TAMANG EMINENT POET OF SIKKIM

In Pic: Statue of Jeewan Theeng (Actual Pic not available)

Jeewan Theeng was born to Karsang Theeng and Mrs Dolma Theeng at Namchi District Hospital in Sikkim on December 19, 1955. His native place was Sichey, Gangtok where he was brought up later. His father was a Vaccination Inspector in the then Royal Government of Sikkim.

Young Jeewan started his education in Namchi Primary School. Later he came to PNG and he completed his high school from Tashi Namgyal Higher Secondary School in 1972. After that he went to join Darjeeling St. Joseph’s College for his degree education in Political Science. He received his BA and Master’s from North Bengal University in 1975.

All through his student life he was emerging as a poet and in his short life of 23 years he wrote 79 poems, 11 stories, 1 khanda kavya (Narsisus), 7 song lyrics and 1 write up. He is mostly known for his Sikkim related poems.

Theeng bagged second prize in essay competition in 1974 during the Golden Jubilee celebration of Darjeeling Nepali Sahitya Sammelan. He was 20 years at that time. He was also awarded with Ratna Shree Swarna Padak in 1977 in Nepal for his book ‘Bimba Pratibimba Gangtok Bhariko Kalilo Bihani’. It was a very rare honour which was conferred on him for his contribution to Nepali literature.

At the age of 23 Jeewan Theeng took his last breath. On 5th July, 1978 during an operation at Kolkata Hospital to operate lung complications he died. He left behind younger brother Dilip Theeng, two elder sisters Maya Theeng and Prem Theeng and six younger sisters Kusum, Eden, Phigu, Mala, Sudha and Bandana.

The road stretching from the National Highway towards Development area till Tashi Namgyal Senior Secondary School has been named after Jeewan Theeng and now it is known as "Jeewan Theeng Marg".