While Sikkim has been selected as the "MOST PICTURESQUE DESTINATION" awarded by a travel magazine, TODAY'S TRAVELLER and the award being given shortly in New Delhi by Union Tourism Minister, Ambika Soni, ironically, the indefinite hunger strike by Satyagrahis and Members of ACT led by Dawa Lepcha and 20 yr old Tenzing Lepcha enters its 20th day with no proper responce from the Government in sight.
Like the other days, more satyagrahis have joined the hunger strike. They are Pema Lepcha, Tenzing Lepcha, Dawa Lepcha, Pema Lepcha, Nima Lepcha, Renol Lepcha, Chandra Lal Gautam, Arjun Kumar Poudyal, Birbal Mangar and Pema Lepcha.
Tenzing Lepcha is still in STNM hospital.
The editorial of Gangtok's popular and best English Daily, Now! wrote on the need to recognise and appreciate the conviction of Dawa, Tenzing and the rest of the members on hunger strike rather than figures of families who have given their assent to land aquisition. Two young men have gone hungry and sacrificed their future health and almost everything in trying to bring attention among the people of Sikkim about the dangers of big mega hydel projects, and their neighbours only ridicule them with figures!
The hunger strike means much more than just basic symbolism and land aquisition. Their land will go, they'll fetch a good price but its time that they realise that this issue is not of Dzongu and petty land aquistions. Its the whole debate of what kind of development do we people really need here in Sikkim and our readiness to handle it against the backdrop of a hunger strike by people who really care about the future of everybody's children here in Sikkim.
Hats off to our young heroes. Its 20 days now since they have gone hungry.
This is history in the making in Sikkim and above all, in these days of satellite television, internet, blogs and sms and emails, its time we be a little informed about things happening in our own backyard rather than unseen and unwanted global gyan. Its time normal beings like us try to know rather than look away either in fear, ignorance and arrogance or just being too engrossed in life's never ending material luxuries, basic emotional pursuits and pseudo intellectualism!!
Chandra Lal Gautam, Arjun Kumar Poudyal and Birbal Mangar
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