extras 1

7

NOW!

THE NOW! SPECIAL 8-PAGE PULL-OUT

extrasextrasNOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELY

300 ML

Dhakkan Kholo

Aur Jeeto

300 ML

Dhakkan Kholo

Aur Jeeto

CAUGHTSICHEY MURDER ACCUSED ARRESTED

GANGTOK: Sikkim Police, onMay 22, nabbed PrakashPradhan, accused of murderingone Suren Tamang and griev-ously injuring Arati Rai in a bi-zarre attack at Middle Sichey.The accused was arrested atRangpo when he was trying toslip back into Sikkim, informsources..

The accused has been onthe run since May 16, after heattacked Arati and stabbedSuren, when the latter tried tocome to her rescue.

The reason behind the mur-

der remains unclear since Arati,who is still recovering from herwounds at STNM Hospital is yetto make a statement. Districtpolice officials, however, hintthat the assaults could havebeen a crime of passion. Theaccused has reportedly admittedto an illicit relationship with Aratiand that he was blinded by jeal-ousy when the victim continuedto joke and laugh with other menat the Kachaa Gaddi.

Eyewitness accounts revealthat Prakash had stormed out ofthe shop after a heated argu-ment with the victim only to re-turn 15 minutes later armed witha knife. He reportedly slit Arati’s

throat in a fit of rage andwounded Suren fatally when hetried to intervene. Two otherswere injured in the scuffle.

The accused managed torun away before police couldarrive on the scene and interro-gations thus far have revealedthat he had fled away to RaniKhola on the fateful night andslipped to Sajong the next day.He appears to have made it toSiliguri on May 20 after spend-ing a day each at Rangpo andRorathang.

Following the incident, policeteams were deployed toRangpo, Duga, Siliguri andKalimpong and phone calls of

the accused’s parents andrelatives were traced. Theaccused might have re-mained absconding forlonger had his parent’s nothelped Sikkim Police. Ac-cording to SP [East], AkshaySachdeva, Prakash’s par-ents informed the police thatthey were bringing him toRangpo on May 22 when hewas subsequently arrested.

“This case is an exampleof good community effort.The parents and relatives ofthe accused and people ofthe locality all cooperatedwith us,” said the SP [East]while talking to NOW!

a NOW REPORT

Mango is considered to bethe king of fruits. Sweet

and succulent, it is glorious to tasteon its own. But mixed with cream,milk and sugar you can createeven more heavenly delights.

Prayers for world peace were held at Mani Lakhang Gumpa,Arithang on May 24-25. His Holiness, Karma Wangchuk,Gurung Rimpoche, of Darjeeling, presided over the prayers.Built with donations from devotees and some financial sup-port by the State Government, the monastery is still underconstruction.

Celebrating the spirit of thecoming of the mango season isBaker’s Café, MG Marg.

Mango tarts, mango soufflé,mango split, exotic mango pud-dings and even mango muffins,you can have all these and moreat the ongoing Mango festival.

“Its mango season and whatbetter way is there to celebratethe different tastes and flavoursof this delicious fruit?” asks NinaLakhotia, of Baker’s Café.

Try these sinful mango des-serts and be hooked for life. TheMango festival is on till May 30.

a NOW REPORT

THE BAKER RUSTLES UPMANGO DELIGHTS

Some Mango-based creations at Baker’s Cafe which is celebrating the Mango season at present

a N

OW

! p

ic

Gurung Rimpoche praysfor World Peace

a NOW! pic

VOL. 1 NUMBER. 48

extras 2

8

presentsGOOD AFTERNOON, GANGTOK

PANORAMA COLOR LAB offers a panorama of photoservices: Mounting and Hard-board lamination, enlargements,slide processing and framing in imported mould.

MG Marg, Gangtok, Sikkim - 737 101. ph: 225098 / 222488

Pan o r amaColor Lab

Life is just another brick game! . NH 31 A, Saturday.

extraneousTHE GANGTOK STATE OF MIND

MigtinWhat is a Rai ‘shaman’ known as?

-----------------------------------------------------------

NAME: ............................................ Address.............................................

Last Week’s answer: White Hall Winner: Dev Raj Subba, CHandmari

WHAT’S UP, SIKKIM

CONTEST

WIN A FREE MEAL

FOR 2 AT

HOTEL

Tibet Road, Gangtok. ph: 224101

Italian, Mexican, Chinese,

Indian and

Continental cuisine

Buzz. . .

BAZAAR

pic

KA

RC

HO

ON

G D

IYA

LI

sikkim

SNIPPETSBack to the past for inspiration again! This week’s Snippets features aphotograph of a paddy field in Tsunthang taken in the 1940’s. Legendhas it that Guru Rinpoche had lunch here and scattered the remains ofhis rice in the area. It is the only place in the area where paddy grows.So much has changed now. ‘Tsunthang’ has today degenerated intowhat we know as ‘Chungthang’ and the Guru’s faned paddy field nolonger exists. Instead ugly concrete structures take ‘pride’of place.

The Karma Band, fromKathmandu is here in theCapital. The boys played

their first concert in Sikkim atVajra Cinema Hall, in an eventorganised by Udisha, a localNGO and titled ‘Harmony’ onMonday, May 27, 2003.

Karma Band is a band of sevenambitious boys, averaging about25 years. The band has SurendraMan Singh on vocals, HariMahajan on lead guitars, ShishirRai on rhythm guitar, PrashantMahajan on percussions, TashiSherpa on second rhythm guitar,Pravin Shrestha on bass guitarsand Nikhil Tuladhar on drums.The band’s music has a lot ofblues influence and the members

fancy almost all the rock icons ofyesteryears.

Interestingly, one of the bandmembers, Shishir Rai, therhythm guitarist, is from Tadong.He now stays in Kathmandu.

Since the boys got togetherabout four years back, the bandhas come out with two albums.Shahar Timro and Hukka, theirlatest one. Hukka Mero, from thenew album became an instant hitwith Nepali rock/pop fans all over.

Among their recent perform-ances, the most notable one

a NOW! pic

would be their gig at the ‘SaveNepal - 2003 ’ show held inKathmandu where they playedalongside Nabin Bhattarai andNima Rumba.

Monday evening saw the boysbelt out seven numbers fromtheir latest album and one fromtheir first album.

The show was opened by alocal band with a female vocal-ist, ‘The Bootlegs’ which accord-ing to the audience, was betterrecieved than the boys fromKathmandu themselves.

Paddy Fields forever?

HEM LALL KO GUSSA

KYON AATA HAI?

Running into Hem LallBhandari in town last week

was quite an enlightening expe-rience. The Hava(rd) educatedlawyer turned politician hadmuch to say about the abuse ofthe Right to Information, as hesaid, was happening in this pa-per. “How dare your paper printmatter which had not even beenfiled in the court?” he fumed,sounding amazingly outraged.Apart from the fact that this ac-cusation (like others that hekeeps making) is not true, HemLall had himself colluded withanother local weekly to print hischarges of corruption againstformer Chief Justice Dayal, a daybefore he submitted it to thecourt. Readers of the said paperinformed that the case had beenfiled even before the Court hadbeen approached with the peti-tion. Selective memory or dou-ble standards?

The gentleman, who is nowfacing serious charges of perjury,has promised to sue this paperfor contempt of court and alsodefamation. “You people havepainted me blue and black. I’llshow you all,” threatened theVice-President of the SikkimSangram Parishad. Wasn’t thisthe same party which had re-cently cried itself hoarse on pressfreedom and even approachedthe governor with a petitionagainst perceived mediathreats? Strange. Very strange.

‘POWER’FUL

On April 6th, Ashimani Bibi, aragpicker grabbed a cable,

even as she was falling. It turnedout to be an exposed power ca-ble. Today, this mother of four liesin the burns ward with an ampu-tated arm.

On May 19, the electrical ca-bles passing through the divid-ers on MG Marg, short circuitedand caught fire. This was thesecond time it has happened inan area where children are oftenseen playing. We are lucky nomajor mishap happened. Lookaround and you’ll find many over-head cables hanging loosely inthe middle of nowhere. There aresome right outside our office. Willthe Power Department assure usthat all these hanging cables arequite normal and safe. Or doessomeone have to lose a limbagain for the matter to be takenseriously?

STARVED FOR SUPPLIES

The condition at some of ourdistrict health care centers

are less than perfect. This we all

know. But apparently, many ofthese PHC’s are suffering froman acute shortage of medicalsupplies. Doctors claim that attimes even the most basic essen-tials are denied to them from thestore at STNM Hospital. Speak-ing on condition of anonymity, adoctor said, “Only when the ChiefMinister comes on a surprisevisit, some of the problems getheard. Rest of the time no onelistens.” Many doctors are regu-larly buying medicine for the pa-tients with their own money asthere is never enough for distri-bution. This is indeed a seriouscomplaint and should be lookedinto seriously.PATIENTS BEWARE. DOC-

TOR’S COMING!

Talking of hospitals, some ofthe wards at STNM are

haunted at night. No not byghosts but doctors in white coat.No not by real doctors but someimpersonators. According tohearsay, these “doctors” come forrounds in the middle of the nightwhen all are sleeping peacefully.Then they proceed to rob the pa-tients of the few valuables that arelying around. Sounds pretty in-credible. Many patients have re-ported loss of items after one ofthese nocturnal visits. Needlessto say none of the nurses on dutyhave seen these fake doctors.But if true, the incidents speak vol-umes about the security at thehospital.

LET THE GOOD TIMES

ROLL

The Rajdhani is bursting at theseams with tourists. In spite

of a plethora of hotels, groups oftourists are seen searchingvainly for empty rooms. Such isthe rush. Taxi drivers have neverhad it better and most are quickto make that extra buck while thegood times last. One heard of afunny incident recently. A Bengalitourist standing outside TourismInformation Centre on MG Marg,says to a taxi driver: “I want togo to Lal Bazaar but mind youI’m not paying a rupee more thanRs. 50”. The cabdriver, insteadof telling him that the market isjust a minutes walk away takeshim for a good ride via a longishroute. Later he relates the inci-dent to all and sundry with great

amusement. Must say our driv-ers are becoming city smart too!

Now that we are on the sub-ject why are shops on MG Margkept closed on Tuesdays in thisseason when they are allowed toremain open during the Puja sea-son? It deprives the tourists whoare leaving the next day fromenjoying the town atmosphereand do their last bit of shopping.Also, a chance for the shopkeep-ers to make some extra moneyduring season time is denied.

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE

Why did the BSNL organisea week-long interaction

with the public called BSNL Day?Is it just wrong English or shouldwe read more into the matter.Like other promises made andnot kept!

Talking of the vagaries of lan-guage, you know that SARSstands for Severe Acute Respira-tory Syndrome. You also know thatsevere and acute mean the samething. So why then were both thewords used when one could havedone? Because initially, the infec-tion was called Acute RespiratorySyndrome, the acronym for whichis ARS. Health workers found itdisconcerting to say ARS all thetime and hence the change!

Karma Band BootleggedKarma Band Bootleggeda NOW Report

extras 3

9

rajdhaniWHAT THECAPITAL’SBEENUP TO

SELEP TANKI: The All Sikkim Kirat Rai Association organised aSakewa Puja here on May 23 to mark the Rai festival of Sakewa.About 100 people attended the prayers with the Minister for For-ests, DT Lepcha present as the chief guest.

The Mangpa [Rai Shaman] from Ranka conducted the prayerceremony, the highlight of which was the sequence whereasMangpas danced in circles making offerings to the nature gods.They, then proceeded to dig at the Tharpulung. Belief has it that ifthey find a white stone, it forecasts prosperity for the coming year.

In villages this ceremony is usually held in the fields, but be-cause Gangtok does not have too many agricultural plots in thevicinity, the pristine location of the Smriti Van here was chosen forthe ceremony. The plot where the prayers were conducted hasnow been adopted by the All Sikkim Kirat Rai Association for af-forestation and tree plantation drives.

The Minister, while addressing the gathering lauded their ef-forts at preserving their culture and rituals and urged that the fes-tival of Sakewa be taken as an occasion to rededicate themselvesto efforts aimed at resuscitating nature with forest conservationefforts.

a NOW! REPORT

MANGPAS

CONDUCT

SAKEWA

PRAYERS

AT SELEP

TANKI

Kalimpong Supply AgencyNH Way 31 A, Gangtok (Sikkim) Ph: 226237, 9434103124

Deals in: Genuine Spare Parts, Lubricants & Batteries

D i s t r i b u t o r : E x i d e , A m r o n , S h e l l , P r e s t o l i t e

PRESTOLITE batteris start from:for MARUTI - Rs. 1250/-for COMMANDER - Rs. 2550/-

in the state. Trekking, raftingand even motorcycle expedi-tions, nothing seems too diffi-cult to organize for the duo.Tseten is a member of SikkimMountaineering Associationand has even won the NaturalRock Climbing competit ionheld in the capital in 1998. Am-bit ion and plain hard workhave got the two so far. It willbe no surpr ise i f they areequally successful in their newventure.

On road and in trouble justca l l Breakdown 365 at9832013152 / 9434127131

There can be no limit to theingenuity of the young .Karma Wangchuk and

Tashi Tseten, two young men intheir early twenties, have comeup with an unusual idea whichsounds too good to be true. Forless than a rupee a day, theyprovide you a service which is adriver’s dream come true.

Imagine the scenario. It’s darkand raining. You are in the mid-dle of nowhere. The car breaksdown.

Who you gonna call?Breakdown 365. That’s who.Run out of fuel? Can’t change

the tyre? That’s no longer yourheadache. Just call Breakdown365.

I t o f course helps thatTseten has his own garageand a set of mechanics he canrush to you when you needthem.

“I saw this service being im-plemented in Bangalore whenI was there last. It really im-pressed me and I thought whynot try it here. After all thereare so many cars around andbreakdowns and running outof fuel are a regular occur-rence,” says Karma.

You can become a silvercard member or a gold cardmember, depending on thedistance you want insured. Al-though, as mentioned earlier,the service will cost you lessthan a rupee per day, you ofcourse, have to pay for theactuals like spares and fuel,etc.

Although this is a new ven-ture for them, Karma andTashi are old hands at busi-ness partnerships. They run atravel agency, Pomra Tours &Travels that concentrates onpromoting adventure tourism

NOW! pics

a NOW! pic

On Saturday, May 24,2003, the newspapersstalls throughout Sikkim

had to squeeze the display spaceof national dailies to make roomfor Sikkim’s very own first Eng-lish daily.

The force behind the longestrunning English weekly of thestate, Sikkim Express, decidedthat its periodicity needed a boostand that it was about time theHimalayan state got a daily of it’sown. So, keeping in mind the vi-sion of the man behind SikkimExpress, Late Ram Patro, whostarted the paper way back inApril 1976, nine years after hisdemise, Sikkim Express becamethe first English weekly to takethe plunge an metamorphose asa daily.

At a time when a kingdom hadjust been demoted to the statusof a state, when news was whatthe subjects-turned-citizenscraved for, Ram Patro deliveredto the people what is now an ar-chive of important eventsthroughout the history of thisstate. Similarly, now, at a timewhen information holds the keyto development and news hap-pens every day, every moment,Patro’s dream of coming out withSikkim’s first daily has been ful-filled by his wife, Maala RanaPatro, who is currently the printerand publisher of Sikkim Express.

So, here is wishing Sikkim Ex-press many more years of suc-cessful journalism and hope youcontinue to add value to yourservice as a premier daily ofSikkim.

Sikkim’sfirst daily

a NOW Report

Include your Children when BakingCookies

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash,Expert Says

Police Begin Campaign to Run DownJaywalkers

Safety Experts Say School BusPassengers Should Be Belted

Drunk Gets Nine Months in ViolinCase

Survivor of Siamese Twins JoinsParents

Farmer Bill Dies in HouseIraqi Head Seeks Arms

Prostitutes Appeal to Pope

Soviet Virgin Lands Short of GoalAgain

British Left Waffles on FalklandIslands

Lung Cancer in Women Mushrooms

Eye Drops off Shelf

Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

Squad Helps Dog Bite VictimEnraged Cow Injures Farmer with Axe

Plane Too Close to Ground, CrashProbe Told

Miners Refuse to Work after Death

‘Actual Headlines’

extras 4

INTHECITY

10

rajdhani

CONTEST

WIN A COFFEE &

SNACKS COUPON

WORTH Rs. 100 AT

BAKER’S CAFE,

MG MARG, GANGTOK

Tick the right answer and rush en-tries to NOW! office at Tadong to

fresh everyday

- QUESTION OF THE WEEK -

WHICH FRUIT TREE

DOES THE COFFEE TREE

SHARE SIMILAR AND

UNUSUAL CHARACTER-

ISTICS WITH?

� Orange� Mango� Apple

coffee

NAME: .........................................

ADDRESS: ...................................

Last week’s answer:Wine Of Arabia.

Winner: Dorjee Namo, Law College

wa

tc

h t

his

sp

ac

e..

.

Vishwa Kabi RabindranathTagore’s immense lovefor the Himalayas was

reflected greatly in his works. Andwhat better way to pay tribute tothe poet on his birth anniversarythan with an evening of RabindraSangeet and Naach in the lapsof the Khangchendzonga?

Although Tagore’s birthdayfalls on Baishak 25 (May 9), theSikkim Banga SanskritiSansthan decided to commemo-rate the 142nd birth anniversaryby organizing a Rabindra JanmaJayanti Utsav here at the Com-munity Hall on May 24.

The evening was packed withsome of Tagore’s best known lovesongs, which were interpretedthrough “Nritya Alekhya,” choreo-graphed by Kuntala Paul of theSansthan. Students of SikkimManipal Institute of Technologyand Sikkim Manipal Medical Col-lege also put up a presentation ofRabindra Sangeet and Naach.Local artists from the State Cul-tural Affairs Department also pre-sented a song by the Nobel lau-

Rabindra Sangeet, anyone

reate.Chief Minister Pawan

Chamling, who was the chiefguest on the occasion, spoke onthe life and contribution of Tagoretowards the enrichment of the artand literature of the country andthe world. Paying glowing tributeto the poet laureate, Mr. Chamlingsaid that it was his love for themountains that brought him timeand again to the Himalayas toseek respite and pen some of hismost memorable works. He re-minded the gathering thatGurudev Tagore celebrated hislast birthday at Mongpu in neigh-

bouring Darjeeling.Noted Nepali writer, Sanu Bhai

Sharma read out a review on thelife and works of Tagore.

Established in 1976, the SikkimBanga Sanskriti Sansthan’s mainobjective is to keep alive the cul-ture, tradition, language and artof the Bengalis outside Bengal.The Sansthan has been organiz-ing the annual Durga Puja formore than 20 years here inGangtok. This is for the first timethat the Sansthan has organizedthe Rabindra Janma JayantiUtsav, which the organisers saywill now be an annual affair.

pic courtesy: IPR

a NOW! REPORT

Most of the youngernetizens were browsing the web for more

than just a good chat-room lastFriday when they struggledthrough poor connectivity andoverloaded servers to check theCBSE class XII results whichwere uploaded on May 23 at 8in the morning.

Anant Sharma, who runs an

internet cafe at Tadong, admit-ted that he had never seen somany students crowding his ter-minals before. Thanks to theclogged cyber-lines, studentswere forced to remain logged onfor longer as it took anythingfrom 20 minutes to an hour tocheck out individual fates, headded.

While checking the results ata cyber cafe is slightly less pub-lic than scouring the school no-tice-boards, it is still quite an“open” affair since a room canoffer only so much privacy.Anant, however, was happy thatonly smiling faces left his cybercafe. “In fact, one student actu-ally returned with sweets for eve-ryone. No one who checked theresults at my cyber cafe failed.Terminals here must be lucky,”he winked.

Not all cyber cafe’s were,however, as lucky. One cybercafe in town had to handle stu-dents, who upon learning thatthey had fared poorly directedtheir frustration at the terminalthey were working on. A batteredkeyboard and lot of banginglater, the boys had to be es-corted out of the cyber cafe, in-formed an attendant at one ofthe many internet junctions onMG Marg.

Such episodes were, how-ever, rare and most cyber cafesmade a killing by capitalising onthe results. Some even changedtheir billing to per resultdownloaded instead of the usualpractice of billing by time.

It is, however, not just cybercafe owners who are happy withthe Board’s decision to becomenet-savvy. Even students arethankful. The official results arestill not available with theschools, which were anyway

closed on Friday for Sakewa.Yangchen, a class X student

of Deorali school, who was busysurfing the net said that the nethad taken away the hassle ofhaving to call up Kolkata or Delhifor results before they arrived inSikkim. “Knowing how we fared,even though we still don’t havethe official mark-sheet, gives usmore time to plan our furtherstudies better,” she said.

Ranjan, a class XII student,exclaimed that the “pass” an-nouncement next to his name onthe computer screen was themost beautiful sight ever. “I justdid not know what to do. I justfreaked out. All my prayers be-fore the Computer came true. Ikissed the computer screen likeI’ll never kiss anyone ever,” ajubilant Ranjan said.

Ronald, another class XIIstudent, admitted that he wasvisiting a cyber cafe for the firsttime. “It is just amazing what thenet has to offer. And I know of itonly because I wanted to knowmy results. I have now decidedto take a computer course andwill browse the web everyday.Oh, yes! I passed,” he said.

BROWSING SURGE WITHRESULTS ON THE NET

by ANAND OBEROI

extras 5

content

11

LiTNOWWHEN THE HILLS WRITE

Bookworm Asks CONTEST

the winner [decided by draw of lots from allcorrect entries] wins a discount voucher

worth Rs. 100 from Rachna Books andPublications

books and

p u b l i c a t i o n s

Near Community Hall Gangtok Sikkim

�224336 �rachna_books@yahoo.co.in

Harriet Beecher Stowe sent shockwaves through

America with a finely crafted book, Uncle Tom’s

Cabin. What issue did the book deal with?

LAST WEEK”S

ANSWER: The Dog’s

Mouth had been painted

with phosphorous.

WINNER: Rinchen

Ongmu, Tadong.

send your creative writings to NOW! Gairi Gaon, Tadong, Gangtok - Sikkim and see whether it makes it to the litNOW page

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN WRITE?why don’t you then throw those short-stories, poems, vignettes, essays in the public domain and see whether they are appreciated or trashed...

THE BEST ENTRY EACH WEEK, APART FROM SPACE iN litNOW! WILL ALSO WIN ACOFFEE-TABLE-BOOK from RACHNA Books & Publications

Where are you coming from?” astentorian Bari asked.

“Just from my usual round of town,”replied a submissive Bara.

“Can you never sit at home peacefully?”Bari was showing no signs of letting up. “Iwon’t tend to you if you fall ill again. I amtired of your illnesses. You know very wellthat you get those bouts of asthma becauseof your own restlessness.”

Bari’s remarks hurt. But then, that wasthe way she spoke. Sharp and tough. Shehad always been tough and outspoken.Bari’s acerbic tongue was however justa facade. She was actually very caring,but for some warped reason presentedherself as a cantankerous old lady. Per-haps she did not want be seen as vul-nerable and taken for granted.

It was perhaps this streak of a survi-vor which had attracted Bara to her somethirty years. All of five feet and someinches, she was fair, round-faced andstrongly built. Beauty in Bara’s youngerdays was defined differently from the ano-rexic thinness is now demanded. Awoman with strong arms and toughcalves was considered an ideal match.In hindsight, Bara admitted that he hadmade the right decision with Bari. Shehad, in their thirty years together, seensome tumultuous times, risen to the oc-casion and always supported him. Shewas always healthy. Always beautiful.

Bara led a retired life now. After giv-ing his best years to a clerical job, he hadmanaged to build a small house whichaccommodated him, Bari and his twosons. As years passed on, the childrengrew young and they grew older. Frombeing referred to as “Daju” and “Bhauju,”to “uncle” and “aunty”, the couple wererespected as Bara and Bari by the entireneighbourhood now.

Through the years, the two haddreamt of a beautiful for their sons. A fu-ture without deprivation, insecurity orcompromises. They wanted their childrento have everything that was denied tothem. And they succeeded. Saroj andSaran were both educated, had managedto land government jobs and were hap-

a content lifepily married. It was another matter thatthey both lived separately and that theirvisits were becoming fewer and fewer.

“Did you eat anything in the after-noon?” enquired Bari as she brought acup of tea and some biscuits for Bara.“And, did you bring the ointment fromtown,” she continued.

Bara shook his head. He had forgot-ten. He tried to escape further inquiry bylosing himself in the newspaper he hadspread out in front of him. He had learntmany years ago that appearing noncha-lant was a better option than admitting toa mistake.

Of late, Bari had been suffering abackache silently. Bara knew whatcaused it. It was the march of age andthe absence of a helping hand at home.His meagre pension did not allow themthe luxury of a maid. He could not helpeither, because the doctor had ruled outany exertion for him. It was at times likethis that he got angry with his sons. Bothhad flown out of the roost to make theirown nests within a year of becoming gov-ernment employees and getting married.Although Bara still voiced his disappoint-ment at times, Bari had bottled up heremotions and suffered the desertion insilence. Just like she suffered her back-ache in silence now.

That night, as Bara lay in bed, Bariwalked in wiping her hands. She had justfinished with the dishes.

“Is you back hurting?” asked Bara.“As if you care. You forgot to get the

ointment, didn’t you?” spat back Bari.“I genuinely forgot. I’ll definitely bring

it tomorrow.”“There’s no need. I am a machine

woman now. I don’t hurt.” Bari was bitter.“Only I run after everyone and their well-being. No one cares about me.”

“You can’t say that about me.” Now,Bara was getting a trifle irritated. “Youknow very well that I care for you morethan anyone else.”

“So you claim. But I know that I rank

last in everybody’s priority list,” shotback Bari.

The argument ended. Bari hit the nailwhere it hurt the most. Bara fell silent,moved to the other side of bed makingroom for her to sleep. The frosty silencewas interrupted only by the sound of pil-lows and blankets getting adjusted.

“Well, don’t you slip out of the houseanywhere tomorrow.” It was Barai’s turnto initiate a conversation. Her tone hadmellowed.

“Why?”“Because we are going to see your

doctor tomorrow. Don’t you remember, hehas given us an appointment for tomor-row?”

Indeed. Bara had forgotten. Old hab-its die hard. It had always been Bari tothe rescue. Like the time when Secre-tary saab, a particularly unpleasant man,had called him to his place on Sunday.Bara had forgotten and was galavantingaround town until Bari, who had searchedall over town for him, found him in timefor his appointment.

“Your breathing seems forced atnight. I don’t think that’s a good indica-tion,” said Bari as she tried to hide theapparent concern in her voice. “And, don’tbother about the ointment. I’ll get onemyself.”

Her attempt at sarcasm was meantto hurt. To make him realise that shehadn’t forgiven his carelessness. And ithurt. But this time, it hurt differently. Hefelt a sharp pain travel from his nose tohis throat where it formed a lump. He triedto speak, but could only gasp. All he coulddo was roll-over and turn towards thewindow. His eyes moistened beneath hisclosed eyelids. Later, as he slippeddeeper into the comforting realms ofsleep, his face lit up in the moonlightpassing through the window.

Was that a content smile that playedon his lips.

a short fiction by SAMDUP BHUTIA

EARLYENTRY

Amid the non stop plow of

automobiles

Ruthlessly marching up-hill

and down

Likean army of ants

Local taxis, most elegant of

all

Bend their hips with a BEEP!

And on the Krishi pavement

Sandwiched between concrete

walls

Stands the cherry tree formi-

dably forlorn

Following the routine sea-

sonal flow

Summer cuts off it’s branches

and leaves

In a beggarly state

Yet, it dares to bare

I just stare

Theres nothing much to

cheer

Yet, in the winter

It blushes in pink all over

Like kids in colorful pullo-

vers

A solo reminder of exam days

It sure does cheer us down-

town

I guess as I write

It’s about to recede

Although the birds still enjoy

The cherries it bore

I can hear the birds flutter

As if to some distant magical

lands

Their cheerful notes soothe

my ears

And adjourn the cacophony

of horns

Albeit briefly

- Kesang Ongmu -

The CherryTree At

Krishi Bhawan

ONTHEBOOKSHELF

This is a book for those with ataste for the macabre. Three

Hundred and sixty real life mur-der stories, arranged in diaryform for the fascination of all ‘truecrime’ addicts. True Crime Dia-ries recounts a large number ofmodern murder stories, many ofthem already famous. From no-torious killers like the Kray Twins,Charles Manson and FlorenceMaybrick to less infamous crimesof the last century and before.

This is an interesting collectionof gory, inhuman and horrifyingmurders. Some of the stories areshocking as would be expectedfrom such a collection. Cases ofthe Papin Sisters or Dr. Geza deKaplany are so horrifying as tobe incomprehensible to any nor-mal person. The author does notprovide any fresh insights ortheories in respect of the crimesbut presents them in a conciseand interesting manner. Picturesare also given of some of thecases.

Price Rs. 325 Pages 379Available at GOODBOOKS,

Tadong.

MURDERS,THEY COMMITTED

extras 6

12

WOMENNOW!

EXTRA SPACE FOR THE FAIRER SEX

DEAR DEE

Thali

IN WHICH CHANNEL DOES ‘KAGAJ KI KASHTI’ PLAY?

Rs.100 at

SEND A CORRECT ANSWER AND WIN FREE MEAL

PURE VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

ANSWER ______________________________________________

NAME ______________________________________________

ADDRESS ______________________________________________

YAMA BUILDING, MG MARG, GANGTOK - 737101, Ph: 228587

KNOW YOUR SOAP CONTEST!

Last week’s Answer: NAAM GUM JAYEGAWInner: DORJEE NAMO. Law College

WORTH

ONLY DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND - EX CINEMA HALL IN THE HIMALAYAS

4 FREE

DENZONG

4 FREEONE CORRECT ANSWER TO THE FILMI

QUESTION WINS 2 TICKETS TO

Name the movie this still has

been taken from.

Answer: __________________

Name: __________________

Address: __________________

moviesmoviesLAST WEEK’S ANSWER:Wolverine. WINNER:Choden Sherpa, Bahai’ School

Dear Dr. Jamyang (JIPMER),

Happy B’day [28th May].

many many happy returns of

the day. We also take this

happy occasion to wish you

the best for your exams.

Pala, Amla and Lakhila,

Geyzing

Dear Dee,

Sorry to have missed your

call (as you can see phone

still working inspite of un-

paid bills. Must remember to

thank Seth)

Spent entire week trying to

get back some semblance of

order in life. Not easy. Going

into old flat felt like Howard

Carter discovering King Tut’s

tomb. The very atmosphere

was heavy with times past.

Dust filled books stacked on

table, toys hurriedly shoved

under bed, etc. Quite sad and

all that.

Had first look in full length

mirror in months. Was

shocked to find all hard work

in Munguthang had not

helped lose bodily weight.

Rang up friend in gym. Has

promised will bring body to

target weight in a month’s

time. So then, with body bulk

thus adjusted, all will need

to do is alter texture and ar-

rangement of fat through

regular exercise at home.

Next day the polyunsatu-

rated fat really hit fire when

went to bank to find no

money for any future visit to

gym. So will have to manage

with brisk walk on ridge car-

rying baby on back.

Got a call from S yesterday.

Told him about problem with

weight, hoping for small

loan. He said, I know a

surefire way you could lose

20 kg overnight. Just cut off

your legs. Sometimes Dee,

men can be so insensitive.

Anyway, have decided am not

going to think about past and

procession of disasters with

men. Am going to think

about future. So bought new

book, “How to jumpstart

your lovelife, again”. Was

happy to hear am not love

pariah as previously feared.

Only not meeting right man

at right time.

So then nothing to worry

about.

Love,

Mia

Neeta Sharma remembers her childhood spent at the family homeat Jorethang. Her parents were both nature lovers and the house

and surrounding areas were always full of flowers and plants. Herbrother, in fact, has a nursery at Majigaon.

“I grew up amidst flowers, so you can say flowers have been apart of me ever since I can remember,” she says.

It was not surprising then that after marriage Neeta would spendconsiderable time and energy tending her garden.

“I started in a small way with some seasonal flowers. Geraniumsand Chrysanthemums. Even some Roses,” she tells us. Today, shehas more than 600 plants. Her house at TNHS complex is a riot ofcolours. Pink, white, purple and yellow flowers cover the entire lengthof her long balcony. A plastic greenhouse below the house is full of avariety of plants, while in her living room exotic Bonsai make youmarvel at the lady’s talent and energy.

“I have a helper and between us we look after all the plants. Sincemost of the flowers are seasonal they don’t require that much look-ing after,” she says modestly. She makes everything sound so sim-ple and easy. But its obvious that the Gangtok Beautification Com-mittee was impressed enough to award her the second prize. Herfuture plan? She leaves for the US to be with her daughter and afterthat maybe she’ll give orchids a try!

Phool Khilé Hain Gulshan GulshanFlower Power. That’s what Neeta Sharma and Anjali Gurung have in abundance. Between thetwo, they grow hundreds of seasonal flowers and indoor plants. Appreciating and recognizingtheir talent and aesthetics, the Gangtok Beautification Committee awarded the two the secondand third prize of the Challenge Trophy held earlier this month. Women NOW! introduces thetwo ladies who have made their homes and Gangtok a more beautiful place.

Anjali Gurung’s home at Chyakhung Busty in West Sikkim is anature lover’s delight. For her family, to grow and live surrounded

by plants was an addiction which has passed down to her. Her brother,Bijay Gurung, has, in fact, recently written a book on medicinal plantsof Sikkim. So, like Neeta Sharma, Anjali too continued to indulge inher hobby after marriage.

Go to meet her and she sits amidst a profusion of pink flowers inher sitting room. The flowers are of such beauty and of such deli-cate shades of pink they look almost unreal. Anjali and her two daugh-ters spend close to three hours a day tending to the flowers andhundreds of other plants that they have.

“Every morning I spend an hour with my plants before going tooffice and nearly two hours every evening,” she reveals.

This dedication and singlemindedness has ensures that Anjali wonthe 4th prize in the Gangtok Beautification Challenge Trophy lastyear and the 3rd this year.

“All our spare time is spent looking after the plants. I feel very lostwhen I am away from them. When I’m with my plants I forget every-thing else and am totally happy,” she tells us.

Her favourite flowers are Geranium and Azalea, although shegrows many more varieties. Today she is busy planting almost ahundred Begunia samplings which she says will flower in a month’s

ANJALI GURUNG:NEETA SHARMA:

time.Isn’t it an expensive hobby?“Not really. If you love some-

thing you can always find moneyfor it,” she says. And there is nodoubt about Anjali’s love for herplants.

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART

Sweet NothingsDear Mom

Thanks foryour care and

support

that you gave me during good

& bad times of my life.

Love you a lot.

your daughter,

Rashu

Dear SAMMY!

HappyBirthday Bro!

1976 dekhi ahilay samma

kati bhayo? Yo pali ta

ITEM chha hola neee.

Hoina?

your

BEST brothers,

JC, Aslam, Soney,

TwoLooks & Fuchung,

extras 7

FACTORNOW! EXTRA FOR THE YOUNG

DINNER FOR TWOWINNER GETS FREE

AT

LITTLELITTLELITTLELITTLELITTLE

italylittle

SNOD Complex, Deorali,

Gangtok.Ph: 281980

048

ACROSS

1. Foot-operated lever (5)

6. Side by side (7)

8. Highest mountain (7)

9. Mineral spring (3)

10. Cat (4)

12. Renown (4)

15. Cover (3)

16. Try (7)

18. Add sugar (7)

19. Eccentric (5)

Solve the crossword correctly. Rush it to Oberois (MG Marg) or NOW!, on or beforeSunday and a lucky draw of all correct entries will decide who wins FREE DINNER FOR TWO atLITTLE ITALY, DEORALI.SNACKS COUPONS TO BE COLLECTED FROM NOW! OFFICE

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: ACROSS: 1. ADMISSBILE 6. SER-

MON 7. BALI 10. TOAST 11. UNTIE 12. HEN 13.BAIZE 14.

CLOSE 16. CRAB 18. WIZARD 19. BEAMINSTER DOWN: 1.

ASSET 2. MARGARITA 3.SMOOTHEN 4.BIB 5.FILE 9.JUNC-

TION 13.BACH 15.EIDER 17 BAA

WINNER: DEEKI BHUTIA,

BELOW TV TOWER, CHANDMARI

DOWN

1. Tropical fruit (10)

2. Gaming cubes (4)

3. Trademark (5)

4. Rasp (5)

5. Sickness (6)

7. Path of a projectile (10)

11. Abrupt (6)

13. Desires (5)

14. Rise to one’s feet (5)

17. In the greatest number (4)

CROSSWORD

THE

13

Sunday. Lazy and loud. A ‘Concert For No Drugs withLazy Fingers’, organised by the All Sikkim Students Association. A review on this ROCK con-

cert, like any other ROCK concert in Sikkim, wouldstart with and end on pretty much the same lines,songs actually.If you expect a spik’n’span review, you’re wrong.What new thing can I write about songs, whicheven the original artists must have grown tiredof? Spare me I can’t write anything new. I meanthey’re there. Everyone’s heard them, Everyoneknows them. I do too. AC/DC, Iron Maiden, JudasPriest, Black Sabbath et al.It was kind of interesting though to watch Sachinbelch out anthems accompanied by energetic stage an-tics. “And this one is just for you people”. Yeahhh!!!! goesthe crowd. He knew that would cover up for the abun-dantly minor flaws he kept delivering throughout theshow. Siddharth was there to help him balance his act,

not so prominently, but with sticks and expressions.‘Basu’ kept afloat on his own cloud while his fingers

ran amok incessantly. Sonam Waiba, who had kept avery very low profile the last couple of years, cameout of his closet and delivered some ‘intended’jammies but the audio caved in to his extendedguitar play. Next time man!And then just like a movie, the evening featured aguest star in the form of Naeky Rai, a computerprofessional (used to be my teacher too) and aguitar whiz! But can one man undo what fourboys already DID! Sorry again! I go overboardsometimes.Anyways, good show, could have been bet-ter, a newer songlist would have been BEST!

Everyone, don’t you think we should now un-dergo a ‘Get Over It’ phase? I mean my grand-father is dead, man! I am TODAY. WE ARE.

- Bald Headed Hermit

u‘just for you people’

The Band.

The Hand. The Stand. And?

In your arms I can still feel the way youwant me when you hold me I can still hear the

words you whispered when you told meI can stay right here forever in your arms

And there ain’t no way I’m lettin’ you go nowAnd there ain’t no way and there ain’t not how

I’ll never see that day...Chorus: - ‘Cause I’m keeping you forever and foralways We will be together all of our day Wanna

wake up every morning to your sweet facealways - (Chorus - end)

Mmmm, baby In your heart I can still heara beat for every time you kiss me And when

we’re apart, I know how much you miss me I canfeel your love for me in your heart

RepeatRepeat Chorus

(I wanna wake up every morning)In your eyes (I can still see the look of the one) I

can still seethe look of the one who really loves me (I can

still feel the way that you want)The one who wouldn’t put anything else in the

world above me(I can still see love for me) I can still see love for

me in your eyes (I still see the love)And there ain’t no way I’m lettin’ you go nowAnd there ain’t no way and there ain’t no how

I’ll never see that day...Repeat Chorus (2x)

I’m keeping you forever and for alwaysI’m in your arms

Forever AndFor AlwaysForever AndFor Always

Shania

Twain

extras 8

extracurricular...NOW!

OVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEW

14

OUT NOW!

FACE WEEKofthe

FUTURE NOWthe

is

TASHIMOVIE

� X2 - X MEN UNITED

� MATRIX RELOADED

� THE IN LAWS

� DOWN WITH LOVE

� WHAT A GIRL WANTS

TOP5CLUB

NOW SHOWING AT DENZONG

DOLBY DIGITAL; SURROUND EX

SIMULTANEOUS RELEASE - FROM FRIDAY

Mo

vies

fo

r re

view

pro

vid

ed b

y TA

SH

I M

OV

IE C

LU

B

11:15 AM 2:30 PM & 5:30PM

ATTENTION SHOPKEEPERS: If you have a new product on your shelves which

you feel the readers of NOW! ought to know about, call us at 270949 with details.

Those featured in the Face Of The Week

win a FREE PORTFOLIO photographed

and produced by

PHONE: 225082 / 228840

NEETA CHETTRI is a Government employee who loveswatching movies and listening to music.

alphabetsA B O O K S H O P

A MOTHER’S GIFT

BRITNEY SPEARS

KAY GARDEKO? ROYAL

MASSACRE IN NEPAL

PRAKASH RAJ

WHY BUDDHISM

VICKI MACKENZIE

WHO SAYS ELEPHANTS

CAN’T DANCE

LOUIS LEE GERSTNER

THE HOURS

MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM

� NEW ARRIVALS

PS ROAD, OPP. HOTEL TIBET

You only got to hear of themythical city of Zion in thefirst instalment of the

Matrix trilogy and in Matrix Re-loaded, the first sequel, you getto see it. Zion is whereMorpheus and other captainslike him steer their ships to whenthey need to recharge andregroup. It is a city which is out-side the matrix which the ma-chines have created as a simu-lation to keep human minds oc-cupied while they make batter-ies out of us. This you learnt inthe first episode and in a freshtwist to the complexities of ma-chines, computers, programmesand rogue programmes, MatrixReloaded tries to convince youthat even after you have becomea believer, there is still much thatyou do not know.

With Matrix, the directors, theWachowski brothers, toyed withyour minds and its interpretationof what the eye sees. In Re-loaded, they go completely over-board. What if Neo [KeanuReeves], the Chosen One, is notthe deliverer that first episodehad us believe, but himself aprogramme written by the ma-chines? Is it true that Zion hasalready been destroyed thriceand again in Reloaded? Thereare no answers in this instal-ment. This one just poses thequestions and lays the ground-work for the final episode - Ma-trix Revolution.

In doing so, however, theWachowski brothers prove thatMatrix was no fluke. The actiongets more elaborate andmindblowing and Reeves moreconfused in his role as Neo.Agent Smith returns as a rogueprogramme which refuses to goto the recycle bin and adopts avirus that enables him to mutateinto multiple forms [the actionsequence where Neo battles ahundred Agent Smiths will drawan applause even from Jet Li].There are more charactersadded and the final chase se-

Ajay Devgan, Urmila Matondkar,

Nana Patekar, Rekha,

Fardeen Khan,

quence is worth every millionthat was spent on staging it.Don’t know whether it is inten-tional, but a running threadthrough the movie is Neo’s fearthat he will lose Trinity. Reevesimmersed himself into MatrixReloaded to get over the loss ofhis girlfriend in a car accidentshortly before shooting for themovie commenced.

Those converted by the firstMatrix, cannot afford to missReloaded, the barely OK cam-era print in circulation notwith-standing.

ARIES: An easy-going time for you. Finances will be stable. Those who are in

the trade and commission agency business reap high profits. You will have to

travel on work. Export business will be very successful. You enjoy the support

from your superiors.

TAURUS: Family affairs will be resolved amicably. Expenses will be reduced.

Your worries and tensions will now be over. Cash flow will be very good.

GEMINI: You will make forays into new business ventures. Business will be

very brisk. Cash flow will be very good. Prosperity is denoted. You will enjoy the

support from your friends and relatives. Political life will be comfortable. Litigation

will be in your favour.

CANCER: A long holiday will give you a much-needed break. Affairs in Court

will be postponed. Cash flow will be very good. Business turnover will be very

good.

Support from your sub-ordinates will continue. Those in employment will enjoy the

support of their superiors and colleagues. Happiness will prevail.

LEO: Some may switch over to a new line of business. This will be a very good

change. Your worries and tensions will now be over. Tensions at home will be

reduced. You may get a promotion. Students will do well. Business will yield you

good profit.

VIRGO: You will be very successful in all you do. You enjoy a deep emotional

bond and friendship with your partner. Domestic happiness will prevail. Uncom-

mon expenses will be reduced. Affairs in Court will be postponed..

LIBRA: Change takes place for the better. Improvement in your status and

prosperity is denoted. Those appearing for competitive examinations will find easy

success. Those in employment will enjoy the support of their superiors and col-

leagues even though they may be an internal change.

SCORPIO: A long holiday will give you a much-needed break. Finances will be

stable. Litigation will be in your favour. Your worries and tensions will now be

over.. Happiness will prevail. You may have a bad back pain.

SAGGITARIUS: You will be very cheerful in all you do. Finances will be

stable. Mental tension will be reduced. Happiness will prevail. A long holiday will

give you a much needed break. You will be able to encash your bonds which have

been previously held up. Your worries and tensions will now be over. Uncommon

expenses will be reduced overall.

CAPRICORN: Those who are in the trade and commission agency business

reap high profits. Those in the field of finance and publishing achieve great suc-

cess. Support from your family is yours to savour. You will receive positive feed-

back in the mail. will be received.

AQUARIUS: You will be able to settle family affairs to the satisfaction of all the

elders. Family life will be very good. You will be very popular among your friends.

Expenses will be reduced. Tension will be reduced.

PISCES: Improvement in your status, position, prosperity is denoted. Some

may be blessed with immovable property. Some may invest in an upcoming apart-

ment building. Change takes place for the better. You enjoy a deep emotional

bond and friendship with your partner. Happiness will prevail.

If its batteries that you’re seeking, check out whatKALIMPONG SUPPLY

AGENCY on National Highwayhas in stock for you. They arethe main dealers of Prestolitebatteries ( a product of E Tech-nologies, USA) and Exide bat-teries for a wide range of ve-hicular and non vehicular appli-cations. That apart, you can alsoget batteries for inverters, nippythings to have given Gangtok’spenchant for power cuts.

Low maintenance and main-tenance free batteries of theabove brands are available atvery reasonable prices withprices ranging from Rs.1250/- (Maruti) to Rs.2490/- ( Com-

mander/Spacio)in the economyrange to Rs.1999/- (Maruti)toRs.3650/- ( Commander/Spacio)in the premium range. You get aone-year warranty with economyrange batteries while it is validfor three years in the premiumrange.

Interestingly, the Agency of-fers unparalleled service in thatthey offer free after sales serv-ice for all batteries. This offerstands even for batteries thatyou have purchased elsewhere.They also promptly replace de-fective batteries within the war-ranty period, over the counter.For further details, contact theagency directly.

‘Batricks’ bolé toh?

So Mr. Anderson, we meet again!