Wednesday, Aug 12, 2020 12:30 [IST]
Last Update: Wednesday, Aug 12, 2020 06:44 [IST]
JIWAN RAI
On 15 August, 1947, like the rest of India, Darjeeling witnessed the historic lowering of the Union Jack, giving way to the unfurling of the Independent India’s tricolor. In the audience, watching this event, never vouchsafed before, was a young man from Sikkim, Chandra Das Rai. He had come a long way to be a part of this event, not just literally but metaphorically. Coming from a non-descript Mikhola village of South Sikkim, against insurmountable odds, he was driven by his love for education to come to Darjeeling. In hind sight, a young Sikkimese matriculate attending this celebration in Darjeeling had more significance than he would have realized then.
He returned to Sikkim after completing his matriculation from Darjeeling in 1945. But the dreams within him needed a vaster realm than the then kingdom of Sikkim could give him. His reconnection with Darjeeling from 1946 began to shape him for Sikkim’s political movement – a movement in which, in subsequent years, he would be a major actor. While his homeland was tucked away, unware of the affairs in the rest of the world, he was engrossed watching the political transformation unfolding in India. His young soul was enthralled by the political discourse in India in general and Darjeeling in particular that he could see from such close quarters. Soon he dared to be a politician in a Sikkim where political aspirations were fettered by a feudalistic rule.
His second return to Sikkim would launch him into the political arena straightaway. Soon he joined forces with the likes of Tashi Tsering, Sonam Tshering, Roy Choudhury and Helen Lepcha, who had begun a movement against the ills of the feudal system. A miraculous turn of events led him to places and people that this young man perhaps hadn’t prepared himself for. Suffice is to say that he, along with the State Congress Party chief, Tashi Tsering, went to Delhi and ended up meeting the Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. They submitted a memorandum asking India’s help in establishing a democratic and responsible government in Sikkim.
Their democratic movement continued back in Sikkim. He was a minister in an interim government that was formed on 9 May 1947. He continued to be a major force in the political movement within Sikkim. In 1959, he was quoted by the New York Times as advocating for closer ties with India against the impending threat from China.
He became the first post-graduate student of Political Science from Benaras University. He went on to become a prominent bureaucrat in Sikkim. He retired as Secretary in the government of Sikkim. His contribution in Sikkim journalism will remain unparalleled. He was the first editor of the Sikkim Herald. He also served as Sikkim correspondent of Amrita Bazar Patrika in the early 1960s. Post retirement, he edited Himali Bela, launched Gangtok Times and became the founding President of the Press Club of Sikkim.
He was much more than a man of many vocations. The mark he left behind as a politician, administrator, litterateur, journalist and social worker are etched indelibly in the history of Sikkim to inspire younger generations.
On a personal note, it was my huge privilege to have come to know him personally. He always encouraged me with his lavish praise, “I always read your articles and I always watch your shows”. He followed my local cable TV (Nayuma) talk show Gurugyan and graced one of my shows. One of my biggest regrets is my failure to interview him personally. I waited for far too long.
A great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi, the late CD Rai believed in simple living. He would often be found in taxis listening intensely to fellow passengers and talking to them. His passion for education was well passed down to his children. His sons, PD Rai and the late ND Rai were IIT graduates (a rare feat in India) and his daughter Aruna Rai became a medical doctor. His son PD Rai, who served two terms as a Lok Shabha MP vindicated his political passion. More so, as he became the only MP in Indian history with a twin IIT and IIM degree.
With him gone, Sikkim has lost an entire portion of its history. I would borrow his Singapore based grandson Nitin’s word to summarize his legendary life. He not only lived so long, but he also lived so well.
