Pilot Prince: Crown Prince Paljor Namgyal (1921-1941)

Most old Sikkimese homes have a certain sepia photograph either on the walls of their
drawing rooms or framed on their mantelpiece. It depicts a young man decked out in the
uniform of a pilot officer of the British Empire’s Royal Air Force. His face is composed
for the commissioned studio portrait he was posing for, yet even the formal posturing
cannot veil the obvious verve of the young Crown Prince of Sikkim. This makes the
photograph all the more poignant for Prince Paljor Namgyal passed away soon after,
leaving behind only the promise of what could have been. That, and a distraught royal
family.
Prince Paljor Namgyal has always piqued my interest. As an inquisitive young child, I
remember asking many people to tell me the how, the where, the when and the why of
the plane crash that claimed our pilot prince. For that was how I thought of him and the
title I adopt for this article. I was always brushed off with one excruciatingly curt
sentence, ‘He died in a RAF plane crash’.
Even much later, as a researcher, I was continually thwarted by how little factual
information actually existed on him. Sikkim has always had a predilection for the oral
tradition and many facts have not been recorded or blurred by the passage of time. Plus
most records tend to be focused on those who were kings and events concurrent to their
reign rather than the peripheral royals.
Kunzang Choley a.k.a. Paljor Namgyal was the firstborn and eldest son of the eleventh
Chogyal of Sikkim, Sir Tashi Namgyal,K.C.I.E, K.C.S.I. and Maharani Kunzang Dechen.
He was born on 26th November,1921 at the Palace, Gangtok.
In 1930, he was sent along with his younger brother, Prince Palden Thondup Namgyal
and their sister Princess Pema Tsedeun to St. Joseph’s Convent, Kalimpong. The old
tradition of sending Sikkim princes to Darjeeling Jesuit schools saw him being further
educated at St. Paul’s School, Darjeeling and St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling. Many
scions of both the Sikkim and Bhutan royal families were alumni of these old and
venerated institutions.
The Crown Prince was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Indian Air Force and
based at Ambala. He served in World War II in 1940-41 when his father Sir Tashi
Namgyal voluntarily placed all his resources and manpower at the disposal of the
Government of India.
Most tragically, Paljor Namgyal was killed in active service after he crash landed in a
reconnaissance flight near Peshawar, on 20th December, 1941. He was merely 20 years
old then. Following his demise, his younger brother Palden Thondup Namgyal who was
called Gyese Rinpoche- the Prince who is a Precious Jewel- had to abandon his monastic
education and don the mantle of Crown Prince of Sikkim which was suddenly thrust on
him.
There is so little documentation on the late Crown Prince but most fortuitously
photographs do exist and they help make up for the paucity of the written word in
reconstructing his story. Photographs of Paljor Namgyal show a slim and athletic young
man whose eyes always smile. Even as a young child, in photographs taken by the British
Political Officer Frederick Williamson, young Paljor (identified as ‘Peejo’!) comes across
as a friendly and composed child, completely at ease in front of the camera.
This easy confidence with the camera extended itself to another ease- with all kinds of
people in all kinds of situations. Surely the Air Force base where he found himself later
was a sea change from his Himalayan country. If it was, there is no sign of any
discomfiture whatsoever in photographs of him taken at the Air Force base. Arms slung
casually over those of his co-officers, the oriental Prince displays an easy camaraderie
with fellow British and Indian officers.
A particular snapshot that graces the walls of the Dho-tapu restaurant in Deorali, owned
by the late Prince’s nephew, shows the late Prince, all togged up in pilot gear and
straddling a motorcycle. Another one, from my mother’s personal album, shows the
young Prince in hunting gear, a rifle slung loosely about his shoulder. She remembers
that Prince Paljor was very fond of his boots and he would diligently polish them himself
till they shone to his own satisfaction.
Like most mothers and their first born son, the Prince was also very close to his mother
the Maharani who, following differences with the Maharaja, later maintained a separate
residence at Taktse Palace. The physical separation does not seem to have detracted from
the quintessence of their relationship. Photographs show the Maharani at Taktse
surrounded by her many children, Prince Paljor towering above his mother and smiling
genially into the camera.
The real beauty of these photos lies in their ability to help conjure up vivid imagery for
photographs are speaking testimonials. A picture thus emerges of a confident, amiable
young prince who lead an active life, a dashing youth who rode a motorbike, hunted and
flew planes and yet was solicitous about his family and unafraid to apply himself to a
menial task like polishing boots if it so suited him.
Members of the royal family as well as those who were at school with him speak most
fondly of the late Crown Prince. Mr. D.N.Tsarong, of the aristocratic Tsarong family of
Tibet, who studied with Prince Paljor in Darjeeling remembers Paljor Namgyal as a ‘very
nice, very simple’ and ‘charismatic’ individual who would inspire all he came into
contact with.
No account of Paljor Namgyal would be complete without also drawing a parallel with
the life of his nephew, Crown Prince Tenzing Namgyal, elder son of Chogyal P.T.
Namgyal. Both were vital, well loved and compelling young men, anointed heirs who
were sadly cut off in the prime of their lives without realizing the early promise they
displayed in abundance.
The sudden demise of both these two young scions of Sikkim’s Namgyal dynasty fueled
many whispers. Loyalists alleged that their deaths were not accidental. Others claimed
that it was an old Namgyal curse at work. No physically perfect prince could be king of
Sikkim, only someone with a physical imperfection could ascend the throne, it was
perpetuated. Both theories found takers in their time, the latter more so because Chogyal
Thutob Namgyal had a harelip, Chogyal Tashi Namgyal had myopia and Chogyal PT
Namgyal had a stammering problem. But even today, the theories remain what they are-
theories, with takers and detractors both.
Gangtok’s Paljor Stadium, now newly revamped, is named after the late Crown Prince.
As is the Paljor Namgyal Girls’Senior Secondary School. Of late some people, especially
careless reporters in the media, have been referring to our Paljor Stadium as Palzor
Stadium. I hope this article firmly establishes the roots, the essence and correct spelling
of the Paljor Stadium!
The mortal remains of the late Crown Prince Paljor Namgyal are enshrined in a white
chorten or stupa on a little hillock near the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. I am told that
a Rinpoche decreed that his chorten be built here rather than at the royal crematorium at
Lukshyama.
The chorten itself is a simple unostentatious structure, so much like the Pilot Prince
himself. The little hillock is a still tranquil place in bustling Deorali where the prayer
flags stand poignant guard over the Prince’s chorten.