24 May, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

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DEATH ON THE TRAILGERMAN TREKKER SUCCUMBS TO

HIGH ALTITUDE SICKNESSWHILE ON TREK TO GOECHALA

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 23 May: JohannerGereon Sonntag, a German tourist,died while trekking in west Sikkimon 20 May. Signed on for theGoechala trek, Sonntag is believedto have developed high altitudesickness as he neared Dzongri[3,950 metres] and passed awaywhile being evacuated to Yuksom.

The trekking agency contractedfor the trip, informs that the 40-year-old German refused to accli-matise for the high-altitude trek andbelieves that this could be the rea-son why he contracted pulmonaryoedema which is believed to havecaused his death. Acclimatizationis usually recommended for trek-king in altitudes above 10,000 feetand takes about 48 hours.

The agency also offers allergyas another possible reason behindthe trekker’s death. Sonntag appar-ently had with him several aspirinsand other medicines which indi-cated he was suffering from someallergy. With the flowering seasonon, pollen are abundant in the airand are a major cause of allergy.

His body was brought toGangtok from Yuksom on a heli-copter.

Locals at Tsokha, about 10 kilo-metres below Dzongri where thetrekker had stayed prior to his as-cent to Dzongri, further disclosethat Sonntag was not feeling toowell at Tsokha itself and believe

that he should not have been al-lowed to carry on any further. De-spite apparent signs of high altitudesickness, the trekker along with hisfriend and a guide made the 4-5hour climb up to Dzongri where hiscondition deteriorated. There hecamped for two days hoping to getacclimatised, informed a porterfrom another group.

On the morning of 20 May,when he showed no signs of im-provement the group decided tohead back. He however could notclimb down below Deorali, thepoint where regular plain trail endsand steep rocky descent begins,down to Tsokha. Without a pony oryak of their own, the group had nochoice but to send their guide downto Tsokha for a pony while thetrekker was shacked underneath arock to escape the rain. Sonntagobviously had no idea of how per-ilous his health had become andeven asked his friend to take a pic-ture of him under that rock as a re-membrance of his misadventure.

pic KARCHOONG DIYALI

The bridge over Prek Chhu where Sonntag breathed his last after battling suspected high altitudesickness while on a trek to Goechala

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 23 May: When theChief Minister Pawan Chamlingdrove to Kalimpong with his entou-rage early this morning, he had ob-viously more than just checking ofthe health of Sikkim’s first ChiefMinister, LD Kazi, who residesthere, on mind. Mr. Chamling ob-

SIKKIM CONSTITUTES NEW HIGHEST AWARD FORFATHER OF ITS DEMOCRACYSIKKIM RATNA PURASKAR INSTITUTED TO HONOUR LD KAZI

viously had grand plans for thegrand old man of Sikkim politics[Mr. Kazi is 101 years old].

The pleasantries over, Mr.Chamling announced the institu-tion of a new award, the highestcivilian award for Sikkim, theSikkim Ratna Puraskar, and re-vealed that the first person to re-ceive it would be Mr. Kazi, consid-

ered by all as the father ofSikkimese democracy.

The award, it is learnt, carries acash award of Rs. 5 lakhs and a ci-tation to mark the person’s contri-bution to the Sikkimese society.

Mr. Chamling shares a specialbond with the first CM of Sikkimand was instrumental in wiping the

turn to pg 4

turn to pg 4

2; NOW!; 24 May, 2004

C M Y K

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

NOW!FIRST WITH THE NEWS

ED-SPACE

These days I am not buying anycassettes or CDs or MP3s. No,

I don’t own an iPOD, nor have Isubscribed to any of the otheronline services that allow you todownload your favourite music fora price. I am not violating any ofthose nascent cyber-laws either bygetting music into my PC for free.In fact, I couldn’t, even if I wantedto. The Internet connectivity hereis as slow as the continental driftand I usually spend a small fortuneon phone bills to just open and readmy emails. And this, despite all thetweaking with the PC to filter outthe graphics and other byte-heavyofferings on the net.

The reason why I have com-pletely eliminated the musicshop from my music-acquir-ing loop is because I am theproud owner of a worldspacereceiver that I bought in thesummer of 2002. Normally, it isnot good manners to waste pre-cious column inches on gloatingabout sundry material acquisitions,but then, this is one concessionthat I have to make even for thesake of public interest.

The worldspace, to put it verysimply, is a facility akin to the ra-dio. Just as you need your transis-tor set to access the offerings madeby the radio stations, you have toown a worldspace receiver to beable to play the mind boggling ar-ray of music that is broadcast bythe worldspace satellite. Theworldspace receiver is a devicethat digitally decodes the signalstransmitted by the worldspace sat-ellite and enables you to enjoystatic and commercial free CDquality music, songs and news ata modest yearly fee.

-60-

Later on when my wife and Iwere alone, I asked her whyshe had brought not only her

little brother but also a girl friend,when I had asked her particularlynot bring any of her family with her.She said she had brought herbrother Tendup because he wasunhappy at home. His mother didnot treat him well and she thoughthe might be happy with us. “Allright, that is one thing,” I said. “Butyou have also bought a girl friend.Am I so rich that I can look afterseveral others?”

“No,” she said. “She is onlygoing to stay for a few days. Assoon as she finds a job as an ayahshe will take it.” “That soundsfine,” I said, “But is she really look-ing for work or only saying so toamuse herself in Calcutta? Any-how, you seem to have done justwhat I told you not to do. But allright, let them stay.”

“That is very good,” said mywife. “But I have not yet told youthat another girl is coming tomor-row. Her name is Pasang and shean uncle here. But she will stay with

Some more mouthsto feed

us a while.” When I heard that Iwould have to look after so manypeople, it gave me a headache.Looking after Phuphulhamo wasalready a heavy load on myshoulders, but to be responsi-ble for three more paralysedme. But what could I do?Women are like that.

How happy I felt whenat least one of the guests, thegirl Pasang, actually left af-ter four days! Now there re-mained only Dalaku and theboy. What we ate each day,my guests ate too, so that theexpenses were double. AndI bought my little brother-in-law some clothes and madehim entirely new, lifting him out ofhis old condition.

Then at nine o’clock one De-cember night while Tendup wasstill with us, a knock came at our

door and someone called out “Sis-ter Phuphulhamo, Sister

Phuphulhamo, are youthere?” Tendup

opened the door andfound three dirty,hungry looking

youngsters from ten to thirteenyears of age. All three were Sherpasand spoke Nepalese, and they werethe friends of my little brother-in-law, and former neighbours of my

wife in Darjeeling. They not onlylooked but proved to be very hun-gry, so we shared the food we hadamong all of us. After dinner theboys told me they had run awayfrom home and come all the wayby train four hundred miles with-

out paying any fare. They hadcome to try and find somework and to see some sights.The biggest of the three hadbeen working in a shop inDarjeeling, but had lost hisjob, he had only a mother left.The second was an orphanwho led a miserable life inDarjeeling. The third, whosename was Lakpa and whostill had both parents, was

reading in school and had foolishlyrun away. There was nothing for itbut to give them shelter for the mo-ment. I made the three of them sleepon a mat in one big blanket and for

some days I kept them in my houseand helped them see the sights ofCalcutta. During the daytime theywent to the Jadu Khana or IndianMusuem and the Zoological Gar-dens. I gave them each four annasto spend. In the mornings and eve-nings all three helped my wife withher housework. For the momentthey were like my children. I toldmy master the whole story andbrought the boys to him. He boughtclean clothes for all of them, andafter a good bath they looked quitenice in their new suits. In the mean-time we had written to Lakpa’smother, and she wrote, “Please sendmy son back. I will pay all your ex-penses. He has got to go to school.”

After a few days the boys them-selves wanted to go back. My mas-ter gave me the money for train farefor all three and something extra tobuy food on the way. I took them tothe station myself and bought threetickets and put them in the train tomake sure they really went. They allwere very happy to return, proud oftheir new clothes and content at hav-ing seen the wonders of Calcutta.

to be concluded

At the moment there are aboutthirty premium stations broadcast-ing music to satisfy the most catho-lic of tastes. For the jazz aficiona-dos there is ‘Riff’ that plays qual-ity jazz 24 hours a day. From MilesDavis to Johnny Coltraine, fromHerbbie Hancock to ErnetteColeman you will find them allhere. For those who have not comeout of the sixties and the seventiesyet, there is Orbit Rock belting outeverything from ZZ Top to Zeppe-lin. [If you want to go further backand fancy the Everly Brothers toserenade you there is Hop]. And tocater to the taste of the highbrow

classical musicc o g n o s c e n t i

there is Maestro [the worldspacecould also be connected to yourstate-of-the-art Harnam Kardon tofill all spaces of your indoors withthe rich strains of a Strauss or aSchubert].

The worldspace does not letdown votaries of Indian classicaleither. There is Gandharva toshowcase the grandeur ofHindustani classical. Then there isBob for the new alternative, Sys-tem for rave and house, Potion forR&B and Hip Hop and sundryother channels that play Hindi filmmusic of today and earlier.

Recently, the worldspace peo-ple have added another channelcalled the Worldzone. This chan-nel plays world music. You couldlisten to a Nepali classical at one

instant and at another enjoy thecalypso.

Beside the music, there is alsothe CNN and the BBC and our veryown AIR to keep you abreast ofwhat is happening around you.

A number of reputed compa-nies make the receiver. In India BPLhas two models, the Celeste I is athree in one with radio, cassette re-corder and worldspace. The moreup-market Celeste II [priced atabout Rs. 8,000] is just radio andworldspace. The system comeswith a foldable book-antenna thatyou need to orient in direct view ofthe worldspace satellite in the sky.In our region that is towards thesoutheast. If your house has a clearview of the southeast sky you could

by trial and error adjust the an-tennae to receive the signal.Those living in flats, inside jun-gles both literal and concrete,need a Yagi antenna [cost aboutRs. 2,000] that would have to

be installed at the terrace or on tree-tops to receive the signal. Peopleresiding near aerodromes and otherareas heavy with the airwave traf-fic need not get disappointed either.Accessories that filter out distur-bances too are available.

The set also comes with a dataport at the back to connect it to yourPC. In principle, the service couldalso provide video on your moni-tor but that at the moment is notoperational.

The channels do not cost much.Part of the service cost is factoredin to the cost of the set, but besidesthat a yearly fee of about Rs. 1,500is all that you need to pay to be ableto listen to all the music. Once youpay for a premium pack they will

THE WORTH OF AWORLDSPACE

Attracting Nepal-bound TouristsNepal keeps taking one step forward and two back when it comes torestoring peace in the strife torn nation. Five years ago, one wouldhave laughed at the suggestion that tourism could ever slide down,but with the first echo of gunfire in the Nepal hills and tourists startedavoiding this Shangrila of the east. The tourism mandarins of Nepalare in panic mode, investors are fleeing Nepal everyday and moreare looking for options elsewhere. Travel trade giants, carpet manu-facturers, educationists, NGOs, everyone is taking the bandhs as atime to take stock and cut their losses. Many have already left theHimalayan kingdom and still more are on the way out. And, every-one is looking for an alternative. While what has happened in Nepal,without getting judgemental about either side, is sad, Sikkim wouldbe foolish not to fill the vacuum it leaves behind.

Let us see what makes Nepal a popular tourist destination. Itsunique mix of Buddhist and Hindu ethos and culture attracts as manytourists as its range of trekking routes. Mountaineering is a big drawand so are the casinos and resorts. Accessibility to Tibet makes it animportant transit point and for those looking for a more grassrootsexperience, rural Nepal is never too far away from the towns. Al-though we could do with some changes in entry regulations, all thesefactors are present in Sikkim too. The tourists, we know, are inter-ested in Sikkim, but thwarted by the lack of information on the des-tination. All it will take to divert a major percentage of tourist trafficbound for Nepal to Sikkim will be the right exposure and publicity atplaces where tourists normally gather before proceeding to Nepal -probably Bangkok, but that is for the bosses at the tourism depart-ment to figure out.

That might take some time and this time will be best utilised toget the infrastructure into place. By infrastructure, one does not nec-essarily mean an increase in the number of beds available. What ismore important is to get better training and organisation in place.Take the case of the German tourist who died on the Dzongri trek.While casualties in high altitude treks are not rare [at times theymight even be unavoidable], but the concerned agencies have tomake sure that fatalities don’t happen for want of trained personnelor knowledge. The tourist perished after he had survived in the rari-fied atmosphere on the route for two days. If he was developingsymptoms of high altitude sickness, he should have been broughtdown immediately. Why did it have to be a doctor with another trek-king group with an oxymeter who discovered that the trekker’s healthhad deteriorated drastically. Shouldn’t such equipment and knowl-edge been available locally and in time. Sikkim is looking at openinga tourist spot in every constituency and down to the village level. If itis serious about generating revenue from such endeavours, it willhave to first invest in its human resources. Stopgap arrangementswill have to make way for a more professional outlook.

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24 May, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

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If everyone’s doing it why can’twe – have a good time that is.A good time meaning what eve-

ryone’s idea of a good time is - mu-sic and females. Music high volt-age and females as fatale.

Loitering somewhere behindthe scenes is a thread of realism.Among the floating heads is ParoSubba who has organised this megaevent – a fashion trolley is an eventand Still Waters bring the mega tag- along with one Sandip Biswas.

Although associated withReiki, an organisation in Japan,they have to light this fiery nightwith their own burn-wood. With a‘little’ help from the sponsors theburning is made easier.

As Paro says, “Still Waters arebeing paid Rs. 7,000 while the oth-ers are not.” The others include Voo-doo Magic and the models. Thedresses for the fashion show, saysParo, have been provided by Abacus.“The proceeds of the show will go toa school in Namchi,” Paro informs.

Sikkim Govt. College girls areall perked up and fussy as they getready to strut the stage of their audi-torium. The College girls and someboys have been roped in for the fash-ion performance. Curiously, behindthe curtains there are more enquir-ies to the direction of the loo thanenquiries for telephone numbers. It’sa starved and full house waiting be-yond the curtains and there are morethan just the Sikkim variety of but-terflies in the stomach.

Still Waters, too, veteran cam-

Prime Time for CharityStill Waters Live in Gangtok, SGC Auditotium, 22nd May

paigners by now, can’t containthemselves. Vishal, the vocalist isdeveloping leaden feet and Sonam,the guitarist, is trying some athleticwarm ups. Suman is more inter-ested in flaunting his new custommade bass guitar and talking of fu-ture projects while Netra, the drum-mer is expressionless - as usual.

On the stage are Voodoo Magic,another group of metal die-hards.This is the first performance forthese students of Kyi-de-KhangSchool but they keep their cool. It’simperative that you keep your coolwhen the sound malfunctions andthe guitarist and everyone else cansee his fingers flying but withoutany tunes landing. The sound sys-tem which was more sound and lesssystem did leave them all desiringa better break. It was a cool per-formance anyway.

After belting out the usual stuffwith the usual horse power the fivemember band made way for somesugar candy specially flavoured.The girls made no makes at pseudoprofessionalism which was wel-

come and as everything was in-house they gave off just the rightamount of oomph. But they didcarry lot more than that. It was alsofreshening to see them without in-hibitions and they seemed to real-ise the end cause of the show andseemed one with it. They were well

received by the audience and thechoreography was standard, too.

With Still Waters the pro-gramme reached its climax. It’s an-other scorcher. There are relativelysubtle moments when the bandpluck their way through the wavesand then there are moments when

the thunder roars as Sonam’s blitz-krieg on the fret-board sizzles thewoodwork.

In fact, the whole programmeseemed very well managed and or-ganised. You got two bands and aflurry of girls back stage but with-out the hectic confusion and hol-lering activity where someone’s try-ing to make out his socks from hisbooze and another wondering if hispiece is over or when. VoodooMagic come and go, the ramp walk-ers keep coming and going as theirtiming has been interspersed be-tween the music and Still Watersafter biding their time finally takethe stage as the last act. In the in-terim a boy cracks jokes to keep theaudience confused and amused.

Voodoo MagicMake their debut

Suman [bassist] and Sonam [lead guitar] stir things up at SGC

[above]: Vishal [lead singer] andSonam strike a pose.

[left]: Sonam fires up the fretboardto deliver the “hard and heavy” thatthe banners promised

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An American trekker who wasalso a doctor met the two waitingfor a ride in Deorali. The doctormeasured the oxygen content of theGerman with a pulse oxymeter andwarned the two that the oxygenlevel in his body was only 52 percent when anything below 80 percent is near-fatal. Then, membersfrom other groups managed to ar-range for a porter who agreed tocarry Sonntag to Tsokha.

Concerned that the trekker’scondition would deteriorate withevery delay, the group arranged forsome more porters and took himdown to Bakhim, about half an hourbelow Tsokha where he startedshowing signs of improvement.However, as the porters left Bakhimand reached the first bridge at PrekChhu to begin the descent to

Yuksom, he passed away. Thegroup then camped at Siachen, thefirst lunch stop for trekkers aboveYuksom, for the night and broughthis body down to Yuksom on themorning of 21 May from where hewas flown to Gangtok the same day.

Medical officials at Yuksom in-formed that he probably died of pul-monary oedema, where the lungs getfilled with water and breathlessness

and immense feeling of weaknessare the first symptoms. Despite re-ports that the trekker was showingsymptoms from Tsokha itself, theyshould not have taken him any fur-ther, they added. They also revealedthat this was the first high altitudecasualty this season and that last yeartwo porters along with two foreign-ers, an HMI girl and an elderlyBengali tourist died on the trail.

Contd from pg 1

German trekker succumbs toHigh Altitude Sickness..

give you the code that you can eas-ily install in your worldspace tostart activating the services [simi-lar to your cell-phone].The onlydownside is that at least in the hillsyou could not access theworldspace channels in your car.Since the antenna always needs tobe in direct view of the satellite thatis not possible due to obstruction.The second drawback is that if theservice folds up the receiver is use-less for anything else. But that isnot likely given the investment be-ing made.

Contd from pg 1

slur of “desh bechuas” that hadhounded the Sikkim councillorsheaded by Mr. Kazi who had engi-neered the 1975 merger with India.Sometime in 1997-98, all survivingmembers of the first Assembly werehonoured as soldiers of democracyfor the sacrifices they made to bringdemocracy to Sikkim.

The Chief Minister’s associa-tion with Mr. Kazi goes back evenfurther to the times when he wason the run when he was the soleOpposition member of the legisla-tive assembly. Mr. Kazi’s home inKalimpong had provided him ref-uge and was even raided a day af-ter Mr. Chamling had moved out.

Sources close to Mr. Chamlingreveal that he visits Mr. Kazi oftenand is perhaps the only politician whostill checks frequently on his healthand is genuinely concerned. “Otherstend to visit him only when they havean inflammatory press release to is-

sue in his name,” they offer.The CM made the visit today to

also seek the centurian politician’sblessings for his third term and tocheck on his health. Before he left,Mr. Chamling is reported to haveoffered Mr. Kazi Rs. 1 lakh to meethis medical and other expenses.

Making another special gesture,Mr. Chamling also announced thathenceforth, Mr. Kazi, for havingbrought honour and recognition forSikkim by receiving the PadmaVibhushan award the year before,will be paid a monthly pension ofRs. 10,000 as a mark of respectfrom the State. The Sombaria-Nayabazaar road in west Sikkimhas already been named after Mr.Kazi and also assured is a museumand a library dedicated to his lifeand for the safekeeping of docu-ments in his possession. The circleof honour for Mr. Kazi will be com-pleted with the Sikkim RatnaPuraskar that he is scheduled to re-ceive on Independence Day, 2004.

Grade IIIemployees

meet atJorethang

a NOW REPORT

JORETHANG , 24 May: A meet-ing was held here at the PanchsheelBhawan of grade III employees ofthe Sikkim Government employeeswhich include LDC, accountsclerks, library clerks, typists, sen-ior store keepers etc,. The meetingwas chaired by MM Sherpa of theEducation Department and at-tended by around 250 employeesfrom both South and West districts.

A new south-west executive com-mittee was selected at the meeting. JBRasaily, Education Department,Soreng, was named as the presidentof this committee. The purpose of themeeting was to approach the govern-ment for refixation, upgradation andpromotion of the employees workingunder various departments in the saidgrade. Furthermore, the committee hasdecided to submit a proposal regard-ing the issues mentioned above to theSecretary DOP and also to the chiefminister for consideration.

a NOW REPORT

JORETHANG, 24 May: A plan-tation cum gardening programmewas held at Hospital Area,Jorethang on 22 May. The pro-gramme was organised by theSikkim Kalyan Sangh, a newlyformed NGO of Jorethang. About65 plants were planted during theoccasion. The NGO, formed by theyoung generation of Jorethang isplanning similar programmes forthe future for which they say theywould like the support and encour-

PURAN TAMANG

NAMCHI, 24 May: TheAbhinandan Ceremony on the oc-casion of the opening of a club-house of the ‘Nari Kalyan Sanstha’,Lower Perbing, was held today, 24May. The ceremony was held at theclubhouse of the Sanstha.

The financial support for theconstruction of the single storied,2-roomed clubhouse has been pro-vided by SBS, Namchi. Mr. BKRoy, CO, SBS Namchi, was the

chief guest of the occasion withDistrict Youth Chairman, NehruYuva Kendra (NYK), Mr. PuranChettri, as special guest. The club-house was jointly inaugurated byboth the distinguished guests.

Mr. Gokul Rai, National YouthAwardee, in his address introducedthe role of the club and its work.Mr. Puran Chettri in his speech saidthat man should learn not only fromfellow humans but also from na-ture. Nature, he said, had organismswhich conducted their duties self-

lessly. Hence, the club, accordingto him, should also conduct its ac-tivities in a similar vein.

The chief guest, Mr. BK Roy,in his address said that the SBS asan organisation would work shoul-der to shoulder with the NGO andthe people. Emphasising upon therole of women he said that womenwere very important in society asthey were mothers of our leaders.He also assured to provide all pos-sible assistance to other organisa-tions in their welfare activities.

Contd from pg 1

Sikkim Ratna Puraskar institutedto honour LD Kazi

The Worth of aWorldspace

Mrs. Chandra Gurung, presi-dent, Nari Kalyan Sanstha, intro-duced the various activities of herorganisation and thanked the NehruYuva Kendra for their guidance toher Sanstha. She felt that now herorganisation was capable of organ-ising bigger programmes. They hadearlier conducted a national integra-tion camp at Namchi and also a 6month cutting and tailoring train-ing successfully

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agement of the locals.Some members of the NGO

also admitted that running an NGOin a place like Jorethang was a chal-lenge but not impossible. People’scooperation, they felt was neces-sary. The next activity of the NGOwill be to conduct a health pro-gramme at Mazi Gaon, Jorethangwhich they say is a highly tubercu-losis affected area in the south dis-trict. The NGO has also expressedits gratefulness to Dr. SonamithLepcha of Jorethang Hospital andalso to the Forest Department.

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ANAND OBEROI

GANGTOK, 23 May: An averageof 35 stray dogs are being shotevery day in a programmelaunched jointly by Department ofAnimal Husbandry, UD&HD andSikkim Police.

Responding to the risingnumber of dog bite cases in thecapital, the Animal HusbandryDepartment has taken on the un-pleasant and thankless job of kill-ing the strays.

According to Dr. HK Chettri,Joint Director, Animal Husbandry& Veterinary Services, the pro-gramme, which was launched on 17May, has been targeting, in its firstphase, areas like Nam-Nang, OldMarket, Arithang, Baluakhani, Ti-bet and Kazi Road, DPH, Devel-opment Area, Indira Byepass,Tadong and Ranipool.

After the initial drive inGangtok gets over on 26 May,similar programmes will be con-ducted in Panchayat level areasaround the capital.

“The areas have been identifiedafter checking records of dog bitecases at STNM, which has handledover 300 cases this year itself. Weare not only aware of the problembut have taken several measures tocounter it,” informs Dr. Chettri.

According to him, in October

last year, the Department held ajoint meeting with other concerneddepartments on Rabies control. Inthe meeting, it was agreed that atthe time of an epidemic or an out-break all these departments wouldcollectively handle the problem. Itwas decided that UD&HD wouldprovide the labour, except forPanchayat level areas, while vehi-cles and supervisors would begiven by Animal Husbandry De-partment and Sikkim Police wouldprovide one shooter.

With public complaints of dogbite cases increasing, the depart-ment held a meeting recently andcreated an action plan for the con-trol of Rabies. The three-prongedapproach was, compulsory Pre-Ex-posure Vaccination, registrationand licensing of all pet animals andelimination of stray dogs.

“We have also decided to prop-erly dispose the dead animals as itis very important to avoid contami-nation,” adds Dr. Chettri. The car-

cass of the dead animals will be dis-posed in dug up trenches and cov-ered by soil at Marchak, nearRanipool. All this will be done un-der supervision, he informs.

This drastic step taken by thedepartment sounds rather inhu-man. Is there no other way of han-dling it?

“Under the Prevention of Cru-elty to Animals Act, the law doesnot allow this. But this is an epi-demic and this is the only solutionwe have at present,” he states cat-egorically.

Officers from the departmentclaim that lack of adequate facili-ties makes it impossible to attemptmore humane ways of dealing withthe problem. While many advocatetranquillising the dogs with darts,the department considers it to be amore risky approach.

According to Ms. KarunaChettri, in July 2003 an AnimalBirth Control Programme waslaunched in Gangtok and neigh-

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bouring areas. The Animal Hus-bandry Department offered Rs. 50to any person who brought a straydog to the veterinary hospital forsterilization. A total of 200 dogswere sterilized but the programmehas not been too successful.

Moreover, the department doesnot have adequate manpower to

conduct such a mass sterilizationprogramme.

As a long-term solution anNGO has been entrusted withfunds to construct a shelter fordestitute animals, including straydogs at Ranka.

“We will bring the situationunder control. We request the pub-lic to support and co-operate,” ap-peals Dr. Chettri.

He also asks pet owners to gettheir pets registered and to ensurethat they wear the tag always so asto avoid getting shot by mistake!

While one appreciates the con-straints the department works un-der, why can’t a problem like thisnot be addressed all year long?Why do we have to wait for an‘epidemic’ for action and excusesto emerge?

35!THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF STRAY DOGSSHOT IN GANGTOK STREETS EVERYDAY

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Kutse SheguThe 49th Day Kutse Shegu of our beloved mother, late Mrs. Yang DomaBhutia [Yundu], who left for her heavenly abode on 7 April falls on 25May. [The Kutshe Shegu date in another weekly paper has been mistak-enly printed please ignore that date, the correct date in 25 May].

All friends, relatives and well wishers, are requested to join us inoffering prayers for the departed soul at our residence at residenceat Tibet Road (above LCC Computers) Gangtok.

We wish to thank all those who stood by us during the time ofbereavement and regret our inability to thank them individually.

Karma Tashi Bhutia (Son); Passang Doma Lachungpa (Daughter in Law);

Gomphu Tshering Bhutia (Son); Rinzing Tsomo Bhutia (Daughter in Law);

Tashi Namgyal Bhutia (Son)

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Kutse SheguThe 49th day Kutse Shegu of late Kezang Bhutia who left forheavenly abode on 14th April 2004 falls on 1st June 2004. Allrelatives, friends and well-wishers are requested to kindly at-tend the Shegu ceremony at the family residence at GangyapBusty, South Sikkim. We would also like to take this opportu-nity to thank all those who stood by us during our time ofbereavement.

Ongda Lepcha (son), Pasang Lepcha(son),

Pem Tsewang (son) and family members.

Phone: 263142 [r], Mobile: 98320-17811, 94341-96366

SEARCHING FORSABU

I am in Search of my friend whois a Photographer in SikkimHerald. Please help me toreach this message to him.

Please pass on this mes-sage to Sabu, the photogra-pher of Sikkim Herald who isretired from Indian Navy.

Dear Sabu,

This is Shaji Thomas from

Kodanchery. My house name is

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Hope that you must be

remebering your college mate

and class mate. We were to-

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I worked in Govt of Sikkim for

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I got your whereabouts

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India is a “weak democracy” dueto corruption and lack of accountability in its public insti-

tutions, according to a study.The Global Integrity Report,

prepared by the US-based Centrefor Public Integrity after a yearlongstudy of 25 countries, has put In-dia in the “weak” category on a‘public integrity index’, which is ameasure of the existence and effec-tiveness of laws and institutionsthat promote accountability andlimit corruption.

Giving a timeline of corruptionover the past two decades in the coun-try, the report stated, “The absenceof any meaningful law to monitor thefunding of political parties has beena glaring limitation in the Indian elec-toral/political system.”

There is also a “clear lack oftransparency” about the source ofparty funds and there is no provi-sion for mandatory disclosure ofaccounts statements, it said.

The report further said a majorbottleneck in the Indian democraticand legal framework is a lack oftransparency about the functioningof the government.

“This lack of transparency em-powered the bureaucracy in signifi-

cant ways and paved the way forabuse of power,” it said.

The study found that whilepowerful laws were in place in In-dia to deal with corrupt practices,the challenge lay in their effectiveimplementation. “The system as awhole does not seem to have effec-tive checks in place to prevent ortackle corruption.

“The war against corruption istoday largely waged by a few iso-lated individuals, select citizengroups, a sprinkling of committedofficers and the judiciary.”

On the Right to InformationAct, 2002, the report said, “Thebureaucracy entrusted with the re-sponsibility of making the act op-erational has delayed the entireprocess and created more obstaclesin the process in the name of en-suring fairness and justice for all.”

The Global Integrity Report,prepared by a team of over 150 so-cial scientists, journalists, research-ers, writers and editors, in fact,found that not one out of the 25surveyed countries could be giventhe top ranking of “very strong” foranticorruption practices.

“This study shows that no coun-try — regardless of wealth, size or

population — is immune from cor-ruption,” noted Charles Lewis, ex-ecutive director of the Centre forPublic Integrity, a non-profit or-ganisation that conducts researchon public policy issues in the USand around the world.

Of the five tiers — very strong,strong, moderate, weak and veryweak, just six countries ranked“strong.”

The US finished first, followedby Portugal, Australia, Italy, Ger-many and South Africa.

Seven countries — the Philip-pines, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil,Venezuela and Ghana received the“moderate” ranking, while India,Nigeria, Nicaragua, Ukraine, Indo-nesia, Namibia, Turkey and Russiaranked as “weak.”

Guatemala and Zimbabwe fin-ished in the “very weak” category.

“Corruption cannot thrive in anenvironment where the public isinformed as to the true extent andnature of abuses of power — sun-shine is the best disinfectant, as thesaying goes,” Lewis said. “Thisnew approach will enable the pub-lic to identify weaknesses in insti-tutions and laws that could bestrengthened.”

IS INDIA A WEAKDEMOCRACY?

KARAN SHAH

KALIMPONG, 23 May: TheAkhil Bharatiya Gorkha League(ABGL), a faction of the PeopleDemocratic Front (PDF), has as-sured the people of this town thatthey were going to prove them-selves in the elections to the Coun-cil in June.

In an address at “DamberChowk”, besides pointing out thepresent corrupt scenario in the hills,the ABGL requested the masses touse the elections to express theirdissatisfaction over the ‘inaction’ ofthe GNLF in brining about devel-opment in the town.

“In all these politically sup-pressed years in the hills corruptionhas peaked heights. Hence, to makeup for the lost years and to fightinjustice, the ABGL collectivelywith the four other parties formedthe PDF,” said Mr. Manoj Dewan,Assistant Secretary of CentralCommittee, ABGL.

The League, demanded the col-lective support of the masses for a“change In the hills” and stronglypointed out that GNLF support tothe Congress was only a “last mo-ment decision due to fear”.

Explaining why the Congressreceived such an overwhelmingsupport in the hills, Mr. MadanTamang-ABGL chairman, and thePDF secretary said that it was an

evidence of “Political Compulsion”and desire for change and develop-ment in the hills.

“The Lok Sabha elections can’tbe counted as a victory of the PDF,neither will the municipal polls.Real victory will only be consid-ered when the ABGL and PDF as awhole will win the Council Elec-tions by storm. Besides putting upcandidates, we will also supportother able candidates who we thinkcan provide the people with neces-sities like drinking water and properroads. We don’t want to play poli-tics but would rather work for de-velopment in the up-coming polls,”said Mr. Tamang.

The party strongly criticized thepresent lifestyle of the DGHC su-premo, Subash Ghishing as a “rec-luse”, saying it would never bringprogress.

While Dr. Harka BahadurChettri- General Secretary of theABGL (Kalimpong Branch), recall-ing that the municipal body 15years ago was far more concernedwith development as then it was anon political body said, “I will re-sign from the party and give uppolitics if the present GaulanLepcha (GNLF-MLA), will speakup on all the present issues in theassembly and bring about develop-ment”.

He further added that changecan only be brought collectively.

PDF intends to ‘Storm’ throughthe Council elections

24 May, 2004; NOW! 7

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This is to inform all concerned, that the Directo-rate of Technical Education is auctioning Wooden/RCC – framed structures at Bardang, Singtam ,Sikkim for serviceable materials including disman-tling of structures on “As is and where is basis”.Details of the structures are as under:1. Administrative Block

A single storeyed wooden structure measur-ing 185 sqm with internal partitions in woodand plywood panels. Ceiling is in plywood androof in plain M.S. sheets.

2. Academic BlockA single storeyed wooden structure measur-ing 550 sqm with internal partiations in woodand plywood panels. Ceiling is in plywood androof in plain M.S. sheets.

3. Computer LabA 100 sqm single storeyed Rcc framed struc-ture with internal portion walls in brickwork. Thebuilding is raised on 9 stilt columns of 3.75 mts.Height.

Tender forms can be obtained from the office ofthe Accounts Officer, Technical Education,Tashiling, Gangtok on production of Bank Receiptissued by the State Bank of Sikkim for Rs.300/-and creadited to M.H. 0203 – Technical Educa-tion towards “Cost of Tender forms” on workingday between 10.00 am to 4.00 pm on or before 4th

June 2004.The last date for submission of sealed quotationis 5th June 2004 on or before 2.00 pm and shallbe opened on the same day at 3.00 pm in theoffice of the Director, Technical Education,Gangtok, in presence of all the members of theTender Evaluation Committee. Representatives ofbidders may also be present.Cost of Security Deposit in the form of EarnestMoney Deposit (EMD)/ Tender Deposit Receipt(TDR) made from any Nationalised Bank isRs.5000/- (Rupees Five thousand only).Bids should be for all the three structures. PartBids shall be summarily rejected. The undersignedreserves the right to accept or reject any/all bidswithout assigning any reason thereof.

Director, Technical EducationEducation Department

Ph : (03592) 221610 Fax : (03592) 221611

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SAGAR CHETTRI

Sandhya Gurung, the firstwoman from Sikkim to takepart in an International Box-

ing Championship is back homeafter participating in the Interna-tional Ahmet Comert Women Box-ing Championship held at Istanbul,Turkey from 12-17 May.

Although Sandhya was oustedafter the Quarter Final matchagainst home team, Turkey, her per-formance has been commendable.

Sixteen teams were taking partin the tournament. Sandhya wasselected at the national levelcoaching camp held at Silura,Himachal Pradesh on 25-26 April.This was followed by anotherround of training at Jawahar NehruStadium, New Delhi. She left forIstanbul on 11 May, and althoughshe did not progress beyond thequarterfinal stage, the experiencehas left her happy.

“This was a completely newinternational experience for me.Although I was a bit confused ini-tially, now I feel I can handle in-ternational level tournaments,”she states.

Sandhya is no newcomer to thesport. Already 30 years old andmother of a 13 year old daughter,Sandhya has been inclined towards

athletics from a very young age.Married to senior boxing coachManoj Kumar Limboo [seen to-gether in above pic] , she creditshim for all her success.

“My husband is an armyboxer and when I showed inter-est in the sport he encouragedand inspired me.”

It was in the year 2000 thatSandhya was initiated into her box-ing career. At first she was askedto take part in a physical fitnessprogramme, after which she startedtraining under the guidance ofChief Coach JL Pradhan and herhusband Manoj.

“Soon I was taking part in manyboxing tournaments. I won a goldmedal and the Best Player awardin the State Open Boxing Champi-onship held in 2001,” she recalls.

The next big tournament wasthe 1st National Women BoxingChampionship held in Chennai fol-lowed by many state and nationallevel championships. In September2003 she was selected for a tour-nament in Italy which however gotcancelled at the last minute.

Again in February 2004 shewas selected for a tournament to beheld at Kathmandu, Nepal, whichwas later cancelled, due to politi-cal trouble. So this trip to Turkey

meant a lot for her. “My boxingcareer will be over by the time I’m34 so I am glad I could make it toat least one big international tour-nament,” she says.

For the next four years Sandhyaplans to keep herself fit and partici-pate in as many tournaments as shecan. For this she has a strict prac-tice regimen. Each morning shepractices at the White Hall Com-plex, which increases to twice a daybefore tournaments.

“I want to win some importanttitles before I retire,” she tells us.With an encouraging family sup-porting her, Sandhya has still sometime to go before she can call itquits. “I am very proud ofSandhya, she has not only broughtglory to Sikkim but also to thecountry as a whole. She is an ex-ample of how hard work and con-fidence can help you realize yourdreams,” says husband and men-tor, Manoj.

Sandhya, who is leaving soonfor a senior national level coach-ing camp to be held at Bangalore,says that women should never feelweak and vulnerable. “Believe inyourself and your ability to makethings happen. There is no pinna-cle you cannot reach,” she statesconfidently.

8; NOW!; 24 May, 2004

C M Y K

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

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MADRID: As if having a fairytalewedding was not enough luck forone day, Spain’s Prince Felipe, 36,and new wife Princess Letizia, 31,hit the jackpot yesterday with a lot-tery ticket given to them as a wed-ding present, state radio reported.

The happy couple - who wed in aglittering ceremony attended by theworld’s royalty yesterday - won 12,000euros [about U$20,000] on a ticketgiven to them by a Barcelona pensioner,National Spanish Radio said.

The retired employee of statetelevision - where Letizia Ortizworked until she became engaged- gave the couple 10 tickets. Oneticket won 12,000 euros and an-other, the number of which corre-sponded to the date of the wedding,

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The fairytale wedding cer-emony began as Letizia enteredMadrid’s Almudena Cathedral un-der a torrential downpour for thecapital’s first royal wedding innearly a century. But the rain didnot dampen the spirits of tens ofthousands of well-wishers strainingfor a view of the couple or watch-ing the ceremony on huge screens.

Felipe told guests at a weddinglunch he could not hide his happi-ness. “I’m sure that’s because I’vefulfilled a wish. I’ve married thewoman I love,” he said.

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CANNES, France: American film-maker Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit9/11,” a scathing indictment ofWhite House actions after the Sept.11 attacks, won the top prize Satur-day at the Cannes Film Festival

“Fahrenheit 9/11” was the firstdocumentary to win Cannes’ pres-tigious Palme d’Or since JacquesCousteau’s and Louis Malle’s “TheSilent World” in 1956.

“What have you done? I’m com-pletely overwhelmed by this. Merci,”Moore said after getting a standingovation from the Cannes crowd.

The grand prize, the festival’ssecond-place honor, went to SouthKorean filmmaker Park Chan-

onment.Moore was momentarily flab-

bergasted when he took the stageto accept the award, a big differ-ence from his fiery speech againstPresident Bush after winning thebest-documentary Academy Awardfor 2002’s “Bowling forColumbine.”

“You have to understand, thelast time I was on an awards stage,in Hollywood, all hell broke loose,”Moore said.

The best-actress award went toMaggie Cheung for her role in“Clean” as a junkie trying tostraighten out her life and regaincustody of her young son after herrock-star boyfriend dies of a drugoverdose.

Fourteen-year-old Yagira Yuuyawas named best actor for the Japa-nese film “Nobody Knows,” inwhich he plays the eldest of foursibling raised in isolation, whomust take charge of the familywhen their mother leaves.

MOORE’S ANTI-BUSH FILM WINS CANNES PRIZE

wook’s “Old Boy,” a blood-soakedthriller about a man out for revengeafter years of inexplicable impris-

DETROIT ZOO TOFREE ELEPHANTS

ON ETHICALGROUNDS

DETROIT: The Detroit Zoo in theUS will become the first major zooto stop exhibiting elephants on ethi-cal grounds because they can de-velop arthritis and stress-related ail-ments in captivity, officials said onThursday.

The Detroit Zoo has one of thelargest facilities in the US, but itsAsian elephants Winky and Wandastill have recurring foot problemsdue to the cold weather.

In the wild, elephants roam vastareas, live in large families, and ex-hibit some of the same social traitsas humans such as forming friend-ships and mourning for their dead.

Confined to zoos and circuses,elephants develop physical prob-lems and neurotic behaviors suchas rocking back and forth and ag-gressive behavior, he said.

Kagen likens the change to thedecision to stop performances byelephants and chimpanzees yearsago at the zoo because of the stressit placed on the animals.

The zoo expects to send Winkyand Wanda to an animal sanctuarythis summer where they can roamwith other elephants.