extras 1

@learnTO SURF @

surf netsurf netFOR FREE

DARA GAON, TADONG

Ph: 270455 THE NOW! SPECIAL 8-PAGE PULL-OUT

extrasextrasVOL. 2 NUMBER. 11

NOT TO BE SOLD SEPARATELYNOW!

by TINA RAI

Trivia questions like thosequizzing participants onwhy Ben-Hur did not bag

the best cinematography Os-car when it swept virtually eve-rything else, to trick-questionson naming the Chairman of theNational Planning Commis-sion. There was enough enter-tainment and wonder at theNOW! Mindgames held here atCommunity Hall last Thursday.The event, sponsored by theDepartment of Sports & YouthAffairs and managed by MidasTouch Inc., was divided intotwo halves – an inter-schoolround and an open session. Allin all, six hours of intense quiz-zing with the quiz-master,Parnab Mukherjee firing ques-tions without the help of cards,all from memory.

Before the participantstook their hot-seats on stage,Parnab announced that whatwas planned for the day was“classical” quizzing, not thetamasha of TV quizzes.“Things like the buzzer roundsleave too much to chance andwhile they might be entertain-ing for the audience, they takeaway from the most basic aimof quizzing, making the partici-pants work out answers. Mak-ing them good at making intel-ligent guesses,” Parnab ex-plained.

And there was a lot of in-telligent guessing at the day-long affair and a lot of enter-tainment too.

Although the interferingsecond term exams limited thenumber of participatingschools to eight, the hall waspacked with nervous partici-pants and their cheerful schoolfriends who had gathered tocheer their teams. An excitingatmosphere permeated theCommunity Hall and aftersome start-up delays, the quiz-zing began at 11 AM.

The schools which signedup for the quiz gala were: WestPoint School, Deorali GirlsSchool and TNSSS from

from Loreto ConventDarjeeling, who had recentlywon the “open” quiz at Siliguricame second while RinkilaBhutia and Tashi Lepcha ofMangan SSS came a fightingthird. But in the end, the daywas more than just about win-ning and losing. It was aboutunderstanding what real quiz-zing is all about and how oneprepares to sift through infor-mation. The day also offeredstudents a chance to interact.

Before the contest began,NOW! spoke to the partici-pants. Everyone was nervous.The St. Xavier’s team admit-ted that the annual concertpreparations had kept thembusy and that they were not“prepared” for the quiz. The fi-nal scores proved that one

does not really preparefor quizzes, it is acontinuing processof imbibing infor-mation.

At the end of

Gangtok and Hee GyathangSSS [from Dzongu], NamchiPublic School, Mangan SSS, St.Xaviers [Pakyong] and LoretoConvent [Darjeeling] fromoutside.

D i v i d e dinto two semi-finals of fourteams each, thefinals saw the six

schools of Mangan, St. Xaviers,West Point, Loreto, TNSSS andNamchi Public School, pit theirwits against each other and thequiz master. At the final tally, the

team of Rikpa

Hissey and RinkyAgarwal from St. Xavierscame up winners.T s h e r i n gLhamo

Tell us...Quizzing getsredefined atMINDGAMES

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Rinkila and Tashi of Mangan SSS. Tshering Lhamo of Loreto Convent works

out an answer in her mind. Chetan Raj is all smiles as he recievices the trophy for the open round. And Tshering

congratulates Rikpa and Rinky of St. Xaviers, the winners of the NOW! Mindgames [interschool round].

MOREON pg4

pics by KARCHOONG DIYALI

OBITUARY

ON pg2 of NOW!

Charles Bronson

extras 2

8

extraneous THE GANGTOK STATE OF MIND

CONTEST

WIN A COFFEE & SNACKS COUPON

WORTH Rs. 100 AT BAKER’S CAFE,

MG MARG, GANGTOK

Tick the right answer and rush entries to NOW! office at Tadong to

fresh everyday

- QUESTION OF THE WEEK -Drinking coffee makes youfeel ...

� Sleepy

� Fresh � Sick

coffeeNAME: .........................................

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

Last week’s answer:Brown

WINNER: Rajat Verma, Lal Market

Buzz. . .

BAZAAR

by ANAND OBEROI

Arithang, which has beenin news more for garbagedisposal problems than

management, seems to have fi-nally grabbed the attention of theauthorities, as was evident fromthe awareness camp on solidwaste management held at ManiLakhang, lower Arithang on 1September, Monday.

The camp was jointly organ-ized by UD&HD and the grampanchayat. While area MLA, NKPradhan, was present as thechief guest, resource personsfrom UD&HD included its Prin-cipal Secretary, D. Dadul, Spe-cial Secretary, Nalini Pradhan,and Joint Secretary, GeetaGurung. The State PollutionControl Board was representedby member secretary, Dr. GopalPradhan.

Speaking on the seriousproblem of waste management,

Ms. Pradhan, while addressingthe gathering of local residents,said: “Garbage is generated byindividuals and every personshould play a part in its manage-ment. Public participation is veryessential to curb this problem.Being a community, all membersshould take the initiative andimplement rules and normswhich would benefit society.”

Similarly, the joint secretary,urged the people to form a Gar-bage Management Committee,which could include 2 locals and1 person from the department.She also asked them to keep dif-ferent coloured waste-bins so thatsegregation of degradable andnon-biodegradable waste couldbe done at the source itself.

“Minimum use, maximumreuse and then slowly abolish,”was suggested by Dr. Pradhanof the Sikkim Polluton ControlBoard as the slogan to com-pletely phase out the use of plas-

tic in Sikkim. He also introducedthe Arithang residents on thebenefits of vermi-composting asa useful tool to manage kitchenwaste. Stressing on the virtuesof recycling, Dr. Pradhanstressed that “Waste is a Wealthout of Place.”

Although, Arithang does notofficially fall under the jurisdic-tion of UD&HD, the Principal

From problems to managementArithang gets groomed on

waste management

Secretary assured the gatheringthat his Department would for-ward all possible help to wastemanagement initiatives in thearea. He also announced hisDepartment’s commitment toclean the two jhoras in the area“in the next few days.”

During the course of an in-teractive session, various prob-lems faced by the residents were

discussed in more detail.UD&HD assured full backing tothe gram panchayats in theirquest to make Arithang a betterand a cleaner place to live in.

Others present at the campwere YB Thapa, Chairman,SBS, RK Rampal, zillapanchayat, Nirmal Gurung,panchayat president and seniorofficials of the UD&HD.

a N

OW

! p

ic

Officials of the UD&HD along with others from various Departments at the awareness camp onSolid Waste Management held at Arithang.

A TRIPPED WALK

Let’s face it. The experimentof keeping MG Marg free of

traffic for a few hours every dayis just not working. MostGangtokians have chosen tostay away. Shopkeepers standoutside empty shops, watchingthe children play. It’s a sad sightto see the once buzzing bazaarreduced to this. As someonepointed out, Gangtok bazaarwas never designed or plannedto be a Mall. This is the commer-cial hub of the capital. By turn-ing it into a playground of sortswe are kicking people where ithurts the most. We are depriv-ing hundreds of a livelihood forthe walking pleasure of a few.Forget the bigger shops, takesmaller joints like Laxmi Bhandaror similar shops for example.With the drivers gone, they mightas well shut shop at 5. As far asthe other shops go, the shop-pers are staying away and busi-ness is bad. The police officershave been heard suggestingshopkeepers to change theirbusiness to something that suitsa “mall”. That is as outrageousa statement as it can get. Mesays, lets get them cars back,traffic jam and all. Once the newLall bazaar is ready, the taxistand can shift to the old Chil-dren’s Park and we can startseriously thinking of an alternatespace to make a “mall” for thetourists.

SPEND SOME ON KIDS

Samman Bhawan was constructed at a cost of almost

Rs. 2 crore. The Gangtokropeway project has been sanc-tioned around Rs. 10 crores.

The new Lall Bazaar complexcost Rs. 16 crores and the com-plex at the Health Secretariat isbudgeted at Rs. 85 crores. Noone can accuse the state gov-ernment of not spending enoughon Gangtok. Whether we reallyneed these infrastructural ac-coutrements or not is anothermatter. And yet, why is the gov-ernment so miserly when itcomes to spending anything forthe benefit of children. The re-cent “experiment” at MG Marg,has proven that the kids are hun-gry for an open place to play. Alittle landscaped garden/ park atPS road is just not enough. Theyneed space to cycle, skate orsimply run about. Since thereseems to be no dearth of moneyfor building work in the state, willsomeone please give this seri-ous consideration. Our childrenneed to play and it’s a cryingshame that we cannot providethem even that.

NO ESCAPE

FOR THE MASU

If you’re wondering why thepeople passing the food

godown at Lall bazaar hold theirnose while they pass by, thereason is not hard to smell.The all-under-one-roof meatshop is creating one helluvastink. Lack of proper drain-age system and adequateventilation are said to be thecause of the problem. Whilethe supporting walls of themeat shop are oozing foulsmelling green liquid, thedirty water after the meat-sellers wash their stalls, sim-ply flows down into the street.The residents have startedburning incense sticks by thedozen and peop le b raveenough to venture there arehave been seen carrying airfreshener bottles. Langshya-Phakshya anyone?

FLYING OVER AND BY

What’s wrong with the flyover above the Tourist In-

formation Office and why isn’tsomething being done about it?It’s been more than a monthsince it’s been closed for repairs,but one sees no activity happen-ing at all. The flyover, appar-ently, has been faultily struc-tured and had begun to de-velop cracks. A popular venuefor an aerial view of showsheld at the Titanic, it’s pureluck that no major mishap hashappened yet. Wonder whodesigned and constructed thisparticular flyover and why itwas less safe than the oth-ers?

�

8,9,10

PANG-LHABSOLIN RAVANGLA

IT’S FESTIVAL TIME

SEPTEMBER 2003BOOGIE WOOGIE

CULTURALPROGRAMMESVOLLEYBALL

RURAL SPORTSVILLAGE FAIR

AND THEPANGTOED CHAAM

FOR DETAILS CONTACT:

PLC COMMITTEE 2003, PH: (03595) 260832, 260559, 260814

extras 3

9

rajdhaniWHAT THECAPITAL’SBEENUP TOD 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

HIGH TENSION

the only place for

Shop in

STYLESTYLESTYLESTYLESTYLEHotel Golden Pagoda

MG Marg

Gangtok

Ph: 03592 223276

SU ESSCCf o r e v e r

T R O U S E R S

a NOW REPORT

RANIPOOL: Ganesh Chaturthicelebrations made a grand de-but in Sikkim on 31 August, Sun-day, at Shiva PanchayatanaMeditation Centre of Shri KanchiKamakoti Seva Samiti, Nandok,Ranipool, East Sikkim. For thefirst time in the state, a GanapatiHomam and Archana for thedevotees were performed at thetemple complex.

Apart from the locals whodrove down by the jeeploads,the prayers here were also at-tended by the Governor V RamaRao and his wife Mrs. VasanthaKumari along with the RajBhawan staff who were amongthe first to arrive and offerprayers at the pandal.

Brahamacharee KailashChaitanya and other members ofthe Chinmaya Mission per-formed prayers and presented aBronze Bell to the MeditationCentre. The function was con-cluded with the Aarthi and distri-bution of Prasadam.

The Ganapathi idol was im-mersed at Setipool after a pro-cession was taken out from theMandir to Ranipool Bazaarthrough Setipool Power Com-plex on 2 September, Tuesday.

Ganesh Chaturthi

debuts in Sikkim

a N

OW

! p

ic

by SARIKAH ATREYA

In the end, all it took was aHome Guard constable tophysically assault a taxi driver

on Sunday for the pent-up griev-ances and complaints of localtaxis drivers against strict polic-ing of their trade by cops in therajdhani to come pouring out.That, on the same day, a taxidriver was allegedly assaultedby SAP personnel only wors-ened the matter.

Deorali and Tadong taxi driv-ers, piqued by the high-handedness of the lady HomeGuard, decided to call a meet-ing and chalk out a “plan of ac-tion” and soon rumours startedfloating that taxis would go on“strike” on Monday.

Reports suggest that onSunday morning the Home

Guard constable on duty at Ti-tanic Park taxi stand got into analtercation with a taxi driver

sociation representing thedriver who was assaulted. Weshall look into the matter andtake suitable action against theconstable,” Mr. Sachdeva toldNOW!.

But the Titanic episode wasessentially just the flash-point.There are many other com-plaints vis a vis traffic cops thatcame pouring out. Local cab-bies feel that too many of trafficpolice’s duties are overlappingwith those of the Motor Vehiclesdepartment and that this notonly inconveniences the driv-ers, but also hampers business.

The SP [East] revealed thathe had received many othercomplaints apart from the Ti-tanic episode and said he “wel-comed” such exchange of ideasand hoped that the “working re-lation” between traffic policepersonnel and taxi drivers be-comes smoother now.

Mr. Sachdeva , wh i l emaintaining that the issuewas now resolved, addedthat this “resolution” wouldnot have been possible i fthey had not “identified” and“singled-out” the “politicallymot iva ted e lements ” whowere trying for a stalemateinstead.

The taxi drivers howeverdenied that there was anypolitical colour to their pro-test.

“Our protest had nothingto do with any political party,ruling or opposition. We werenot even planning a strike.We just wanted the daily har-assments faced by us in thehands of the Traffic Police tobe highlighted. We are nowhopeful that our problems willbe properly addressed,” saida taxi driver.

Given the long lines of com-muters left stranded along theNH31A while the Mondaydrama played out, one can besure that even Gangtokiansare hoping for a resolution in-stead of a continuing stand-offwhich keeps surfacing everynow and then.

Taxiing on collision course

Taxi drivers from in and around the capital gather in Deorali on Monday. a NOW! pic

Kalimpong Supply AgencyNH Way 31 A, Gangtok (Sikkim) Ph: 222880, 9434103124

Deals in: Genuine Spare Parts, Lubricants & Batteries

MAXIMILE 6KG E N U I N E E N G I N E O I L

Rs. 435/- ONLY

there. Evey-witness accountsclaim that after launching a ver-bal tirade against the driver, the

lady slapped the driver and thenhauled him to Sadar Thana andhad him locked up for the rest ofthe day.

“This was not an isolated in-cident where we drivers are har-assed by constables on duty.We have been facing this kindof harassment for a long timenow. We’ve had enough,” saidone local taxi driver.

This feeling found sup-port among the associationsand a stand-off was officiallyunderway. Monday morningsaw the SP [East] AkshaySachdeva hold discussionson the issue with representa-t i ves o f t he Tadong andDeorali taxi drivers associa-tions. Association membersmaintain hat they had notgiven any call for a “strike”and admit that the misinfor-mation was probably causedwhen they were calling taxidivers to park their vehiclesand join the debate with eastdistrict police officials.

The meeting at Deoralifailed to reach a resolutionand the discussions soonshifted to the SP’s office atSichey.

“We had a very fruitful dis-cussion and a number of theirgrievances were looked into. Asfor the incident at the TitanicTaxi Stop, we have received awritten complaint from the As-

extras 4

10

INTHECITY

the day, they were just about as awe-struck with Parnab as everyone else inthe audience, on the stage or at homewatching the live coverage on Nayuma.“What to say. He was excellent,” is whatRinki Agarwal said.

Loreto’s Tshering Lhamo appearedthe only one without butterflies in herstomach. An inveterate quizzer, her easeperhaps stemmed from her exposure toParnab’s style of quizzing. He has afterall been conducting the Darjeeling Tel-egraph Quiz for the past nine years.Tshering’s commitment to quizzing canbe gauged from the fact that even thoughshe was the last person to be informedof the quiz [the night before the event]she was still the first person to report atthe venue after a 4-hour jeep-drive fromDarjeeling, brother and parents in tow.

“I get a kick from participating in suchcontests,” she explained.

The boys from TNSSS, UjjwalGhimeray and Siddarth Neopaney, wereless nervous and while they disclosedthat they had prepared well enough, ad-mitted that they were more keen on theexposure and experience than winning.Their high-fives on stage when they gotanswer right and loud giggles when theyguessed wrong were ample proof thatthey were enjoying themselves.

Special mention needs also be madeof the team of Ongthup Lepcha andTsheringmit Lepcha from Hee Gyathangwho accepted the invitation and partici-pated in the quiz. Although they could notmake it to the finals, this duo, which waslimited only by its lack of access to infor-mation and not intellect, stayed throughthe day with the right attitude. “We will

gain knowledge and that’s more impor-tant than just winning,” they said.

A feeling which finds echoes in whatthe Namchi Public School team ofMahesh Singh and Bikash Agarwal, bothprefects of the school, had to say: “Win-ning or losing does not matter we haveparticipated in this contest and that mat-ters more.”

So enthusiastic were these partici-pants that two of them, Amrit Rai andIndra Chettri of West Point School, evenmissed their exams so that they could sitthrough the final round they had qualifiedfor.

“More people should come up andorganize such contests. It gives us ex-posure and increases our IQ. We arethankful to the team of NOW!, MidasTouch and Sports & Youth Affairs Depart-ment for organising such a wonderfulcontest,” said Chewang Pema Lepcha ofDeorali Girls School.

The interschool round over, the stagewas set for the open round. Originallyplanned as an inter-college session, theorganizers decided on throwing the sec-ond half open to all contestants whenmany complained that although they wereinterested in taking part they could not

find a slot for themselves. Sure enough,the moment the round was made “open”teams from The Telegraph [representedby its Sikkim correspondent Pema LeydaShangderpa], Little Italy [proprietor KarmaZimba], Newa Regency [architect ChetanRaj Shrestha], Midas Touch Inc. [TashiWangyal], Zee TV [v-sat engineer, MoloyGhosh], Kanchenjunga [TNSSS stu-dents], Naveen & Sonam, Inquisitive Darj[Tshering Lhamo and her brother GelekK-Dup] enrolled along with college teamsfrom Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technol-ogy, Sikkim Government College [twoteams, one each from Commerce andScience streams] and Law College.

Two rounds of semifinals with sixteams each boosted the final six for thenext round. The quizzing became muchmore intense now and the questionstougher. The format remained the same.Two rounds each of audio and videorounds and four rounds of straightforwardquestions. One round in which the par-ticipants were asked to pick a topic of theirchoice saw some reverse quizzing takeplace. Hats off to Parnab who managedimpromptu questions on such diversetopics as Formula One’s 2002 season toBhanu Bhakta to Sikkim to Jazz.

from EXTRAS cover

a NOW REPORT

Sikkim State AIDS ControlSociety organized an“Advocacy Programme”

on HIV/AIDS for Sikkim Policeofficers on 29 August at the Con-ference Hall at Police Headquar-ters.

Dr. DK Subba, Principal Di-rector, Health Department whowas the Guest of Honour at thisfunction stated that the AIDSscenario in the country was“pretty alarming” and the advo-cacy programme for the policeofficials necessitated since the

police was looked up to in Sik-kim “not only as protectors, butalso guardians” by the society.He believed that since the copswere more directly in touch, notonly with the risk groups, butalso the general population,heightened awareness on AIDSamongst them could help withthe AIDS Control Society’s ef-forts at sensitizing the Sikkimesepeople on the disease.

Dr. RL Sharma, Project Di-rector of SSCAS, informed thegathered officials that the sixHIV-positive cases detected inSikkim had all resulted from un-

safe sex.Similarly, Dr. Yogesh Verma,

Consultant [Pathology] at STNMHospital briefed the participantson how HIV can be detected andthe symptoms that suggestedthe seting in of full-blown AIDS.

Dr. Verma also revealed thatno one could be forced into tak-ing an HIV test and added thatmore and more people shouldbe encouraged to take it volun-tarily.

Dr. IL Sharma, Consultant[Psychiatry], STNM Hospital,another resource person at theprogramme, delved in the psy-chologically aspects of the dis-ease. “Shock and denial,” hesaid were the first reactionswhen a person is told that he/she has tested positive for HIV.Then, people could get into adepression or turn suicidal, headded. Police officials could helpthe society by recognizing thesesigns and sending such patientsfor professional counseling.

The Director General of Sik-kim Police TN Tenzing waspresent as the chief guest.

Chinmaya Mission, Gangtok has announced plans to holda one-day special camp for children on 7 September,Sunday, at Hanuman Tok. Promoting the camp as “Hu-

man to Hanuman,” Chinmaya Mission has assured an excitingday, packed with drawing, song and dance competitions, quizcontests and treasure hunts, for the participants. The Missionwill be providing transport for all children registered for the campwhich is scheduled to begin at 8 in the morning and last till 5 inthe evening.

This camp would be conducted by Acharya Kailash Chaitanyaof Chinmaya Mission. Priya Bratalama, the camp promoter, hasappealed to all parents to get their children registered for thiscamp, which, the Mission believes, will instill virtues associatedwith Lord Hanuman.

The T’Nites Alumni Association of ex-students ofthe Sir Tashi Namgyal

Senior Secondary School,Gangtok, has announced plansto honour retired teachers oftheir alma-mater this Teacher’sDay. A press release issued bythe Alumni informs that Mrs. PTTenzing [Phigu Guruma], GKBakshi and NB Tamang, allformer teachers at TNSSS willbe felicitated by the Associationat special function scheduled tobe held at the school auditorium

The Open category was won byChetan Raj Shrestha of Newa Regencywith Inquisitive Darj coming a close sec-ond and the team from SMIT comingthird. While the victors of the interschoolround won a free 3-month course at STG,Gangtok, the victor of the Open roundwon a 3-nights free stay at Le Coxy Re-sort, Lachung, sponsored by Blue SkyTours and Travels. All school teams alsotook home a book sponsored by Alpha-bets, a bookstore, Gangtok, and Hi-Funda watches from SITCO. Refresh-ments were provided by New Castle,Deorali, and teams from outside Gangtokwere hosted by Hotel Zamden andGolden Nest. The organizers promise amuch grander “Mindgames” for next year.

[For those still searching for the an-swers to questions posed in the first para-graph: In the famous chariot race se-quence, a red mini car can be seen speed-ing behind the racers in a movie set inpre-Christian era. And the name of theNPC chairman is Atal Behari Vajpayee.Most people get confused because it isnormally the Deputy Chairman’s namethat get quoted in newscasts]

Tell us...

Participants at the first round of the Open category of NOW! Mindgames. pic: ANAND OBEROI

AIDS awareness goes khaki

AIDS Control Society holds

advocacy programme for Sikkim Police

a NOW! pic

“Human to Hanuman”

from 9:15 AM onwards.Apart from the felicitation

ceremony, cash awards of Rs.5,000 each will be handed overto two meritorious students ofthe school sponsored by RinzingLama Memorial Trust along withthe monthly scholarship to threedeserving students sponsoredby T’Nites Alumni Association.

Tseten Dorjee Lepcha, Minis-ter Buildings & Housing, who is alsothe Chief Patron of T’Nites AlumniAssociation, has consented to at-tend the function as the chief guest.

To Teachers With Love

extras 5

11

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

Name the latest book by Arindham

Chaudhury?

Last week’s answer:

NO CORRECT

ENTRIES

LiTNOWWHEN THE HILLS WRITE

The hills, red with the dying sun, were looked uponwistfully by those in the fort. They seemed faraway and given the events at hand, unreachable.

As the sun continued its daily death, the hills, like coalsin an untended fire, slowly darkened until they were onewith the black sky. The day was amongst the final onesof a long summer; and the coming rains were announcedby hurrying clouds that had business elsewhere. Thesame rains were awaited with ambivalence.

Aurangzeb the Austere, Lawmaker unto theUniverse, Iconoclast with Divine Sanction orwhatever his courtly grovellers called him laycamped outside the fort. His army was vast.They were stared at constantly from the ram-parts of the fort. The soldiers inside watchedthe gradual swelling of the army outside asstragglers came in, as local chieftains convincedof his eventual victory and eager to supplicateadded their armies to the camp, hoping to ex-tract much more later. Each fluttering flag, each sten-torian call was scrutinised by those awaiting defeatinside, until the wait sickened. The people in the fortcould see his elephants, the neat converging rows ofhis tents aligned in a temporary orderliness.

The siege had gone on for months now. The fortwas reputed to be unassailable and the Sultan insidehad stockpiled food and murdered all those whocouldn’t fight, or turned them out where the army out-side murdered them. The Sultan was reputed to be awily man. It was this wiliness that had encouraged raidsinto neighbouring fiefs, subservient to Dilli. So it wasthat wiliness which was the source of this unwantedimminence. The excursions were executed in conniv-ance with the local Mughal commanders, grown cor-rupt with infrequent word from their overlords, and hadseemed game like, even daring.

Until the Mughal, sick with news of this constantnibbling at the hems of his kingdom, chose to travel allthese miles to consolidate his borders and age per-mitting, expand them. He had come and publicly de-clared the defeat, capture and annihilation of the fort apriority. He was waiting for the first rains; the word wentin the fort, so he would take the fort after refreshinghis army.

“At least we’ll have clean killers,” the joke ran within.And all those who heard, believed, corroborated andsupplemented this talk, waited in the heat to be de-voured.

In such hopeless situations, Mercy, if at all it wereto appear, would arrive in small doses, mostly draggedhere unwillingly by Luck. A person breathing below apile of corpses, a sudden passage discovered mid-battle. Few contemplated escape unaccompanied bytreachery. Mustafa, the Sultan’s jester constantlythought about it this evening.

He had for company an old friend, Hussain, re-leased when the beleaguered Sultan, desperate forhands, had ordered an amnesty. He had been arrestedfor stealing or attempting to steal something royal.What he had striven to steal was never declared. Itwas enough that he was a thief. He had then beenparaded in the narrow lanes of the fort, with casuallycruel children shouting “thief, thief” in his wake.Mustafa, only a jester, had been scorned by the courtwhen he attempted an intervention. Instead, he hadbeen forced to invent jokes centering on Hussain andhis ineptitude as a kleptomaniac.

“There must be someway out of here. Look,”Mustafa told Hussain, sweeping his arm diagonally inspace, into the widest possible arc. He cutthrough, in one sweep, the army that lay to thewest and south, waiting to pounce, the insuper-able river to the east and to the north, the barebacked hill range, on whose fringes the fortstood. The two of them in turn straddled the mainturret of the fort, knowing it was well away fromthe present range of the Mughal’s guns.

“I cannot stand this in-betweenness, this waitwhose only end will be annihilation.”

Mustafa was a fatalist, which was unusualfor a joker.

It also meant that he would be mostly pro-ducing black comedy. Nothing Hussain saidcould allay his fears of a general slaughter. He’dsaid and said often that he would rather die inbattle than in a weeping line of twenty thousand.And his was probably the only heart in that fort

that did not harbour any hope.“No, we will not see more than a few sunrises.”“There are brave people here.” Hussain countered

“and we’ve all heard stories about small numbers ofmen defending themselves in such situations. Val-iantly.”

“You don’t realise. Such talk was invented for timeslike these. How else would you rouse them,” he swepthis hand again; it was a habit, encompassing gloomyneighbouring huddles, “into action. They won’t bebrave. No they’ll wait, then when fighting becomes in-evitable, hide behind each other. They’ll wait till thefinal moments as if every fleck of time they save willadd up to something they could exchange for in theafterlife, where they are going. These men,” hesounded grave, almost prophetic, “will die in a line,disbelieving until the final moment that it is the end.And then….” Mustafa mock decapitated himself, elic-iting a laugh.

“You couldn’t leave even if you wanted to. Whatabout your money?” Mustafa also owned an inn. Thisaccounted for his drunk impressions in court not be-ing too great in that they lacked exaggeration. He’dseen too many men get drunk alone and quietly. Healso had a few units of land outside the fort. Such thingshad given him the reputation of being a tight-fisted,money-minded businessman as well. Another first fora clown. He could not see his fields outside the fort,the Mughal stables were on it now. He had ceasedpointing to it anymore.

And then there was the matter of his wine. Muchmoney was owed to him. Business, even if it was oncredit, had been exceptional in the last few months,with even the devout taking to wine. In fact it was themeek in the fort who were more given to revelry, forthe others it had been business as usual. The deter-rent against anything is mostly the possibility of a latershame. Which in this case, was an impossibility.Hussain, sensing all this, doubted Mustafa would leaveempty handed.

“They think it’s worthless. He,” they had ceasedreferring to the Mughal by name. It had been a recent,inexplicable diktat from the Sultan. To call the Mughal,“He” and then spit. So they called him, “He” with muchemphasis and then spat. The number of spitters hadreduced considerably in the past few days. Kings wereto be exchanged and a grudge could easily find anoutlet in such transitional times. “He,” he continuedwithout spitting, “thinks it right to spread his horses onmy fields. But will he pay me for the missed harvest.Yes he will pay me. How?” Mustafa mock decapitated

himself again, provoking laughter, before adding,“There is the matter of manure though. So much horseshit cannot possibly be useless.” The laughter contin-ued onto a new crest and by now a small gatheringhad huddled around the joker and the thief.

“But do they know its worth?” he muttered bitterlytowards Hussain. “He, the businessmen, the drunkards.We could all escape, you know” he said, turning bold.“The hills to the north end after two days walk.”

“But what about the tigers?” somebody said,giving vent to a popular apprehension.

“Yes there are some. Which is why I won’tbe surprised to find one of your eyes staring backat me from a cake of tiger dung.” Everyonelaughed and Mustafa was glad he was checkedbefore he turned seditious. “But where ever wego, it’ll still be his,” he spat, “jagir.”

Hussain could see that Mustafa was merelyplaying; the options had been closed some time back.But there was this need to entertain, this agitation thatcould soon go out of hand towards either direction.Mustafa, whose job was to jibe, had many enemies.Hussain felt the need to check him.

“There’s no reason to get excited, Mustafa. Thereare many in this fort and amongst us, who feel the same.”

Many around nodded and became abetters.“Our strings are being pulled by someone else,” he

said, mixing up his theologies before continuing. “Andour lives are but jokes, passing amusements to him.You should know. That’s how you make your living.”Those around, scrawny and weather beaten, noddedat this. Everyday philosophies tend to do that to every-day men.

“But Mustafa, we’ve been through much more. Lifehas surprised us and we have surprised it. Rememberwhere we were before we came into the Sultan’s,”Hussain spat noticeably, “mercy.”

The huddle waited to hear where they had comefrom, what they had been through. They were disap-pointed for he said nothing more.

“So stop talking of death as if you’ve invited himhome. We’ll live through this, all of us.”

Everyone in the huddle nodded, most, in spite ofthemselves. And some resolved to hang around thesetwo, especially Hussain, all the time. They might justhave some spectacular plan. “And we will disparageneither the Sultan,” he spat, “nor the Mughal” he spatagain. They laughed at this clever, double denigration.“For we do not know who’ll be our master. Do we, broth-ers?” the men in the huddle nodded, unaware that theywere being drawn into a deliberate camaraderie.

Just then the hills in the distance, dark against aless black sky, gave thunder. Few, amongst themMustafa, saw the lightning streak a few seconds ear-lier. The thunder was audible to all. And it silenced eve-ryone on the ramparts with its insinuations. Each face,dark and drawn, looked towards the west, at the ap-proaching clouds they couldn’t see. Neither could thesefaces see the rain at their heels. In the plain outside thefort, lighted torches went off but not before they showeda few specks, small and human-like, twisting.

“They will attack tomorrow. Unless the emissariesfail.”

No one looked around to see who had spoken, forhe had spoken for everyone. The Sultan had sent twoemissaries to negotiate peace. It was supposed to be asecret but didn’t remain one. And they would soon bereturning with favourable tidings.

A longish watchtower had been erected hast-ily, manned by the keenest eyes from amongstthose who had most to lose; the Sultan’s family.Faces in the ramparts turned time and again toscrutinise the princes, who remained impassive,condescending to talk only to their foot servantsand puffing messengers scurrying between thewatchtower and the harem.

Where the first storm clouds once broughtecstatic prancing, they inspired only gloom. Theapproaching winds grew louder, exaggerated bythe cares in their hearts. Some in Mustafa’s hud-dle heard or imagined tigers roaring, sealing off,in their minds their only practical escape route.

Presently, everyone saw what they werestraining their eyes for. Two galloping silhouetteswith white flags whose fluttering grew more dis-tinct.

WatchtowerAll Along the

By CHETAN RAJ SHRESTHA

extras 6

12

WOMENEXTRA SPACE FOR THE FAIRER SEX

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART

Sweet Nothings

NOW!

Dear Navin..

May your Birthday

bring you happiness in

extra large amounts.

And may it be wonder-

ful, in every way it

counts.

Happy birthday, have a

great life! (too bad

you’re married)

Guess Who!

Ikebana is the art of beautifullyarranging cut stems, leaves,and flowers in vases and

other containers that evolved inJapan over seven centuries. Toarrange the stems and flowersexactly as one wishes, a famili-arity with many different ways offastening and positioning themis necessary. These techniquesare what Rebecca Lucksum, anIkebana artist has learnt to mas-ter and is now back in Gangtokto share her creativity with thoselooking to beautify their homesand offices.

Rebecca could not haveasked for a better start to her ca-reer here. During the recent open-ing of Samman Bhavan for thepublic, it was Rebecca who wasasked to decorate the whole build-ing with flowers. From the ban-

quet hall, to the corridors and of-fices, and even the Chief Minis-ter’s chamber, all were adornedby Ikebana flower arrangementsby Rebecca.

“I have always loved flowersand decorating then in differentways, even as a child. I havebeen engrossed with flowers fora long time,” she tells us.

This passion for flowersstayed with her through schoolat St. Xavier’s, Pakyong. Aftercompleting her graduation fromLoreto College, Kolkata, she fi-nally decided to make a careerout of Ikebana. A 9-monthcourse at YWCA, Delhi saw herlearning the fine art of Japaneseflower arrangement.

“I also studied westernflower arrangement there,” sheadds.

A Fruits and VegetablesPreservation and Nutrition Training programme

was organized for women by theFood and Nutrition Board, Gov-ernment of India, in collaborationwith Sikkim Women’s Council atNepali Sahitya Bhawan, Devel-opment Area from August 26-30.About 30 women from in andaround Gangtok attended theprogramme.

Floral HarmonyPakyong girl brings the Japanese

art of Ikebana to GangtokSo, how are the two styles

different from one another?“Although layer after layer of

flowers are used in Western flo-ral arrangements, in Ikebana,the key consideration is to useas few stems and leaves as pos-sible in composing elegant con-tours that highlight the flower’sbeauty,” she informs.

In contrast to the purelydecorative form of flower arrang-ing popular in Western coun-tries, the art of Ikebana seeks tocreate a harmony of linear con-struction, rhythm, and color.While Westerners tend to em-phasize the quantity and colorsof the flowers, devoting their at-tention mainly to the beauty ofthe blossoms, the Japaneseemphasize the linear aspects ofthe arrangement and have de-

veloped the art to include thevase, stems, leaves, andbranches, as well as the flowers.The entire structure of a Japa-nese flower arrangement isbased on three main lines thatsymbolize heaven, earth, andhumankind.

Rebecca is hopeful thatGangtokians take to her style ofIkebana, which is from theSogestus School, a style that al-lows her much more freedom andchoice of material than the tradi-tional schools. Her work at the in-augural ceremony of SammanBhavan was so appreciated thatshe has been flooded with ordersfor similar arrangements.

So, how does she decide onwhat kind of arrangement is bestfor a place?

“The choice of flowers is

guided by the desire to createharmony between flower andcontainer and to find flowers thatblend in well with its surround-ings,” informs Rebecca

“I plan to open a shop inGangtok so that people cancome and pick up available ar-rangements or order for what-ever they want,” She adds. Alsoon the anvil are training classesfor those who want to learn thecraft. “I want to give classes onIkebana, share whatever I havelearnt, but at a slightly laterstage. For now I want to concen-trate on setting up the shop,” shesays.

For those who want to beau-tify their homes, offices, hotellobbies and other spaces,Rebecca Lucksum can be con-tacted at 257835, 9434040472,9832012421

NUTRITION TIPS FOR WOMENSIKKIM WOMEN’S COUNCIL HOLDS TRAINING ON PRESERVATION

AND NUTRITION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

a NOW REPORT Sikkim Women’s Council[SWC] was established in the year1981. The Council’s primary aimis to carry out welfare work amongwomen and children of Sikkimand also help the government intimes of unforeseen disaster ornatural calamities and coordinatewith the Government to imple-ment and monitor its many wel-fare schemes. The council’s mainaim is to associate women of allcommunities in the state of Sik-kim for mutual help and service

According to ShantiPradhan, President SWC, theTraining Programme was held toeducate and train the womenabout nutrition, balanced dietand simple and easy ways topreserve fruits and vegetableswhen in abundance during sea-sons. The resource person forthe training programme wasMrs. Pushpa Sharma who is thedemonstrator for the CommunityFood and Nutrition ExtensionUnit, Government of India.

a NOW! pic

Subject: Birthday Message

Respected BOSS!!

This is to inform your es-

teemed self that all the

wonderfully weird and

extremely broke people

you have employed in

your circus-of-an-organi-

sation are half-heartedly

wishing you a very

happy birthday,

ANYWAY!

yours’ sincerely,

THE CIRCUS !

YO! BOSSJI

Janam Din Mubarak HO!

Aap Jeeyo Hazaaro Saal,

aur raho jhakaas saalo

saal!!!

Shubh Chintak!

Dear Humpty Dumpty

The marks keep

stretching. God keeps

falling down! I keep on

running. Messages keep

floating! ... Believer Pro

ofin

g E

rror

s

INT

EN

TIO

NA

L

MISSED IT?NOW! Mind Games LIVE!can watch it AGAIN this SATURDAY at

5 PM on Nayuma Cable TV.

THOSE WHO MISSED THE

SATURDAY

5’ o’Clock

extras 7

13

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

Identify this actress who stars in

a Vaishal Samant video

Answer: __________________

Name: __________________

Address: __________________

moviesmoviesLAST WEEK’S ANSWER:Justin TimberlakeWINNER: Sanjog Subba,Chandmari

WINNER GETS FREE DINNER FOR TWO AT

LITTLE

italylittle

SNOD Complex, Deorali,Gangtok.Ph: 281980

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: ACROSS 1. CRIED 3. SOLID 6. NILE 7. FIDDLE 9. EX-

TRA 10. EVER 11. RAT 13. FLOE 15. TEPEE 18. RINGED DOWN 1. CINDER 2.

ISLET 3. STILETTO 4. LEDGE 5.DEER 8. CARELESS 12. MEDDLE 14. LUNGE

16.PROBE 17.ARMS WINNER: NINA THAPA, GANGTOK

CROSSWORD - 062T H E

Across

1. Carry on a legal prosecution

8. Summed

9. Growl angrily

10. Evening meal

12. Duct for smoke

14. Additional

15. Intense dislike

17. Language

18. Pertaining to a particular

place

20. Carry

Down

2. Slender bar

3. Capital of New South Wales

4. Snug

5. Film excerpt

6. Fax

7. Northumberland town

11. Associate

13. Ride at full speed

16. Before long

19. Automobile

Solve the crossword correctly. Rush it to Oberois (MG Marg) orNOW!, on or before Sunday and a lucky draw of all correct entrieswill decide who wins FREE DINNER FOR TWO at LITTLE ITALY,DEORALI.SNACKS COUPONS TO BE COLLECTED FROMNOW! OFFICE

NOW! EXTRA FOR THE YOUNG

FACTOR

All of us have had that one teacher who has been a source of tremendous

inspiration, who’s left that lasting impression on our mind.

The power that a teacher has over the young is potent. Sometimes it just

takes one teacher to turn a life around, to open one’s eyes and make a

difference. Called second parents, the best teacher’s nurture our dreams,

develop our talents, help us realize our ambition and reach our goals. It’s no

wonder that different countries around the globe dedicate a day to honour

one of the most noble professions of our times.

Teacher’s Day, in India, is celebrated on September 5. It was in 1962, when

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a great intellectual, philosopher and educa-

tionist, became the President of India, that his birthday on September 5 came

to be observed as Teacher’s Day all over India.

Jawaharlal Nehru, once said, “He has served his country in many capacities.

But above all, he is a great teacher from whom all of us have learnt much

and will continue to learn.”

For all the teachers who taught us to be better, bigger and more worthy than

what we were. Happy teachers Day!!

by NIGEL CASHMORE

Six students from TashiNamgyal Academy, who tookpart in the recently held Inter-national Computer Olympiadorganized by the CityMontessori School, Lucknowbagged the second prize at thecompetition. The 4-day Com-puter Fair and Seminar[COFAS], held from 19 to 23August, saw more than 600competitors from national andinternational schools partici-pate in the various IT-relatedevents.

That the Olympiad was bigcan be gauged from the fact thatit had a Magsaysay awardee,Sandeep Pandey for chief guestand MD, Sahara Parivar,Kumkum Rai Chaudhary asguest of honour.

Loyola College ofJamshedpur bagged the 1st po-sition. TNA’s second place wasa remarkable achievement con-sidering the level of the compe-tition.

Just back from Lucknow, theteam of Nawang Lama, SatyaDeep Pradhan, Satya Pradhan,Tenzing Dakpa, TenzingPassang and Anil Agarwal, areobviously thrilled with their per-formance.

“We cannot even begin toexpress how we feel after par-ticipating in a seminar of suchhigh quality where not only didwe have to compete againstother schools of the nation butalso against internationalschools,” they tell us.

The performance of theseboys has not only boosted theirspirits but has also motivated

other students at the school. Thecredit for their achievement, theygenerously give to their compu-ter teacher, Devashish Das.

“He [Mr. Das] has not onlyinspired us and given us theknowledge but it is because ofteachers like him that studentsare eager to learn more,” theychorus.

Mr. Das is himself verypleased with the achievement ofhis students.

“They have worked hard and

sincerely and I am very proud ofthem. It is because of their sin-cerity and dedication that theyhave bagged the second posi-tion in such a prestigious com-petition,” he says.

Principal, TNA, Dr. SKSrivastava, is overjoyed.

“This is for the first time thatthe students of the school havewon an international award. It isnot only a matter of pride for theschool but the state as well. I feelhappy and proud,” he said whileadding that the school would besending more students to partici-pate in competitions of thiscaliber in the future.

Speeding on the IT highwayTNA bags silver at the

International Computer Olympiad

Ooh baby I love the way you make me feelIt slows down time Come in my bedroom and turn off

the lights You whisper softly in my ear Makes me unwindThe way you touch me Let’s me know you’re mine

I’d rather be with you Because I love the wayYou scream my name And there’s no other man

That gives me what I want And makes me feel this wayI’d rather be with you because You hustle hard to take

care of me I’d rather be with youBoy I’d rather be with you

I love the way you look at me Stare into my eyesWhat do they say to you Boy don’t be shy

Tonight’s the night your fantasies Will all come trueI am your woman I belong to you

There is nothing I won’t do for you I know my soulconnected me to you I feel so safe when I’m alone withyou I’m holding back nothin Saving it all for you Baby I

love making love to you It’s like a high I can’t comedown from you

I’d rather be with you...I’d rather be with you oh yea Boy I rather be with youI’d rather be with you oh yea Boy I rather be with you

I’d rather be with you...I don’t want nobody else I’m happy with you

You got me baby

BEYONCEKnowles

Be With You

ON TEACHER’S DAY

extras 8

extracurricular...NOW!

OVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEW

14

FUTURE NOWthe

is

TASHIMOVIE

� BAD BOYS - II

� AMERICAN WEDDING

� JASON v/s FREDDY

� PIRATES OF THE

CARIBBEAN

� MATRIX RELOADED

TOP 5CLUB

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

SANGAY CHUKI DORJEE, 22 YRS,Studying in Bangalore, Loves: Sketching

alphabets

HARRY POTTER AND THE

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

PS ROAD, OPP. HOTEL TIBET

presents

A B O O K S H O P

FACE WEEKFACE WEEKtheoftheof

Raj [Abhishek Bachchan]lives in New York with hismother, Dr. Malhotra

[Suhasini Mulay]. They are veryclose and share a great rapport.But there is one issue they can’tsee eye to eye on: his motherwants him to settle down and Raj

STIFLER STEALS THE

SHOW IN THE LATEST

GROSS-OUT ROMP FROM

THE “AMERICAN PIE”

GANG.

The Setup: Despite screwing up his marriage proposal to the point where

he ends up pantless in acrowded restaurant, Jim (JasonBiggs) gets engaged to Michelle(Alyson Hannigan), the bandcamp geek from the first twomovies. But, as with all wed-dings, questions arise. WillMichelle get the dress shewants? Will Jim learn how todance? Most importantly, willStifler drink pee again?

The Breakdown: The answer isno, Stifler doesn’t drink pee, buthe does several things that areeven more disgusting. Though“American Wedding” is ostensi-bly about Jim and Michelle,Stifler gets the most screentime—and the most laughs. Inone of the movie’s best bits, heplays against type in order toscore with Michelle’s sister.Later, just when you think the

fillum-shillum

The return of love

won’t hear of an arranged mar-riage. When Raj visits India forhis cousin’s wedding, his mater-nal uncle [Satish Shah] emotion-ally blackmails him into agree-ing to meet eligible girls. Tomake matters worse, the personhis uncle chooses as the match-

maker and go-between for thesemeetings is the one person Rajhas already antagonized in his24 hours in Mumbai. That per-son is Namrata [Aishwarya Rai],Raj’s uncle’s favourite employeeat his design studio. She is onlytoo happy to put Raj through thistorture. After a series of meet-ings with potential brides, it be-comes apparent to Namrata thatfinding a match for this particu-lar suitor is not only a nightmare,but an exercise in futility. A manwho does not believe in mar-riage and a woman who can’t.

Can true love find a way?In a light-hearted journey

that offers honest answers toquestions about love and thequest for a perfect mate, KuchNaa Kaho is a heart-warmingoffering from debutant directorRohan Sippy and comes toDenzong this Friday on a simul-taneous release.

KUCH naa KAHO:

the preview

flick might OD on the Stif-meister’s antics, it smartly pullsaway and makes a joke aboutJim’s pubic hair. If you liked thefirst two, you won’t be disap-pointed.

THE PIESTILL TASTES GOOD

ARIES: Take care of your health. Romance will be success-ful. You may feel more responsible and also benefit in yourcareer. Financial position is good and for some travelling isexpected. Some may face difficulties at work.TAURUS: Your health is normal in this week. Lovers mayface separation from their loved ones for a certain period,expect compromises afterwards. This week is favourable forstarting new assignments. Be careful while handling impor-tant decisions. Financially improvement is possible duringthis week. Education is good for students.GEMINI: Try to avoid tensions. Medical expenses are ahead.Don’t except more co-operations in your career. Financiallyexpect cash flow constraints. Avoid speculation.CANCER: Changes will take place in your career. Financeswill be good. There is a chance of traveling west. Family prob-lem may disturb your activity. You can avail more loans.LEO: Try to avoid tensions and worries. Medical expensesare expected for some. Romance is not favourable for youin this week. Your career will be good . Financial positionwill be good in this week.VIRGO: Your career will be more dominant in this week. Fi-nances will be normal. Some may travel toward north side.For students education will be normal in this week. Be alertin all cases. You may receive sad news from friends.LIBRA: Your health will be good in this week. Finances aregood in this week. For students education will be normal.SCORPIO: Your romance will favour you this week. In yourcareer you will face more risks and more achievements. Fi-nance will be very tight in this week.SAGITTARIUS: Your health will be normal in this week. Inromance, they will be misunderstandings. Finances will bebelow expectations level. Some may travel. Avoid laziness.CAPRICORN: Be careful in your romance, as there are po-tential misunderstandings. Your career will not be normal .Finance position is not good. You have to be very careful inhandling money. Moving with unknown people will also notadvisable. Be careful.AQUARIUS: Your career will see a delay in progress. Fi-nance will be normal. More negative thoughts will be there.Better get guidance from superiors. Misunderstanding withelders can be expected.PISCES:Your health will be normal in this week. Romancewill be favour to this week. In your career expect possibili-ties in transferring and getting promotions. Finance will benormal. For students education will be normal. Take quickdecisions