INTEREST IN TAMANG TRIBE MOSTLY WITH FOREIGNERS ALSO

Foreign Tamang Linguistic Kathryn S. March with Traditional Tamang Dress in Lhochhar Festival. Who is also the author of  - "If each comes Halfway" Meeting Tamang Women in Nepal.

TAMANG YOUNG TALENT - APURVA TAMANG

ROCKED THE ZEE SAREGAMA LITTLE CHAMPS REALITY SHOW AT MUMBAI

In the year 2009 Apurva Tamang, an 8-year-old from Mirik, Darjeeling has entered the popular singing contest “Sa Re Ga Ma Li’l Champs” on Zee TV on a wild card entry and came in Top-10.

Son of Suraj Tamang and Ranjita Dikshit Tamang, the immensely talented Apurva is a class IV student of Bal Vikas Academy, Mirik, and has been singing at the local level from a very young age. His parents run the Academy and has very supportive of their son’s singing. Presently Apurva Tamang studies at Army School, Sukuna - West Bengal.

Apurva has been singing since he was a little child and is very talented. Apurva had auditioned in Kolkata for the show. This powerhouse of talent made a strong entry in the Zee Saregama Little Champs with a fast, peppy, rock number, which won him praises from all the four judges.

GREAT ACHIEVEMENT BY A TAMANG GIRL

Prakritee Yonzon from Nepal is the first Nepali to do LLM from the prestigious London School of Economics.

Her focused journey so far -

Back in school she always took her studies seriously. She was confident and able but never seemed to be studious and always had time to have fun.This is how Rani Kakshapati, Founder Principal/Director of Shuvatara School, recalls one of her students Prakritee Yonzon, the first Nepali to obtain LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She has passed with merit from LSE and Prakritee “looks at law as a platform to fulfil her dreams of serving my country”.

Paving her path to LSE She is the first student from Nepal to pursue LLM at LSE. And the 24-year-old thinks it was possible because of her “intent to pursue legal education further in the UK”.When in the last year of BBALLB in Symbiosis Law School, Pune, India she applied “on my own merits to the LSE with great excitement and aspirations”. At that time, her desire was strong, her intention to pursue this one-year course was serious and she was a meritorious student who had passed BBALLB with cumulative percentage of 69.94, First Class — all these qualities made her eligible for the course, which is why she received an acceptance from LSE. But besides LSE, she had got invitations from Cornell (US), Kings College and UCL from the England. However, LSE was her “top choice”.With this success of the daughter, her father Prabhat Yonzon feels “wonderful, proud and humbled”.

Real education at LSE

“LSE has been the beginning of my real education. It has taught me how to think, and more importantly how to think critically. It has stretched the contours of my intellectual thought process,” says Prakritee about her education at LSE in an email interview. During the one-year course at LSE, she got opportunity to attend public lectures by two Nobel laureates, Aung Saan Suu Kyi and the Dalai Lama, among many other public figures. “Both role models were awe-inspiring and I feel honoured to have been able to attend these events,” opines Prakritee.Besides that, she was also taught by eminent faculty such as QC Conor Gearty, (ranked in 100 most influential lawyers in the world) and having the opportunity to argue and discuss with them while they humbly listen to your opinion which is neither novel nor obscure, has been a truly humbling experience, Prakritee further writes.Though the course was fiercely competitive and well-qualified candidates were daunting at times, she “enjoyed the coursework immensely”.

A bright student

The path that Prakritee paved for herself back in Nepal during her school-days was one of the important factors that opened doors to LSE. Had not she been a meritorious student from her school-days, she might not have excelled in her studies and her dream to make it to such a distinguished university might have remained a dream. But the 2004 SLC graduate of Shuvatara School “always stood first in her class so she used to receive full tuition scholarship,” according to Kakshapati.While her father recalls, “Finishing homework always was her priority” and Prakritee “still is an insatiable reader”.

With encouragement from teachers and support from parents, she did her A Levels from Malpi Institute in May 2006 in Business Studies, Accounting and Economics. But her heart was in law as she was fascinated by “law as an instrument of control”. So, she joined BBALLB at Symbiosis Law School Pune in 2006 and graduated in 2011. Now a graduate of LSE, Prakritee feels, “Studying law has made me more organised in my thought process, articulate and objective. It has also given me a sense of empowerment, and the impudence of yearning for more.”Besides these courses, she also did Diploma in Intellectual Property Laws and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Laws from Symbiosis Law School and National Law School of India University, Bangalore respectively.And to back up her education, she interned in a number of places, The Himalayan Times being one of them. “Every work experience taught me something new, and gave me perspective in the respective field,” explains Prakritee.

Besides academics

While in school, Prakritee fulfiled the responsibilities as a “confident and very capable Head Girl” according to Kakshapati. “Then, she always kept her decorum with peers as well as seniors,” she recalls.Probably because of such qualities, she was fortunate to be blessed with very good friends wherever she went and “LSE was no different”. At LSE, she would engage in political discussions with friends after every dinner. “It seemed we were indeed at the gateway to the political thinkers of the world. LSE would not have been the same without the friends that I made this year.”But how did she feel in the foreign land amidst new faces? Prakritee replies, “Although at times I felt the responsibility of representing my country, at other times I felt no different from the other students, in terms of language, thought and calibre, showing that we Nepalis are truly global citizens of the world.” Also she is interested in nature, photography, music, plays the piano well and has a good voice, but loves to spend most of her time in bookshops, as per her father.

After academic achievement

Having reached the end of her graduate studies, Prakritee feels privileged that all the windows of opportunity are still open to her. “Since the courses I have taken are a good mix between human rights and dispute resolution, they show my diverse areas of interest. I therefore have a foot on both the human rights and the corporate world,” explains Prakritee who “still is in the process of deciding”.But what does it take for any student to reach this height? Prakritee says, “Other than dedication, I think it is necessary to remain focused on your aims and objectives, and contextualise your studies with your aims every now and then to make sure you are on the right path.” And talking particularly about LLM, she adds, “As any other course, I think the LLM requires focus, determination and hard work. But law in particular is a way of thinking, reading and writing. A legal education sharpens your mind, and allows you to see both sides of the equation, and if you are smart enough and willing to go a step further, to recognise the weak and the strong points of both sides.”

At the end, she suggests, “Seriousness aside, I think it is important to have fun with your friends and outlets for your creativity. For we all know, how ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’.”

AMAZING STORY OF ORDINARY TAMANG MAN

 
Ram Bahadur Tamang: The face of Film South Asia

"FILM SOUTH ASIA "BEST FILM TROPHY"IS NAME AFTER RAM BAHADUR TAMANG"

For ten years, this ordinary Nepali man’s photo has been a rallying call for documentary film-makers across South Asia, home to one fifth of humanity.

He has become the symbol, and the logo, of Film South Asia (FSA), a regional film festival organised every other year in Kathmandu since 1997. FSA is the leading and most enduring film festival that brings together South Asian film-makers and film-lovers. It is a low-budget, high-energy festival organised by the non-profit Himal Association.

It turns out that the FSA logo is derived from this photo, taken of an ordinary Nepali called Ram Bahadur Tamang. Photocredit goes to Cory R Adams.

Ram Bahadur belonged to the Tamang people, who are believed to have migrated to Nepal from Tibet. Today, the Tamangs reside mainly in the high hills north of Kathmandu.

Perhaps inspired by my query, Kanak has written up the story behind the photo/logo in his column On the Way Up in the latest issue of Himal Southasian which he edits.

He says: “The Tamang from Byabar served the Rana palaces as guards and porters. Ram Bahadur was one such. One day, he was caught by a photographer holding an early-model Sony video camera. He had a Sirdi Sai Baba badge on his left lapel. The image of Ram Bahadur is now the logo of the Film South Asia documentary film festival. He looks out over the world through his camera and his other, free, eye. The trophy given to the best film at the end of each FSA is known as the Ram Bahadur Trophy.”

Not much more is known about old Ram Bahadur. He had moved on shortly after this picture was taken. We don’t know, for example, if he ever actually used the Sony camera, or was just playing with what, at the time, seemed a high-tech curiosity. This was, after all, the early 1990s when video cameras were not quite ubiquitous.

INSPIRATIONAL STORY OF DIFFERENTLY -ABLED TAMANG MAN OF SIKKIM

Lal Bahadur Tamang (Pic taken at ITC 2013 Kathmandu-Nepal)

47 Years old Lal Bahadur Tamang of Namchi, South Sikkim leading a happy life, despite his disability .

Disability is a state of mind rather than a condition of a body. Instead of calling a person disabled it is better to call him differently- abled, as they can also live a life of dignity and purpose.

One such exemplary person, who has defied all notions about disability, is Mr Lal Bahadur Tamang. Forty-seven years old, he hails from Namchi and is a handicapped man who has turned actor cum writer due to his interest and hard work. He is also the recipient of large number of appreciation letters for his genuine handicraft shows. He has been organizing Handicraft Talent Shows in and around the state especially in schools and colleges. He displays decorative items mostly made of wood and roots. He not only creates the decorative pieces but also designs them. This not only gives him happiness but is a source of income also. Author of “Ma Kina Bolne” a Nepali play says that he has acted and danced in the play himself. The play has been staged in 268 places in Sikkim.

He was not born with disability, earlier he was a driver until he met with an accident while driving his truck on his way back home from Siliguri in 1996. The fatal accident rendered Tamang disabled in his youth but it could not dampen his spirits as he started expressing his creativity through handicraft making right after his recovery.

A vibrant Tamang has a message for the youths of Sikkim, to struggle and never to lose hope. Expressing his sadness on the increasing suicide rate in the State, he said that the youths should focus in channelizing their energy into creative pursuits rather than giving up hope. He also urged to the Government to nurture the talents by giving them training as well as a platform to showcase their talent. He further added that handicraft making has a huge economic potential as the tourists visiting Sikkim are always looking for something unique to take home as a souvenir. He also added that even the disabled could be encouraged to take up handicraft making as a means of livelihood.

RELICS OF BUDDHA PRESERVED AT NORBUGANG CHORTEN IN YUKSUM-WEST SIKKIM

Norbugang Chorten in Yuksam, West Sikkim

Norbugang Chorten (stupa), which contains soil and water from all over Sikkim. Norbugang is the oldest chorten built in Sikkim and is believed to contain the conch shell, hair and cloth of the past and present Buddha and also the cloth of Maha-Maudgalaya and Sariputra (two disciples of Lord Buddha). It also contains the left shoe of Lord Padmasambhava and hair of Khandu Yashe Chogay (Consort of Lord Padmasambhava.) 

Note: Yuksum is the First Capital of Sikkim