Birth anniversary of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal celebrated

GANGTOK,: The 129th birth anniversary of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal was celebrated at a local hotel today here. The celebration was organized by Vivid Kala Akademi (VKA) and Journalists Union of Sikkim (JUS).
It had the presence of senior citizens who have witnessed Chogyal's rule, representatives from Gangtok Anjuman-E-Islamia, and students of different schools of Gangtok.
Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT) director P.W. Rinzing, in his keynote address, recalled the moments during the Chogyal's rule and informed how Chogyal Tashi Namgyal founded the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in 1957. The institute has now become a dynamic research centre in the Eastern Himalayas actively promoting Buddhist and Tibetan studies, including its sub-field of Sikkim studies, he said.
The site on which the institute was established was donated by the late Chogyal of Sikkim, Tashi Namgyal. The foundation stone of the institute was laid by the 14th Dalai Lama on February 10, 1957, informed Rinzing.
Kiran Rasaily, chief coordinator of the celebration, said: "This is an occasion to pay rich homage to the immense contributions of the Chogyal who made reforms in modern judiciary, abolished landlordism, introduced nationalised transport, established first general hospital, and patronised establishment of Thakurbari temple, church and masjid in Gangtok.”
Rasaily said that VKA will try to give continuity to the anniversary celebration ever year. “Without history, we are nothing and we must know our history. Through this celebration we are trying to disseminate our history to our younger generation so that in future they also remember our history,” he added.
Earlier, journalist and poet Prabin Khaling gave a brief talk on life of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal. Chogyal Tashi Namgyal was a great artist and worked a lot for the promotion and development of art and education during his rule, he said.
Khaling also spoke on the life and contribution of Russian artist Nicholas Roerich who had spent some time in the State during the time of Chogyal. He highlighted the contribution of the Chogyal in the field of art.
An exhibition of Chogyal Tashi Namgyal’s pictures was one of the highlights of the celebration.
Among others present were former chief secretary Sonam Wangdi, Khadi Board chairperson Chung Chung Bhutia, businessmen Ramesh Periwal and Hari Prasad Agarwal and JUS president Bhim Rawat.