Sons of Sikkim

Sons of Sikkim PDF

Author: Jigme N. Kazi

Publisher: Notion Press

Published: 2020-10-20

Total Pages: 419

ISBN-13: 1648059813

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This book, Sons of Sikkim: The Rise and Fall of the Namgyal Dynasty of Sikkim, is not a comprehensive history of Sikkim; it is only a brief history of Sikkim’s Namgyal Dynasty, which ruled the former Kingdom of Sikkim for more than 300 years (1642-1975). The main purpose of writing this book is to give the ordinary people – in Sikkim and elsewhere – a glimpse of Sikkim’s history: its origin in the 13th century, advent of the Namgyal Dynasty in mid-17th century, invasion of neighbouring countries in the 18th and 19th centuries, and finally, the emergence of the kingdom as a democracy in the 20th century, leading ultimately to its present status – the 22nd State of India. There are very few books dealing on the above subjects in great detail in one book. Most books on Sikkim’s history and politics are either one-sided or fail to present a holistic view of Sikkim. A book such as this is perhaps written for the first time by a Sikkimese and from the Sikkimese perspective. History is not always written by the victors; at times, as in this case, it is written by its victims. Empires fall, civilizations crumble but the human spirit, which fights against all kinds of oppression and exploitation, cannot be extinguished so easily. More than anything else, the story of the Sons of Sikkim is a story worth telling; a story of a small Himalayan kingdom and its people’s struggle to survive in the face of great odds.

Sikkim

Sikkim PDF

Author: Andrew Duff

Publisher: Birlinn

Published: 2015-05-14

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0857902458

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This is the true story of Sikkim, a tiny Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas that survived the end of the British Empire only to be annexed by India in 1975.It tells the remarkable tale of Thondup Namgyal, the last King of Sikkim, and his American wife, Hope Cooke, thrust unwittingly into the spotlight as they sought support for Sikkim's independence after their 'fairytale' wedding in 1963. As tensions between India and China spilled over into war in the Himalayas, Sikkim became a pawn in the Cold War in Asia during the 1960s and 1970s. Rumours circulated that Hope was a CIA spy. Meanwhile, a shadowy Scottish adventuress, the Kazini of Chakung, married to Sikkim's leading political figure, coordinated opposition to the Palace. As the world's major powers jostled for regional supremacy during the early 1970s Sikkim and its ruling family never stood a chance. On the eve of declaring an Emergency across India, Indira Gandhi outwitted everyone to bring down the curtain on the 300 year-old Namgyal dynasty. Based on interviews and archive research, as well as a retracing of a journey the author's grandfather made in 1922, this is a thrilling, romantic and informative glimpse of a real-life Shangri-La.

Time Change

Time Change PDF

Author: Hope Cooke

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780671412258

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Time Change is the story of the education of a woman. A precocious American girl growing up in upper-middle-class New York is drawn to the East before it becomes popular and then marries the king-to-be of a tiny Himalayan land. With the novelist's eye for detail, Hope Cooke tells of growing up in the Victorian atmosphere first of her wealthy, snobbish grandmother's home; then with her aunt and uncle, the U.S. Ambassador to Iran. Between brilliant terms at Sarah Lawrence College she plunged into an often hilarious, if occasionally painful, obsession with the East. It was in Darjeeling, India, during a summer's stay, alone in the cozy atmosphere of a family hotel, that Cooke met the recently widowed Crown Prince of Sikkim. The story of her engagement and wedding to the Prince and her life in this exotic hidden-away world became the center of international attention and fascination. It is told in full here, for the first time, in Hope Cooke's own voice, with a sharp eye and an uncommon ear for atmosphere and intrigue. It was very soon after their marriage that her husband succeeded his father to the throne. Nearly submerged by the responsibilities of her husband's public (and private) preoccupations and weighed down by the isolation, Cooke worked with children and the schools and coordinated the handicrafts industry for export. Gradually, Hope Cooke grew from a spirited, gifted girl to a many-faceted woman of depth and independence. Eventually Sikkim, increasingly a pawn of power politics, was annexed by India. After a harrowing siege at the beginning of the takeover, in which she and her children were held hostage, Cooke returned to the United States to begin a new life as immigrant and adult. - Jacket flap.

Sikkim

Sikkim PDF

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1971

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13:

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Describes the history, geography, economy, culture, and people of the Himalayan mountain kingdom of Sikkim.

Sikkim

Sikkim PDF

Author: Arundhati Ray

Publisher: Orient Blackswan

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 166

ISBN-13: 9788178240084

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Sikkim

Sikkim PDF

Author: Preet Mohan Singh Malik

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2021-05-16

Total Pages: 261

ISBN-13: 9354226914

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Sikkim is an enigma for most, its history and its 1975 merger with India shrouded in mystery. This book fills the lacunae on both fronts, combining insights into the erstwhile royal kingdom's unique history with the intriguing story of how it became India's twenty-second state. It examines the often-fraught relationship between its original inhabitants, the Lepchas, and the Bhutias (people of Tibetan origin) who established institutions of religion and governance - Lamaist Buddhism and the Namgyal dynasty respectively. Aspects of the Indian relationship with Tibet form part of this narrative, in particular due to the British involvement in the Himalayan region as a consequence of the 'Great Game' and great power rivalry with the Russian empire. For India today, Sikkim remains significant from a strategic point of view, given its proximity to the border with Tibet, now China, and the presence of the vital Siliguri Corridor that connects India's northeast with the rest of the country.

Opening the Hidden Land

Opening the Hidden Land PDF

Author: Saul Mullard

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2011-11-14

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 9004208968

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Using seventeenth and eighteenth century sources from the former Himalayan kingdom of Sikkim, this book examines the construction of Sikkimese historiography and presents an interpretation of the history of state formation of Sikkim.