Himalayan Times (1962)

Two

Himalayan Times September. 23, 1962

INSTITUTE TO STUDY LEPCHA LANGUAGE DEMANDED

Lepchas Meet At Gangtok

Gangtok, September 16

Lepchas hailing from
erery corner of Sikkim
asswnbled at Gangtok in
great numbers to attend
the animal GeLeral Meet-
ing of the Sikkim Lepcha
Association, held, as usual,,
on the auspicious occasion
of the Nasol Faja, the
Worship of the Snowy
Range Festival.

Kazi Yiiihsy Wangchuk,
an elderly Sikkimese no-
bleman and ex Magistrate
of the Haoichi Tebstl,.
hoisted and unfurled ths
first flag of the Sikkim
LepchaAssociation, amidst
tumultous ovations, the
singing of Lepeba songs,
the shouting of Lepeba
slogans, and immense en-

lliUiKSUl, '

Kazi Yithey Wangcbuk,
stressing the need for the
existence of a social or-
ganisation for the L( ichas
in Sikkim, and also ex-,
plaining its aims a n. d
objectives,' said, ill his
inaugural speech that the
Lepcbas should now be.
ccEQe socially conscious,
and that' they musft re-
main firm and united
under the i>*naer of their
oociai organisation He
further argued that the
Lepchas who constitute
this most backward com-

munity in Sikkim even
though they are the origi-
nal inhabitants of Sikkim
must be helped in every
possible manner iso that
they, too, may ■ become
enthusiastic ' and' active
participants in every
sphere of national acti-
vities.

The Resolutions adopted

in the meeting demanded
the immediate setting-up
of an Institute in Gang-
tok for the study/ and
propagation of the Lepcha
'language and culture, the
establishment of a Lepeba
Welfare Board to look
after the social and eco-
nomic welfare nf the
Lepchas, and the opening
nf Lepoha Cultural Cen-
tres in all tbej Lepchft
majority areas in Sikkim,
By a Resolution: adopted
unanimously, H. H. The
Maharaja of Sikkim was
requested to accede to their
request to become the
1 atron in-Chief of the Sik-
kim Lepcha Association.

After the General
Secretary's report, tbe
meeting was addressed by
Kazi Lhendup Dorji-
Khangsarpa, the President
of the Sikkim Lepcha
Association, who, briefly,
narrated the inception and

past history of Sikkim
Lepoha Association, and
the struggles it has had to
undergo. fheKazi'sspesoh
was immediately followed
by loud oheering, and,
when he declared that ths
days were gone when tbe
Lepchas could be treated
as underdogs, loud pro-
longed applause insued.
He stated that the Lepchas
were now resolved that
they should be properly
and equitably integrated
into the new stream of.
national awakening flow-
ing through Sikkim today,
and he called upon the
Lepchas throughout Sik-
kim to walk ahead, shoul-
der to shoulder, with the
rest of their Nepali and
Bhulia brothers, on the
road to national integra-
tion and emancipation

Tbe following day, a
12 Member Lepcha Dele-
gat ion, led by Kazi Lhen-
dup Dorji-Kbangsarpa,
called upon H. H. The
Maharaja of f-ikkiis, dis-
cussed matters peitaimn&v
to the condi; ion of the*
Lepebas, acd submitted
to hi go their Memorandum.

NOTICE

Eye specialist, Dr. S.
Pal Chntidhuri, d.O.m.S.
(Vienna) will treat eye
diseases and defective vi-
sion in Everest Dispensers
(Dr. Boral'a Dispensary)
Kalimpong on 6th & Tth
Oct. 1962 from 9 A. M.
and also from 4 P. M.