Sikkim
elsewhere in Himachal area. But still
tribal and backward communities.
The Loktak hydel project in Ma-
nipur displaced around 20,000 people
as their villages went under water. The
Pagladiya Dam Project of lower As-
sam is going to displace 1,50,000 peo-
ple, but according to official estimate
it would affect only 18,000 persons.
Likewise, Tipaimukh project is dis-
placing 40,000 people. In Arunachal
Pradesh more than 20,000 would be
displaced by the Siang project. In re-
cent times, the Indian government is
planning to set up a number develop-
ment projects like dams in Northeast,
contributing further towards the prob-
lem of internal displacement as well
as ethnic conflicts. Are we ready for
it?
Karmapa’s escape
It was a cosmic design and the 17th
Karmapa, Orgen Trinley Dorji was just
following his inner call as he prepared
himself for the karmic inevitability. It
was 11 pm on December 28, 1999, the
Tibetan year of the rabbit, the supreme
master of the Karma Kagyu sect of Ti-
betan Buddhism opened his bedroom
window and disappeared in the dark.
Over the following week, the 14-year
old 17th Karma completes an arduous
30 April 08
Cover Story
task of traveling to India’s Mcleodganj
in Himachal Pradesh from the Tsurphu
Monastery in Tibet, from the clutches
of Chinese colonialists. Soon his great
escape Tibet became public and the
state, which was to be most excited,
was Sikkim and one the greatest mo-
ments for the scores of Buddhists who
have been missing his direct blessings
till then.
The Karmapa’s escape to India
is the third event of its type. In 1959,
the 14th (and present) Dalai Lama had
escaped Chinese iniquity to Nehru’s
India. Earlier, in 1909, the 13th Dalai
Lama had come to Lord Minto’s co-
lonial government with similar com-
plaints.
Later it was learnt that after months
of careful planning, on December 28,
the fourteen-year-old Karmapa pre-
tended to enter into a solitary retreat,
and instead, donned civilian garb and
slipped out a window. Leaving Tsur-
phu Monastery with a handful of at-
tendants, he began a daring escape
by car, foot, horseback, helicopter,
train and taxi, a heroic journey, which
was to become the stuff of headlines
throughout the world. On January 5,
2000 he arrived, to the great surprise
and overwhelming joy of the Buddhist
world, in Dharamsala.
But his mysterious escape from
Tibet became a point of many debates
and thus raised many an eyebrow over
in the paradigm of diplomacy. Indian
government allowed him everywhere.
He has been permitted to engage in
tours to Buddhist sites in India, and
annually travels to Bodhgaya and Sar-
nath for important Kagyu ceremonies
over which he presides. He has also
travelled to Ladakh, Tibetan settle-
ments in southern India, Calcutta and
Cover Story Sikkim
awaits permission from the Indian
authorities to leave Dharamsala and
return to Rumtek Monastery, the tra-
ditional seat of the Karmapas in India.
Truly, a long wait for the people of
Sikkim.
ACT against dams
Movements against dams in India
no more a new thing, more so, when
Medha Pateker like personalities join
hands together with those against the
Narmada dam and float Narmada
Bachaw Andolan. But when only a
hand few of people with extreme cour-
age to iniate a movement against dam
in a Lepcha reserve in North Sikkim,
it is bound to draw international atten-
tion.
Under the umbrella of the Affect-
ed Citizens of Teesta (ACT), a group
of anti-dam activists were protesting ment Area Treatment Plan prepared by Dr Manmohan Singh pointing out the
against the implementation of hydel the Forest, Wild Life and Environment contradiction involved in declaring a
projects in Dzongu, a Lepcha reserve
Management Department of Sikkim place a national park (Kanchendzonga
in North Sikkim. The activists, mostly
government and approved by the Min- National Park in Dzongu) and allowing
from the Lepcha community, are hav-
istry of Environment and Forest, gov- its biodiversity to be destroyed by the
ing an eleven-point charter of demands
ernment of India. proposed dams (the Panan hydroelec-
that include a certified copy of Envi-
The French parliamentarian Jean tric project is coming up there). They
ronmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Lassalle, who is also the president of the were on fast for quite since June 20 but
studies report prepared by the Forest,
World Mountain People Association, did not stop till the world around them
Wild Life and Environment Manage-
an international network of mountain- took serious view of this matter. Hats
ment Department, government of Sik-
dwellers active in more than 70 coun- off to you guys!!!
kim, and a certified copy of the Catch-
tries, shot a letter to Prime Minister
Split in NSCN – a new
April 08 31