Issue #3

Khamri, Sikkim!

Now into the third issue of Sikkim Ko Khabar, we hope everyone is enjoying these updates. Please feel free to message us on our social media handles or email us at sikkimko.com@gmail.com for comments, suggestions, criticism, etc. We have been trying to include a comment box in this newsletter but we have not been able to figure out how that can be done. Hopefully we can get that done soon.

Khaas Khabar

​Two musical instruments of the Lepcha community of Sikkim - the three-stringed Tungbuk and the bamboo flute Puntong Pulit - were awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag last week. The announcement was made during the 1st Tribal Business Conclave held in New Delhi. Our large cardamom also has a GI tag and our neighbour Darjeeling got the country’s first GI tag with its Darjeeling Tea.

But what does a GI tag really mean?

According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, a GI tag is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. In order to function as a GI, a sign must identify a product as originating in a given place.

In terms of preserving traditional knowledge, a GI tag helps by defining the production standards also known as the “code of practice” or “regulations of use,” which may include a description of a traditional process or traditional knowledge.

So only a Tungbuk produced in Sikkim following the registered ‘code of practice’ can be called a Tungbuk. You can read this article for more info.

Also last week...

The 13th International Tourism Mart (ITM) for North Eastern states was held in Gangtok from 14-15 November. Discussions were reportedly held on tourism promotion in these states but for Sikkim, we all know, nothing is going to work unless the highway to Siliguri works. Most of us have given up on the airport, and the chopper service is as good as the road, in terms of its reliance on weather.

Meanwhile the 41st All India Governor’s Gold Cup has begun and there is no fanfare like the days gone by.

With even lesser fanfare there was the National Press Day on 16 November.

What did see a lot of hype was Sajjan Raj Vaidya, a popular singer from Nepal who performed here in Gangtok on Saturday.

Side Note

You might want to read this article on Dzongu's long-awaited-yet-to-be-finished Mantam bridge.

That's all for this week. See you next week!