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About
a third of the land is covered with dense forests, where sal,
simbal, bamboo and other plants thrive. Some of the finest
forests lie in the northern-most areas in Lachen and Lachung.
Here the mountains rise to elevations of 7000 metres and more.
Kanchenjunga (8579 m), the world’s third highest peak, rises
from this area. The forests here are inaccessible and remain for
the most part unexploited.
The population of Sikkim is mainly made up of the Lepchas, the Bhutias and their allied clans and the Nepalese.
The Lepchas were the first settlers in Sikkim. The Bhutias came from Tibet in the 14th century.
In the 18th and 19th centuries the Nepalese came into Sikkim and established themselves.
And, today, they form the majority community in the state.
On average, Sikkim receives 125 cm rain. Bt the rainfall varies widely between various regions like sheltered valleys, foothills and high mountains.
River Tista and its tributaries drain the state. Tista is a perennial river being both rain-fed and snow-fed.
The principal crops are maize, paddy, millet, wheat and barley.
Tea in grown in Sikkim. There are units engaged in food processing, tanning, watch assembling and distilleries, breweries and flour mills.
Sikkim
boasts several hundred different kinds of orchids and is
frequently referred to as a botanist’s paradise.
Some
of the important tourist centers are: Gangtok, Bakkhim - a natural
garden, Yoksum-meeting of three great lamas, Dhubdi monastery, Tashing
Monastery Rumtek monastery, etc. There are 200 monasteries in
Sikkim. Khangchendzonga National Park is one of the highest national
parks in the world and includes the world’s third highest mountain (Kanchenjunga).
The yak and the musk deer are animals found in Sikkim.
P.G. Rajendran; Mathrubhumi Books, MM Press, Cherooty Road, Kozhikode-673001. Rs. 60. (Tribal Folk Tales, Hindu, K. Kunhikrishnan, Nov 06, 2007)
At least three brigades of the army have been silently moved out of Jammu and Kashmir amid a tussle between the state’s coalition partners on troop cuts. (Troops Cut, Without A Word , Telegraph, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 06, 2007)
There are four main aspects to the China-Tibet-India problem over the last century, some of which are only now becoming apparent. (China’S India Aggression, Statesman, Correspondent or Reporter, Nov 05, 2007)
The Punjab government’s decision to implement police reforms in the state is welcome. (Reforming The Police, Tribune, Editorial, The Tribune, Nov 05, 2007)
One lesson which India learnt from its experience of dealing with China before the Sino-Indian war of 1962 was the folly of treating Chinese transgressions as unintended. And there have been two recently. (Hu's China - Vii, OutLook, B. Raman , Oct 31, 2007)
In a despatch on October 21, 2007, the state-owned Hsinhua news agency of China reported as follows:
(Hu's China - Iii, OutLook, B. Raman , Oct 27, 2007)
Order covers all religions across the length and breadth of the country (Register All Marriages: Supreme Court , Hindu, J. Venkatesan, Oct 26, 2007)
The Supreme Court today gave states and Union Territories three months to make registration of marriage compulsory for all religions.
(Sc: Register All Marriages , Telegraph, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 26, 2007)
The Supreme Court today gave three months’ final deadline to the states and Union Territories to frame laws to make the registration of marriages compulsory, as a majority of them have failed to comply with its earlier order of February 2006. . . (Sc: Register All Marriages, Tribune, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 26, 2007)
The Supreme Court on Thursday set a fresh three-month deadline for states and union territories to frame necessary rules to make registration of marriage compulsory, irrespective of religion, after most of them failed to adhere to an earlier order.
('Make Law To Log All Marriages In 90 Days', Hindustan Times, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 26, 2007)
Yet another monsoon is over and, with that, yet another test for the prediction skill of the statistical long-range forecast (LRF) model of the India Meteorological Department (IMD); this time it was a new model with a new methodology (Frontline, June 1). (Cloud Of Mystery, Frontline, R. Ramachandran, Oct 24, 2007)
Our political practices are proving what has been a weak witticism to be a hard truth: we specialise in snatching defeat from the grasp of victory. (Always The Bridesmaid, Hindustan Times, Editorial, HindustanTimes, Oct 22, 2007)
At a recent conference of State police chiefs, the China connection to India's North-Eastern insurgency was brought out loud and clear. (China's Hand, Pioneer, Editorial, The Pioneer, Oct 16, 2007)
It’s bad enough that 40 per cent of the women surveyed across the country - by 18 organisations led by the International Institute of Population Studies - admit that they are victims of domestic violence. (Home Truths, Times of India, Editorial, The Times of India, Oct 15, 2007)
It’s such an unassuming place that you will feel humbled being there. Meghalaya has innumerable ‘heavens on earth’ yet it doesn’t go bragging. You wonder why this State doesn’t get its deserved attention, while places no t half as stunning find admirers. (The Scotland Of The East!, Hindu, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 15, 2007)
China’s Party Congress is held every five years. (Special Article, Statesman, Rajinder Puri, Oct 13, 2007)
Surprisingly, China has accused India of violating an agreement for peace and tranquillity in the border region at a time when the two countries are engaged in finding a solution to their border problem and developing closer relations. (Chinese Charges, Tribune, Editorial, The Tribune, Oct 13, 2007)
A bumper draw of sorts is currently on, with more than Rs 2,000 crore as the sum at stake. (Will The Lottery Agent Fall Into Service Tax Net?, Business Line, D. Murali , Oct 13, 2007)
In an apparent effort to derail a crucial visit to Beijing by Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi, Tibetan protesters raided the Chinese embassy in New Delhi on Wednesday while two other seemingly unrelated events cast a shadow on Sino-Indian ties.
(Indo-China Ties Under Strain , Dawn, Jawed Naqvi, Oct 11, 2007)
The latest diplomatic bugbear from Beijing to New Delhi is China’s incursions into Bhutan, a country whose foreign policy is by and large run by India. (Chinese Incursion Into Bhutan Worries India, Tribune, Correspondent or Reporter, Oct 10, 2007)
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