13 May, 2004; NOW! 1

C M Y K

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 12 May: The show-down at the ballot will be officiallyunderway by the time this editionreaches your hands. Counting forthe simultaneous Lok Sabha andAssembly polls held in Sikkim on10 May is scheduled to begin at8AM at all the four district head-quarters and as much as there mustbe butterflies in the stomachs of thecandidates and their supporters,there is also the nagging fear ofpost-poll violence in the minds ofthe electorate and the administra-tion. Those responsible for the lawand order situation assure that thereis enough deployment of paramili-tary forces in “sensitive” areas. The

administration is also emphatic instressing that anyone found insti-gating or indulging in any post-pollviolence will be dealt with“sternly.”

As for the people’s verdict, re-sults should start filtering in from9AM onwards. The first countingfor East district is also the one themost eagerly anticipated - that ofCentral Pendam, promoted as a

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

tough three-cornered fight betweenGorkha Apex Committee chairmanGM Rai, SDF first-time SomnathPaudyal and former CM and SPCC[I] president, Nar BahadurBhandari. Irrespective of what thefinal scoreline reads for this con-stituency, the vote distribution willbe indicative of how the rest of thedistrict has voted.

Much hangs on the fate of this

constituency - from a former CM’spolitical future to the public re-sponse to GAC’s line of argument.

Votes for this constituency,which has 15 polling stations, willbe counted in batches of 7, 7 and1. Being the first time that EVMrecords are tabulated in Sikkim,

this could take some time and of-ficials expect the final announce-ment by 9AM.

The next constituency to becounted is also rather high-profile- Rhenock. Here too, the fate of aformer Sangrami, now a Congress-

ADMINISTRATION GEARED TO CURTAIL POST-POLL VIOLENCE

COUNTING IN EAST TO BEGIN AND END

WITH PEOPLE’S VERDICT ON BHANDARI

SDF LEADERS ASSURE THERE WILL BE NOPOST-POLL VIOLENCE THIS TIME DETAILS ON pg 4

turn to pg 5

a NOW REPORT

GEYZING, 12 May: The Cong [I]candidate from Tashiding, SonamDadul, was arrested this evening atGeyzing on charges of outragingthe modesty of a woman and ob-structing a public servant from dis-charging her duties.

In what many are seeing as anact of desperation triggered by the

TASHIDING CONG CANDIDATEARRESTED FOR OUTRAGING THE

MODESTY OF A WOMAN!STOP-PRESS

possibility of a rout at the ballot,the candidate in question is allegedto have assaulted the SDM[Geyzing], Ms. Sumitra Pradhan,outside the west district countinghall here at Kyongsa ground.

The incident, which occured ataround 8PM in the night was re-portedly triggered after the candi-date got into an argument with theSDM who was there to supervisethe preparations for the counting tobe held on 13 May.

Continuing with the Congress’common refrain of the administra-tion working against them, theTashiding candidate allegedly lostcontrol over his temper and pulledand pushed at the SDM.

The official was lucky that theincident occured near the countinghall where a sizeable deploymentof paramilitary forces was in placeand help arrived before the situa-tion deteriorated.

turn to pg 4

iNSID

E

JEEP FALLS 300 FT, CLAIMS ONE LIFE - ON pg 3

SANG KHOLA REPOLL RECORDS AN INCREASE OF FIVE VOTERS OVER 10 MAY - ON pg 5

2; NOW!; 13 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

lsewhereeIRAQ / USA

What cruel, sick bastards.Indeed, you can’t get much morebarbaric than the filmed beheadingof 26-year-old Nick Berg thatsplashed across a terrorist group’sWeb site yesterday.

In case the world needed a re-minder of why America is waging itsWar on Terror, it got one yesterday.

It’s hard to imagine the terrorthat must have filled Berg in thosefinal moments as he realized hishooded captors really were goingto kill him.

It wasn’t enough that theyslaughtered the young Philadelphiabusinessman like a sheep and heldhis severed head aloft as if it werea trophy. No, they filmed the wholething for the world to see.

Soldiers don’t behave like that.Only cowards and thugs do.Now it’s time to ratchet up the

response to this war.Forget Abu Ghraib.The abuse committed there by

a handful of soldiers was not typi-cal; nor is it acceptable.

But the beheading of Nick Bergis par for the course for al Qaeda.

Of course, the terrorists ofMuntada al-Ansar, an al Qaeda off-shoot, claimed they were acting inretaliation for the Abu Ghraibabuses.

Bull.There were no known abuses at

Abu Ghraib when Wall Street Jour-nal reporter Daniel Pearl and Italianhostage Fabrizio Quattrocchi weremurdered by Islamic terrorists.

And the events at Abu Ghraibhad not yet come to light when fren-

zied crowds in Fallujah burned andmutilated the bodies of four Ameri-cans and strung them from a bridge.

No, the massacre of Nick Berghad nothing to do with Abu Ghraib.

Instead, this slaying was aboutthe war against the West in general- and America, in particular. Indeed,the beheading may have been car-ried out personally by Abu Musabal-Zarqawi, a top aide of Osama binLaden.

Some people - some Americans- have forgotten about 9/11.

That attack should have beenenough to justify all-out war. Butthe hand-wringing over the war inIraq - and over even the modeststeps America took to defend itself,like the Patriot Act - suggests thatfolks truly have lost sight of whatthe war is about.

Yesterday they got a shockingreminder. And now they know: Thiswar cannot be waged with half-measures.

It can end only with the totalannihilation of those who practicebutchery and barbarism. Those whohave set as their goal the destruc-tion of America.

There is no negotiating withsuch people. There can be no com-promise with those who mean todestroy us.

Yesterday, the White Housepromised to “pursue those respon-sible and bring them to justice.”

That’s the least of it.America has to come out

swinging.And not stop until every last

one of the savage thugs is dead.If that means a resumption of

major combat in Iraq, so be it.Would it mean another division

or so of combat troops to get thejob done?

Turn to our garrisons in Europe,or Korea, to get them.

In sufficient numbers to get thejob done.

To hell with political sensitivi-ties in the region.

To hell with negotiating withradical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr inNajaf and the Sunni insurgents inFallujah.

To hell with handing SaddamHussein over to Iraqis, as somewant to do, and risking some re-verse - perverse - kangaroo trial thatresults in his survival.

Evil, cutthroat terrorists need tobe eradicated.

Let’s face it: This is a job that’sgoing to take overwhelming - yes,brutal - force. There is simply no“nice” or painless way to accom-plish this.

As yesterday’s slaughtershowed (yet again), the enemy isbound by no moral compunctions.

America won’t go that far.But it had better steel it’s back-

bone and get ready to fight like itmeans it.

It’s the only way to win this war.

-editorial featured inThe New York Post

-51-

There was another kind oftrouble with my master. Inthe beginning when I started

writing down my childhood memo-ries, I found that writing made mevery sleepy. I was so lazy that of-ten instead of writing I fell asleep,and then I would not write muchduring the day. Sometimes I onlywrote one or two pages, though Ihad promised my master to writemany. I had another bad habit. Fora week I might be very industriousin reading or writing, and then allof a sudden I would stop for manydays. When my master would findthat out, he would become angry.

Then I did mot show myselfbefore I had written some pages toshow him and to bring him the goodwork to make him forget his anger.So when my master was angry Iwould have to work very hard writ-ing my story. At such times hewould not call me to help him, andI would have no other work to do.Then I would sit down and writemany, many pages instead of do-ing my housework. But when Ishowed him these pages he readthem silently and not aloud asusual, and then he would not cor-rect these pages as at other times

and explain to me my mistakes inwriting. That would show his badtemper. Whenever I noticed this Ialways tried to smile happily whenhe looked angrily at me. It was re-ally like some kind of game orjoke, but in the beginning thishappened fairly often, perhapsonce a month.

I do not mean to say thatmy master was usually angryor by nature grumpy. On thecontrary, he was nearly alwaysjolly and happy. In the begin-ning of my service I did notquite know his habits and hislikes, and I only graduallylearned that he thought keep-ing a promise very important.He used to say, “A man a man,a word a word.” So I learned fromhim to be careful with my prom-ises and really to be punctual. Af-ter the first year of my service ithappened less and less that mymaster got angry with me, for heknew me better and I knew him

better and so at last there were nomore black clouds in our house.

One day I told my master that Ihad fallen in love with a Tibetan

girl from Darjeelingand my master wasexceedingly as-tonished to hear

it. “What. Twan Yang! You reallyin love with a girl?” “Yes, master,that is true.”

Then I told the story. Some timein March, 1938, I went for myweekly treat of Chinese food toChinatown, to the Chinese restau-

rant. There I saw two girls havingtheir chow or dinner, the older ofwhom I recognized as being fromKalimpong. She told me that shewas living with her husband inAlipore. We sat talking for sometime but the other girl did not speakto me at all. When they had finished

their food the girl fromKalimpong said, “Why notcome and visit us inAlipore from time totime?”

I said, I shall be quitepleased to come if yourhusband would not ob-ject.”

“Oh, not at all, my hus-band knows you verywell.” Then they went

away and I also returned home.That other girl was quite young andlooked very charming, with a roundface, but her nose was a little flat;her complexion was yellowish-brown. Up till now I had practicallynever been in the company of

women and had never talked muchwith them, but this new girl some-how made me think about womenand about marriage and about thecomfort a wife would be. I did notlike to spoil the young strength ofmy body with ordinary women, andso I felt that I should have a wifeand I prayed earnestly to God togrant me the fulfilment of my wish.I could not marry a Chinese womanas Chinese women do not come totheir husbands because of love, andI could not afford to pay a largebride price. It is not only good fora boy like me to marry, but also verygood for a girl to have a young boyof her own so that they may livetogether as a loving couple of goodcharacter and behaviour, and learnto manage the household togetherneatly and well. This is the customof us people in the hills. Now I hadlearnt, as a matter of fact, which thepeople on the roof were saying be-hind my back that I was a loafer anda bad fellow because at my age Ihad not yet married, as was the cus-tom. So I felt that I had to becomea lion boy, showing my pridethrough wife and children, andearning the respect of others as thefather of those children.

-to be continued

NICK BERG’S MURDER

Before The Results

Are Announced...The people’s verdict on the past five years will be made public be-fore this edition of the daily gets dated. The Electronic Voting Ma-chines, for all their teething problems, have not only conveniencedvoting, but also the tabulation of the votes. Manual counting whichwould earlier stretch from late into the night to the wee hours of thenext morning is now a thing of the past and the only time-consum-ing factor of the counting process now is the official recording of theresults on paper. As for the rest, how fast Sikkim gets the verdictwill depend on how fast the officials responsible for counting canunseal the EVMs and how fast they can use the calculators to tabu-late the records stored in the EVMs.

This is good. One fear that has returned to Sikkim with the pollsis that of post-poll violence. Such violence, like any reaction is oftwo types - instantaneous and planned. The faster counting assuresthat the first reaction, except when it is of jubilation, will not happen.Because the results will be announced before dark, it would leavethose instigating such admonition with the risk of getting identifiedtoo easily. The Sikkimese society still has that decorum which doesnot allow in-your-face aggression. As for planned rampages, thepolice now has the experience of 1999 to counter such excesses.Whoever forms the government today should realise that thereshould be no administrative consent for vengeance. Even if onewere to ignore the ethics and morality of this stand, it does not bodewell for a fresh government to sponsor anarchy. There will be enoughtroubles hitting Sikkim in the next five years to actually manufactureone at the threshold of a new term itself. Irrespective of the verdict,the first week of the Seventh Legislative Assembly of Sikkim will setthe tone for the next five years.

While those in power will do what they have to, there is alsoneed to demand that those in the Opposition start delivering what isexpected of them. While Sikkim has enjoyed the democratic libertyof electing its representatives since 1979, it has not yet experiencedthe power of the Opposition. Elected as the watchdogs over thepowers that be, the Opposition in Sikkim has been an absolute fail-ure. Most times it has been nonexistent. Chamling played out therole of an Opposition to the hilt and was rewarded with the reins ofpower by the people. No other Opposition leader has repeated thefeat simply because they failed in the role given to them. No onewants them to take to the streets at every pretext, but it would benice to know from time to time that there is an Opposition in Sikkim.

Thinking of love, marriage and

the headache they entail

13 May, 2004; NOW! 3

C M Y K

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a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 12 May: In a fatal accident a petroljeep, No. SK-02 / 4541, skidded off the road andfell down the mountain side more than 300 feet atBojoghari just above Mandy Khola [above pic].The accident occurred at around 3 PM, today, 12May which saw heavy rains in the late afternoon.

The jeep was on its way to Lachung from

JEEP FALLS 300 FT, CLAIMS ONE LIFE

Gangtok with three passengers who had just com-pleted a shopping trip here. Of the three, LobzangLachungpa, 26, succumbed to his injuries on hisway to the hospital.

The other two, Pema Lachungpa and DorjeeLachungpa have been admitted at STNM hospi-tal and have sustained grievous injuries. Thecause of the accident is not known.

a NOW REPORT

NAMCHI, 12 May: Kumari Rai,a resident of Ongku, Singhingblock, West Sikkim, who had gonemissing since the morning of 11May was reported to have beenfound hanging from the branch ofa tree. Her dead body was found at

around 4 PM the same day by asearch party from her village.

According to reports, KumariRai who was a married woman of35 years of age had gone out to cutgrass for her livestock on the morn-ing of 11 May. According to herhusband, Balbir Rai, when his wifedid not return home the villagers

began searching for her. She waseventually spotted by her sonSherang Rai in the jungles about 2km from their home. She was foundhanging from a branch of a tree.According to her husband, KumariRai was not suffering from anymental disorder.

According to police personnel,

the cause of death is not yet knownand investigations are on. The in-vestigating team from Mangleypolice out post brought the deadbody to Namchi General Hospitalfor post mortem which was laterhanded over to the family members.Kumari Rai is survived by her hus-band and 2 sons and 2 daughters.

MISSING WOMAN FOUND HANGING

Reddy

chosen

Andhra CLP

leader

Congress leader Dr Y SRajasekhar Reddy will be

Andhra Pradesh’s new chief min-ister.

Reddy, who steered the party toa landslide victory, was unani-mously elected Congress legisla-ture party leader at a meeting of thenew legislators in Hyderabad onWednesday.

His name was proposed byPCC president D Srinivas, who wasalso said to have been one of thecontenders, and seconded by sen-ior leader K Ranga Rao. All theMLAs seconded his candidature bya voice vote

Midway through the two-hourmeeting, Congress general secre-tary Ghulam Nabi Azad and Reddycalled up party chief Sonia Gandhi“to take her clearance”, J GeetaReddy, state Mahila Congresspresident, said.

The CM will be sworn in at1PM, May 14, Azad said

Couple

injured in road

accidentRANGPO: PK Pradhan and wifeAnjana Pradhan sustained grievousinjuries in an accident at Mandi Fatak,Rangpo on 10 May, when a car belong-ing to Sanjay Harijan of Rangpo hit thescooter that they were traveling in. Thedriver of the vehicle was arrested andthe injured couple were taken to STNMHospital for medical treatment.

SuicidePAKYONG: The body of SohanMangu of Lingeythang was foundin a dry field here. He had appar-ently committed suicide by hanginghimself with the help of a rope. Hisbody was discovered by one DeepakRai who filed a complaint with thepolice. Soham Mangu who was 40years old is believed to have beensuffering from chronic alchololism.

write NOW! Democracy does notonly allow a person the liberty ofholding an opinion, but also ex-pressing it publicly. If you feelstrongly about something that hasbeen reported in NOW!, thenshare it with a wider audience.write to: NOW!, Gairi Gaon,Tadong, East Sikkim. Or email:sikkimnow@ rediffmail.com

4; NOW!; 13 May, 2004

C M Y K

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HIGH VOTER TURNOUT SHOWS THAT DEMOCRACY IS IN FULL PLAY HERE: GYAMTSO

SDF LEADERS ASSURE THERE WILL BENO POST-POLL VIOLENCE THIS TIME

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 12 May: Sikkim hasrecorded one of the highest voterturnouts - if not the highest - in thecountry with over 78 per cent of theeligible voters exercising theirdemocratic rights. This, accordingto SDF party spokesperson andRajya Sabha MP, PT Gyamtso, isclear indication that democracy isalive and thriving here.

“Sikkim recording one of thehighest voter turnouts is a clearmessage that democracy is in fullplay in the state,” Mr. Gyamtsosaid while addressing a press con-ference here today.

Gangtok, though, recorded thelowest voter participation [inSikkim] in the just concluded poll-ing for the assembly and parliamen-tary seats. With barely 60 per centof the town’s electorate casting theirvotes, Gangtok has proven the soci-ologists right that the relatively com-fortable lifestyles of the people liv-ing in urban centres makes them fretless over their political rights.

According to BB Gooroong,political advisor to the chief min-ister, cities are places where the “in-

telligentsia” sip their coffee oversober thoughts and “say somethingbut do something else.” So, weshould not be much concernedabout the low voter turnout at thecapital town, he says.

The poll process over, most arenow worried about how the vari-ous leaders involved in the elec-

tions will respond to the results, wllof which will be announced beforethe sun sets on 13 May.

Both, Mr. Gyamtso and Mr.Gooroong categorically rule out thepossibility of any post poll violencesponsored by their party in the state.

Speaking on this, Mr. Gyamtsoadmitted that though the last electionshad witnessed some violence after thepolls, now the administration wasbetter prepared to not only handlesuch situations, but also pre-empt it.

“We have made all arrange-ments and taken the necessarymeasures to ensure that the postpoll scenario in the state remainspeaceful,” Mr. Gyamtso said.

Reacting to a report that theCongress had made a submissionto the governor to ensure that therewas no post-poll violence, Mr.Gooroong said, “If they say they aregoing to form the government withtheir projection of 19 seats, whywrite to the Governor about post-poll violence since the administra-tion will then be under their con-trol? If they are confident then whyworry about post poll violence?”

On the poll process itself, Mr.Gooroong expressed satisfaction

that the polls had ended assmoothly as expected.

Ruling out the possibility of asimulation of the Andhra Pradesh -

[where the chief minister,Chandrababu Naidu and his partywere swept out of power after rul-ing for nine years] experience inSikkim, Mr. Gooroong said that Mr.Chamling as the chief minister herehad “real contact” with the massesespecially the poor.

“The ground reality here is dif-ferent as our leader has imple-mented developmental projects ina very balanced way. Moreover heis pro-poor and has support rightdown to the grassroots,” Mr.Gooroong said.

“We will cross 30 seats thistime,” Mr. Gooroong said confi-dently. The constituencies where hethought the SDF would face atough fight were Ranka, Yuksomand Dzongu.

On the question of a possiblesuccessor to the SDF party president,Mr. Gooroong said, “SDF is synony-mous with Chamling. At this junc-ture we are not even considering thequestion of a successor.”

PT Gyamtso BB Gooroong

When the matter was reportedby the SDM and cops deployed toarrest the errant candidate, the situ-ation threatened to turn volatilegiven the fact that the candidatewas accompanied by his youth.Reports suggest that the youth triedto prevent the arrest and there wasmuch shouting going on, but thenthe CRPF and the local police,which has already proven itselfonce with the nabbing of ten youthwith explosives in the west districtforests, proved itself again and dis-persed the youth in no time.

The candidate was arrested andtaken to the Geyzing Thana wherehe will be lodged for the night.

Senior police officials, whilespeaking to NOW! revealed that

TASHIDING CONG CANDIDATE ARRESTED...the candidate will be released inthe morning so that he can attendthe counting process. The caseagainst him will, however, beprocessed and he will bechargesheeted soon, they add.

Given the rather overt signalconveyed by the incident that somecandidates could resort to violencein the district [something that the

district administration was alreadypreparing for], security arrange-ments here have been furtherbeefed up.

“It is obvious that some lead-ers are just looking for an excuseto create a nuiscance and resort toviolence. We are preparing now foran even stronger crackdown,” asenior police official said.

Contd from pg 1

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man, KN Upreti, squares up againstan SDF first-timer, Bhim Dhungel.

Observers are convinced thatthe results from these two constitu-encies will be strong enough point-ers for the rest of the district withreal interest surfacing only with thelast constituency to be counted -Gangtok, where again Mr. Bhandariwill feature as a candidate againsthis former ally and two-timeGangtok MLA, NK Pradhan.

Shifting focus to South, this isone district that does not have eitherpost-poll violence worries or compli-cated constituencies to tabulate.

DC [South] Vishal Chauhanreports that they have received noreports of possible violence afterthe votes are counted. His worriesare further reduced by the fact thatthree constituencies have alreadyposted uncontested victors. Withonly four constituencies to count,the final results from South shouldbe announced by midday.

SP [South] MS Tuli, is leavingnothing to chance. While speakingto NOW!, he revealed that the se-curity arrangement put in place forthe pre-poll phase is being main-tained for the post-poll scene too.The security personnel, he pointsout, are therefore already in placeas they had been posted at areaswhere pre poll violence was ex-pected. He also informed that pre-ventive arrests had already beenmade before the polls and that therewas no major anticipation of vio-lence in his district.

West could get troublesomewith counting. With nine constitu-encies to tabulate and sitting onsome established trouble-spots, thedistrict administration in WestSikkim is working overtime to meetany eventuality.

Speaking to NOW!, the DC[West], R. Telang, admitted thathis office has been getting reportsof “some candidates” preparing fora “show of strength” after the bal-lot showdown was over. TheCRPF is on alert and the cops sen-sitised to possible flare-ups andprimed to crackdown on any vio-lence, he assured.

“We have also spoken to allcandidates and told them to restrictthe number of people accompany-

ing them for the counting and alsomade it clear that no leniency willbe shown if there is any violence,”he said.

SP [West], A. Chand adds thatdeployment of extra security forceshas already been made. In addition,there will be restriction on the en-try of vehicles from the morning of13 May into Geyzing. He furtherinforms that he has enough person-nel at hand to handle any untowardsituation and assures that there isnothing to worry about.

East, which had experienced aspecially vicious round of post-pollviolence in 1999, too, is better pre-pared this time assure senior policeofficials. Though they won’t di-vulge their exact plans to meet anyeventuality, officials assure thatenough measures have been takenin anticipation of post-poll violencein the district to thwart “any effort,by anybody” to vitiate the peace.

North, with one seat alreadydecided uncontested has onlyLachen-Mangshila and Dzongu tocover apart from the Sangha andMP votes. The counting processshould get over rather fast there too.

Some potential trouble spotshave been identified and redeploy-ment of CRPF has been arranged.Though no preventive arrests havebeen made, if they get any indica-tion that the situation could turn vio-lent, the police will round up possi-ble troublemakers who have alreadybeen identified and observed. Meas-ures are also being taken to prevent‘troublemakers’ from outsideSikkim entering the state.

Given that elections continue tobe such an emotional experience,it will be a minor miracle if the an-nouncement of results don’t throwup some “emotional reactions.”

Contd from pg 1

The final countdown

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 12 May: The SangKhola polling booth under Sang-Martam constituency went for arepoll today as directed by the Elec-tion Commission of India. Therepoll had been ordered due to themalfunctioning of the EVM beingused for the assembly voting on theofficial polling date, 10 May.

As known from reports, a totalof 754 people came to cast theirvote as against the 749 who hadturned up on 10 May. Bulk of theelectorate turned up before 11 AMby when 262 had already exercisedtheir franchise.

Perhaps because it was a work-ing day, the voters trickled in smallbatches through the day and the fi-nal number of voters by the end ofthe day had gone up to 754, an in-crease of 5 voters as compared withthe previous figure of 749. Thepolling station covers a total of1051 voters.

The polling was conducted

SANG KHOLA REPOLL RECORDS AN INCREASEOF FIVE VOTERS OVER 10 MAY

The polling staff [above] at the Sang Khola polling station [below]during a lean period through the day’s repoll on 12 May

peacefully with a brief period of ten-sion when some youth were foundloitering about the polling station.When picked up on suspicion, oneof the boys was found carrying akhukuri, a banned item under theSection 144 imposed in the district.

This person, along with his ac-complices was detained and pro-duced before the Returning Officer,K. Srinivas’ office and kept under

observation till 5 PM [the officialclose of voting time] and then re-leased with a warning.

Congress candidate SonamBhutia who was present at the poll-ing station when NOW! visited thespot expressed satisfaction with thesecurity arrangement as well as forthe decision of the Election Com-mission ordering a repoll at thepolling station.

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C M Y K

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Ama Dithi(mother), Khilook Bhutia (brother-in-law), Pema Bhutia(sister)

Khedup Tshering(brother-in-law), Pasang lamu(sister), Karma Dolma(neice),

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Kutse SheguThe 49th Day Shegu of our beloved father Late Tenzing Bhutiawho left for his heavenly abode on 28.3.04 falls on Saturday,15 May. All friends, relatives and well-wishers are requestedto join us in offering prayers for the departed soul at ourresidence at Tadong, near Maskey Petrol pump. We wouldalso like to take this opportunity to thank all those who stoodby us at the time of our bereavement.

Karma Tsering Bhutia, Dy.SP (Son)

Ninjey Tsering Bhutia (Daughter)

Karma Doma (Daughter-in-law); Karma Gyaltsen (Son-in-law)

a NOW REPORT

GANGTOK, 12 May: EncheySenior Secondary School, one ofthe oldest schools in the state is to-day a sad reflection of its formerself. Cracked walls, broken win-dowpanes, doors hanging on theirhinges and leaking classrooms aresome of the dismal sights mostlikely to greet you these days. Theschool, although located amidstlush greenery is in a bad shape andthe stench of decay and negligencecan be felt all around.

“We desperately need funds formaintenance,” admits Principal BTLama, who, along with his staff, hasbeen trying to manage the best thathe can with the meager funds avail-able to him.

Annually, the school receivesRs. 42,000 as Ancillary Fund alongwith Rs. 6000 for stationery. Whilethis is just not enough to maintainthe conditions at the school, it isalso not possible to raise moneyfrom other sources.

“Most of the students come

from villages or from economicallydeprived families, it is not possibleto raise money from private dona-tions either,” says a teacher at theschool.

Problems faced by the students,especially in the Primary section aretoo many to recount. But the mostpressing is the condition of the roofand walls.

“We are afraid of the rainy days.Water floods the classrooms and wecannot even put our feet on theground. We may soon need umbrel-las to sit inside the class,” say stu-dents in jest.

But the situation is anything butfunny. The school auditorium, in atotal state of disrepair, with evenits famed decorative dragon stolen,remains unused as it routinely getswater logged. With monsoon wait-ing to unleash its full fury, is it anywonder that the faculty is deeplydisturbed about this.

“Will someone come and seethe conditions at the school forthemselves and do something aboutit?” asks an anguished teacher.

The school lacks many otherfacilities. The playgrounds for foot-ball, volleyball and other outdooractivity are located in a sinking areaand are always water clogged.Slushy and muddy at all times, it isimpossible for the children to playhere.

The litany of complaints con-tinues and who can blame them?

The primary school buildingsand the teachers quarters are in anequally bad shape. Both are locatedin a sinking area and defy repair andmaintenance.

“We are planning to shift theprimary section to the hostel ifthings do not improve,” informsMr. Lama. Needless to say, the hos-tel has been unoccupied for a longtime too.

And things will not improveunless ample funds are made avail-able for repair and maintenancework. Enchey Senior SecondarySchool has alumni ranging fromgovernment servants to ministers,perhaps they could come togetherand help the school recover itssense of pride in being one of theoldest in the state?

“Does anyone care?” ask stu-dents and teachers.

Does anyone?

AN EDUCATIONIN NEGLECT

ENCHEY SENIOR

SECONDARY SCHOOL

from top to bottom:� The hollowed out auditorium witha leaking roof, missing windowpanes and broken flooring� The haunted look of what musthave been a handsome school.� The primary section held up bywalls that are peeling off andcracked

13 May, 2004; NOW! 7

C M Y K

� NEWSSCAN

As we moved towards the fa-

miliar, I heard the faintsound of drizzle on the

hood of the jeep. The roadbegan to look wet and fresh as

the rain began to pour. Thecar swished its way

through thenarrow hill-side, over

culverts as itsprayed water on the sides.

Involuntarily I found myself reachingout to grasp the spray. I began to feel cheerful inspite of my resolution tofeel otherwise. As the car moved down to the lowlands before its steepclimb towards Lenchithang, the weather changed. It was no longer rain-ing in the low land. Infact the heavy air forebode a storm. The weathercould not dampen my spirits. Before long I knew I would be sitting withgrandmother and regaling her about my school and all my friends likeSrena, Piyush, Ram etc. The car winded its way up. I began counting theturning. After we took nine small turning, the car took a swerve and therebefore my very eyes I could see Lenchithang plastered over the hillsidelike a very beautiful picture post card. Every minute my house seemed tobe growing as our jeep surged towards it. The maize plants on the roadsidesseemed to be moving back as the car slowly wound its way down the hill.The rose brier cleaving its way up the white walls of our house, the lowstone boundary, the fruit trees on the western slope of our land the heav-enly smell of wood smoke made me made me happy yet melancholic in astrange sort of way. Finally we reached home and as the car stopped onthe cobbled driveway I leapt out and rushed to the south wing of thehouse. The verandah was empty; the white chair was no longer there. Myaunt was hovering around the doorway expectantly as I ran up the stairsshouting, “Anyo, anyo.” [Grandma]

My resolution not to talk to her faded. Fear and uncertainty grippedme. The rooms seemed empty without her so I ran up the stairs to thesecond floor as I had seen her do the day I left for school. For the firsttime in my life I realized that my grandmother had gone back on herwords. My aunt engulfed me in her arms as she softly whimpered andsaid my grandmother had become a star. I tore away from her lies, rushedto the window, howled into the night as I stared at the overcast sky.

-concluded

KATHMANDU, 12 May: Thesecond day of two day generalstrike called by agitating five partyalliance has crippled the normal lifethroughout Nepal Wednesday.

Normal life across the countrycame to a standstill as all factories,educational institutions, marketsremained closed and no vehiclesplied on the streets today.

NEW DELHI, 12 May: VariousIndian television news channelsare working overtime to ensurefull coverage of the results of thejust-concluded national polls onThursday.

The mammoth voting exercisewhich lasted for five-phases andover a month has the exit polls pre-dicting a real possibility of PrimeMinister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s rul-ing federal alliance not returning topower, a dramatic turnaround for aman brimming with confidencewhen he called for election six

months earlier than scheduled.National channels like Zee

News, New Delhi Television, SaharaTelevision, Star and Aaj Tak havetheir vans equipped with satellitedishes parked outside the offices ofvarious political parties to catch onthe backroom negotiations going onfor government formation.

For over a month, the channelshave been showing live coverageof campaigning, voting, opinionand exit polls, through video satel-lites and phones in a bid to presentfirst pictures to the viewers.

Rajdeep Sardesai, ManagingEditor of NDTV said their idea wasto present comprehensive coverageof the counting. “We are geared upby having reporters across the coun-try. There are more than 100 report-ers in English and Hindi in everystate capital and we have 18 OBvans in all state capitals and fourin Delhi in seven different loca-tions, the idea being that we cancover every possible movement inthe election, whether it’s the Con-gress, the Bharatiya Janata Party,the Third Front or the smaller par-

INDIAN MEDIA GOES BERSERK OVERPOLL COUNTING PREPARATIONS

ties. So, the idea is to be as com-prehensive as possible,” saidSardesai.

Analysts say Indian reportingunlike CNN or BBC famous fortheir one-sided way in which theyhave covered Iraq, is pretty muchsubjective.

Aaj Tak has started a program“Sau reporters sau ghante” (100reporters for 100 hours) to cater toits niche Hindi language audience,spread mostly in the heartland,which plays a key role in govern-ment formation. Radio broadcast-

ers would go live from 8 a.m., whenthe counting starts till late night.

Zee News has erected mobilestudios in various capital cities fornews discussions.

“We have just got this new stu-dio made just for election countingand the last exit polls for this oneweek of the biggest festival of de-mocracy. And the kind of response,it became almost a security prob-lem for us yesterday when we weredoing exit polls,” said Alka Saxena,Executive Editor, Programming, ofZee News.

Political activists belonging tofive party alliance took out sepa-rate rallies in different nooks andcorners to coerce the people toclose down their business shuttersin the valley.

Official works have also beenhampered due to participation ofgovernment employees in the streetrallies [pic alongside].

The students of various campuses in the val-ley obstructed vehicular movement by burningtyres on the roads since early this morning. Pro-test rallies were taken out in Bhaktapur, Lalitpurand Kathmandu districts since today morning.

The agitators have locked up the offices ofsome of the District Development chairmen anddeputy chairmen in the eastern Nepal.

courtesy: Kathmandu Post

GENERAL STRIKE CRIPPLES NEPAL

8; NOW!; 13 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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ARIES: You may go on a long trip. Specu-

lation will yield returns. You may take up

a new assignment. You may go on a long

trip. An overseas job is indicated. Those

continuing their studies will do well. Po-

litical life will be very successful.

TAURUS: There will be no changes in your

routine. Cash flow will be very good. Un-

common expenditure will be brought un-

der control. You will enjoy good health. You

will find an improvement in your business.

GEMINI: Financial crisis, tension, worries

will prevail. You may get a job overseas.

Those appearing for competitive exams will

do well. Financial status and social status

will be maintained. Understanding with your

spouse and business partner will be good.

A new line of business may come up.

CANCER: Business will be very dull. You

will find little improvement in the stock

market. Cash flow will be very good. You

will have a positive attitude. Financial

position will be good. You may receive a

promotion. You may get a large loan.

LEO: You may go on a long trip. This will

be profitable. Domestic happiness will

prevail. Life will be happy and harmoni-

THEFINALONE �

ous. You may acquire a new vehicle. Un-

derstanding with your life partner will be

very good. Cash flow will be very good.

VIRGO: You may acquire a new vehicle.

Change of environment will cheer you up.

Financial crisis will be brought under con-

trol. Peace and prosperity will prevail. You

may consider a new agency business.

LIBRA: You may make new friends. You will

be very happy. You will be successful. Your

father’’s health may suffer a setback. Medi-

cal expenditure will be more. Trading and

agency businesses will earn a good turno-

ver. Life will be happy and harmonious.

SCORPIO: You may take up new busi-

ness activities. Business will be very brisk.

Social status will be maintained. Long

drawn litigations will be over. Worries will

be over. Those in trade or with agencies

will find little improvement. Free flow of

cash will be maintained.

SAGITTARIUS: You may be in a position

to take a new decision in business mat-

ters. Family life will be comfortable. You

may get new north-facing property. Ex-

pansion in business is indicated. Export

businesses will do well.

CAPRICORN: Some may be in a posi-

tion to take a major decision at home.

Business will be brisk. Domestic life will

be very good. Expenses will be reduced.

Political life will be very successful. You

will have the support of your superiors and

subordinates.

AQUARIUS: Financial crisis may take

place. You may get married. You may go

on a long trip. Understanding with your

life partner will be very good. You will have

the support of your elder brother. You will

be very successful.

PISCES: Worries will be over. Peace and

popularity are indicated. Those in the film

industry will enjoy financial benefits. Popu-

larity will be high. Cash flow will be very

good. You will be successful in all you do.

You will enjoy good health.

1835: First foreign embassy inHawaii established1888: Brazil abolishes slavery1912: Royal Flying Corpsestablished in England1913: First 4-engine aircraftbuilt & flown (Igor Sikorsky-Russia)1918: First US airmail stampsissued1940: Churchill says I havenothing to offer but blood, toil,tears & sweat1950: Diner’s Club issues its1st credit cards1958: Jordan & Iraq form theArab Federation1958: Rioters attack US Vice-Presidenty Nixon in Venezuala1965: Rolling Stones record“Satisfaction”1967: Octagonal boxing ring istested to avoid corner injuries1970: Beatles movie “Let it Be”premiers1981: Pope John Paul II shot,wounded by assailant in StPeter’s Square1989: Approx 2,000 studentsbegin hunger strike inTiananmen Square, China1991: Apple releasesMacintosh System 7.0

WASHINGTON: Hollywood’stop lobbyist on Tuesday rebuffed aproposal favored by some lawmak-ers that would put an “R” rating onfilms that include smoking.

Motion Picture Association ofAmerica chief Jack Valenti told theSenate Commerce Committee thatthe industry opposes the idea, orany others that could infringe theartistic freedom of movie directors.

“Ultimately, filmmakers mustdecide what story to tell and how totell it, though others may be unset-tled by what they see,” Valenti said.

Valenti is facing pressure fromsome lawmakers concerned thatonscreen smoking is encouragingteenagers to pick up the habit.

Citing the hundreds of thou-sands of people a year who die fromsmoking-related illness each year,some senators questioned why themovie ratings system takes vio-lence, foul language and nudity into

DRUNKEN DRIVERLOSES CAR, BREAKS

BOOZE RECORDBERLIN: Losing his license didnot stop a drunk German driverfrom jumping back into his car aday later to buy more of his favoritetipple - only to be nabbed a secondtime by police who this time seizedthe car as well.

Following a tip-off, police hadstopped the 51-year-old on Mon-day, when a breath test showed ablood alcohol level more than 10times over the legal limit.

“The officers could not remem-ber ever having recorded such ahigh level,” said a police spokes-man in Hagen, western Germany.The man’s license was taken away.

The next morning, the managain bought sparkling wine anddrove home. Police again stoppedhim and recorded an even higheralcohol level - almost double theamount considered life-threateningto most people.

“This time, the officers confis-cated his car too,” the spokesmansaid. The man will be charged.

CANBERRA: Australian couplesowe it to their country to have morechildren and should get on with the job,the nation’s treasurer said on Tuesday.

“You go home and do your pa-triotic duty tonight,” Peter Costellosaid when asked by a journalist ifhe was “the family-friendly treasurersaying get out there and procreate.”

In a federal budget handeddown on Tuesday, Costello prom-ised $2,083 for every baby bornafter June as part of a $13.3 billion“family package” to be distributedover five years.

Costello said two youngstersper couple in the nation of 20 mil-

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Last week, the Oscar-nominated actor set-tled a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against aproduction company over a movie dealgone sour.

Lane sued the production companyIntermedia last July, claiming that she hadsigned a “pay or play” agreement to star inthe film, Me Again, opposite Bruce Willis.

Under a “pay or play,” an actor gets paidwhether the movie gets made or not - andin the case of Me Again, it was a no-go.

Intermedia apparently lacked the fi-nancing to bankroll the thriller, which was

to feature Willis as a man whowakes up in a hotel room with adead body - and no memory of howhe got there. Lane was to play anFBI agent helping Willis to deter-mine whether he was the killer oran undercover cop.

After the company realized itcouldn’t meet Willis’ asking price,it negotiated a buyout with the ac-tor and tried to pawn off the filmand Lane’s contract onto anotherstudio, but without success.

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account, but not smoking.“Why is it OK to modify it for

nudity, for language, but it’s not OKto modify it for tobacco - the No. 1preventable, easily preventable,health problem we have in thiscountry?” asked Sen. John Ensign,a Nevada Republican.

According to one study cited atthe hearing, adolescents whoviewed the most onscreen smokingwere nearly three times as likely totry smoking as those who viewedthe least.

“Unfortunately, the currentmovie rating system does not protectchildren from seeing their favoriteactors and actresses smoking in mov-ies,” Cheryl Healton, president of theanti-tobacco group American LegacyFoundation, said in a statement.

Valenti said he was againstsmoking being depicted in moviesand in favor of airing public serv-ice announcements at movie

theaters that would warn about thedangers of smoking.

But he said cigarette smokingis sometimes integral to portrayingreal life on film, for example inmovies about World War II.

Valenti said including smokingin the ratings system would invitesimilar demands from other groupsconcerned about problems such asalcohol abuse, reckless driving andanimal abuse.

HOLLYWOOD REBUFFS R RATING FOR FILMS WITH SMOKING

lion just wasn’t adequate.“If you can have children it’s a

good thing to do. You shouldhave...one for your husband, onefor your wife, and one for yourcountry,” Costello said.

“If you want to fix the agingdemographic, you’re just back tosquare after two. You make no netimprovement,” the former-lawyerand father-of-three said.

Some would have to go onestep further by having extra chil-dren “for your country” to make upthe gap left by friends who “aren’teven replicating themselves,” theTreasurer said

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