For the love of their mother language some young students in the capital are spending their winter vacation learning Limboo language. These kids did not know anything about their language before they joined the Limboo language speaking class and now they seem to enjoy it. In Limboo Bhawan in DPH Area, Gangtok these kids are learning what their forefathers used to speak. The children are not only learning to speak but also getting their knowledge in Limboo alphabets, writings, and grammars.

      From December 1^st last year the Sukhim Yakthung Sapsok Songihambho, a limbo literary society started this winter program. Monday to Saturday, the classes are taken from 11 am to 1 pm. All the students are from Gangtok itself and studying in local government and private schools. The winter program will run till the early February and after their school session starts, the class will be taken on Sundays.The weekly tests are also conducted along with viva-voice and some are doing well.

      Shravan Limboo, a 9^th grader at Daffodil’s Homes, who did not have any knowledge about the language, is now interacting with his friends in Limboo language and he is doing the exercises as well. “I go to private school and fluently speak English but I never knew about my own language. And now after joining this class I am have learned many things and I will keep learning. “I had always wanted to learn limbo language”, said Holy Cross School’s 9^th standard student Namshiri Limboo. Currently, there are nine students taking this winter class and none of them had known anything about the language before.

        Limboo is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nepal, Sikkim, Kashmir (both Indian and Pakistani Kashmir) and Darjeeling by the Hindu community. It has four main dialects; Panthere, Phedape, Chatthare and Tambar Khole. Panthare dialect is the standard dialect Limboo language whereas Phedape is spoken and understood by most. It has its own unique Tibetan writing system, the Limboo script. Far more Limboos are more literate in Nepali than Limboo and so many Limboo publications are accompanied by a Nepali version and Limboo is also written Devnagari.

a cafeteria on the way

dragon crafted on the wall

the blossomed cherry along the highway

Even after one month of the most hyped brutal Delhi gang rape, several cases of rape and other crimes against women are being reported from every part of the country and few from Sikkim also.Just today a horrible and shameful case was reported from Namthang, South Sikkim. A young girl aged 14 years was molested and raped by her own father while she was sleeping. On the fateful night of 21^st January, the accused father came into her bed at 9 pm and molested her. It is further mentioned in her FIR that she was raped by her own father on that night when her mother and sister were at the paternal place in Jorethang, South Sikkim.

And after this shameful act, the bigger question which hunts everyone is how safe are the ordinary citizens, especially the women.

Snow Fall at Upper Belts Attract More Tourists

the vehicles on the way to Nathula (Indo-China Border)

The heavy snowfall in the upper belts of the state a couple of days ago has refrained the tourists from visiting the Nathula Border. Also the road leading towards Tsongmo Lake and Baba Mandir now remains covered with snow (measuring up to 2 feet), however, the road is open. In these areas, the temperature has also dipped below zero degree Celsius. The snowfall around the upper regions might continue till next three days, it has been opined.

The snow fall this year is quite less due to the western disturbances towards northern part. Nevertheless, North Sikkim is likely to receive more snowfall till the end of this month. Some places in North Sikkim like Lachen, Lachung, Gurudongmar Lake and Yumthang valley also received snow fall. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) is clearing the snow to keep the transportation active.

After the snowfall in the upper regions, there has been an increase in the number of tourist visiting the Tsongmo Lake and Baba Mandir and the number of vehicles visiting Tsongmo has increased in comparison to last couple of weeks.

The number of tourist is likely to increase due to the snowfall.

Finally we executed our plan and started our first ‘friends’ gathering’ yesterday at the unoccupied meeting hall of Press Club. Though we were only six of us but that was a pretty good beginning, at least it started off. Next time we will have more enthusiasts coming in and being part of our little Sunday thing. The whole idea is basically to have an interesting way to spend Sunday afternoons discussing on various topics, quizzing, debating, organizing events, movie screenings, guest lectures, etc.  

Yesterday we didn’t invited many, we were just gathered to introduce quizzing/debating/intellectual forum to our two new friends and shared our thoughts and discussed about how to do this thing and lead the way. On our first Sunday, everyone introduced themselves and everyone got to know about the new friends. The ideas kept flowing and seemed very interesting. Yash Marda, a Chartered Accountant by profession conveyed the idea about the forum. He is a really busy guy and gets free from his work only on Sundays and like everyone else he does not want to spend the holiday for nothing. I first saw him at Prajwal’s book launch at Rachna and just a week ago we meet at Bakers’s Café in Gangtok after Dweep, a working journalist at Sikkim Express introduced us. Over the cup of espresso we opened our lives and thoughts and Yash shared this brilliant idea of him with me and Dweep. And we were like – ‘when do we begin?’. And finally within a week we did it.

On the first informal meet, we didn’t had any specific agenda, however we talked on various topics right from Dweep`s Captivating Ghost Encounters to Tamanna`s views on Religion, from Dhiren`s & Yash’s views on science and superstition and my story on how I overcame fear of the supernatural. It was a non-stop interesting discussion in which we all shared various perspectives of religion, philosophy. Science, superstition and how all these affect our lives and thinking.  We also discussed about the some books and films made on famous books, authors and a bit of photography. In short it was like a mixed fruit jam - a flavor of everything! And it WAS FUN!!!!

                                tribal dances from Northeast states performed at MG Marg Gangtok

OAP benefiting 18,679 senior citizens in Sikkim

The state government along with securing the future of the young generation has also been successfully providing security to its senior citizens. To take care of the rural poor above 60 years the state government in collaboration with the centre scheme provides them the pensions. The Old Age Pension (OAP) is for the people of above 60 years who does not have regular source of income or financial support from their families.

The pension scheme is under the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) launched by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.  

    Currently, there are 18,679 beneficiaries receiving the OAPs in Sikkim. The existing rate of pensions offered under various schemes as well as the age criteria to qualify for these have been enhanced and revised, respectively. The existing IGNOAPS is a revised rate of Rs.600 from the previous rate of Rs.400. The state has its share of Rs. 400 to centre’s Rs. 200.

    In 2011, the rate has been revised to Rs.600 per month from Rs.400 per month to the age group of 60-79 years and Rs. 1000 for the age group of 80 years and above.

There are Social Welfare offices in each district apart from North. The beneficiaries can apply for schemes and receive the pension in the districts itself.

   With the total of 7,013 senior citizens receiving monthly pension, East district has maximum number of beneficiaries while the North district has the lowest with just 1,314.

6,439 beneficiaries in East district are above 80 years and 574 are of the age group of 60 to 79 years. Whereas, in North monthly pension of Rs.1000 is given to 90 pensioners and 1,224 are receiving Rs.600, each. South district currently has 398 people receiving Rs.1000 per month and 4,531 receiving Rs. 600 per month. Out of the 5,423 in West district, 5,009 receive a monthly pension of Rs.600 each while 414 are above 80 years.

    The pension is provided regularly in all districts, and for their ease the district social welfare offices themselves distributes the pension, notified the SWO.

Though a small amount, the OAP has come of some help for the senior citizens under the BPL. At this age I receive money without doing anything. The pension amount helps me fetch my necessary items. At least I do not need to ask somebody else for it.”, expressed a 70 year old beneficiary from East Sikkim.