Dzumsa:- An Inimitable organism of Lachung

Lachung village during Summer Pic:http://www.holidayiq.com

Lachung, situated in the northern district of Sikkim is a beautiful village, secluded from the chaotic city lifestyles has its own exclusivity. Lachung is at an elevation of about 9,600 ft or 3,000 m and at the confluence of the Lachen River and Lachung Rivers, tributaries of the River Teesta. The word Lachung means "small pass". There was a period when this place was not opened to the tourists due to its traditional and customary importance. But, in the recent period, Lachung has been made available to them to explore the culture and custom of the indigenous. It will not be wrong to argue that, Lachung, the place of mystic mountains is a de-facto Shangri-La. Before the annexation of Tibet in 1950, Lachung was a trading post between Sikkim and Tibet, after which it was closed down. Lachung has been described as the "most picturesque village of Sikkim" by British explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker  in his famous work, The Himalayan Journal. 

Lachung Pipon with his Horse Pic:Dr. Alice S. Kandell 1971 May

Lachung Pipon with Children Pic:Dr. Alice S Kandell 1971 May

Approximating its exquisiteness, the village has atypical hamlet institution known as Dzumsa. Dzumsa is a traditional administrative body of the villages of Lachen and Lachung  in North Sikkim. It is a self-government system where a headman, known as the 'Pipon', is elected and the community where all the disputes are settled in a democratic manner. The system of governance is traditional and follows the tribal social organizational position which is entirely different, unique and to some extent more democratic than the Panchayati Raj institution prevalent in other districts of Sikkim. The traditional village level organisation consists of the elders of every household of the village including women and Lamas. It resembles some features of the village governance prevalent in the Vedic Age known as Sabha and Samiti. Two persons are elected from amongst the members of the Dzumsa as the Pipons. They are assisted in their daily affairs by the Lamas known as Chutimpas. The Pipons have wide powers and functions in accordance with the customary laws. The Dzumsa conferred verdict for all the cases including major ones in the villages of Lachen and Lachung. It is important to mention here that, the term of the office of Dzumsa is fixed for one year and after accomplishing its term the office has to be dissolved and a fresh election is to be conducted for the smoother functioning of the village institution.

GYEL-PE-LETSEN-CHOBGYAL:

Gyel Pe Letsen Chobgyal is a Committee comprised of eighteen senior members of Lachung Valley including five monastery representatives.  The committee takes charges after the completion of the term of the elected Pipons. They remained active and execute most of the duties, earlier executed by the elected Pipons until the new Pipon is elected. This system of self-governance was established during the first half of the 19th century in order to provide structure and solidity for societies and their activities. Even after the merger of Sikkim with India the traditional system of Dzumsa is still prevalent in North Sikkim.

The first Indian to scale Lama Anden (A mountain peak in North Sikkim)

The first Indian to scale Lama Anden a mountain lays left of Lachung is Mr. A.D. Moddie who is also the first batch IAS of independent India. He scaled this peak in North Sikkim in 1946. Recruited in 1948, Mr. Moddie served as an IAS officer in Bihar’s Madhubani district and later resigned and joined Hindustan Liver. I met Mr. Moddie at his Bhim Tal Cottage at Nainital which once belonged to Col. John who was assigned with the charge of administration of the Kumaun and Garwahl region by the British Government. Mr. Moddie bought the house from Mr. Elgin, the last British Officer of the region in the 60’s of the last century. When I reached at his cottage an old man of 90’s opened the door. He still has the very same charm on his face which he used to have 60 years back. I greeted him and our course of interaction about Sikkim started. Mr. Moddie has shared with me some of his great experiences at Gangtok while going to Lhasa as an Indian trader. He told me that Gangtok was then a small town with few houses at present days M.G. Marg. About the least bothered attitude of the then Indians towards the trans-Himalaya in his book Witnesses to our Times he has written the following lines:-

“No one then bothered about the Trans-Himalayan Central Asia. In due course, after a discussion with Harishwar Dayal (then Indian Political Officer to Sikkim) I found myself posted as a trade agent to Gyantze in Tibet……… I think I got my posting on the strength of two earlier treks and a climb on Lama Anden in Sikkim- all I could show of my meager expertise of Central Asia. But my imagination was full of the old Shangri La, the Silk Route, the early Everest story and the earlier Pundits of the survey of India”.

Regarding the perplex situation that he had to face at Gangtok he writes:-

“As there were only two ways, a trader’s or a pilgrim’s permit, I opted for the former. I wrote to our agent in Gangtok, Sikkim, to arrange a mule and a muleteer for me; I would walk. When I arrived in Gangtok and enquired about the mule arrangement, the Agent prevaricated. He shyly disclosed he had arranged twenty mules. He was taking advantage of a sahib-type, who also knew the Political Officer, Gangtok, to send his mules train in, for greater security, under my leadership. When I met Apa Pant, the P.O. for my permit in English, Hindi and Tibetan, I thought I would amuse him with the story of one mule becoming twenty. Apa Pant saw no humor in it. In serious official style, he advised me to take all twenty mules saying, “One mule no status, twenty mules status”.

Apart from the information which he has written in his book Mr. Moddie shared few valuable information about his meeting with the then Maharaja of Sikkim late Sir Tashi Namgyal. He told me that the late Maharaja was a pious person who had nothing to do with politics and who always kept himself busy in religious paintings. Mr. Moddie still has a great love towards the Himalayas and Sikkim has a special place at his heart. When I asked to take few pictures of him he preferred to take them under the pictures of Sikkim which he had taken during his visit.