stories which opened our eyes to the rich history of Sikkim’s many communities,” they add.

They share that this trip has indeed achieved what they had in mind to disprove most people who wondered about what exactly would they do for so long.

“Our point was that you need to take in a place and live like the locals. Experience the local way of life not as an outsider but as one of them. Even now, we feel that despite spending a month there, we have barely covered anything; there’s so much to see!” Ankita says.

The women are quite fond of Luna, their home-on-wheels, which was their constant companion, as it managed to pull through the toughest terrains in Sikkim.

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Luna chilling bang in the middle of a gentle, flowing stream. She made it through to the beautiful Yumthang valley even though the roads were tough and the weather was challenging. She sure is a champ!! . . . . @cpproductions17 @bhaskar_maina07 . . #vanlifeexplorers #vanlifejournal #adventureladies #sikkimadventures #vanlifediaries #hippybus #hipstergram #slowtravel #globetravel #travelpassport #awesome_earthpix #naturelovers #incredibleindia #indiaphotography #himalayangeographic #bbctravel #vanlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #homeonwheels

A post shared by Caravan Chronicles (@thecaravanchronicles) on May 21, 2019 at 10:24pm PDT

“There is a story behind the name. As we were two girls on a trip, we wanted to have a name that reflected feminine energy, girl power, and all things lighthearted. And of course, we were inspired by Luna Lovegood (a character in the Harry Potter series)!” they laugh.

Their entire trip, which was financed by a couple of well-known brands, has been documented to be released as a web series, to give an insight to their followers about what went behind the journey.

You may also like: Plastic Ban to Women Equality: 5 Times Sikkim Became an Example for All of India

I am in awe of their incredible journey and epic experiences, and I am sure that you are too. If you wish to follow Ankita and Sharanya’s travel stories as well as Caravan Chronicles, you can follow them on Instagram here.

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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In a city like Bengaluru, pretty much everything is available on mobile phone apps. From hailing auto-rickshaws and cabs to buying your groceries, clothes and electrical appliances, life has become remarkably convenient for salaried urban dwellers in the city.

Say no to toxic fumes and bad odour and travel in a car that smells like a dream! Made from activated carbon this natural odour absorbent for cars has millions of tiny little pores and cavities that work together to act like a big sponge.

Want to travel back to your flat after an enjoyable night out, but can’t drive or ride your two-wheeler or car? Book a cab on Ola, Uber or TaxiForSure app.

For three friends, Ashish Mittal, Hemant Pandey and Lehsang Bhutia, who had made this city their home for a decade, this convenience had embedded itself in their daily lives.

However, whenever they came back to their respective hometowns of Gangtok (Ashish), Kalimpong (Lehsang) and Shillong (Hemant) for their holidays, the bubble of convenience, burst.

Tired of having to choose between stuffy and uncomfortable shared cab rides in a Tata Sumo from Bagdogra airport to Siliguri and subsequently, another taxi to reach Gangtok or paying through their nose to hire a single cab, the trio came up with Wizzride, an online cab booking platform for the Northeast, in 2017.

“People couldn’t hail an economical yet comfortable cab ride from say Bagdogra airport to Siliguri, and going further to Gangtok. The only inexpensive option available was a shared cab, and those are very uncomfortable. Moreover, if you wanted a cab all to yourself, it was too expensive, especially for people who do not travel in large groups. Why must we choose between comfort and pricing? Why can’t we balance the two? That was the basic idea behind Wizzride,” says Lehsang, Co-Founder of the Siliguri-based Wizzride, speaking to The Better India.

Its objective is to make travelling in the hill towns smarter, cheaper and more convenient for the average consumer. They want to ensure that local taxi operators do not have a monopoly over critical modes of transportation across the hills in places like Sikkim.

There are occasions when these taxi drivers quote five times the standard fare for passengers during peak season. This state of affairs, they believe, needed to change.

So, how is Wizzride different from Ola or Uber?

Although Ola has an ‘Outstation’ facility, apps like these are primarily focussed on intra-city rides. So, within Siliguri, for example, Ola is functional but not very economical.

“Cab rates in these parts here depend on return journey fares. So, the fares for Ola Outstation, for example, will take into consideration the fact that the driver will come back empty-handed, and thus is more expensive. From Siliguri to Darjeeling in hatchback, the rate on Ola would be Rs 3,000. If we go by the market standards, we know we can get the same cab at a much cheaper rate. If you book a cab from Gangtok to Siliguri but assure the driver that you’ll be travelling back to Gangtok on the same day, you’ll get a discounted rate,” explains Lehsang.

So, the founders at Wizzride worked out that if they can develop a module that offers drivers bookings on a to and fro basis so that he doesn’t come back empty-handed, he would give them a discount. This, in turn, they can pass onto the customers at a much lower price.

Right now, Wizzride is operating in the North Bengal and Sikkim region, although recently they have also started to cater to tourists who want to travel to Bhutan as well.

“About 150 passengers travel on our shared rides, daily. That’s where we began the business. With good reviews on Tripadvisor and other online platforms, there was a demand to start a full reserved cab booking facility as well. Then users began asking us whether we could offer them a sightseeing service in Gangtok, Darjeeling, etc. So, we added that service to our roster as well. We are on the verge of starting a shared sightseeing service as well for solo travellers who don’t mind sharing a cab for a full-day tour of Gangtok, Changu Lake or Bara Mandir and Nathu-La. Once again on popular demand, we started a taxi package for five nights and six days as well,” adds Lehsang.

Despite its relative early success, the founders did face some considerable challenges, particularly in getting customers, vendors and cab drivers to believe in their vision.

“Our shared cabs, for example, depart on the scheduled departure time even if there is only one or no passenger. This means the passenger may get a whole car at the price of one seat. There is no cancellation from Wizzride, no matter the number of seats booked. Making both driver and passengers believe that the ride would go through irrespective was a real challenge initially. There were trust issues that had to be resolved,” says Hemant.

Meanwhile, there were other fundamental challenges, as well.

“In Tier-II or III cities, setting up a startup is a little difficult. People did not believe in the volume of people that we could attract to our business. Scalability is still a point of concern. We were earlier based out of Gangtok, and another issue we came across was that people weren’t the most tech-savvy. We had to visit places and teach people how to make an online booking and explain its advantages because most people here use the cash system. Initially, people didn’t believe in us, and it was hard getting driver-partners onboard. Having said that, we worked these issues out, and people have shown us the love,” says Lehsang.

And business is good. They have 35 ground staff, including the drivers and claim that they make a profit of 10-15% on every booking. They further claim to have made a revenue of Rs 1.1 crore during the first year, and Rs 2.71 crore in their second year of operations.

Unlike most startups, they have not sought any external funding and would like to remain bootstrapped.

What are the plans for the future?

“We plan to expand into other cities as well. The objective is now to spread our service across the Northeast and expand our current bookings,” says Hemant.

So, the next time you’re travelling to these picturesque parts of India, you know what to do.

Also Read: IT Returns & Insurance: Bengaluru Startup Helps Ola & Uber Drivers Become Money-Smart!

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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Lachung is an incredibly picturesque mountain village in the northeastern state of Sikkim bordering Tibet. Perched at an altitude of 8,610 feet, this village is surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks, waterfalls, streams and apple orchards.

After every party, are you left with mountains of used plastic plates, cups and spoons that end up as trash? This 100% natural tableware set was made just for you. Every piece of it is biodegradable.

And the local community is going to great lengths to keep the pristine environs intact!

Lachung has become a favoured spot for tourists from all over the country and abroad. The locals, who have been witnessing a rise in employment opportunities were happy. But, only up until they saw how much plastic pollution, especially of the single-use variety, was being left behind.

For the villagers, who share a deeply personal relationship with nature, this state of affairs was not at all acceptable. And something had to be done.

In 2016, the people of Lachung got together to pass a law banning the use of single-use plastics. “It is a ban on single-use plastic specifically. We have already accomplished 100 per cent freedom from single-use plastic water bottles. The Lachung Dzomsa (a traditional administrative institution of the villages of Lachen and Lachung in North Sikkim) passed the law in 2016,” says Thupden Lachung, a resident of the village, speaking to The Better India (TBI).

“Tourists are informed about the no plastic rule at a check post which is 25 km away from our village. We have a place where they can dispose off the bottle in a bin. However, once they enter the village, the Dzomsa conducts a surprise check and our young drivers help us in this process,” he adds.

And if a disposable plastic bottle is found on their person, then they are fined Rs 5,000. “The fine came into exist last year when we noticed that some visitors were not taking the Dzomsa-approved law seriously. The Dzomsa was left with no other option but to impose this fine on users. For first time offenders, we simply inform them about our rules. If the person is caught a second time we fine Rs 5000,” says Thupden.

Locals go to great lengths to ensure this law is enforced strictly. It’s not your local authorities, but ordinary shopkeepers, cab drivers, guides and guest house owners, who ensure that nothing polluting enters their village. How did the village mobilise its people?

“We introduced a religious aspect to it. Our religion basically tells us not to harm others. Employing single-use plastic is directly or indirectly harming other animals. When we throw it in water, the fish are harmed. When we throw it in our jungles, other animals are harmed. When we bury them, the insects underground are harmed,” he says.

Ananya Tiwari, a tourist who visited Lachung earlier this year on a family holiday tells TBI, “Lachung is so incredibly beautiful. But a couple of minutes later, as you drive on, you will look around and realise why it looks the way it does. It’s extremely clean. There are hardly any plastic bottles strewn on roads – there are very few, probably the work of some annoying tourists.”

There is a sign board put up by local authorities informing tourists about the ban, but enforcement is completely in the hands of locals. It’s a rule that no one can flout, particularly the use of plastic bottles. If one is brought by mistake, you may choose to drink the water and dump the bottle in a bin, or transfer water into one of the reusable water bottles available at almost every shop.

“The locals go to great lengths to ensure that it stays that way. Before you enter Lachung, the locals will tell you to discard any plastic bottles you have. They make sure you carry nothing that can possibly dirty Lachung,” adds Ananya.

Speaking to the BBC last month, Thupden Lachungpa, said, “Banning single-use plastic bottles or plastic material was not just an option. If we want to change, we had to change right from our household. Instead of plastic bottles, we use bamboo bottles. You can carry water in this bottle. When we have guests, we offer them sweets, toffees from this [non-plastic] container. For shopping, we take baskets made out of bamboo.”

What happens to the excessive plastic bottles that make their way through the cracks? Throwing them away is never an option, and locals reuse them as flower pots. They are also planning to make a house out of the bottle and plastic wrappers.

Also Read: Sikkim School Teacher Earns Money From Waste, Sponsors Education of Village Kids!

“We have achieved an accomplishment in banning single use plastic. But wanted to go ahead with it in a holistic manner. We wanted to ban all types of plastic and to do so we need help from all around the world. Everyone should come together to fight this battle. I think our coming generations deserve a clean environment. And I strongly believe that Lachung will serve as an example to other places, other people and motivate them to do without plastic,” he adds.

(Edited by Saiqua Sultan)

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Lomas Dhungel, a 35-year-old science and mathematics teacher at the Government Senior Secondary School in Sikkim’s Makha village, is a man on a mission.

In 2015, under his project ‘Hariyo Makha–Sikkim Against Pollution’ (‘Hariyo’ is a vernacular word for ‘Green’), he began working with his students on issues concerning waste management and efficient resource utilisation through a whole host of initiatives.

The objective is to generate revenue from these initiatives and use the money to sponsor the education of those who can’t afford it.

One of the initiatives that the school teacher has led is the upcycling of plastic waste into covers for school notebooks under the Hariyo Makha project. This particular initiative has undergone two phases.

Phase One

For the first phase of the project from February 2015 to December 2019, students from his school and other educational institutions helped upcycle 55,000 pieces of plastic into covers for more than 4,000 school notebooks.

Two years before he embarked on this project, however, he began exploring the idea of recycling waste and followed that up by collecting garbage from his neighbours, segregating it and selling the dry waste to scrap dealers and recycling units.

But he recalls those two years (2013 and 2014) as a “complete failure” where he could not develop any feasible ideas.

It was only in December 2014 that he arrived at the idea of upcycling empty packets of chips, biscuits, tea leaves and plastic packets of other edible items for school notebook covers. Initially, plastic was collected from within Makha and the surrounding villages.

But as demand for plastic waste packets increased, around 10 government and private schools from East and South districts were requested to collect and donate the same from their surrounding villages.

The work received support from the nearby panchayat and the local public. Students received their basic training in plastic upcycling from him during their activity hours at school. Those interested were later asked to dedicate just 15 minutes of their time every day for such work.

“Following the initial success of our work, we enlisted the support of local scholars around Makha. We approached the Principal of Adarsh Vidhya Mandir (AVM), a nearby feeder school, and requested him to allow us to cover all the books and copies of their school for the second half of the 2016-17 academic session. We completed our task by March 2017, earning Rs 14,000 in total,” says Dhungel.

The revenue earned in 2017 out of books covers of AVM was utilised in helping one underprivileged student obtain admission into the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) for an undergraduate course.

Between 2015 and 2019, his team has shared their ideas with more than 20 schools and institutions all over Sikkim. All training modules and ideas are shared with interested volunteers for free.

Phase Two

Working continuously since 2015 on the idea of upcycling of plastic wastes from eatables, Dhungel shared his big idea with the Ajambari Self Help Group (SHG) of Singbel, East Sikkim, which is 3 km from Makha, for the second phase of their work.

With active support from AVM, which is also located at Singbel, the project sought to empower the women-run SHGs. They would cover all the notebooks of AVM students with the upcycled plastics after adopting a healthy and hygienic mechanism for its cleaning. For this purpose, a plastic collection centre was established at Singbel in November 2019 last year.

The main challenge was not just to successfully upcycle plastic waste, but also develop an experiment in establishing a successful ‘Working model on Seasonal Employment,’ claims a document issued by Hariyo Makha.

“A joint meeting was conducted with 5 different SHGs at Singbel in September 2019, of which one was chosen for the main upcycling work. The members of SHGs were mainly guardians of the students taught by us at the Makha Senior Secondary School. So, most of them were familiar. Around 60 women from 5 SHGs namely Ajambari, Udaan, Smarika, Chandni, and Ujjwal were engaged in collection of plastics, while the main task of upcycling was done by the Ajambari,” claims Dhungel.

Within four months, more than 300 volunteers including locals, students and teachers from 12 government and 2 private schools from East and South districts of Sikkim collected and donated around 30,000 plastic pieces to the SHG.

The plastic pieces were collected from the areas in and around the 14 volunteer schools, and from different villages surrounding them. Some local volunteers also assisted in the collection work. Large-sized plastics were primarily collected for upcycling. All notebooks and copies for the entire 2020 AVM school batch were eventually covered under this project.

“Our work was merely covering the books. We were very thankful for receiving training under the Hariyo Makha initiative. Only if we work together, can we hope for a better future,” says Krishna Sharma (40), a member of the Ajambari.

By the first week of March, more than 2100 books and copies were covered by the SHG also earning revenues amounting to over Rs 21,000. The SHG charged the school Rs 10 per book.

A part of the revenue will be used in helping at least two female SHG members finish their school education. Due to difficult circumstances, many women working in these SHGs had dropped out of schools nearly 15 years ago. This is their chance at finishing what they started. All the money earned, alongside voluntary contributions from his side, is being utilised exclusively to help needy students fund their education.

Meanwhile, students of AVM whose books were covered with the upcycled plastic pieces further disseminated the knowledge they obtained on effective upcycling to their villages. “For our Third Phase, we are also working with the ENVIS Department, Rural Development Department (RDD) and the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) for helping at least 10 more SHGs and NGOs in Sikkim that would eventually work in upcycling 5,00,000 more plastic pieces,” says Dhungel.

The man truly believes that the idea has the potential to be implemented on a national scale. So far, his projects have helped a total of 7 students obtain admission into NIOS and IGNOU, with hopes to help at least an additional 5 more this year.

“Being a teacher, I am always concerned about issues related to access to education in the village where I work. During my discussions with self-help groups, I had found that due to several family problems most women there were unable to complete their education. This initiative would inspire both cleanliness, as well as revenue that could also be utilised in helping them restart their education,” says Dhungel.

In operating a ‘Book Covering Unit’ utilising waste plastic pieces, these initiatives are not only eliminating pollution and other demerits arising due to improper disposal, but also offering employment opportunities.

This idea is sustainable, cheap and with zero by-product emission. Moreover, it can generate ‘seasonal employment’ across each and every corner of India with a zero dependence on raw materials.

Also Read: Xiaomi to Kabbadiwalas: Gurugram Firm Helps Recycle 6000 Metric Tonnes of E-Waste

(Edited by Gayatri Mishra)

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In 1861, the erstwhile Kingdom of Sikkim and the British Empire signed the Treaty of Tumlong. This treaty effectively made the present-day Northeastern state a de facto protectorate of the British Indian government.

(Image above: Trilochan Pokhrel courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Their objective in bringing Sikkim under their purview was to establish a trade route into Tibet. Within the context of The Great Game against the Russian Empire, the British colonialists sought to increase their influence in the region.

Nearly three decades later, however, the British established a formal protectorate over Sikkim, which the Chinese recognised in the Anglo-Chinese Treaty of 1890. As a consequence of these events, the British assumed responsibility of the Sikkimese kingdom’s defence and external affairs, while its subjects were subject to the same protections as Indians travelling abroad and restrictions when it came to dealing in foreign exchange.

It’s within this context of growing British influence on Sikkimese affairs that Trilochan Pokhrel, a forgotten freedom fighter from the state, was born sometime in the last decade of the 19th century, according to scholars Dr. Binod Bhattarai, an Assistant Professor of sociology at Sikkim University, and his senior colleague Dr. Rajen Upadhyay.

Emulating Gandhi

Popularly known as ‘Gandhi Pokhrel’, stemming from his love of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s ideals of non-violence and Satyagraha, he was born and raised in Tareythang region of Pakyong subdivision, East Sikkim. Growing up in a rural area, Trilochen was heavily influenced by Gandhi’s actions, particularly during the Non Cooperation and Civil Disobedience movements through the early 1920s and 1930s.

However, there are no concrete historical records to ascertain his participation in these movements. His participation in the freedom struggle kicked off during the Quit India Movement of 1942, when he lived with Gandhi at Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat and Sarvodaya Ashram in Bihar, and learned his philosophy from close quarters.

“During his stay there, Pokhrel is known to have spent his time spinning the charkha (spinning wheel) and rendering his services for the ashrams along with assisting Gandhi in his daily affairs. He had immense faith in the teachings of the simple life led by Mahatma Gandhi. It is acknowledged that late Pokhrel was highly influenced by Gandhi Ji’s teaching and his lifestyle. His contemporaries in Tareythang village inform us that he used to visit his native village donning similar clothing as the naked fakir — Gandhi,” notes Binod and Rajen in this article.

‘Bande Pokhrel’

There are various accounts of how during his regular visits back home, Pokhrel began propagating the boycott of British-made goods and promoting the concept of Swadeshi or indigenously made goods among the Sikkimese peasantry.

As Dr. Binod notes for East Mojo, during his leisure time Pokhrel, “used to visit local hatt-bazar (such as Rongli, Rhenock, Pakyong, Rangpo etc) and sit there with his charkha to make cotton threads”. In fact, he would even dress up as Gandhi wearing a piece of cotton dhoti and wooden slippers, and would often greet elders in his village with the ‘Bande Mataram’ salutations. This is what also got him the ‘Bande Pokhrel’ moniker.

“He used to convey the message of Vande Mataram and inculcate the spirit of Swadeshi Movement i.e. to spin and wear swadeshi cloths, to establish Khadi and village industries etc. so that the villages could be developed and income generation for the poor,” he adds.

Following Independence on 15 August 1947, Sikkim retained some semblance of its independence as India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, agreed to maintain the erstwhile kingdom’s special protectorate status. While the Sikkimese kingdom maintained internal autonomy, it let the Indian Union handle external affairs. However, things came to a head with the Chinese crackdown in the late 1950s and heavy immigration from Nepal.

Meanwhile, Pokhrel continued on his travels across India with his last visit home happening in 1957 when Nehru visited the erstwhile kingdom. As per official records, he passed away on 27 January 1969 in Purnia district, Bihar, while his descendents migrated to Assam. Only six years after his demise later did Sikkim become an official state of the Indian Union.

While official records of his life remain sparse for the most part, the Sikkimese government recognised his contributions to the Indian freedom struggle when it conferred the LD Kazi [first chief minister of Sikkim] Award for Democratic Movement during the 43rd State Celebration in May 2018. There is evidently a lot we don’t know about his life, but recognitions like these do offer hope that one day it will inspire more scholars from Sikkim to learn more about this forgotten figure of the Indian freedom struggle.

(Edited by Yoshita Rao)

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India is the highest waste generator in the world, with around 277.1 million tonnes produced every year. The aggressive awareness campaigns run by the government for effective waste management have more or less failed to mitigate the problem. City dwellers struggle to bring much-needed discipline and prevent damaging the environment as most of the waste remains untreated.

However, much can be learned from villagers in Sikkim who, despite living at 12,406 feet with meagre access to a waste treatment facility and recycling units, have succeeded in managing the waste at Tsomgo Lake, thus protecting the biodiversity.

Also known as Changu Lake, the water body is located in the Eastern part of the state on the ancient Silk Route, along the Gangtok-Nathula Highway that connects India and China. The lake is around 1.5 km long and 500 meters wide.

It is also strategically located around 40 km from Gangtok, the state capital, and 16 km from Nathu La, a famous tourist spot. The accessibility to the lake attracts lakhs of tourists each year, making it vulnerable to the environmental impacts of humans. Besides serving as a popular tourist destination, the lake is the only means for around 270 households from three villages Thegu, Changu, and Chipsu, to meet their water requirements.

With the heavy tourist inflow and increasing popularity in the early 2000s, the lake’s health started deteriorating rapidly. Used milk cartons, packets of instant snacks, biscuits wrappers, plastic bottles, tetra packs, sewage, and other waste that had been carelessly tossed away began making its way to the lake and its periphery. No matter which part of the lake and its surrounding areas you’d step on, all you’d find was litter. Moreover, the 180 shops set up by locals in the area for tourists added to the pollution.

However, since 2006, locals have put in steady efforts and implemented stringent measures towards the conservation of the lake. Sangay Lama, a local, herded tourists to imbibe waste management practices and prevented the litter from spoiling the memorable moments captured in a tourist’s camera.

Getting hands dirty

“The oval-shaped lake is surrounded by mountains and laden with snow during winter months. It has a pristine view,” Sangay tells The Better India.

He says that things went out of hand around 2006, and in August the same year, the state government stepped in and issued directives to bring all stakeholders together and chalked out guidelines for the conservation work for the lake. It ordered that a non-government body be formed to work in tandem with agencies working for the cause.

Meanwhile, Sangay had recently completed his graduation in commerce and was working a part-time job in a bank in Gangtok. The village panchayat offered him the opportunity to form the body and take charge as office secretary. The 37-year-old, with representatives from the forest department, World Wide Fund (WWF), environment and wildlife management officials, drivers association, shop owners association and the gram panchayat, formed the Tsomgo Pokhri Sanrakshan Samiti (TPSS), a lake conservation committee.

Sangay says that elders in the village always emphasised on the need to protect the lake and keep it clean. “This lake is the only means of livelihood in an otherwise hostile region. If we failed to protect it, it would have a direct impact on our lives. Taking custody of the lake, TPSS took several measures to clean it and maintain it for years,” he says.

“The TPSS was formed in 2008. The first change that came was moving away from the shops along the borders of the lake. A dedicated space was allotted for all the shops and tourists to access,” he says.

Next, de-siltation helped increase the water carrying capacity of the lake. “We removed around 20 trucks of waste in a week,” he recollects, adding that the activity followed a massive awareness programme for the residents on how to prevent waste from entering the lake.

Setting an example

Sangay says that a waste management system was put in place and is practised religiously even today. “All the waste generated in the area is collected in dedicated bins. It is segregated in these bins, at the source. A truck comes to collect the waste twice a day, once at 8 am and later around 4 pm. There are 52 shops that sell food items, handicrafts and other commercially lucrative items, and each shop generates around 4 kilos of dry and 2 kilos of wet waste. The trucks collect them and dispose at the 32, Martam Dumping and Recovery Centre.

Tourists are charged Rs 10 as ‘Pokhri Sanrakshan Shulk’, or the lake conservation fees. It helps meet the expenses of transporting and managing the waste.

Half of the revenue goes to the government to manage the waste. The remaining is spent by TPSS on activities such as awareness programmes, community work including helping tourists in distress, and covering maintenance costs,” he explains.

He further says that tourists are discouraged from bringing plastic bottles, and the shops avoid selling them. Cup noodles are also prohibited. “An RO water filter system is placed at each shop with steel glasses provided to access the drinking water. The drivers are equally sensitive and provide garbage bags when tourists board the vehicles. All the waste goes in those bags and is not irresponsibly thrown on the ground. These bags are put in the bins at the end of the trip,” Sangay says, adding, “A couple of lake guards also patrol the area through the day and prevent tourists from littering.”

He says that a system needed to be in place because the flow of tourists, registered as three lakh in 2008-09, jumped to over five lakh in 2018-19. However, the COVID-19 crisis has dropped the number back to about two lakh as recorded in 2020.

“Imagine the enormous quantities of waste generated. But it is segregated and managed at each level to dispose at a single point,” the conservator says, adding that all the villagers cooperate and work towards the common cause.

However, Sangay says that it was easier said than done. “It is always difficult to change the people’s mindset. When we began the awareness drives, not many understood their importance. Slowly, some locals started cooperating. As villagers learned how conserving the lake would affect their lives and tourism, they started working towards the same. Initially, they were hesitant about being strict with the tourists, fearing a backlash. But now they insist and are adamant about following discipline,” he adds.

Villagers also faced issues with the Army station close to the lake releasing waste in the water body. A meeting with officials helped resolve the crisis, says Sangay.

Equal stakeholders in protection of environment

Sangay says tourists have become more responsible over the years, and understand the importance of protecting the environment. “They have never been penalised, as there is no tracking mechanism to hold any person accountable. Hence, sensitising them is the only solution. However, they are also the stakeholders and have to play their part. At present, the water in the lake is clean and can even be utilised for drinking without the fear of contamination,” he adds.

The community efforts have helped the TPSS bag the Best Clean Tourist Spot Award for Changu and the Best Clean India Campaign Award conferred by the state tourism department in 2013 and 2019 respectively.

Range forest officer at Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary, and member secretary of TPSS, Krishna Dahal, says, “We plan to bring more measures we can take in the annual meet of the stakeholders. The organic waste from Yak still makes its way to the lake. The animal waste is cleaned throughout the day at the moment. But the plan is to move them away from the place for a permanent solution,” he adds. Plans are also under anvil to plant trees in the area, he adds.

Gurudas Nulkar, an environmentalist and Trustee at a Pune-based Ecological Society of India, says the protection of habitats and ecology of the Himalayas is of utmost importance. “The Himalaya region is home to many endemic and rare species of plants, mainly herbs and shrubs. They are specific to that region and found nowhere else on the planet due to their peculiar microclimate and micronutrients,” he says.

Gurudas says that any novel material entering the lake will cause pollution, and disturb the availability of nutrients. Additionally, toxins impact the overall soil. “Glacial lakes like Tsomgo are also a source of water or springs in the downstream regions. Hence, any pollution entering them will contaminate the large geographical area. Hence, the need for protection and conservation,” he adds.

Edited by Divya Sethu

India is estimated to have about 635 indigenous communities. Each of these groups of people have a unique identity, with their very own brand of culture, traditions and folklore. Unfortunately, most of this knowledge is passed on from generation to generation in the oral form, and in the face of dwindling tribal population, advent of modern education and widespread displacement in the name of development, most of this ancient wisdom is getting eroded. This is where a group of individuals calling themselves Acoustic Traditional are making an effort to preserve the precious heritage.

Dear Readers,

“Once upon a time…the kind king got married…together they slayed many demons…and then the king and the queen lived happily ever after…”

Do you relate to similar stories your Grandma would have narrated to you a few years back? I remember listening to fairy tales and mythological stories from my parents and grandparents before switching off to my dream world of imaginations. Then while I was growing I graduated from story listener to book reader and then to a story teller. I guess many of us share a similar upbringing. This time The Better India got a beautiful and extensive opportunity to know, interact and hear stories from Acoustic Traditional (AT).

It was during the year of 1999 in Nepal, when Mr. Salil Mukhia Kwoica and Ms. Barkha Henry thought about preserving the mountain folk music by documenting and transcribing them into sheet music (staff notations) in the hope that the music would be available for the generations to come. Mr. Salil Mukhia Kwoica says,

I was teaching music at one of the schools in Kathmandu those days and often found time to travel the country side to listen to some old folk tunes which I would send to Barkha (who was in Darjeeling). She would then transcribe it for an instrument (usually Guitar). However, the process of documentation quickly revealed a vast arena of study as we came across the stories, myths and legends on which the music was originally based. The realization that these stories, myths and legends were in fact the bed rock of the community’s identity, culture and heritage and that they were becoming extinct as they were passed down from one generation to another usually through ‘oral storytelling traditions’, led us to study this area and to include a wider community in our work.

There are many indigenous communities, where population is gradually reducing and the only way their history passes on is by oral narration usually from a Shaman to his successor (a Shaman is the head/priest of the community). However with urbanization, such history is becoming lost and remains untold to the younger generations. This is where AT has taken the initiative and works in the area of documenting the oral history, the community stories, and their way of life etc, through research and dissemination projects. Their flagship annual event “the Festival of Indigenous Storytellers” is one such initiative which brings together tribal storytellers from across the country in view of sharing their stories with the world.

These narrations are not just stories but have a lot of significance in day to day rituals and are a matter of anthropological study and research. Example: Mr. Salil Mukhia Kwoica, once narrated “For a particular period in the year, some communities worship the river and do not kill the fishes; it is not superstition but actually in this month, fishes swim upstream to reproduce and lay eggs and hence should not be killed.” All such practices are relevant and interwoven by AT. Currently, they have been traveling around Eastern Himalayas – Sikkim region and documenting folklore on Yeti and have come across many people who claim to have seen the Yeti. AT is working day and night, enjoying living with the community members and capturing their stories and planning to extend this research trip to Nepal and Bhutan.

It was an engrossing time discussing stories and obtaining views and opinions of Mr Salil Mukhia Kwoica, Ms Minket Lepcha and Ms Barkha Henry. Below is an excerpt of the interview by the group:

What geographies does Acoustic Traditional cover?

Acoustic looks at working especially with mountain and forest based communities – also those communities which are seemingly vanishing (in terms of population) and where the documentation of oral traditions is nonexistent. Our focus areas have been Eastern Himalayas and the Nilgiris.

But in terms of storyteller identification/participation, we have a national reach (Karnataka/ Tamil Nadu/ Andhra Pradesh/ West Bengal/ Manipur/ Nagaland/ Sikkim/ etc.)

How would you describe your work life? How would a day of yours be like?

Ms Minket Lepcha: “As a documentalist my day involves working around with interviews mostly with the community elders, especially the Shamans. The interviews usually imply gathering of information on the community’s oral mythology and folklore. This depends on the nature of the project, but usually these are the things that I document. My work is mostly based in tribal villages (in Dzongu at the moment) and starts early. I often have to walk long distances to meet up with the people, sometime it takes over a day just to reach a particular community by walk. I usually spend over a week’s time at the informant’s house just to get him/her comfortable with speaking. Since most of the Shamans are old it is difficult for them to recollect stories, myths etc. and many times I join them in their household chores trying to get the story out.

However, documenting in a community is an extensive task and the engagement with the community is for a very long time, sometimes even years as we have to understand them and how they function for them to be comfortable enough to share their stories with us.”

What are the fun aspects and the challenges involved?

It is always fun in the field as the terrain is scenic and at times spiritual. Interacting with the community, being invited to their ceremonies, rituals, sometimes being chased by children and old drunken storytellers is even more fun. At the end, we make up a family.

Accessibility to the villages has been a major concern because the weather changes drastically in the mountains in a short span of time causing landslides. In winters the snowfall is very heavy and that is the time when I have to postpone my scheduled visit to the villages. The other major challenge is to correctly interpret the storytellers because of the language barrier. Though a local translator is also accompanying, however a lot of ethnic words do not have an equal expression in English hence get dissolved in the process of translation.

Tell us something about the Lepcha community.

The Lepchas or the ‘Rongkup’ (being their original tribe name) are the aboriginal people of Sikkim and Darjeeling in the Eastern Himalayas. Their belief system is based on nature worship headed by a ‘Bongthing’ (Male Shaman) or a Mun (Female Shaman). They are also one of the oldest tribes in the region.

It is often quoted that the tribal communities are getting disconnected from the rest of the populace over the years. What is your take on that?

While this might be a popular notion and in many developmental ways true, there is this entire phenomenon of them being de-rooted from their own community structures due to persistent developmental attitudes that governments, educational institutions etc. bring in. Of course they remain marginalized in terms of their bigger picture but what remains true is the fact that their meaningful development can be asserted not by coercive mainstreaming but by understanding them – the relevance of their amazing traditional knowledge, rituals, practices, oral history etc. In fact this is one priority area of Acoustic Traditional work – to bring out their relevance in their urban context.

Ms Barkha Henry’s take on the same: “But I think that disconnect with their own rich traditional base is more critical to take note of. In this regard, we are losing account of mankind’s primitive history and social/ spiritual development; Anthropologically this is a very big loss.

It may be surprising to note but the whole notion of mainstreaming them is so intrusive and devastating, that it is making them quite disabled. We need to understand that tribal communities bring in their own “scientific heritage” and knowledge systems. Removing that completely from them and giving them a “new” education has hardly helped anything. In fact, in terms of sustainability and conservation, we still find that their mechanisms are far more effective than what most modern means offer.

As such, the context of integrating them organically is far more critical than merely mainstreaming them using mainstream ideas. I feel that first the general populace needs to understand them.”

Thank you so much for taking time to respond. Is there anything more you would like to share with our readers?

Ms Minket: “While I was listening and documenting stories – which are simple and yet so wise – it made me realize the importance that these stories held for the community. It was these stories that bound them together. The fact that I belonged to the same community and was coming closer to myself through these stories gave me a whole new experience and understanding of the lingering question of ‘why they do things the way they do?’ which I had in my mind. Most of the stories, when studied closely, had a reason to co-exist harmoniously as per my understanding.”

When we asked the organization about the external support structure, Mr. Salil Mukhia Kwoica shared with us that they greatly valued individual support, where school children and working professionals are involved, and all of them together arrange funds by creating activities (story telling sessions, workshops etc), documenting and publishing stories. They organized a “Big Foot Campaign” in Darjeeling where students actively participated and roamed around in big shoes and the campaign was a huge success. They also receive some amount of Government support.

They are organizing their annual event – A Festival of Indigenous Storytellers, Confluence – III, on a big scale in the month of December. Click here to know more about the event.

All Photos: Courtesy Acoustic Traditional

The social role assigned to women as caregivers and nurturers naturally extend to disaster risk management, to secure life and the continuity of livelihoods, and to maintain the life support systems, in times of disasters. It would therefore be imprudent to understate the role women play in tackling emergency situations and in building resilience within their families and communities when a disaster strikes. Incontrovertibly, the societal position of women as agents of change needs to be stepped up.

Natural disasters devastate the lives and livelihoods of millions of people and cause substantial loss to the economy. Around 200 million young people worldwide are affected each year by reported disasters and thousands of them are killed and injured. A proper disaster risk management framework would enable the affected population, especially women, in taking immediate and correct steps in emergency situations.

In view of the transformational efforts by women in disaster prone areas, the UN General Assembly chose this year’s theme for the International Day for Disaster Reduction, celebrated world over on 13th October, as ‘Women and Girls: the [in]Visible Force of Resilience’. A wide range of events including tsunami drills and seismic risk discussions, gender-based violence workshops, community development work, poster and essay contests, panel discussions, gender awareness campaigns and education seminars were organised world over to celebrate the day. Women were given special awards and recognition for their exemplary work in disaster risk reduction and building resilience in their respective communities. United Nations has urged women and girls to be at the forefront of risk mitigation and disaster management. UN has also encouraged women to take up key leadership roles in disaster risk reduction initiatives and programs.

Globally, women need to be given greater space in the government’s disaster risk reduction programs and development plans for the hazard zones. Involving women as active participants in all aspects of disaster program planning and implementation would mean in true sense harnessing the hidden capability and realising women as a collective force of resilience. Educating and training women and girls in the areas of environmental and natural resource management; governance; and urban and land use planning and social and economic planning – the key drivers of disaster risk – can enable and empower them to bring sustainable development in their region and develop an implementable disaster response mechanism for their community. In this regard, UNESCO’s Global Partnership on Women and Girls’ Education has been training young women in disaster-prone countries such as Haiti, Myanmar, Pakistan and Indonesia on how to reduce their vulnerability to disasters and increase their resilience.

Disaster Management and Women: The Indian Context

In India, UNDP’s Disaster Risk Management (DRM) project has been able to mobilize volunteers through the initiative. This sense of civic involvement proved to be an invaluable help during the recent floods in Bihar. Kiran Devi, a 35 year old, frail and shy woman, and a homemaker with two children, displayed the woman power and resilience when the floods devastated the homes in Duwania Chowk (Supaul district) in Bihar. She was one of the community volunteers who made a difference by preparing food for at least 2000 people whose homes and lives were washed away by the flood. Kiran made her way through 4 feet of water and also carried food for people in camps about 3 kilometres away from her home. In addition, she provided first aid relief to the injured in the floods – thanks to the UNDP first aid training she received in 2007.

The women of Villupuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu have another such fascinating story to tell. Every year when it rains heavily during the second part of the monsoon in November and December, the major inter-state Thenpennai River and its small tributary, the Malattaru, turn into demons, devouring rice fields and neighbourhoods. Planning ahead of the next round of heavy rains, village women take the lead in preparing communities for the hazards that lie ahead. They learn and teach swimming and rescue, store life jackets and makeshift rafts, and provide training on how to protect the community from the looming floods from both physical and human damage. The initiative is an offshoot of a micro-credit programme that a local NGO, Kalvi Kendra, has promoted through women’s self help groups.

A similar feat was shown by educated Indian women at the critical time when earthquake hit Sikkim in 2011. This time it was two superwomen in Indian Air Force (IAF), 26-year-old Arunima Vidhate and 25-year-old PP Ranade, who were two among the 18-member helicopter pilots. Vidhate, a girl from Pune, has been appointed at the Bagdogra airport was one of the first person who conducted a minute survey at the tremor-ridden region, especially the North-Sikkim, the worst affected area of the earthquake. She noticed during the aerial recee numerous landslides and how areas were cut off because of that. This helped the team of pilots in providing timely relief work, air-dropping food packets, medicines and other relief material for the affected people.

Recently, Nagaland State Disaster Response Force (NSDRF) trained a women’s team, equipped to respond to any kind of disaster. Ninety one jawans of 15 India Reserve Battalion’s (IRB) mahila unit recently underwent training at the Central Training Institute at Toluvi, under the guidance of National Disaster Response Force, Guwahati. Similarly, the community disaster resilience Fund (CDRF) pilot organized by the National Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction (NADRR) in 2008 led to channelling of funds directly to communities in 88 villages of 11 multi-hazard prone districts of eight Indian states with the objective to address their own resilience building priorities through community and women-led initiatives.

Factors affecting the resilience of women

• Division of labor
• Visibility levels
• Human development factors (nutrition pattern, literacy levels & health)
• Recourse to legal protection (inheritance/
• land rights)
• Survival skills
• Access to information
• Supply of information
• Access to resources (emergency aid/ loans/
• insurance)
• Influence over decision-making processes

(Source: Adapted from WBI Distance Learning: Gender Aspects of Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction)

Oxfam India, an NGO, recently conducted a project on Women’s Empowerment and Disaster Mitigation in East UP and North Bihar. Among its various achievements related to community development, the project succeeded in developing a reliable and sustainable Community Based Flood Preparedness and Mitigation System that combines disaster management and livelihoods. Besides, over 7000 women have been covered under the Rights Based Education Programme that combined building basic literacy skills with awareness on rights and entitlements.

After the tsunami disaster when cyclone Thane hit Tamil Nadu coast in 2011, a large number of self help groups of women were actively involved in relief and rehabilitation process. They were also active after Nisha Cyclone in 2006. Subsequently these groups have undergone several training programmes on disaster risk reduction offered by Grassroots Organizations Operating Together in Sisterhood (GROOTS International), a global network of women-led grassroots organizations and Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), an organisation directed primarily at women and their integration in the development process. These trained women’s groups came together and formed a Federation to work and offer their knowledge on disaster preparedness and risk reduction on a sustained basis. There are two such Women’s Federations; one in Cuddalore and another at Nagapattinam.

Though many NGOs and state bodies are working towards gender inclusion in disaster response training and disaster management, the reach is still limited. Not every woman in every disaster prone village is getting trained. It has therefore become imperative for disaster management NGOs and the government bodies to scale up and promote the role of women in disaster preparedness and recognise their competency in crisis management. Even though women have not received enough support till date, they continue to play a critical role in all aspects of emergency management in the disaster affected areas – from front-line recovery and supply issues to long-term community development to shape future resilience.

Gender equality is an essential element in building resilience to disasters. Time has come to witness more women as volunteers for disaster recovery initiatives and re-building efforts at the community level, as disaster risk managers at the program planning and national policy development level and as key decision makers in the government and international disaster management organisations. The key messages of IDDR 2012 very well point to the key actions that the authorities and the disaster management groups need to take –

• Empower women & girls for a safer tomorrow
• Women & girls are powerful agents of change
• A resilient community is a gender-sensitive community

Don’t ignore the female voice. Appreciate it, Encourage it and Empower it.

For more on IDDR visit: http://www.unisdr.org/2012/iddr/resources.html and http://www.unisdr.org/2012/iddr/

Seema Somshekar recently traveled to Sikkim on a holiday and couldn’t help but pen down her experiences and share with all! The place exceeded her expectations and left her in awe of its natural beauty. All that she saw and felt there affirmed that Lonely Planet was spot on when it picked Sikkim as The Best Travel Destination of 2014!

Nestled in the Himalayan Mountains, my latest place of discovery is Sikkim, a pristine paradise located in North-Eastern India. Over the last few years, Sikkim is being promoted as one of the top tourist destinations in the country owing to its culture, breathtaking scenery and biodiversity. The state promotes eco-tourism in an effort to help local communities and protect its beautiful environment. Sikkim’s homestay program is also supported by UNESCO. Thanks to good planning and promotions and its inherent natural beauty, Sikkim has also been chosen by Lonely Planet as their Number One Destination for 2014 and a worthy choice too, as I discovered.

Bagdogra-Gangtok
Bagdogra is the closest airport and is serviced by most major domestic airlines. It is a five hour drive from Bagdogra to Gangtok. A good part of the first day saw us shuttling between airports and spending time on the road from Bagdogra to Gangtok, but the excitement of reaching our destination overcame the fatigue of travel. We reached Gangtok late in the evening and settled for the night at Mintokling guest house, a cozy spot in the heart of Gangtok.

Tsogmo Lake, Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir
It is a 54 km drive from Gangtok to Nathula Pass. The road to Nathula follows the ancient Silk Route and passes along Lake Tsogmo, a beautiful glacial lake on the north side. Make sure you stop here and enjoy the scenery against the backdrop of mountains and colorful prayer flags. For those who want to do more, there is also the option of taking a yak ride. A little ahead you also get a view of the twin lakes, lying side by side reflecting a dark green shade of water.

At Nathula, a short trek takes you to the very top, the point of Indo-China border. As you stand there taking in the view, with the strong, cold wind hitting your face, you are also made aware of the incredible assiduity of our soldiers who achieve great feats under the most challenging conditions. Throughout your journey here, you are aware of the military presence in the area, but the war memorial at Nathula Pass serves as a reminder of their courage and their sacrifices. On your way back to Gangtok, stop by the Baba Mandir that is dedicated to an Indian Army soldier whose spirit is said to protect soldiers serving in this high altitude terrain.

The weather will leave you craving for some hot and comforting soul food. Make your way to the market place near Tsogmo lake and indulge in some momos and the eternal mountain favourite, hot and tasty Maggie. After downing a bowl of this, you will definitely feel better equipped to brave the cold.

Gangtok-Lachen
Prepare yourself for an early start and a long journey and I suggest you promptly fortify yourself with a good breakfast for this. As you will need to cover a distance of 130 kms, you are bound to spend most of the day in the interiors of your car. But do not fret because throughout the journey, your eyes will be treated to some of the most beautiful sights that nature has to offer.

Make regular stops en route not only to exercise those weary limbs, but also to enjoy the magnificent views of waterfalls and lush green vegetation. The Seven Sisters waterfalls should be your first stop. After this proceed to the Phodong Monastery, which situated in a sleepy town, is one of the most picturesque monasteries. The whole surrounding exudes calmness and the serenity of nature only enhances the feeling of tranquility.

As you progress on your journey through the treacherous terrain, try to capture the stunning sights through your lenses. The myriad fall colours reflect magically through the changing light, making the landscape seem even more dramatic. Stop at the bed of the river Teesta. The flowing river, situated among the mountains and trees, with its sweet, cold water is an absolute splendor.

Due to early sunset and fog, the visibility in the region is poor after four. Therefore, although you might find it difficult to tear yourself away from these stunning spots, make sure you time them accordingly, so that you reach your destination on time.

Lachen-Thangu(13000ft)- Gurudongmar(18000ft)- Lachen-Lachung (8800ft)
An early morning drive via Thangu, a small summer village, will take you to the beautiful Gurudongmar Lake. The journey lined with snow-capped mountains, little houses, gushing waterfalls and colourful prayer flags will have your eyes peeled to the window shield. The sunlight is beautifully reflected on the snow causing it to glisten like diamonds. In her pristine form, nature here is truly sparkling at her best. A trek to the highest point gives you a breathtaking view of Lake Gurudongmar in all its glory. The blue water set against the snow-capped mountains and clear blue sky make a perfect postcard picture and the experience itself is one that will render you speechless.

On your way down, stop at the Chopta valley which offers a panoramic view of the crisscross, meandering rivers which comprise of different hues of beautiful blue. You will also witness the Border Road Organisation (BRO) working in tandem with the Army and doing a commendable job of building good roads and maintaining existing ones.

Lachung-Yumthang
The road to Yumthang runs along the valley with snow-capped mountains rising high on either side. During spring the journey is lit up with flaming rhododendrons and other mountain flowers. During winter, the valley is covered in a thick blanket of soft snow giving the surroundings a fairy-tale look. A walk in the Yumthang valley with the soft snow under your feet and fresh snow falling on your face is a truly magical experience you ought not to miss.

Gangtok
After a memorable few days with nature, it’s back to city life. On a clear day, you can get a good view of the mighty Mt. Khangchendzonga from many spots in Gangtok. We were lucky to glimpse it through our window at Mintokling guest house. After enjoying this magnificent sight, set about the city visiting the Rumtek Monastry, Enchey Monastry and Namgyal Institute of Technology. Since Buddhism is widely practiced in the region, these places help understand the religion and its philosophies.

To visit the local hot spots and soak in the local scene, M.G. Road is a good place to start. M.G. Road stretches over a kilometer and is for pedestrians only. It is vibrant with little shops and eateries and is a perfect place for a stroll in the evening. Most places close by 7 and only a handful of coffee shops and lounge bars are open beyond eight. Indulge in some retail therapy here, and if the shopping has tired you, head to The Coffee Shop for a cooler and snacks. Their thin crust pizzas are good, so are the home-made fries and Oreo shake.

If you want to experience the night life, steer towards one of the most popular haunts of the city, Café Live and Loud. On weekdays there are no bands performing, but the place itself is lively and offers a chance to indulge in some local food and drinks. Thungba, a local drink made of fermented millet is served here and so are the local dishes like Thukpa and Momos. If you want to sip on something light, try the local Dansberg beer. After calling it a night, you’ll realize that six days have whizzed past and it’s time to return to everyday life.

Chances are, like me, you will come back with many fond memories and unforgettable experiences that will reaffirm your belief in the joy of travel. The discovery of new places, the experience of meeting new people who are warm and welcoming, witnessing nature’s magnificent creations in all its pomp and glory is an experience both educational and enjoyable. Don’t take my word for it, for words hardly do it justice. Take a trip to Sikkim and experience the magic for yourself.

Tips for prospective travelers
• Due to early sunset, it is better to get an early start so that you can visit as many places as possible.
• Although the distance between the above mentioned places is not very long, the harsh terrain causes the travel time to increase considerably, so plan your trip accordingly.
• Make sure you obtain permits to visit places like Nathula Pass and Lake Gurudongmar in advance and carry necessary documents to establish your identification.
• Carry plenty of warm clothes.
• Best time to travel would be between March-June and September –December.
• Most importantly, don’t forget to have a good time.

All photographs by: Seema Somshekar

This video by Usha Dewani features an initiative by the Government of Sikkim on reviving the Doling lake in Rabongla, South Sikkim.

In an unique attempt by the Government of Sikkim, the lake that was once seasonal, now has water throughout the year.

Background

Rabongla is a small town situated at an elevation of 7000 feet in the south Sikkim district of the state, and is a major tourist attraction. The town is dotted with innumerable monasteries, and is known for its orchids and cardamom plantations, and its vicinity to the Kanchenjunga.

Lately, the resurrection of Doling lake has added a new avenue to the list of tourist getaways of Rabongla. Perched on a mountain, in the Barfung village, 4 km away from the town is the Doling lake named after the Doling monastery, near which it is situated.

The need

Amidst steep river gorges and high mountains, the state of Sikkim in the Eastern Himalayas sits at an altitude ranging from 800 to 28208 ft., with the climate ranging from tropical to alpine. Not only is the state rich in diverse flora and fauna, but is also adorned with countless lakes, streams and rivers. The average slope being 45 degrees, only 10 % of the land is available for cultivation. People here follow mixed farming system integrating agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry.

Lakes, streams and springs have remained the principal sources of water for rural households. However, climate change has brought in its wake, far-reaching changes to all natural resources, more so to these water sources. Springs and lakes have pronounced a decrease in their discharge over the years and at many places have dwindled altogether. As such, drinking water, spells the most significant challenge for the rural population in recent times.

With a view to ensure water security to rural households, the Rural Management and Development Department, Government of Sikkim with technical support from various organisations has undertaken a multitude of activities to revive dying springs and lakes in the state. Lakes, traditionally having played an important role in groundwater recharge, are seen as critical to ensure sustainability of the mountain ecosystem and their revival is therefore, imperative.

And then it came alive…

One such initiative has made the revival of Doling lake possible. The lake was seasonal and saw water only during the rainy season. Some people also say that the lake once had water in plenty all around the year. In 2008, Block Administrative Centre (BAC), Rabongla with the help of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), diverted a nearby stream located in the middle of a forest, through a pipe, into the Doling lake.

“This stream was not being used by the people owing to its difficult location, so we channelized the water and filled up this dried-up lake”, explained Udaya Chamling, Field Facilitator BAC- Rabongla. Though the initiative was undertaken with two objectives, first to beautify the place adjacent to the Doling monastery and give a boost to tourism, and second to supply water from the lake to nearby areas where water is scarce; the latter purpose has not yet been achieved.

Since the water of the stream never dries up, Doling lake today, has become perennial and lasts throughout the year. With fluttering flags bordering the majestic lake, Doling is emerging as an added retreat to those visiting the nearby monastery.

View photos of the revival of Doling lake on Flickr.

When Aparajita Rai faced troubles after her father’s death, she decided to become a public servant and make sure that people’s problems are heard and responded to. After many years of hard work and dedication, she created history by becoming Sikkim’s first female IPS officer. Read about her difficult journey to success.

Aparajita Rai has created history by becoming the first woman IPS officer of Sikkim. The 28-year old girl was allocated IPS cadre after getting 358th rank in UPSC 2012 Examinations. She had cracked UPSC in 2011 too and became the first Sikkimese to get such a high rank in these exams.

Currently posted in Hoogly, West Bengal, Rai won many awards which proved her ability. Her major achievements involve 1958 Batch IPS Officers’ Trophy for the best Lady Outdoor Probationer, Shri Umesh Chandra Trophy for Field Combat, The 55th Batch of Senior Course Officers Trophy for Best Turn Out and West Bengal Govt Trophy for Bengali.

Born in aneducated family, Rai lost her father who was a divisional forest officer at a tender age of eight. After his death, all the responsibilities came on Rai and her mother who was a graduate school teacher. It was during that tough time that Rai witnessed the insensitive attitude of government officials towards people and she decided that she will become a part of this system and will be responsive to people’s problems.

“Anyone who comes to me should not face the same harassment or agony which people generally encounter in government offices,” Rai says.

Always a brilliant student, Rai’s talent shone even when she was in school. She was a state topper and scored 95 percent in ISC exams, receiving the Best Girl All Rounder Shrimati Ratna Pradhan Memorial Trophy in Tashi Namgyal Academy.

She later on completed her BA LLB and proved herself again by winning a gold medal from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata in both Jurisprudence and Public Administration. She secured 768th rank out of 920 in her first attempt itself of CSE in 2010.

Keen on learning new things, Rai spends her free time learning guitar and doing aerobics. An empathetic person, Rai has always felt the need to give back to society and wants more students from Sikkim to take up this profession.

“There is no awareness about Civil Services. Majority of us think that the best we can get is a government job. Many young guys from Sikkim don’t want to go out and compete. It is only when you sharpen your edges, you will be sharp,” she says.

Had she not been an IPS officer, she would have fulfilled her dad’s dream of becoming a corporate lawyer. People like Rai are an inspiration to all of us and give us a hope for country’s brighter future. We congratulate the young girl and hope for bigger achievements.

Like this story? Or have something to share? Write to us: contact@thebetterindia.com, or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@thebetterindia)

Prime Minister Modi recently announced that Sikkim has become the first Organic State of India. The journey wasn’t easy, the questions were hard and the challenges looked insurmountable. But today, the demand for Sikkim’s organic produce has soared and farmers in the state are already earning 20% more than they did earlier.

“Hum Log ab khusi khusi se kaam karte hain. Ham sab gaao waale milke kaam karte hain. Sab bahut active ho gaye hain organic mission ke baad.” (We villagers work happily now, in a spirit of togetherness. Everyone’s become very active after the organic mission was announced) – Norkit, an organic farmer, Sikkim.

Up in the Himalayas, there’s an organic spirit that is running high. Farmers are happy, youngsters are becoming entrepreneurs, tourists are flocking and business is flowing in from all over the country to the state of Sikkim. This upsurge is the result of a Himalayan task that Sikkim believed it could achieve – that of transforming itself into a fully organic state. The state still awaits its first airport, does not have a Doordarshan Kendra, has a GDP that is the third smallest in the country – but Sikkim has taken on a bold mission.

In 2003, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Pawan Kumar Chamling, made a momentous declaration. He said Sikkim would shun chemical pesticides and fertilizers and return to natural methods of farming.

There were protests, dissent and resistance. People asked, “How could a state that does not produce enough for itself turn to organic methods?” There were worries that production would fall and there would be costs involved — the farmers were barely sustaining themselves.

“But we were convinced, if we went organic, there will be a value addition that we can offer to both farmers and the consumers of our products. We have a terrain that cannot make us self-sufficient in food production. So we decided to focus on what we can grow in Sikkim and give them the value of being organic”, says Khorlo Bhutia, Secretary of the State for Agriculture, and Chief Executive Officer of Sikkim’s organic success. “Whatever we produce will be chemical free. Organic produce carries a premium demand, which can fetch good revenue for the farmers. We will have clean air, water and soil and we will do immense good for the biodiversity that Sikkim is blessed with. Also, the Himalayas are the source of water and when we have a clean land at the source, the rest of the country will greatly benefit.” With this conviction, the mission was on.

A Himalayan change in motion

Rough mountainous terrain, severe weather and 77,000 hectares that are scattered into small pockets of land holdings – that’s the canvas that Sikkim had to paint organic. Making the most of these small land holdings, which are unlike the vast lands of agrarian states like Punjab and Haryana, was a challenge. The biggest advantage was that Sikkim was never an extensive user of chemical methods of farming like these states. So the reversal, though immensely difficult, had a pedestal to begin with.

Initially, the government cut the subsidies on chemical pesticides and fertilizers. But it eventually banned their use.

The Sikkim Organic Mission, which was carrying the baton of change, went out and out spreading awareness on the ‘why’, ‘what’, and ‘how’ of the mission. It provided seeds and manure, trained the farmers in organic methods, and even sent some farmers outside the state to get advanced training. The farmers slowly began to embrace the change.

“One of the most heartening aspects of the whole endeavour was that our farmers were ready to listen,” says Binita Chamling, a young entrepreneur who returned from London to be a part of Sikkim’s change. Binita’s start up, Organic Sikkim, reaches farmers like Norkit and finds markets for their produce. Norkit says earlier she was producing just what was enough for her family because she did not know how to sell, where to sell. She was not earning anything from the land. Entrepreneurs like Binita are eliminating the middlemen and dealing directly with the farmers to sell their produce to the rest of the country and the world. Norkit says she and her friends in the village are now cultivating together and producing in large quantities. The start-ups are buying directly from the farmers and Norkit is happy that she is able to sell and earn good money.

The farmers fought against plant diseases with pesticides made from locally available plant materials. They won over the Rhizome Rot Disease that plagued Sikkim’s most important cash crop, ginger. They rejuvenated Sikkim’s very own Mandarin orange orchards which were failing.

While the farmers tilled the land, the government made the infrastructure robust. Khorlo Bhutia says “We started building the entire infrastructure that was needed for this massive change. Bio fertilizer production units, seed processing units, automated green houses, 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.”

The fruits of a great endeavour

Sikkim’s 13 year penance became fruitful by the end of 2015. And on January 18, 2016, Prime Minister Modi declared Sikkim as the first organic state in India. Khorlo Bhutia says, “We are proud to have achieved this feat spending just Rs. 55 crores (as of November 2015).” The state is now in an ecstatic mood. The demand for Sikkim’s organic produce has soared and the farmers are now earning 20% more. New jobs have been created and one also gets to see a new breed of entrepreneurs springing up. Sikkim is now host to a new vogue – organic tourism.

Going forward, the state has to tackle the challenges of logistics and supply. It has to set up food processing units and find ways to manage perishable goods. But for sure Sikkim’s Himalayan determination will carry them through all these challenges.

Having shown the country that development can mean being close to nature as well, this small state is inspiring the whole nation to go back to its roots.  States like Kerala, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh are already working towards becoming organic.

Sikkim is calling

Aren’t we enthralled by the idea of getting rid of waxed, bloated and chemically loaded food? As Prime Minister Modi put it, Sikkim is indeed a sukh sthaan (happy place). If you are an entrepreneur, the Sikkim government is inviting you to engage in contract farming in the state, says Khorlo Bhutia. And Norkit says, “Aap Sikkim aa jaao, main aapko thoda organic farming sikha dungi.” (Come to Sikkim and I will teach you organic farming).

Featured background image source: http://www.ruralmarketing.in/

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One of the Himalaya’s best-kept travel secrets, the tiny state of Sikkim is an epitome of serenity. With its lofty snow clad peaks, emerald slopes and quaint villages dotted with multi-hued prayer flags, this traveller’s paradise has many hidden destinations waiting to be explored.

Interestingly, the Lepcha word for Sikkim is Nye-mae-el which roughly translates to paradise !

So if you like to scout around uncharted terrain, pack your bags and travel to these seven offbeat destinations in Sikkim.

Away from the chaos of cities, a vacation at these sublime destinations is the perfect way to break free of travel’s predicable stops and well-traveled routes.

1. Yumthang Valley

Photo Source

Perched 3500 metres above sea-level, Yumthang Valley is a pristine alpine valley blessed with a wealth of natural treasures, including the Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary . Glistening wildflowers spill across the spectacular meadows in this valley that that also offers a stunning view of the towering peaks of Pauhunri and Shundu Tsenpa. Lachung is the nearest inhabited town to the Yumthang valley.

2. Rawangla

Photo Source

Set amidst the hills of Meanam and Tendong, the little town of Rawangla is a visual treat. Enjoy a refreshing sip of the mellow and aromatic Temi tea at Sikkim’s only tea garden in the village of Temi. One of Sikkim’s most significant monasteries, the Ralong Monastery, also lies in Rawangla. The aura of tranquility that surrounds the Rawangla’s stunningly grandiose golden statue of Buddha stays in one’s mind for a long, long time.

You May Also Like: Himalayan Hideaway: Why Tirthan Valley Is Himachal’s Best Kept Secret

3. Tsomgo Lake

Photo Source

Nestled in a valley at a height of 12,400 ft, Tsomgo Lake makes an etherally beautiful picture against the backdrop of stark, snow capped mountains. Revered by the Sikkimese as sacred, it is believed that in olden times, Buddhist monks would study the colour of the water of the Tsomgo lake to forecast the future. Today, one can savour piping hot tea and momos in the freezing surroundings of the lake before enjoying a lakeside ride on a friendly colourfully festooned yak.

4. Barsey

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Located in West Sikkim, Barsey is known for its vibrant and colourful Rhododendron Sanctuary. Trekking through this sanctuary (teeming with wildlife such as the rare Red Panda) to the Guras Kunj trekker’s hut is an exhilarating experience. Soak up the warm rays of the sun at this picturesque hut while you enjoy a panoramic view of the rugged Singalila range.

5. Gyalshing

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Gyalshing (meaning the King’s Garden) is believed to have once been the royal gardens attached to the Palace at Rabdentse, Sikkim’s capital till the late 18th century. Today, it is a bustling town with a century old local market, and Pemayangste, Sikkim’s premier monastery. Right opposite the Gyalshing bazaar lies the holiest wall in Sikkim, the Mendang, built by King Chogyal Chador Namgyal. Also nearby is the serene Khecheoplari Lake that is revered and treasured by the locals as a wish fulfilling lake.

6. Kaluk

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Located in West Sikkim, Kaluk is a quaint Himalayan hamlet with abundant natural beauty. Take a local hike  to Rinchenpong nearby where clouds hovering over the forested mountain ranges and the gorgeous village monastery gives a surreal feel to the ambiance. However, it is the looming presence of the mighty Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world, that casts a mystical spell on every visitor to Rinchenpong.

7. Sumbuk

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Located in one of the most untouched parts of South Sikkim, Sumbuk is birdwatcher’s paradise. The banks of the gurgling Rangit River, numerous gladiolas farms, age-old temples and a unique peacock breeding forest make Sumbuk a very different type of destination. Try picking wild strawberries at Tamley Chaur, located in the upper tracts of Phooldara (Hill of Flowers), walk along the Tarey Bhir ( a 10000 feet long ridge pathway ) at Sadam village or visit the verdant Kitam Bird Sanctuary that is home to more than 200 species of birds.

Also Read: Laitlum Canyons: Take a Trip into the Heart of Meghalaya’s Natural Wonder

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“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Situated nearly 5 km away from Sikkim’s capital city of Gangtok, Lepcha Cottage in Chanmari is home to over a hundred Lepcha orphans. For these little ones, this cottage is the garden in which their dreams and aspirations bloom, thanks to the tireless efforts of a 74-year-old lady who has made the house a home for them.

A former civil servant, retired teacher, social activist and Padma Shri recipient, Keepu Tsering Lepcha has devoted her life to the upliftment of her Lepcha community, a tribe indigenous to the Himalayan region of Sikkim.

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Keepu Tsering was born in 1942 into a Lepcha family of Sikkim. Her father was a government official whose job took him to the state’s remotest areas, so she grew up hearing her father talk about the need to do something for the community. After completing her primary and secondary education in Gangtok, Keepu pursued her post graduation in Kolkata.

After completing her master’s degree, Keepu became a teacher at the Enchey Senior Secondary School in Gangtok. She soon moved to a government school that had mainly been established to help Tibetan refugee children. She volunteered to stay with the girls at the hostel and developed an excellent rapport with the school’s children, many of whom had lost their parents while fleeing Tibet.

Moving later to government service, she became the assistant director of education in Sikkim, a post she held till 1994. During these years, Keepu contributed in bringing out text books for primary classes and short term training programmes for teachers in local languages.

In 1994, Keepu joined the Sikkim Civil Service and quickly rose in ranks to the position of a joint secretary. For the next 28 years, she served as project director in the Rural Development Agency, dealing with projects for people living below the poverty line.

In 1989, Keepu embarked on a parallel role as a mentor for children of her community, by taking in 20 Lepcha children to live with her in her six-roomed home, Lepcha Cottage.

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Her decision was driven by the need to help the peace-loving community, whose members were finding it hard to keep pace with an increasingly competitive society.

Both in and out of office, Keepu focused on the education and empowerment of orphans, girls, women, and the elderly, as well as on the rejuvenation of Lepcha culture and language. She also helped members of the tribe get access to modern health care facilities.

In 1997, Keepu started the Human Development Foundation of Sikkim, with help from Swiss tourist, Max Melliger and other a Sikkimese couple, Wendy and Loday Chungyalpa. The organization’s main aim was to cater to the needs of underprivileged children in Sikkim through education.

A children’s village that would provide food, education and accommodation for needy and destitute kids was developed at Chongey, the only piece of land Keepu possessed besides her small cottage at Chanmari.

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‘Children of Sikkim Foundation’, an NGO in Sikkim, helped her by seeking sponsors for the project. Thus, in 2011, the Padma Odzer Choeling school finally became operational, catering to the educational needs of the children, both of Lepcha cottage and of the surrounding areas.

Talking about the challenges she faced in her journey, the soft-spoken lady says that the two major difficulties she faced were the widespread ignorance about healthcare among members of the tribe, particularly with regard to children, and the prevalence of alcoholism, which has destroyed many families. As a result, most of the children, who are first generation learners in their family, lack support at home for getting an education in the first place. However, undeterred by these challenges, Keepu and her sister pooled all the money they earned through their jobs to keep the school running in an effort to educate and uplift this tiny tribe.

Their efforts have led to significant improvements in the children’s healthcare and basic education. Having grown from strength to strength, the school is today a sprawling complex with over 300 children who are given free education.

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Special emphasis is also laid on cultural studies of Sikkim. Apart from academic guidance, Keepu and other teachers also help the children deal with other aspects of their lives such as hygiene, vocational skills, first aid and more.

“We concentrate on making a real difference to these childrens’ lives,” Keepu says with a smile.

There have been times when Keepu has travelled through the interiors of Sikkim, looking for children who were being deprived of education. It is why she derives immense pleasure from the fact that her students today serve as role models for other children of the tribe. Another thing that is a subject of pride and much happiness for Keepu is her students’ consistent good performance in board exams. However, when asked what she treasures most about her work, Keepu says it’s the undying love of these children who call her Nikun or grandmother.

Keepu speaks six languages – English, Hindi, Nepali, Bengali, Lepcha and Bhutia – and is a spinster by choice. Today, she no longer finds herself a lone crusader, fighting to provide orphans with a home, love, values and quality education. A group of five supporting staff help look after the over hundred children who stay at the Lepcha Cottage today.

The cottage has a playroom filled with cuddly toys and games, a TV room, large gardens blooming with a variety of colourful flowers, and even a couple of residential dogs and a cat!

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Keepu Lepcha was one of the 1000 Global Women for Peace who had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. The same year, Sikkim Intellectuals Conference on Humanism, Nationalism and Peace also awarded her the title, Jewel of Sikkim, for her exemplary service to the state.

Two years later, she received the Best Social Service Award from the Government of Sikkim and in 2009, he Government of India awarded her the civilian honour of the Padma Shri. She also received the Real Heroes Award of the Reliance Foundation in 2012 and the CNN-IBN Senior Citizen Award in 2013 for her services to the Lepcha community.

Here’s is all you need to know about the Human Development Foundation of Sikkim. You can also help by donating or sponsoring a child.

Contact Details:

Lepcha Cottage: +91 – 3592 – 226014
Ms. Keepu Lepcha: +91 –  9832080150

Address:

Human Development Foundation of Sikkim
Children’s Village
G.R.B.A. Road, Chongey Tar
Gangtok, Sikkim- 737103

Also Read: MY STORY: I Volunteered at a Small School in Sikkim Run by 7 Teachers for Free. It Changed My Life!

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In Sikkim’s Basilakha village, residents proudly escort visitors to their toilets, before posing happily for a photoshoot with a lavatory in the background. Basilakha is not an exception.

In this small north-eastern state, people have a sense of pride that their home state is India’s first open-defecation free state.

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This record was reiterated in the recently conducted Swachhta (cleanliness) survey undertaken by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) on the condition of sanitation in Indian states. According to the report, all four of Sikkim’s districts rank among top ten districts in cleanliness and sanitation. About 98.2% households in Sikkim are equipped with clean toilets and 100% of the state’s population use the community or household toilet.

Sikkim began its cleanliness drive over a decade before Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Swachh Bharat Mission. It was 13 years ago in 2003 when the Pawan Chamling-led government launched its total sanitation campaign for the state.

The state government began by sensitizing people to adopt a holistic approach that would improve hygiene and sanitation, protect the environment and accelerate overall development in the state. Next, it constructed 98,043 household latrines, surpassing its own target of 87,014. Of these, 61,493 latrines were built for below poverty line (BPL) families.

There was also a conscious effort to install public filters for drinking water, build more public toilets and introduce a better drainage system in the major cities like Gangtok and Namchi.

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The campaign also included door-to-door campaigning and working with school children to convince families about the health benefits of using toilets.

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With these pilot projects eliciting an encouraging response, more schools are being covered with such facilities in the next phase.

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While Sikkim has clearly emerged as the cleanest state, it also has the possibility of soon emerging as the first state in India with zero poverty – only 8 % of the state’s families live below the poverty line.

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“When I see the Swachh Bharat campaign in such a big way across the country, I feel vindicated that I did something right back in 2003.”

“Sikkim has clean food, clean air, and clean water. We are also a fully organic state. So, there is clean living. Because there is clean living, people in Sikkim are healthy and happy.”

Also Read: How Kerala is Getting Ready to Become an ‘Open Defecation Free’ State by November 1

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The movement for organic food and an organic lifestyle has slowly picked up pace in India over the last few years. Ashmeet Kapoor, CEO, I Say Organic, discusses India’s organic future, and the rise of organic farming in Sikkim.

In one of my favourite movies, Back to the Future, Michael J. Fox goes back in time to fix the lives of his parents and ensure his own existence.

Some time ago, social media was abuzz with the news of Sikkim becoming India’s first fully organic state. Sikkim’s achievement reminds me of our own organic practices that we abandoned, and how going back to them is the only way to ensure our own existence going forward.

Over 75,000 hectares of agricultural land in Sikkim is now free of pesticides and chemicals, and healthy, allowed to rejuvenate, and helping people eat and be healthier. This is extremely positive news that sets a great example for the rest of India. Every bit of credit goes to the progressive Sikkim State Government for thinking beyond immediate benefits and profits, and considering the greater good for both its people and its lands. I cannot stress enough of my admiration of them for looking to sustainability from a long-term point of view.

It is especially encouraging that the state has managed this feat in less than a decade. It shows that with the right policies and incentives, going organic and healthy is a very achievable feat.

Of course, it is also due to being a hill state, like others in North and South India, chemical agriculture is not as prevalent in Sikkim as flatter areas.

Whether due to their remote locations, climate, water supply, or lack of corporate chemical presence, India’s hilly states have a starter’s advantage in going completely organic.

While the rate of land converting to organic is only going up, the rate of naysayers declaiming the efficacy of organic farming hasn’t gone down. Going organic doesn’t mean that productivity goes down, as proponents of chemical agriculture claim. Context is extremely important while reading data.

For example, with chemicals, a farmer could produce, say, 20 kg. of wheat. After switching to organic, he might produce 10 kg. of wheat, which is what the pesticide lobby harps about. But they ignore the fact that the farmer has diversified their crop and now also produces 10 kg. of lentils as well as 10 kg. of fruits & vegetables, because these cropping patterns and rotations are a central theme in organic farming.

Principles we learnt in school, like nitrogen fixing, form the basis of organic farming philosophy—it’s not how much you grow, it’s how you grow things. Organic farming nourishes the soil and balances its health, while growing different crops for varied human consumption.

What’s more, what the naysayers never discuss is that the insects and so-called “pests” that attack different crops find it difficult to roost at organic farms due to the constant rotation.

In fact, pests gravitate to farms that produce the same crop in abundance, which leads to an increased need for using pesticides and chemicals.

Can our entire country go organic? Yes. If a few states can do it, then why not all of us? Studies show that incomes and profitability of farmers choosing this ancient tradition have improved, and we really need to get back to the future.

On a micro level, we might not even need studies. Communities and farmer networks do, and will, notice the difference in output, overall farm health, and the prospects of farmers and their families, and the change will begin for organic farming as well as health and wellness industries.

Climate change due to non-organic farming is a huge obstacle. Pollution due to pesticides, soil-erosion, and over-irrigation because of non-seasonal growing are all factors that are contributing to changes of carbon dioxide and ozone in the soil, water, and air, and thus the fluctuation of weather patterns all over the world.

Many firms and new entrepreneurs prioritise short-term gains, thus not supporting farmers in going the distance towards completely organic farming. These firms are fast becoming an obstacle on their own, as they are convincing farmers to stay chemical, as well as preventing conversions.

High-level government intervention is also an absolute necessity, without which change will still happen, but slower. India will go organic in 30–50 years even if the government doesn’t start promoting it very aggressively in the near future. This is because, by then, there will be no other option. As things stand, we cannot continue using chemicals without an end-date.

However, isn’t it better to start moving towards the future before a crisis hits?

New forms of farming like hydroponics and aquaculture could go mainstream in a few decades. Take robotic farming, a topic that sounds like science fiction. How far a reality is it, given that we’re seeing driver-less cars on the road? In a few decades, farming will be completely different, and not necessarily even human. Even in this very futuristic and “out of a sci-fi movie” vision of the future, we are certain there is no place for chemicals. It’s simply a model of agriculture that’s had its run and is now outdated.

There is an urgent need for the government to shift focus. While complete shutting down of chemical industries is not possible overnight, the ratio of large chemical deals and token PR deals has to be flipped.

I Say Organic already sources from organic farms across India. Uttarakhand is a viable, promising next destination for us where we have already made significant inroads. We’re investigating options that will allow us to expand our product range, quality, and overall supply, while keeping our strict, self-imposed standards in place. We’re also looking at Himachal Pradesh, whose government has a very aggressive organic policy.

In the years to come, I Say Organic envisions being actively involved in farmer conversions across India—through measures like demo farms to showcase growing techniques—and thus help our country go organic in every way possible.

We have so far worked independently of the government, because there is no programme that we have come across that incentivizes or offers support to organizations working on market linkages for organic farmers. We have built our network of organic farmers largely through referrals, and have found that is the best way to find farmers who are eager to gain access to markets that understand and appreciate the value of organic produce.

This way, I Say Organic helps farmers willing to fight the good fight make a reasonably profitable living, encouraging their families to carry on their legacy and influencing others to join the organic movement. Continued partnership and support from firms like us as well as the end-consumer ensures that farmers do not revert to chemical use for financial reasons—finally more to our benefit. Having said that, as the industry develops and the impact of organic farming gets demonstrated on a larger scale, we hope that the government will also significantly ramp up its initiatives to promote organic.

I Say Organic aims to continue being credible, offering great prices, service, and authenticity. We’d like to ensure that both consumers and farmers are much better off with our products, by the simple method of going back to the future.

Join the organic movement by helping I Say Organic make organic farming and produce more prevalent. Find out more here.

Featured Image Source: By soumyajit pramanick (step farming in Sikkim) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

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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.

Photo source: Twitter

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.

You may also like: TBI Blogs: Tracing the History of the Thriving Sikh Community in Afghanistan and Georgia

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

— 1stAmendmentRULES! (@HeySomebodyLuvU) February 13, 2017

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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, CEO of NE Taxi. Source: Facebook

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.

Source: Facebook

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.

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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.

Source: Facebook

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.

Sounds pretty exciting, right?

You may also like: What Indians are googling about each Indian state might surprise you!

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.

The river Teesta. Source: wikimedia

“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.

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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.

“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.

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“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.

To get in touch with Utpal Choudhuri, click here.

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