Acknowledgments

This project would not have been possible without the generous support from people from all walks of life.

In West Sikkim, Simon Subba, the then IPR officer, Captain Yongda, Ugen Chophel, Santosh Ahlay, Taranath Thapa and Phipmaya and her family, Siddarth Yonzone, all gave us time and shared their knowledge and experiences. Santa Pradhan, retired IAS and once the DC of West Sikkim encouraged and gave us good leads and introductions. Deomaya Subba not only shared her version of the story of Srijonga but was also was a gracious hostess.

In the South district, Angbir Rai, P.M.Rai and my neighbours from Dumigaon, Late Pradeep Yonzone shared documents of his father the late Agam Singh Tamang and  Mr. Chamling, the former Chief Minister of Sikkim had first introduced the idea of a picture book on Sikkim.

In the East and North Sikkim, the homestays we stayed in and the families who ran these establishments were generous with their information, conversations and guidance. In Mangan, Tashi Chophel, the then ADC at the district office, helped ease the process of permits to visit the restricted areas of Dzongu, Lachen and Lachung. In Lachen, Tchewang and his lovely wife went beyond their role as hosts to introduce us to the Pipon and tell us about the functioning of the Dzumsa.

In the East, Anna Balicki-Denjongpa, from Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Karma Bhutia and his family, Raman Shrestha, Sonam Tashi Gyaltsen, K.C. Pradhan, Rajiva Shrestha, Mrs Dil Kumari Bhandari (who guided me towards the Mangar history), late C.D. Rai and many helped with their knowledge and insight.

Our readers, so far have commented both privately as well as on our site their appreciation and encouragement for the work we have initiated. Foremost among our readers who regularly read the articles and comment is Hope Cooke, our former queen, who continues to take interest in all aspects of Sikkimese life. Professor Ranjini Swamy from Indian Institute of Management, Goa is our regular reader and makes meaningful comments. Appreciation of our readers like Simon Subba, Manjulika Dubey, Kakoli Choudhury and Sujit Chakraborty encourage us to carry on with greater enthusiasm. Young readers have volunteered to contribute and that is a direction we hope the website will take.