‘An Extraordinary Friendship’: A special NIT exhibition in Gangtok

GANGTOK, : The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT) in Gangtok will mark its Founder's Day in May this year with a specially curated exhibition of photographs, documents, films and artefacts celebrating “an extraordinary friendship” between Sikkim’s Crown Prince and the Dewan, and record how their camaraderie powered a collaboration which set Sikkim up for development and modernity in the fifties.

“An Extraordinary Friendship: Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal and Dewan Sahib Nari K. Rustomji,” will open on May 22 at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology here and run until May 28, a press release informs.

Curated by Tenzin C. Tashi, senior researcher/ editor, NIT, this ambitious exhibition will showcase nearly 300 photographs, documents and films, many of which have never been seen in public here before.

The exhibits, some of which have been acquired from local and other collections, are primarily from the Rustomji Archives and detail several important milestones in Sikkim's history like the construction of iconic government buildings, the visit of HH Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama during the 2500th Buddha Jayanti celebrations, visit of Prime Minister Nehru en route to Bhutan, the 1965 coronation of late Chogyal, the 1967 Chinese aggression at Nathula, etc.

While the official part of the Rustomji Archives was donated to the Nehru Memorial Archives, the family recently opened up the personal part, held in the family home in Mumbai, to the NIT. Also on display will be original artefacts on loan to the NIT which speak evocatively of the more endearing aspects of the friendship, the release mentions.

A bulk of the exhibits will cover the time-period from 1942 to 1982, the decades when the friendship was formed, cemented, and matured, and also included will be displays from the early 1920’s documenting the birth and early childhood of the two protagonists.

Rustomji and the young Maharajkumar of Sikkim, Palden Thondup Namgyal, first met at the ICS probationary training camp in Mussoorie in 1942. On the completion of the course, the Crown Prince returned to Sikkim and Rustomji was assigned to the Assam cadre of the ICS. In 1954, Maharaja Tashi Namgyal of Sikkim, on the advice of the Crown Prince, requested for the services of Rustomji as the next Dewan of Sikkim, a post he held from 1954 to 1959.

As Dewan of Sikkim, he worked tirelessly with the Maharajkumar to improve the kingdom’s infrastructure, education and healthcare systems, initiatives that were the veritable backbone of the kingdom’s future growth and development. This developmental period was marked by a visionary respect for the conservation of the environment and biodiversity of the region and the promotion of local architecture that blended harmoniously with the landscape while also respecting local culture and traditions. Rustomji learnt the Sikkimese language and wore the Sikkimese kho during his tenure in Sikkim.

Technically, Rustomji was India’s man, an ICS officer on loan to Sikkim. He doubtless walked a tightrope while discharging his official duties, but his love for Sikkim and his extraordinary friendship with the Maharajkumar is legendary, and exudes from every display curated for the exhibition, the release states.

“Despite playing a prominent role in Sikkim’s history, Dewan Rustomji’s legacy has not been adequately documented here in Sikkim. The exhibition, in a way, is an initiative of the NIT to pay homage to the institute’s founders and their contribution to Sikkim- the late Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal was the Founder President of NIT, and Dewan Rustomji was a Founder Member.”

Additionally, the NIT will be hosting exhibition/display stalls by some of the still- surviving institutes set up by late Chogyal such as DHH, GFPF, SNT, STCS, SBS and Temi Tea. Rachna Books has also taken a stall at the venue and will be displaying and selling select publications of interest.

The exhibition is part of the NIT's roster of activities for the 50 Years of Statehood celebrations, the release mentions.