14 June, 2004; NOW! 1 Travelling Monday, 14 June, 2004 Vol. 3 No. 72  Rs. 3 Abroad? State Bank of India is the only Bank in Gangtok which offers... ON pg 5  Vishwa Yatra Foreign Travel Card in $ THE BRIDGE  American Express Travellers THETHE BRIDGEBRIDGE Cheque in $  Currency Notes in $ OVEROVEROVER RANIRANIRANI For further details, phone Tenzing / Tashi 220616/ 222824 (Extn. 26) or KHOLAKHOLAKHOLA 9434012824 DISSIDENCE IN THE RANKS? a NOW REPORT GANGTOK, 13 June: A common The anti-Bhandari lobby in the riposte on Congress [I] in pre-poll was that it was a party of leaders without the janata in tow. Congress has upped the tempo The drubbing it received at the bal- lot held out that this was more than the five expelled leaders made any didate for the next polls, was up for to take for anyone. Mr. Lachungpa was away in just a clever repartee to Congress’ major contributions to the trounc- the taking. It does not, however, appear Delhi when the expulsion was ef- claims of forming the government. ing. They now admit that lack of In fact, it is possibly because that the ploy worked. If anything, fected. He has laughed it off, but must In post-poll Sikkim, Cong [I]’s claim organisational strength debilitated there were so many aspirants for the it has had the reverse effect. surely be networking with the high- to having leaders is also under threat. the Congress challenge to SDF in SPCC [I] presidentship that Whether Mr. Lachungpa, an AICC command to decide his future course The five leaders, including heavy- elections 2004. “Bhandari Hatao” move never pro- member, can be expelled by a State- of action. Tseten Lepcha has reacted weight AICC member Thukchuk Then why the expulsions? gressed beyond whispered private unit remains in doubt and if Mr. sharply and dragged out enough skel- Lachungpa, expelled from the party The answer is simple. From the conversations among the State Lachungpa is not out, then he is a etons from the Congress Bhavan to on 11 June, suggest sources is only day of counting itself, disenchant- Congressmen. dangerous adversary to have. Even hint that the battle could turn ugly. a teaser of what is to come if the ment with Mr. Bhandari’s leader- Mr. Bhandari capitalised on this the expulsions of the four others Palden Bhutia remains reticent and SPCC [I] president, Nar Bahadur ship was growing in the State Con- uncertainty well. By expelling a falls in a rather grey area and none that is only expected, while Hem Lall Bhandari continues to have his way. gress. The party, because the SSP- leader of the stature of Mr. have shown any signs of taking the Bhandari, a close confidant to the Only a couple of days before the Cong “merger,” happened so close Lachungpa, he was risking much expulsion meekly. SPCC [I] president till a few days expulsions, Mr. Bhandari had an- to the elections and also because for just one gain - sending out the What Mr. Bhandari has effec- before the elections, can be expected nounced that there were six Con- many candidates were last-minute message to conspiring detractors tively done, is free his detractors of to drop a bomb any day. gressmen on the SDF payroll and imports from the ruling party, was that he could come down heavily the restraints that held them back. The Seva Dal chairperson, who sabotaged the party’s chances in never a very cohesive force anyway. on anyone. Since none of the lead- The battle is now in the open and Chewang Bhutia, had already re- the polls. Even by that count, there is The mood for a toppling bid devel- ers have an MLAship to return to, lobbying for his ouster has gained belled openly much ahead and has still one name awaited, but if some oped fast and many realised that being out of Congress was a big risk momentum. turn to pg 7 senior Congressmen are to be be- with Mr. Bhandari’s complete re- lieved, the list grows longer each day. jection, the post for the next leader There are few even in the Con- of the Opposition, and by that count gress camp who believe that any of the Congress chief ministerial can- SIKKIM TO FELICITATE ACHIEVERS GANGTOK, 13 June: The State Government has decided to felicitate emi- nent Indian Nepalese and Nepali-speaking Indians who have excelled in their respective fields and have made the nation proud with their sincere and self- less contribution. They will be felicitated at a function titled ‘Sikkim Samman Sammelan’ to be held here in Gangtok on 14 and 15 June. According to a member of the organizing committee, around seventy such people have been short-listed for the felicitation and the list has been sent to the Department of Culture, which is the nodal agency, for final approval. A final meeting of the organizing committee is also slated for tomorrow to discuss the matter, he informed. He also informed that besides various renowned dignitaries, Gopichand Narayan, Chairman, A. Sachinanda, General Secretary, Sahitya Academy, Kamaleshwar, eminent writer, Sunita Narayanan, Director, CSE, were also scheduled to attend the function as the guests of honour.

INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT CATERING TECHNOLOGY AND APPLIED NUTRITION (s/b Govt. of India and Govt. of Sikkim) TADONG, GANGTOK, SIKKIM-737 102 Ph. No.-270735, 270557 FOR CLASS X & XII STUDENTS Application are invited for admission to ONE & HALF YEARS DIPLOMA AND CRAFTSMANSHIP COURSE IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT for the academic session 2004-2005. AGE: Age of the candidate should not be more than 22 years as on 1st July 2004. For candidates belonging to SC/ST, age limited is relaxable upto 25 years. HOW TO APPLY: Application form and Prospectus can be obtained from the Institute of Hotel Management, Gangtok against cash payment of Rs. 100/- or remitting Rs. 125/- through demand draft/ Postal order in favour of INSTITUTE OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT, payable at Gangtok. Application form complete in all respect should reach the institute before 10th July 2004 accompanied by Registration Fee of Rs. 300/-. IMPORTANT DATES Last date for submission of application : 10.07.2004. Admission : by 31.07.2004. Commencement of class : 16.08.2004.

CMYK 2; NOW!; 14 June, 2004 ED-SPACE NOW! Of fish, generators FIRST WITH THE NEWS and ant-eaters f all the mischief that one deep in the flowing water bearing vacation in the summers and the Felicitating Heroes makes as a school boy the burden of the humming genset winters, there are standard meas- there is none that is as in- like a patient caddy. The teams of ures to hunt. If it’s the porcupine The State Government’s recent decision to felicitate achievers O viting as an escapade to the river to hangers-on [Also, those to arrange [which many swear taste better than from the hills is a welcome move. What makes the initiative swim and fish. In Kalimpong when for the petrol and sundry other liq- chicken] you smoke the burrows. even more refreshing is that it moves beyond the Sikkim hills the monsoon rains provide a new uids of diverse potency] who will If it’s the scaly anteater [which and includes hillmen from all over the country. Much as the lease of life to the numerous scour the water for fish stunned by many swear again tastes better than Himalayas are romanticised by travellers and travel-writers, its streams and jhoras that dot the hill the low intensity voltage that the chicken] you flood their under- people are reduced to stereotyped caricatures as a people who side there is a different charm about generator can muster. ground chambers. For the wild fowl are simple, hard-working and compassionate. No one takes hopping about the boulders or peer- In one such group that I accom- roosting under the tea bushes in the them seriously as achievers and this prejudice stretches to or- ing into the shallow collection of panied for an orgy of electric fish- night, it’s a torch light on their be- ganisations which celebrate achievements. Digressing a bit waters to look for tadpoles, the rare ing, I counted up to about thirty en- wildered eyes and then the swift here, let’s enumerate the casual approach of mainstream In- fish fries and the occasional long- thusiastic fish-eating individuals deadly trajectory of the catapult dia to the hills. Danny Denzongpa is an icon with the Hindi film legged jhingey macha. To do so af- who did not spare a single fish fry pebble. For the frogs industry, yet awards have been rare for him. Baichung Bhutia ter having escaped illegally from from their hungry clutches. It is al- [which many swear taste had to wait longer for an Arjuna Award than any other sports- the stifling monotony of the sum- though quite another better than anything, includ- man with similar achievements. In more recent times, the SDF mer classroom further increases the matter that by the ing chicken] it’s a flaming torch returned to Power with more than seventy per cent of the votes sense of adventure. in the night. The nocturnal amphib- and with 31 of the 32 seats in the Assembly. Anywhere else in Of course, in a sense we ians simple stare mutely at the the country, this would have resulted in the media camping in never grow up. Come a flames. All that the frog connois- the State bombarding their audience with data, graphics and strike and we find seur will have to do is pick the trivia on the event. Because it was Sikkim, we managed barely hordes of adults ca- creature and then impale it on a a mention in the scroll that runs at the bottom of the screen on vorting about in the umbrella rib. The pile of twitch- news channels. sands of Relli and ing frog bodies get higher and It is because the mainstream is so uninterested in the hills Teesta trying to bring to higher and yet the urge to harvest that one needs to welcome the gesture germinating in Sikkim fruition, school-boyish them is almost insatiable. Some to felicitate its achievers. Years of depending on the plains for fantasies that they never bring them home and dump information has resulted in the hills believing that its people really grow out of. It is another them whole in boiling actually fit into the stereotypes that they are pigeonholed into. matter though that the methods gundruk. Like Hindi That obviously can’t be true. When Sikkim felicitates the achiev- change. Given the resources movie Tarzans clutching ers, perhaps this self-effacing attitude will be replaced with that maturity can mus- at tenuous vines the dead pride. The event will also hopefully bridge the communication cle, the Horlicks bot- frogs bob up and down, gap that divides the hill people and provide them with a chance tle and the torn frag- hands up, in the mesh of to learn, understand and appreciate what the rest of the region ments of mosquito nets gundruk for the frog connois- has been up to. One hopes that the list is as wide as the achieve- give way to the bleaching time the seur to gobble in drunken sleepi- ments have been because that will convince the younger gen- powder, gelatine sticks [though catch is made and the ness. If it’s the larvae of the hornet eration that nothing remains beyond their reach. While the hill with the sort of notoriety that the spoil unceremoniously dumped in [which many swear tastes better youth does not lack the talent to excel in any field, the lack of agitation imparted to explosive de- a vessel smoking with oil of dubi- than prawn], it’s another nocturnal opportunities inflicts them with an imbibed sense of inferiority. vices these are definitely very rare ous chemistry, there are very few raid on some high treetop or a crag When they see the galaxy of stars who have made it in the today] and the occasional hook, line who are actually conscious enough with a flaming torch. mainstream, they will perhaps realise that they are not com- and sinker. to savour the taste of their labours. Indeed for some rustic nightlife promised in any way from making it big, in any field. This is But the mother of all fish-catch- And yet they go again and again. I promises great excitement and rush. one event that needs to be all inclusive, both in the people who ing accoutrements today is the gen- have unfortunately been on numer- Except of course the poor animals are felicitated and in the people who are made a part of the erator. Indeed, using this calls for a ous trips that they do not show on who if they had any choice would celebration, so that everyone knows what the hills have con- high level of organisation. The por- National Geographic. have begged to differ. tributed thus far and to encourage an even brighter future. ter who has to stand patiently, knee In the tea gardens that I used to 

-79- n these circumstances, I did not know whether to laugh or cry Iwhen the postman brought two airmail letters, one from Africa and Searching for new avenues to earn a living one from America. “From whom have these letters would climb the stairs to happiness. with my own paintings. I had a not paying,” my woman grumbled. have been given some prize”. come?” my wife said, offering me Soon after this the American Con- house full of books, and I listened “Imagine how much you have squan- “Now you blame me because a cup of tea, and gazing at the for- sul very kindly took my manu- to an imaginary symphony. How dered already in fees. I wish you had you had no money to send it!” was eign stamps. scripts to send to Mr. Groth by dip- good it would be to have bought something for your children her ill-tempered reply. “But you The Africa letter was from Mr. lomatic pouch for forwarding to such things come with that money you have wasted.” must have had money to play at the Groth, advising me to send him my America. This made me very true! She was right, but she did not billiard room and go to the pictures.” manuscript through the American happy, but still, being jobless Thinking of know that I was trying my utmost “That’s silly of you to talk that Consulate. The other letter was at the moment, how was I to to bring the mountain down, way. I did not go to the pictures on from Miss Van Manen in New live and feed my children? to make it easier to climb on. my own accord. When a friend in- York. She wrote about her broth- Thinking that I must do The poorer we poor people sisted, what could I do?” I knew she er’s death, and added that she had something. I bought paper are, the more avaricious and was jealous and wanted to go to the heard from Mr. Groth about my and drew and painted pic- greedy we become. Money, picture house herself, since it was book, and was in touch with the tures, and so prepared hand- which is what seems so es- a long time since I had taken her to publisher. “I will try all I can to get made Christmas cards, and sential to every one of us. a movie show. your book published,” she wrote, sold them to the bookseller Artist, filmmaker, keen photographer, columnist with However, it is not an easy “Anyway, here is a letter came It’s hard to pin Twan Yang “but there is a paper shortage in in the market; for owing to international magazines... task to make one’s pocket this afternoon,” she said, handing down. Born to a Chinese father and Tibetan mother, he America, and many publications the war difficulties, Christ- grew up in Kalimpong and worked in Sikkim. NOW! sound with jingling coins. it over to me. This time it was a let- are postponed until after the war. mas cards were hard to get. serializes Twan Yang’s autobiography, Houseboy in India... The next week I brought ter from Mr. Walsh, saying he liked Let us hope that this war won’t last There was good profit, and I home another Illustrated what he had seen of my life story much longer”. was happy that I was doing some- money, I also tried to solve the Weekly of India. “You see that”, I and was hoping he would receive I felt some encouragement that thing to keep us alive. In my day- crossword puzzles, but I never won said, showing my wife result of the the rest of the manuscript soon. As many kind friends were trying to dreams I saw myself publishing my a prize, because I made so many er- crossword puzzle. “I made only two soon as he received it, he would help me publish my book, and I book, and writing more stories, and rors. errors. If I had had any money to give me the final answer. began to have faith that someday I decorating the walls of my room “Give up gambling like this. It is send my answer, we would surely to be continued

CMYK  RAJDHANI 14 June, 2004; NOW! 3 Are you Students stride off on a heritage walk work they had initiated. He told the a NOW REPORT ready to students to take advantage of this GANGTOK, 13 June: The opportunity to get real, hands-on “Know Your Sikkim Better Study knowledge about their State. Tour” took off on Saturday, 12 “You are the future. Tomorrow, party? June from Zero Point, Gangtok the State will be in your hands, so with Minister for HRD & Herit- it is important that you get the right age, GM Gurung flagging off the foundation,” he told them. team of 20 students from five The tour ends on 17 June. schools of the capital. Organized by Sikkim-chapter of Buddha’s Light International As- sociation, the main objective of the tour is to get students to know their own culture and history better. “We want to familiarize the younger generation with the rich HRD Minister, GM Gurung, flags off the BLIA sponsored Heritage cultural and religious heritage of Walk from Zero Point, Gangtok, on 12 June Sikkim and bring them face to face with the natural beauty of Sikkim,” Walk, during which they will visit of historic importance in Sikkim. say the organizers. Temi Tea Estate, Samdruptse, In his address to the partici- STYLE To achieve this aim, students , Rabdentse, Yuksum, pants, Mr. Gurung congratulated Hotel Golden Pagoda will be taken on a 6-day Heritage Dubdi, Tashiding and other places BLIA and commended the good MG Marg, Gangtok

a NOW REPORT PLANNING CAREERS GANGTOK, 13 June: If AT PADMA ODZER Gangtokians love partying, this is the week to prove it. Beginning CHOELING Monday, the capital will go through mation and emerging trends in ca- a NOW REPORT a 3-day party fever through Tues- reers today were highlighted. day and Wednesday, brought to you GANGTOK, 13 June: A Career While the students eagerly ab- by Little Italy. Counselling and Guidance pro- sorbed the inputs, the programme “It’s The Time To Disco,” as the gramme was conducted from cleverly drew out the basic inter- event has been tagged, will see DJ June 10-12, at Padma Odzer ests, the multiple intelligences and Jazzy Joe [pic above], one of the Choeling School [of the Human relevant personal characteristics of country’s most happening DJ’s and Development Foundation of each child through a variety of ex- his friend DJ Nebiu from Africa Sikkim] at Chongey for students ercises. This was followed by ca- pump up the volume in three of of classes 9-12. reer planning, with each and every Gangtok’s most happening places. candidate individually counselled, The DJ’s will first give Gangtok The programme was coordi- resulting in each student having a a wake-up call on Monday with nated by the Capital Career Centre well-defined career route map for easygoing lounge and chillout and conducted by a senior career the goals they aspired for. grooves in Little Italy. The fest will counsellor from the Institute for The President and Vice-Prin- gain momentum the next day when Career Studies, Lucknow. cipal of the school were very sat- the DJs will belt out ground thump- Students went through aptitude isfied with the programme and ing club and house mixes at Blues. testing through psychometric tests said that they would make it an on And finally, they go all out with at the start of the programme. Af- going feature. Capital Career Cen- their hip-hop and trance arsenal in ter evaluation, an interactive semi- tre, informs a press release, will Time Out on Wednesday. nar was held for the counsellors. continue to organize such pro- A good friend of Karma Zimba, Through multimedia and Power grammes in Gangtok and neigh- proprietor of Little Italy, DJ Jazzy Point presentations, motivational bouring areas for interested indi- Joe, along with DJ Nebiu, are pres- aspects together with career infor- viduals and groups. ently on a tour of the northeast, playing and organising DJ work- shops. With a 3-day break on their itinerary, it took little persuasion on Zimba’s part for them to consider making a pitstop at Gangtok. Announces Admission for Bachelor’s & Master’s Degrees Organised by Little Italy in asso- Courses Offered: ciation with Time Out, Blues, Hun- BSc IT MSc IT Information Technology gry Jack, Abacus, Fusion, The Square, BCA MCA Computer Application Pixel Art and NOW!, the event will introduce Gangtokians to some real BCom IS MCom IS Commerce with Information System partying with real DJs. And as Zimba BA JM MA JM Journalism and Mass Communication puts it “It’s now or never guys!.” BSc FD Fashion Designing BSc BT MSc BI Bio-Technology/ Bioinformatics BBA MBA Business Administration All Degrees & Diplomas issued by: SIKKIM MANIPAL UNIVERSITY Eligibility: For Bachelor’s Degree For Master’s Degree 10+2 (In Any Stream)Graduate (In Any Stream) Admission & Classes Conducted @: SMART ACADEMY The Telegraph (University Study Centre: 1760) Syari Raod, Deorali, Gangtok. ph: 281043, 280313, 94340-26140 The ONLY University Centre in Gangtok

CMYK 4; NOW!; 14 June, 2004 NEWSSCAN  THE GENERATION GAP STAGED English and during college days in the teachers a NOW REPORT 1960s at Community Hall. GANGTOK, 13 June: A book He appreciated the effort taken release, a felicitation and a by Mr. Ghimirey to keep the tradi- begin play, this trio of events was or- tion of play writing alive in the hill ganized at Community Hall on society. Mr. Pradhan said that the Saturday, 12 June by Sanga staged play had been enlightening course Atma Bodhi [the Reyukai]. NK for the younger generation and PURAN TAMANG Pradhan, Gangtok area MLA hoped that programmes such as this was the Chief Guest on the oc- would be a continuing phenomena NAMCHI, 13 June: The District casion. in the State. Centre for English Education The function began with the In his address, the writer-cum- [DCEE], Namchi, was estab- release of Chunilal Ghimerey’s director thanked all his well- lished in the year 2000 under the book, “Purano Manchey” by the wishers who encouraged him to Union HRD Ministry. The DCEE Chief Guest. This was followed by write this play. Mr. Ghimirey who conducts training courses for the staging of a play based on the has two other plays, Rahasya and high school teachers under the book itself and focused on the dif- Pahuna, to his credit, promised to Department of Education. ferences between the thought proc- A light moment from the play, Purano Manchey, by Chunilal Ghimerey keep the tradition alive by staging ess of the older and younger gen- other plays in the near future. All in all, there are three types erations. It also showed how the Kapilmani Adhikari, Nirmal four renowned playwrights and The function was also ad- of training classes conducted by the younger generation was often opt- Mangar, Paru Subba and others littérateurs namely Suresh Rai, RK dressed by Sikkim Akademi Gen- centre. There is a 10-day intensive ing for the wrong path. were seen being congratulated by Pradhan, Bikram Gautam and eral Secretary, Sanu Lama, teacher training for teachers of the The play was well received and the audience after the show. Rastaman Rai for their valuable Rastaman Rai, Kiran Rasaily and higher secondary section [Class VI applauded by the audience which The play was directed by Mr. contribution in the field of play the Reyukai’s National President, to XII]. There is a short need-based appreciated the effort the artists had Ghimirey himself and music was writing. They were presented with Mr. Gautam Kalikotay. training programme for the head of managed to put in. arranged by Kazi Singh and Nilam a citation and a shawl each. The function concluded with dis- schools, education officers and Artistes like Hemant Giri, DK Neopaney. Recalling his past, Mr. Pradhan, tribution of certificates to the artistes teachers who teach special subjects. Lepcha, Matrika Sharma, Later, the Reyukai felicitated said that he had directed and acted and also certificates of appreciation to The third course consists of a year- in various English plays in school members of the Reyukai. long certificate course for English GA teachers at the secondary level. GENUINE ACCESSORIES DCEE is a part of Sikkim Insti- tute of Education, Gangtok and is GNLF’s one-upmanship over PDF supervised and monitored by the Central Institute of English and continues at Narbula’s felicitation Foreign Language, Hyderabad, Darjeeling Branch Committee, which itself is a deemed central BIRENDRA SHANDILYA Narbula thanked the farsightedness university under HRD. DARJEELING, 13 June: The and unconditional support of the So far, this institute has con- GNLF played down the Peoples’ GNLF and particularly the GNLF ducted 10-day long training pro- Democratic Front [PDF] once again Supremo Subash Ghising. grammes for the teachers of south today at a felicitation ceremony of “Out victory was ensured as soon and west districts at Namchi to pro- Dawa Narbula, the Congress Mem- as Ghising declared his support to the vide the best training to the head ber of Parliament from Darjeeling. Congress on 02 May. After a very of the schools along with one cer- Placing a Khada on Narbula, long time have good times returned tificate course. Deepak Gurung, the GNLF to Darjeeling with the Congress hav- Darjeeling Branch Committee Presi- ing won the MP elections from the The final contact programme of dent said, “We place this Khada on Darjeeling constituency and a Con- the centre started on 10 June and Narbula as our unconditional support gress-led coalition Government in the the final examination will be held to him and this khada will never turn centre,” said Narbula. from 15 June onwards. Out of 46 into a hangman’s noose on him.” He said that such a phenom- registered candidates, only 20 have Incidentally, this statement is a ri- enon had occurred only in the years been selected for the final contact poste to Madan Tamang, the PDF 1957 and 1962 in the past. programme. Chairman’s speech during the pre poll election campaigns in Darjeeling when he had placed a khada on CLUNY WOMEN’S COLLEGE Norbula and asked him to take a pub- KALIMPONG lic oath that he would live up to the PDF manifesto if he won the election. Admissions for the academic session 2004-05 are “Narbula, this khada will turn open for the following streams: into a hangman’s noose, if you don’t live up to your promises” 1. B.C.A. Tamang had warned then. 2. Honours in English Incidentally, Darjeeling had witnessed a verbal duel between the 3. General B.A. Courses GNLF and the PDF as both the fronts were backing the candidate. College office phone No. 953552-257924 Today at the felicitation cer- Contact timings: 10.00 AM to 1.00 PM. emony organized by the GNLF HURRY! 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CMYK  NEWSSCAN 14 June, 2004; NOW! 5 The Bridge Over Rani Khola MLA-cum-Minister, Tseten Lepcha pened. The Minister also tried his SUBASH RAI as a guest. They also managed to best but it was in vain. GANGTOK, 13 June: Late pay- get the minister to walk down from Time passed by. ment of bills by Government de- 6th Mile Hawaghar, near Holy Finally the Department sug- partments is a common enough Cross School with the intention of gested that the contractors sit for phenomenon in Sikkim. But how making him cross the bridge. the tender. Tenders were put. Sanc- late it can get is something no one The plan succeeded. tion and other orders were made. can say for certain. The following Seeing the terrible condition of And four and half years passed. story demonstrates just how late a the bridge, the Minister immedi- The bridge has once again come “late payment” can be. ately gave a verbal order to repair down to the same condition [see pic The story starts in the summer it. He also awarded the job to four alongside], but the bill has yet to of 1999. A wooden bridge over village Ammas, members of Chelli be paid. The Department now Ranikhola called ‘Kharupool’ which Morcha. The four Ammas happily wants the contractors to repair the falls under Ranka constituency, situ- accepted the order and managed to bridge again and assures they will ated around 6 kms below Gangtok, raise Rs. 20,000 each. Within three then get payment for both the re- became so fragile and broken that it months the bridge was ready. pairs undertaken. Latest informa- was difficult to cross over it. It was early 2000. tion reveals that work order for the The bridge is the lifeline of the After completion of the job, second repairing contract is also villagers of Lower Barbing, they went to the Minister, who di- out. The contractors have to sign a Lingdum, Sorong, Rodong, Rey- rected them to Rural Development declaration form undertaking that Mindu, Lower 6th Mile and others. Department for payments. The four the work will be completed within The villagers were forced to repair contractors were stunned when they the time-frame fixed by the depart- it with bamboo and tree branches reached the RDD office and were ment. to somehow make it possible to told that, “no proposal, no sanction Finally, it seems the four con- walk on it. The rainy season came order, no estimate, no work order, tractors will realize their money and went and the condition of the and of course no information to the from the department. But before bridge deteriorated further. The vil- department regarding the job done” that they still have to raise Rs. lagers made many requests to con- was in the files. Which of course 20,000 each for a second time. With cerned departments for its renova- boiled down to No Payments! the first loan and cumulative inter- tion but received no response. What were they to do now? ests on it still on their heads, it In an ingenious move, the vil- The Ammas were in a state of seems a daunting task. lagers organized a picnic near the shock. They continued to chase the Now, who says it’s better late bridge in a paddy field and invited Minister but nothing much hap- than never? the then Ranka constituency area FREE COUNSELLING FOR DIRECT ADMISSION IN HIGHER STUDIES AFTER XII (ARTS, COMMERCE, SCIENCE) IN Workshop held on Sikkim’s green wealth BANGALORE, DELHI, W.B., NAGPUR, CHENNAI. IN JOURNALISM, MASS COMMUNICATION, and the means to encash it BUSINESS & HOTEL MANAGEMENT, B.C.A., M.C.A., ENGINEERING (B.E./ DIPLOMA), B. SC., a NOW REPORT (BIO-TECH, GENETICS, BPT, NURSING), BDS, LLB GANGTOK, 13 June: A day-long CONTACT: CAREER’S COUNSELLING INSTITUTE, workshop on Indigenous Biotech- TIBET ROAD, GANGTOK. PH: 226510, 94341-53355 nology and Medicinal Plants was organized by Green Point, an NGO REGISTRATION OPEN FOR R.I.M.C. (DEC. based in Lower Tumin in East EXAM) & WINTER CRASH COURSE (X, XII) Sikkim , here at Hotel Chumbi Residency on 12 June, Saturday. The workshop was sponsored by been trying to protect medicinal cording to him, careless grass cut- Department of Biotechnology, Un- plants in the State. He hopes that ting, establishment of big projects ion Ministry of Science and Tech- NGOs like Green Point can play a like NHPC, grazing, etc. led to van- nology, under its Science and vital role in this regard. Documen- ishing of these valuable species. Awareness programme. tation of herbal knowledge is the Some of the herbal practition- K. Srinivas, District Collector need of the day and everyone should ers also addressed the gathering in [East] presided over the workshop help document the practise of herbal which they enlightened the partici- as the Chief Guest. Others who at- medicinal practice, he added. pants with their knowledge about tended were herbal practitioners, Dr. Ghanshyam Sharma detailed medicinal plants. Dr. Shanti Chettri, progressive farmers, students of the factors causing extinction of Dr. PC Rai and HH Poudyal also biological sciences, research per- medicinal plants in the State. Ac- addressed the gathering. sonnel, representatives from Forest and Horticulture departments and members of NGOs like VHAS, DISCOUNTS FOR BEST FLOORING WWF, GBPHED. Wooden parquet flooring, Lucky In his address, Mr. Srinivas said that over 424 species of medicinal PVC floor tiles, PVC wood plank, plants are found in Sikkim. tiles, Vista floor, Super marblex, “Besides prestige and right, any- Wall Heritage Surface, Textures, thing can be put up for business,” he Spray polish, Japanese said. He reiterated that Sikkim had not yet been able to earn revenue technology. from the available green wealth. contact: Bijoy Gurung, senior researcher TIKA ENTERPRISES of medicinal plants, said, “Herbal Near Krishi Bhawan Gate medicine is the best alternative for 31 A NH, Uma Cottage allopathic medicine in the world.” Tadong, Sikkim - 737102 He informed that for a decade Ph: 231394 M: 98320 96499 now, the Forest Department had CMYK 6; NOW!; 14 June, 2004 ELSEWHERE  CLASSIFIEDSNOW! ‘FAHRENHEIT 9/11’ DIRECTOR TO

FOR SALE! Zoom 1010 TURN ON THE HEAT ON BLAIR Guitar Processor for sale [in LOS ANGELES: Michael Moore’s U.S. theaters on 25 June, looks at something about Blair and Britain.” “war room” that will immediately perfect condition] owned by Still anti-Iraq war crusade is not stopping links between the family of Presi- He likened Blair to an older sib- support any claims made in the Water’s guitarist Sonam with President Bush as the film- dent Bush and powerful Saudi Ara- ling of Bush’s and said that, as a par- movie that come under attack. Lachungpa. Price: Rs. 8,000 maker says he now wants to make a bians, including the family of ent, when two children get in trou- The group, he said, will be [negotiable]. contact: 98320- movie about British Prime Minister Osama bin Laden. The film also ble, the parent usually questions the staffed by six to seven people and 46939. Sonam Lachungpa [SL] Tony Blair’s role in the war. contends that Bush thrust the older one as to how he or she could will operate 24 hours a day, moni- Moore, director of “Fahrenheit United States into a war it did not let such a problem occur. toring newscasts and scanning FOR SALE 9/11,” the controversial documen- need to fight through a mix of fear Meanwhile, Moore said he has newspapers, magazines and other tary which last month won top prize and misinformation. steeled himself for efforts by Bush publications for statements made One Diesel Commander at the Cannes film festival , said on Britain and Blair have been the supporters to discredit his film, discrediting the movie. [Hard-top], 2000 model. 4- Friday that he now wants to take a staunchest supporters of the US-led which he said is already happening “You come at me with anything, Wheel drive in good running close look at the British leader’s coalition in Iraq, but Moore said with attacks on his Web site and in we come back with the truth,” condition. Price negotiable. role in backing the war in Iraq and that in making “Fahrenheit 9/11” he newspapers amid the current cam- Moore said. Call: 94340 29383, 202325 sending troops into harm’s way. had to choose just exactly what paign for the White House. He has Moore, who said he is regis- ESTEEM FOR SALE!! “I personally hold Blair more re- parts of the story on which to fo- made no secret of the fact that he tered as an independent voter, has A Black Esteem sponsible for this war in Iraq than I cus. He trained his investigative does not support Bush, and wants yet to throw his support behind pre- Velocity for sale. Five do George W. Bush, and the reason camera on Bush and that, he said, his reelection attempt to fail. sumed Democratic presidential months old, with all is Blair knows better. Blair is not an was a hard decision to make. To counteract efforts challeng- candidate John Kerry. accessories including a idiot. What is he doing hanging “I struggled with it because, I ing “Fahrenheit 9/11,” he has hired He said the movie is not an effort Sony X-Plod CD around this guy?,” Moore is quoted think, what I decided is that I need Chris Lehane and Mark Fabiani, to support Kerry’s White House bid, system. Extremely as saying in a Reuter’s interview. to make a separate film about Blair, two former political advisers to Bill and said that if Kerry were elected, “I’d Fahrenheit 9/11, which will hit at some point here. I need to do Clinton and Al Gore, to establish a keep my eye on him, too.” reasonable. Contact: 94342 41116 NEPAL PM TO RAISE GURKHA ISSUE WITH BRITAIN Foreign students FOR SALE KATHMANDU, 13 June: Nepal and have been demanding equal fa- the ex-servicemen not to indulge in Hotel furniture and other Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba cilities including pension benefits at any legal battle with the British outsource articles suitable for use in has assured that his Government will part with British soldiers. Government and instead solve the homework to hotels available for sale. raise the issue of Gurkha soldiers in The British government has issue diplomatically. the British Army through proper dip- said that the facilities including “The issue should be solved India contact: 9832070691 lomatic channels and ensure that the pay and pensions will be paid through diplomatic channels,” the NEW DELHI, 13 June: You’ll they are provided with facilities like as per the 1947 tripartite agree- Prime Minister said. never hear the last on outsourcing. LAND FOR SALE their British counterparts. ment signed between Nepal, In- The latest is that foreign students are 100ft X 350 ft. of prime land “I will discuss the issue with dia and Britain. British Gurkha Study and Re- getting into the act, paying money along NH 31A near . Prime Minister Tony Blair and the “The Government, political par- search Centre General Secretary to Third World citizens to do their Contact 9832032981for British Ambassador,” Deuba said ties and the general public of the Dipak Maskey, requested the Prime school and college assignments. further details while addressing the representa- United Kingdom are in favour of Minister to review the 1947 tripar- Banwan, from South Africa, tives of various former Gurkha sol- providing equal facilities to the tite agreement and take steps to posted his BBA course assignment LAND FOR SALE diers organisations on Sunday. Nepalese Ex-Gurkhas at par with the ensure equal pension and pay in on the English Civil War [1642-49] The Gurkhas have been serving British soldiers,” Mr Deuba said. sterling pound through Nepal on the Net for the BPOs. He wanted Land at Majitar National the British army for nearly 200 years The Prime Minister also urged Rastra Bank. his homework done for £60. The Highway, below Sleepwell. money wasn’t such a big deal. Go- contact: 94340 90888 ing through the books and crunch- INFORMATION ing the material into 2000 words FOR SALE Kutse Shegu was. Mohit Gupta, who works for Mahindra Armada, 4-wheel drive The Kutse Shegu of Late The Department of Cultural Affairs and Heritage, a BPO, saved him the bother. Nov. 1997 Model, Running con- Kyibuk Sey Sonam Thondup in collaboration with Eastern “I worked for three hours to ac- dition, owner driven. Price- Ne- falls on 17 June 2004. Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata is organizing cumulate the history. I had to get the gotiable. Contact: 98320-77411 All friends, relations and ‘Sikkimaylee Kavi-Kavayitri Sammelan’ in memory material in the required format and SITUATION VACANT well-wishers are requested to of Adhikavi Bhanu Bhakta on 30th July, 2004 at detail the causes, consequences and join us in offering prayers on Community Centre, Gangtok. As such, following the important events of the war,” he Required under graduates/ the occasion at Rhenock said. A. Kareem from West Asia graduates of commerce stream guidelines are laid down for participation:- wanted a 20-page, 10,000-word criti- Khoti, Kazi Road. as audit trainees/ assistants for 1. All interested local Poet/Poetess are to submit cal essay on the “Positive effects of We would like to take this local C.A. firm. Contact at Ph. their poems to the Office of undersigned on or War”. He got a BPO to do it for $200. No: 281370/ 280428 opportunity to acknowledge before 30th June, 2004. Thanks to its talent pool, India the tremendous support and 2. Poem should either be in Nepali, Hindi or English. is the hot destination for such as- help we have received in our MAKE MONEY 3. Poem should be original, self composed and signments too. Most of the Excellent Money Making Franchise time of bereavement and outsourcing contracts are moving Opportunity available for Foreign deeply regret our inability to unpublished in any magazine, Journal or book. to India, despite nations like China Education and Employment. thank everyone personally. 4. Poem should be non-political and non- or Russia offering better rates, says Interested parties please e-mail: Aali Iqbal, ASM Technologies. Jigme Kyibuk, Diki Kyibuk & Family controversial. [email protected] Ph: 222474 5. Recitation time will be 10 (ten) minutes Outsourcing companies find solving the assignments a source of maximum only. easy money. The only problem, at 6. All received entries will be placed before the times, is the sharp deadlines. “Some- Kutse Shegu selection committee appointed for the purpose times, we have to give a homework th The 49 day Shegu of Late Shri Nari for the selection of poems and invitation will be within 12 hours,” says Mr Iqbal. Tshering Bhutia, Chief Coach Sport & Youth The charges vary according to th sent to only those Poet/Poetess whose poems Affairs, who left for heavenly abode on 29 the word limit and the deadline. th April falls on 15 June 2004. All friends are selected. “As we have to work extra hard, we relatives and well-wishers are requested to 7. Traveling Allowances, remuneration and charge anything between £60 to join us in offering prayers for the departed accommodation will be provided by the £200,” says Mr Iqbal. soul at our residence “Norbuling”, Upper Earlier, some students used to Syari. Department as per the existing norms of E.Z.C.C, Kolkata. shortchange the companies. They We would also take this opportunity to would renege on the payment after thank all those who stood by us during our getting the assignments done. Wiser hour of grief and regret our inability to do so individually. Additional Secretary-III from the experience, the BPOs now All Family members Department of Cultural Affairs & Heritage insist on advance payments, ranging Upper Syari, NORBULING, Ph. 280139 Government of Sikkim from 50 per cent to even full payment.

CMYK  LITNOW! 14 June, 2004; NOW! 7

to be lured into the debate about the identity of the Holy Grail. Those who have already read The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Henry Lincoln, GLOSSARY Michel Baigent, and Richard Liege will find the veil of mystery lifted a GNOSTICISM got its name little prematurely, but that loss of novelty value will not detract from their from the Greek word gno´sis, reading of The Da Vinci Code. meaning “knowledge.” A Gripping The book, while seemingly scandalous for the sort of humanism that Gnostic groups contended it attributes to Christ, is also very ingenious [albeit a little specious] in its that salvation is dependent interpretation of some of Da Vinci’s paintings, especially The Last Sup- upon special mystical knowl- per and also more recent works such as Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. edge of deep things unknown Another thread that runs concurrently with the symbol chase is the in- to ordinary Christians. They Grail Story trigue within the Catholic Church. In fact, the curator’s assassin is a mem- felt that possessing this ber of the Controversial secretive Catholic organization Opus Dei [Latin, knowledge enabled them to God’s Work]. As with all murders, this one too is not short of the vested teach, as The Encyclopedia of interests that make it so imperative for it to take place. The intrigue is PRAVEEN MOKTAN Religion says, “the inner truth further heightened with the sort of ‘insider’ revelations about the state of revealed by Jesus.” f a book has to be pinned down by the index of a genre, then this one affairs in the Catholic Church [for example, the book reveals that the fast- The origins of Gnostic will classify as a thriller. However there are elements in The Da Vinci track canonization of the Opus Dei founder José María Escrivá de Balaguer thought were many. From ICode that will appeal to curious enthusiasts of medieval Christianity, was in reciprocation of the favor that the Vatican owed to the organiza- Babylon, Gnostics took the Catholic watchers, Leonardo Da Vinci fanatics, numerologists, Holy Grail tion for a Bank bailout]. practice of attributing hidden buffs and also Gnostic freaks who have not had their fill of the intrigue There is also another trade-off between the Church and the Opus Dei meanings to Bible numbers, and mystery associated with this very esoteric cult whose overt influ- in the book. A trade-off involving the Holy Grail, murders and millions of which supposedly revealed ences were deciphered by critics in the Matrix series. dollars in cash. mystical truths. Gnostics also At the surface, the book is a murder mystery. The curator of the Lou- What makes this book fascinating is the fact that Dan Brown has taken taught that whereas the spirit vre is found dead. However, before he actually dies, he spends his last elements from Numerology [for example a fibonacci series becomes an is good, all matter is inher- moments leaving behind clues for a Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon access code to a Swiss bank locker containing clues to The Grail], Leonardo ently evil. to decipher. A gifted cryptologist Sophie Neveu, who Da Vinci’s life and works, Gnostic philosophy about “This is the same chain of also happens to be the grand daughter of the deceased the nature of Christ, Catholic church intrigues, reasoning,” says German au- [and also the progeny of someone more famous and a NOW! book review smatterings of medieval history [Knight of the thor Karl Frick, “that was al- certainly more real as the plot in the book controver- Templars, The Crusades, Conversion of Constanti- ready found in Persian dual- sially unfolds], helps the professor in getting to the nople], Symbology, French Detectives and Academia ism and in the Far East in Chi- bottom of the mystery. All this, while being chased by and churned them into a grand plot that is riveting to na’s yin-and-yang.” The a very persistent, anonymous adversary. [In this, the the finish. As in all mysteries, you are also thrown “Christianity” presented by book’s premise is no different from that of The Name aback in the end as the ones that you suspect are not Gnostic writings is definitely of the Rose by Umberto Eco. However while the pre- the ones that are and a rather innocuous individual based on non-Christian tentious professor of semantics, in seeking to create turns out to be the villain of the piece. sources. an elaborate veneer of ‘truth’ with scholarly musings The characters too are quite fascinating. A self- and intellectual assaults from his loaded arsenal of flagellating albino monk, an insidious Teacher who OPUS DEI: It is a secretive academic artefacts, scares the hapless reader after a seems to pull all the murderous strings, a millionaire elite society within the Catho- few hundred pages, Dan Brown’s style is racy and polio-stricken Grail enthusiast and a hard-nosed gizmo lic Church, that was founded sharp. He engages the reader page after page and even savvy French detective are the sort of the gallery of in Spain in 1928 by Catholic when he has to give in to the compulsion to state a fictional individuals that compete with the historical priest José María Escrivá de few historical facts he does not bear one down with a ones in the novel. Balaguer. He died in 1975. barrage of details.] However for a hard-boiled thriller, the ending is a This organization, whose The murder that this book begins with, takes place little philosophic. The Holy Grail as a metaphor that name in Latin means God’s inside the Louvre a few feet away from some of the fits into the authors own scheme of things [read the Work, according to author famous paintings of Da Vinci including the Mona Lisa. last lines of the acknowledgements] may not go down Lawrence Lader, is “totally The curator has somehow managed to inscribe him- well with all. Also, a rather fortuitous meeting of fam- committed to anti-commu- self in a circle in the mould of the Vitruvian Man, The Da Vinci Code ily members seemingly out of nowhere in the end has nism and right-wing politics.” Leonardo’s most famous sketch. All this is no coinci- by Dan Brown, elements of a Hindi film in it. But for all the untidi- It has a policy of taking the dence for the curator is no ordinary man. He is actu- Doubleday ness this one is a gripping read. The lines between intellectual cream of Catholic ally a high-ranking member of the Priory of Sion a fiction and reality are blurred, but at least in the pages youth through its high schools secretive organisation that have down the ages boasted of members like of the book a fast paced universe peopled by fascinating characters, both and universities and then hav- Da Vinci himself, the scientist Isaac Newton and the novelist Victor Hugo real and otherwise, make it the sort that needs to be finished in a single ing its men placed in high po- sitions of influence and control among other luminaries. reading. Something is wrong with you if you do not want to get to the in government, finance, and The Priory members are actually privy to a secret that will shake the bottom of this mystery. the media. In Spain they had foundations of Christendom. A secret that they choose to reveal in its due In this day and age, when interest in the various elements of Christi- a heyday under Catholic Fas- time. A secret, as the book discloses, some elements within the church anity have been aroused by the gripping realism of The Passion of Christ cist dictator Franco when, dur- would want best remained untold. or the slick tele-evangelizing of God channel, The Da Vinci Code will ing one period, 10 of his 19 We now get into the territory of the Holy Grail and while you may at provide another temptation to the mystery mongers to theorize and fanta- cabinet members were asso- this moment choose to depart from the theological track and read the size. Something that was however preempted centuries ago by Christ when ciates of the elitist Opus Dei. book just as a murder mystery, you possibly will find it quite fascinating he said, “The Truth shall set you Free.” DISSIDENCE IN THE RANKS? retary in 1985 by the then Prime Min- switched over from the ruling SDF to ner in which the expulsions were car- Even many leaders who at- Contd from pg 1 ister Rajiv Gandhi and has held sev- bag a Congress ticket from Geyzing ried out were not “fair,” this leader tended the SPCC [I] meeting of 11 become even more scathing in his eral posts with the party since. barely weeks before the elections. maintained that the expulsion of Hem June which was billed as the one attack now. “Mr. Bhandari, sitting in the While the growing resentment Lall Bhandari “defied all logic.” to revive the State Congress admit Speaking to NOW!, he at- smallest state is trying to run a dic- against Mr. Bhandari is only ex- “Hem Lall is perhaps the per- that they were uncomfortable with tempted to turn back whatever gains tatorship in the largest democratic pected from the older Congress- son who worked the hardest in the the manner in which the whole Mr. Bhandari had expected to make party in India. As a Congressman men, many of whom had actively run-up to the polls. We have seen event was “stage-managed.” by tying up with SIBLAC by con- from the cadre roots, I cannot allow tried to thwart his induction into the under what pressure he worked. At the end of the day, this spate testing that “Mr. Bhandari is display- this to happen and will approach the party, what is interesting in the re- Further, he has already submitted a of allegations and counter-allegations ing his communal streak again.” high command to take action on him cent developments is that several detailed report on the South Sikkim might just be a grand power strug- “Look at the list of undemocratic for his undemocratic ways,” he said. leaders who had accompanied Mr. rejections and the Pende incident gle. It remains to be seen whether the expulsions. Four of them are BL lead- He has also questioned the pro- Bhandari in the Congress from SSP and everyone in the party knows shake-up throws up a strong alterna- ers. Senior BL leaders. He is extract- priety of things to have the proposal are now conspiring his downfall. that the report is correct. There is tive to Mr. Bhandari who can ing indirect revenge,” said Mr. to expel such senior leaders placed by A senior former Sangrami, while no reason to expel him,” he said. strengthen the party and prepare it for Namgyal, who is one of the few Con- a person who is not even a primary speaking to NOW! assured that the On the claim of rigged EVMs, he the next polls or whether Mr. gressmen who can claim to be from member of the party. The proposal for move to have Mr. Bhandari removed said, “No one believes that excuse ei- Bhandari manages to hold on to his the cadre. With the party since 1982, expulsion, it might be recalled, was will grow stronger in the coming ther. Mr. Bhandari himself keeps of- chair and things continue at Congress he was appointed NSUI general sec- placed by DB Gurung, who had days. While admitting that the man- fering different reasons for the defeat.” Bhavan as he decrees them to be. CMYK 8; NOW!; 14 June, 2004 THEFINALONE  today in JACKIE CHAN SEEKS TO History BECOME ‘TRUE ACTOR’ 14th June HONOLULU: Jackie Chan is at- screen star from Hong Kong. he said. 1642: First compulsory tempting his most daring stunt ever: “I don’t always want it to be like “Even though I’m pretty good, education law in America becoming what he calls a “true ac- the old days. ... I want to change my how long can I keep fighting?” he passed by Massachusetts tor.” Chan says he wants to shed his image. I want to become an actor said. “Look at Robert DeNiro. 1775: US Army founded action star image in favor of meatier who can fight - not an action star.” Look at Clint Eastwood. They still 1811: Born, Harriet Beecher roles that require dialogue and emo- At 50, the high-flying martial can act.” Stowe author (Uncle Tom’s tion instead of punches and kicks. arts master says he’ll probably do Chan was in Hawaii promoting Cabin) 1834: Sandpaper patented by “I want to change. I want to be his own stunts for another five his latest film, “Around the World Isaac Fischer Jr, Springfield, like Robert DeNiro. I want to be years. But a more serious image in 80 Days,” which opens nation- Vermont Dustin Hoffman,” said the big- could provide some job security, wide on Wednesday. 1847: Bunson invents a gas burner. Lab teachers celebrate worldwide BRITNEY SPEARS TO LAUNCH NO SEX BEFORE GAMES, PLEASE, 1900: Hawaiian Republic NEW FRAGRANCE SAYS GERMANY DOCTOR becomes the US Territory of ALMANCIL, PORTUGAL: Germany’s team doctor has advised play- Hawaii NEW YORK: Pop star Britney ers not to have sex shortly before Euro 2004 games and drink plenty of 1940: German forces occupy Spears is a new crossover artist in water instead. Paris during WW II the beauty business. The 22-year-old The players’ wives and partners are staying at a hotel next door to the 1942: 1st bazooka rocket gun singer will launch a new fragrance, players’ near the Algarve resort of Almancil. produced Bridgeport Ct Curious, this fall. A blend of white 1942: Walt Disney’s “Bambi” is Team doctor Tim Meyer says sex immediately before games should flowers and vanilla-infused musk, be avoided because of the physical and emotional strain involved. released the fragrance is part of a licensing 1944: First B-29 raid against “I regard sex a few hours before a game as a problem,” he told Ger- agreement with Elizabeth Arden, the mainland Japan man sports news agency SID. 1951: 1st commercial company announced Thursday. Meyer said alcohol and cigarettes were obviously not a good idea but computer, UNIVAC 1, enters Spears is a “talented, fashion- said there would be no official controls and such matters were the play- service at Census Bureau able woman who appeals to a ers’ responsibility. 1961: Born, Boy George young and international consumer O’Dowd androgynous rock base,” said Paul West, president of musician Elizabeth Arden, in a statement. 1969: Born, Steffi Graf West Packaging for Curious will fea- German tennis player ture two of Spears’ favorite colors, 1982: Argentina surrenders to pink and azure blue, and the bottle Britain on Falkland Is, ends 74- will be azure with heart-shaped day conflict charms.

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Published by Lt. Col. (retd) P. Dorjee and printed at Darpan Publications Pvt. Ltd, Siliguri. Editor: Pema Wangchuk. Executive Editor: Mita Zulca Now! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong. East Sikkim. ph: 03592 270949 email: [email protected] CMYK