Tax Receipts of Feudal Sikkim collected at Chota Singtam

A tax receipt of 1922

A tax receipt after the abolition of Kazi and Thikadarism

Document plays a vital role for the construction of History; devoid of it, history tastes more story than a factual account. While undertaking field survey, I had been able to gather few documents related to the monarchical Sikkim which are not only rare but are atypical in their own ways. These peasant related documents are not available in any of the collections or in achieve of the State of Sikkim. The documents posted here belong to one Nar Dhoj Limboo of Rabitar Namchi, whose family was shifted to Chota Singtam in East Sikkim during pre Second World War period. These days the family of the said person is residing at the same village of Chota Singtam where Nar Dhoj Limboo found asylum against the recurrent feudal pressure. The once exiled family of Namchi has preserved many documents related to the feudal Sikkim that provide a broader space for the peasants’ history of Sikkim to dwell in. The oldest document which is maintained by the family of Mr. Harka Bahadur Limboo aka Khukurey Bajey of Chota Singtam, East Sikkim belonged to the year 1922. This document is a tax receipt paid by his father Nar Dhoj to the Mandal Kul Bahadur Chettri of Sadam Ilakha on 31^st December 1922. Likewise, one can notice such proof of payments of the subsequent years till 1936 before they got shifted to Chota Singtam. The striking features of such receipts are the utilization of personal seals of the Thikadars by the village Mandals instead of the Lal Mohur or Royal Seals. The position and status of the Thikadars and the Kazis in the feudalistic Sikkim are evident from the use of such personal Seals. The Thikadar of Sadam Ilakha used to be a Nepali, who was a Newar by caste. Therefore, their seals bear an icon of a half moon (Ardha Chandra) and Nepali remark of Shree. But, there is a gradual change in the use of such seals. In a receipt issued by Mandal Wangdu Lepcha of Sadam village to the same person on 31^st December 1932 bears mark of a rubber round seal that inscribes Moti Chand Pradhan, Turuk Ilakha Sikkim. Again, some of the receipts of the 50’s and 60’s have the earlier features.

A receipt of the membership fee of Sikkim State Congress

Tax receipt of 1933 (post World War I and Pre World War II)

The most important document maintained by Mr. Harka Bahadur Limboo is indeed the membership certificate of the Sikkim National Congress. The membership fee to the earliest peasant organization of Sikkim was made by a person named Man Bahadur Limboo, possibly, one of the brothers of Nar Dhoj Limboo. The receipt confirms that the latter made a payment of 50 Paise (Aath Anna) to secure membership of the said organization. It also bears signature of the Joint Secretary of the Sikkim State Congress (probably of Namchi District) Mr. Kali Prasad Rai. Further, many receipts of Kuts and Adhia methods of revenue assessment are also preserved by him.

The information about the family of Nar Dhoj Limboo and the documents were acquired during field survey on 21st January 2012

Brihaspati Parsai- The Peasant Leader of Sikkim

Late Brihaspati Parsai addressing peasants at Rangpo during Satyagraha

Late Brihaspati Parsai a.k.a Parsai Bajey was born on 30^th June 1899 at Karkaley Pipaley village of Mechi district of Nepal. At the age of seven he lost his father Tikaram Parsai and two of his brothers due to chickenpox. In frustration, his mother decided to leave their original place and took 10 years old Brihaspati to the plains of Jhapa in Nepal. There young Brihaspati lost his mother due to malaria and became a total orphan. After hiding the corpse of his mother at a forest at a place called Chandragadi in Jhapa district, the young lad moved further east and reached Silagadi (now the place is known as Siliguri). He stayed at Silagadi for a year and thought of entering Sikkim. Coincidentally, he met a bullock carts’ caravan moving towards Sikkim and by pursuing it he reached lower Martam (32 Number the place is also called Middle Camp). It was at Martam the orphan met Chandrasingh Bhansari a Thikadar (Contractor) of Martam Estate who took him home and gave him the task of shepherd. Impressed by his truthfulness and diligence, the Thikadar gave one of his daughters Chulmaya in marriage to Brihaspati. After his marriage he bought a piece of land at Namli, a village near Ranipool and began to live a life of a householder.

Late Parsai (sitting) with L.D Kazi (Right to him)

After the conclusion of First World War Sikkimese peasants also began to witness little development in their Kingdom. It was during this period the construction of auto able road from Siliguri to Gangtok commenced which is now known as NH 31 A. Brihaspati also began to work as a coolie in the construction process, and then he became a supervisor and finally a contractor. He was a founder member of Sikkim State Congress and also an educational enthusiast who had played a vital role for the foundation of Ranipool School at Ghattey Hill. His contributions and efforts for the foundation of said school will soon be updated in the blog. After the formation of Sikkim State Congress on 7^th December 1947 late Parsai unconditionally threw him in politics. He became the Publicity Secretary of the newly founded Sikkim State Congress and began to raise his voice against the vices of feudalism like Kalobhari, Jharlangi, Theki Bethi, Kuruwa and Ghar-Lauri. In the beginning, the Central Office of Sikkim State Congress was raised at Rangpo. Due to his witty and mocking speech against the exploitation he was arrested during Satyagraha of 1949 at Rangpo and was put behind the bars for 62 days.

Parsai leading a procession at Singtam in 1961

Late Parsai played a vital role for the elimination of parity system from Sikkim. During agitation of 1973, he led a procession to the Sikkim Palace which was thence asking for one man one vote. The Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal coming out of the palace questioned late Parsai “What do you want?” He answered “We want the King, we do not want the Councillors, and we need Ministry, not one man six votes but one man one vote”. It is to be noted here that the greatest cause for dissatisfaction of the peasants during the agitation of 1973 was the notorious Parity System in Sikkim.

People gathered at Alley Ground Namchi to listened to Late Parsai

During my field work I got an opportunity to meet one of his sons Mr. N. B Parsai an ex- teacher who also has a greater involvement for the development of Ghattey Hill School. He has informed me that his father was a person who always believed in the theory of Karma enunciated by the Upanishads. It is because of this philosophy of Upanishad he had been able to contribute a greater part of his life for the liberation of the Sikkimese subjects from the clutches of Kazism and Thikadarism. Many of his contemporaries have informed me that he was a brawny politician who used to speak as if he has nothing to loose in this world. Most of such contemporaries were inspired by his flamboyant speech consequently they joined late Parsai to uproot the evils of forced labour from Sikkim.  This stalwart of Sikkimese politics died at the age of 80 on the evening of 9^th June 1979 at his residence at Namli in East Sikkim. 

Jaharman Rai: The unsung Hero of Sikkimese History

Late Jaharman Rai

The ordinary people have always played an indispensable part for the development of human society by producing agricultural items, rendering free services for the constructive works of a state and by providing forced labour. Further, by paying tax and rent of the land and agricultural products they make a greater contribution for the economic prosperity of a country. Being the nucleus of human development, the peasants in particular and ordinary people in general, who are always in a larger number, have never been treated at par. It is not only a case of a particular province or a state or a country, injustice against the peasant is a phenomenon which is rampant in every nook and corner of the world. The pricks, pains and the wounds the peasants have been subjected to in the past are simply irreparable which are very much similar throughout the globe. Their service to mankind in general and their Landlords or the Kings in particular, the burden of taxation upon them, the yoke of forced labour on their shoulders share a similar nature and feature throughout the earth. Amidst their large contribution, they have been frequently ignored not only by the authorities in the past but by history as well. Further, history of ordinary people which also covers resistance made by the peasants is always regarded as a sundry event by the contemporary historians. This is the major reason why the hardships of the peasants in the past have not got their mention in the pages of history. To quote Howard Zinn “...not only to the orthodox history of those years, but to the very idea of history told from the point of view of the authorities- a history confined to the “important” people that ignores the struggle of ordinary people”. In reality, it is an irony to monitor that human society is driven by a marginal force. It may be in the case of chieftaincies or later in the case of large empires; the majority have always been administered by the minority. In a truer sense, the suppression of the voices of the powerless or the marginalized, which always form the major group, continues even in today’s so called democratic set-up. The government, which is in minority, hardly bothers to listen what the majority are asking for and arrangements for settling the dilemma that occurs frequently between the minority governed state and majority of interests is seldom seen.

Late Rai on Second Row L-R during the construction of Sikkim House in New Delhi

Hence, being a student of history, this is my unpretentious attempt to bring into light about those unseen heroes of Sikkim who have contributed a lot for the erstwhile kingdom but are forgotten by the pages of History. I prefer to articulate them as the Unsung Heroes of our society, which was a composition of the ordinary people and peasants, and that never made any headlines in the leading newspapers and journals to drag the attention of the elites. For me, they are the real contributors, the altruistic and the most selfless human folks who played an important part in the development of Sikkimese society by dint of their labour and hard works.

Late Jaharman Rai was also a son of an ordinary Sikkimese peasant of Tinzir Busty at Namchi in South Sikkim. Born on 2 July 1915, Late Rai was the youngest child of Late Ashdhan Rai. After the death of his father, Late Jaharman Rai took up the task of tax collector under Lahso Kazi and later under Tenzing Wangdel Lahso. After witnessing the deplorable condition of the peasants during his service, he made his mind to resign from the job. The condition of Sikkimese peasantry thence was at a wretched stage, where they not only had to pay the tax but also had to carry Kalobhari and Jharlangi, the most crooked system devised by the Colonial Government. When the peasants failed to pay their taxes, their household items were auctioned of which they could not object as they were under the strict surveillance of the Kazis and the Zamindars, the self-styled super class of the erstwhile Sikkim.  

When the level of repression reached beyond the tolerance of the ordinary Sikkimese, they founded the first ever political party of Sikkim which was known as Rajya Praja Sammelan. This party, though it lacks agenda and ideology, is regarded as the first political party of the erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim. Late Jaharman Rai joined this party and became an active cadre. Later, the Praja Sammelan along with other two political parties namely, Praja Mandal and Praja Parishad was united to form Sikkim State Congress in December 1947. After the foundation of Sikkim State Congress, Late Rai continued to play an important part to ignite the slumbered minds of Sikkimese peasantry. He became the Secretary of Namchi branch of Sikkim State Congress for achieving the determined goal of democracy in the Kingdom. His correspondence with Late Pratiman Rai, Late Kashiraj Pradhan and Late Jainarayan Sapkota reveals his active participation in the people’s movement that was launched by Sikkim Sate Congress. Further, Late Jaharman Rai had also played a key role in raising party fund for the Sikkim State Congress.

Lhaksam Shabdek Badhar- The Silver Medal presented by the Chogyal of Sikkim

Apart from the politics, Jaharman Rai is also remembered for his philanthropic works at Namchi. Due to utter poverty he could not get his formal education and learnt to write in Nepali in bamboo tablets as a shepherd. Therefore, to annihilate such hurdles in education, he managed a night school at Tinjir which is now raised up to a Junior High School. Further, in the unparalleled landslides occurred from 3^rd to 5^th October 1968, which is popular in Sikkim as adshat shaal ko pairo, Late Rai had given refuge to many of his co-villagers in his house. He arranged Government help in the form of edibles, household items and beddings for the affected people of the catastrophe. It was under his guidance and initiative the citizens of Tinzir and Kamrang, reconstructed the brush off roads between Jorethang, Melli and Gangtok after the catastrophe. Recognising his social services, the Chogyal of Sikkim Late Palden Thondup Namgyal rewarded him with the Service Medal (Lhaksam Shabdek Badhar) in 1969.

Further, Late Jaharman Rai was a skilled craftsman, whose dexterity is visible at the Old Sikkim House, New Delhi which was known as Sikkim Residency before its merger with India. Still one can notice the huge sign board of “Sikkim Residency” in front of the Old Sikkim House. Most of the wooden works there is the creation of Late Jaharman Rai. In 1971, he led a group of Sikkimese craftsmen to give a typical Sikkimese look to the Residency.

Though he passed away in 2009, at the age of 94, his works are still alive at the Old Sikkim House helping the mainstream people to understand Sikkim in a better way. Sikkim is always proud of having such ordinary, but significant characters in its past. The history of ordinary people is also thus important like the history of “essential” people and their contribution should never be underestimated.

Constitution of Sikkim State Congress 1947

 Tashi Tshering-The First President of Sikkim State Congress

The peasants of Sikkim had resisted a lot against the Sikkimese theocracy. After the Indian independence they were not at all in a mood to live the very same life which their forefathers lived. The earlier individual resistance they had shown against the suppression of the Kazis now began to take a shape of united resistance in which the peasants of Sikkim were searching their new avenues to live their lives. The age old concept of Devine Right of the King &Co. was at a very shaky position. This all was happening due to the geo-political situation which was prevalent not only in India after her independence, but in the entire Himalayas. It is to be noted here, that the political situation of Nepal was also coming across from the similar ups and downs which was then ubiquitous in Sikkim. The Nepali populace started an open divergence against the Rana regime for its removal. It was all happening because the resistance level of the masses in the entire Himalayas was plummeting heavily due to the suppression from the higher authorities.

Capt. Dimik Singh Lepcha General Secretary of S S C

Likewise in Nepal, the Sikkimese peasants also began to raise their voices against the forced labors which had exploited its peasantry a lot. Unlike an open rebellion in Nepal, the peasants here began to ask for their rights through various associations founded by different leaders in the Kingdom. In the words of Howard Zinn-“The uneasiness grows and grows and the citizenry gathers in resistance in larger and larger numbers, which becomes too many to control; one day the top heavy empire collapses.” He further writes- “Change in public consciousness starts from low level discontent, at first vague, with no connection being made between the discontent and the policies of the government. And the dots begin to connect, indignation increases, and people began to speak out, organize and act”. Similar to the ideas of Howard Zinn, the small gatherings of uneducated and Bustiwallas in far flung Sikkim organized themselves and founded the first ever political party of Sikkimese Kingdom at Gangtok on 7^th December 1947. They named it as SIKKIM STATE CONGRESS which was greatly inspired from its Indian counterpart the Indian National Congress. Interestingly, the flag of the said party also had a tri-color similar to that of the Party Flag of the Indian National Congress.  

 Kashiraj Pradhan The Vice President

To continue their united resistance through a political banner, the Sikkim State Congress had even made a constitution. It was meant for the execution of a member’s duties in some far off places of Sikkim. It basically deals with the code and conduct of the party members. The picture posted here is of the few pages of the said Party Constitution. Details have been provided by the document about the powers and functions of its President and other Executives. Further, the paper also offers some new ideas to understand the basic purposes of this political organization.  The interesting part of the document is that a block level committee in every block was founded after the formation of the Party. To reach at the doorsteps of the peasants those blocks were further sub-divided into villages. Every member of Sikkim State Congress had to get a membership card at the cost of Rs. 1. Adults of 18 years and above were given the general membership (who wanted to join the Party). The Constitution of Sikkim State Congress had all together 12 Articles supported with many other clauses. It has given much emphasis on the discipline of the cadres and Annual Meetings.  

I am greatly indebted to Mr. B. B. Lhorung Rai of Kazi Tar Namchi for sharing this piece of information with me. The document is to a great extent helpful for the study of political development in the erstwhile Himalayan Kingdom of Sikkim. 

Report of the Fourth Annual Session of Sikkim State Congress 1952

The Fourth Annual Session of the Sikkim State Congress was held in 1952 at Gangtok. This document reflects the important decissions taken by the Sikkim State Congress on the annual session of the Party. It is to be noted here, that the foundation of this political party was held on 7th December 1947 at Paljor Stadium then known as Polo Ground, Gangtok. The party was the outcome of the amalgamation of the three small political parties of Sikkim which were sprang up in Sikkim in the 40's of the previous century. They were Rajya Praja Sammelan, Rajya Praja Mandal and Praja Samaj Sudhar party . On 7th of December 1947, all the three parties gathered themselves at Polo Ground and decided to launch a joint movement against the corrupt practices of the Sikkimese administrative system such as Kalobhari, Jharlangi, theki bethi, Kuruwa etc. by which the then Sikkimese society was greatly suffered. The foundation of the said party was a landmark on the history of democratic movement of Sikkim. It not only united the different political ideologies of the State under the same roof but, also paved a way for the spread of the democratic ideas among the Sikkimese peasantry. 

On the Fourth Session of the State Congress, Mr. Tashi Tshering was unanimously elected as the President for next one year. Similarly, The charge of the Vice- President was given to Mr. Kashi Raj Pradhan, who later has witnessed many upheavels in the democratic process of the State. Captain Dimik Singh Lepcha, an important figure of then Sikkimese politics was appointed as the Secretary of the Party along with Mr. Ram Prasad and Tsanglu Pala as his subordinates. The important decisions made by the Party are mentioned in the document, which have a great importance for the study of the political movement of Sikkim. 

The proceedings of the State Congress on its Fourth Annual Session of 1952. The proceedings were written in Nepali language which had by then become a lingua-franca of Sikkim.