Challenges
of the district : Our research with local communities
In Gangtok, everyone is well educated and professionally
qualified. The main issue here we face is of limited employment
opportunities. We do not have many jobs for all the qualified people.
They are no industries in our region. This leads to, youth taking
solace in alcohol and drugs. The rate of addictions has risen.
Brief About
East Sikkim District
SIKKIM, a small Himalayan State lying between
27 to 28 degrees North latitude and 88 to 89 degrees East longitude
is the second smallest state in India. It is barely 7,096 sq km
in size yet has an elevation ranging from 300 m to 8585 m above
sea level. It's Geography is dominated by the most majestic mountain
chain in the world which includes the Khangchendzonga,
With the capital city of Gangtok situated here,
East district is the hub of all administrative activity in Sikkim.
Among others, the world famous Rumtek Monastery, the Dharma Chakra
Centre and the seat of His Holiness, the Cyalwa Karmapa is also
located here. Besides the usual shopping for momentos and artifacts
in Gangtok, the East District offers a great many interesting
places to visit such as the alpine Tsomgo (Lake) and the Nathula
Pass.
Instituted with the aim of promoting and keeping
alive the state's traditional arts and crafts, the directorate
of handicrafts & handloom is a storehouse of hand-woven carpets
with traditional motifs, blankets, shawls in Lepcha weaves and
exquisitely-carved 'Choktse' or table and many other gift items.
Flower exhibitions are organized round the year
at the flower show venue near the white hall complex, Gangtok.
orchid shows held during the spring tourist season is one of the
most popular shows organized in the state.
The White Hall only has historical value and is
situated on the Ridge. It is a two storeyed structure and has
typical British architecture and was built in 1932. It is so called
not because it is painted white but because it was built in memory
of the first Political Officer of Sikkim, Claude White. There
is an Officers' Club and a badminton court in the White Hall.
The Ridge is a small stretch of plain and flat road
above the town of Gangtok. It is just about fifteen minutes walk
from the main market. The Ridge has the White Hall and the Chief
Minister's official residence, known as the Mintogang, meaning
"blossomed crowned hilltop" on one end and the beautifully designed
Palace Gate with a Pagoda rooftop on the other end. A statue of
Nehru, the late Prime Minister of India, adorns the roundabout
above White Hall. Situated on the Ridge is also a resting shed
using Tibetan architecture. The Ridge is lined with plants and
trees which when bloom are a riot of colours. Flower shows which
attract tourists from all over the world are held just below the
Ridge.
The Do-Drul Chorten or Stupa was built by the venerable
Truslshi Rimpoche, head of the Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism,
in 1945. Inside this Stupa, there are complete Mandala sets of
Dorjee Phurba around this Chorten, which is one of the most important
Stupas in Sikkim, are 108 Mani-lhakor(prayer wheels). These prayer
wheels are turned by the devout Buddhist while chanting "hail
to the jewel in the lotus ", to invoke Buddhisattva.
CLIMATE - Cold Winters in the month of November
to February with minimum temperatures dipping to 4 centigrade
during January - February. It is between the month of March and
early May when sunshine is quite abundant. Though summer is officially
from May to October, Sikkim is almost always wet due to the heavy
monsoons, with rains at times continuing for days on ends. Longest
recorded nonstop rain is 11 days. September to October is Autumn.
A peculiar feature of Sikkim weather is that though there is a
classification of sorts of the various seasons, actually experiences
a cold winter from end of November to February and monsoons throughout
the year with a little respite during May - June and October -
November. Even the winter months can be irritatingly wet and damp
with the unpredictable showers.
BEST SEASON TO VISIT : March
to June and September to December
MAXIMUM SUMMER TEMPERATURE : 28 ° C
INIMUM WINTER TEMPERATURE : 0 ° C
AVERAGE RAINFALL :325 cm. RF / Year
