On my first visit to the tiny erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim, back in the early 2010s – I had stumbled upon this word called ‘Dzongu’. It sounded very mysterious and romantic. This first Sikkim trip was with the family and we had a sort-of fixed program for 10 days where we were going around…
Category: Sikkim
Dukpa Tseshi Festival of Dokpas – The High Altitude Nomads of Sikkim
The air is thin as we drive farther away from Thangu on the popular road from Lachen to Gurudongmar Lake in North Sikkim. The journey from Delhi has already taken over two days. Time is irrelevant here; and it shouldn’t matter too; for we are documenting Dukpa Tseshi – festival of the Dokpa tribe that…
Pang Lhabsol Festival in Gangtok, Sikkim
The rapturous crowd had just been silenced. The warrior looked fierce and scary in the red mask ringed by five human skulls; he twisted and twirled as he danced. My hair stood on end in anticipation; there was pin drop silence even amid the chaos around. I instantly knew I was witnessing something special while…
First impressions of Sikkim
Sikkim is the second smallest state of our country and arguably the most visited on the Eastern side of India. From one of the highest mountain peaks in the world, the towering Kanchendzonga (Kanchenjunga), to virgin tropical forests and sanctuaries, from alpine meadows to rushing streams, rivers and waterfalls – Sikkim had me hooked at first…