Sikkim

Gangtok, Sikkim

25^th May 2013

There is so much of beauty around me that nothing I write could explain it. And it’s fair that way, you have to see it to believe it. The journey started with the colonel telling us why he prefers this part of India more than Delhi [His nostalgia is for a pristine past that is not obstructed with human materialism]. He’s got a conviction that I can comprehend and owns a very unique pet- a turtle called “chunmun”.

I’d like to talk about this little state that joined the Indian Union in 1975. It was a protectorate of British, Sikkim had a monarchy from 1947-75, which got abolished by a referendum. It’s a protectorate/state of India, with the army guarding the Indo-china border. China didn’t officially recognize Sikkim as a state of India as late as 2006- they signed a treaty with India that granted recognition in response to New Delhi’s recognition of Tibetous Autonomous Region/Tibet as an inherent part of China. Well, keeping patriotism aside, Sikkim is infact VERY UNLIKE any other indian state- most people speak nepali, Tibetan, sikkimese language (is that a word?)- but that’s not all- they occasionally stop you and smile and shout “Namaste! Welcome to Sikkim!”- despite their ethnic differences, they very much like being a part of India. That’s where India has succeeded I think, in giving them space to be different, by recognizing difference they promote diversity, democracy and harmony. Any country that tries to eliminate differences or “be blind” to differences is digging its grave. India is far (far) away from being the Balkans of the 1990s.

Things I like about Sikkim-

(1)    It’s got cute little colourful houses that stand on stilts. They’re brave to make houses on slopes- landslides are a common occurrence. The colors range from purple, pink, green, yellow to anything you’ve never seen before. Why I LOVE them architecturally is because they are kind of like the lego houses I made when I was young- ofcourse now that’s not a very sophisticated reason but it’s the truth… O well.

(2)    Secondly they are imperfect. They aren’t straight, sleek, modern, mirroring sunshine buildings. They are colored, with little pots of flowers, cows/goats/sheeps in the front yards, soccer fields on elevated slopes. Really? You need to have a heart of stone to not like this. I don’t  think that a modern/non-modern dichotomy exists in terms of architecture in here, but all these cottages are lovely.

(3)    The people here are content (this is not a fact, it is an opinion widely acknowledged by the cantonments stationed here as well)- they work for a few hours and then depart. They are living in the here and now, in the present. They don’t quite go home thinking “this is what I have to do for tomorrow and the day after that”… Some civilizations mistake that as being lazy, but I’d say it’s a sign of contentment. There’s a quote I read on a hill here that said: “Remember your family is waiting for you” – which state in India would have that? Answer: Sikkim.

(4)    The monks make the best WaiWai/Noodles and Thukpa. It’s always in some kind of a  stock, nice and hot. On the way up to Rumtak monastery we stopped by a little monk-run eating place inside the monastery. They also chant Buddhist ancient religious literature in a very mystical manner-if you listen to it, it’s trance-like. Of course you can’t understand a thing, but the united precision with which 50-100 monks sit together and chant is a truly breathtaking experience. The vibrations are very powerful. I don’t quite know what it is, but you have to experience it to understand it. I also clicked a photo of this really, really, really, old monk. His face was almost expressionless, wrinkled, unperturbed perpetually, he was really the most beautiful old man I’ve ever seen. I also think he had taken an oath of silence. I thought he was amazing… (my family made fun of me, they find it highly intriguing that I’m fascinated by things that make no coherent sense).

(5)    This state has a story. It’s as old as the Himalayas. On the west we have the kingdom of Bhutan, and on the north we have Tibet (china), in the east we have Darjeeling. Its home to the most simplest of religions- Buddhism. All of western philosophy (from the 15^th CE onwards) begins with the realization of “there is no ego” – or simply “there is no self within me that is concrete that is separate from my brain/thought process”. ‘Cause the ancient Greeks (particularly Aristotle) believed in the distinction between the human body and the soul. From Rennaissance this thought was challenged with the onset of science, rationality. There was only an objective reality and the perception of that reality (in the brain). So a person was not his ego/concrete individual self but rather all the experiences perceptions that person had throughout his life- this “new” discovery was already discovered some 3,000 years ago by Buddha in the east!

(6)    Personal favorites:

- Rumtak Monastery

- Tea Estates, steppe farms (especially the ones located 6,000 feet above mean sea level)

- Thukpa soup in the little café outside Tibetan Institute of Higher Learning

- The Buddha Park

-The river that runs alongside the military cantonment area of Bardhan (my spellings of sikkamese places is highly distorted)

- Indo-china border/Nathu-La

Here are a few aesthetically non-appealing photos I tried to click (*no photo could do justice to sikkim) - 

These ancient buddhist manuscripts written in ancient Sikkemese.

A bunch of cute kids posing for the camera

This was a buddhist monk .. he had taken a vow of silence... he totally disapproved of me acting all tourist-ey and taking his photo without asking him. I can kind of felt sad for him, because he couldn't show his disapproval. (Rumtek Monastery)

This is a religious instrument (forgotten it's name)- but apparently if you turn it as you walk (as the boys are doing in the picture) you will have your wishes fulfilled!

I just found this reallly cute :)

So i clicked!