Comments on: RHENOCK: THE FIRST HALTING STATION ON THE SILK ROUTE

By: Devendra

Devendra — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:52:52 +0000

I made the same mistake. It's Sir John Claude White, not James. The first British representative of Sikkim.

By: Mrinal Shanker

Mrinal Shanker — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 04:37:01 +0000

The article is indeed enlightening and very interesting. It underscores the importance of trade in providing livelihoods to remote communities, and in exchange of modern ideas and goods. The much-maligned Marwari community played a very significant role in Indo-Tibet trade, whether through Kalimpong or through Assam. It is indeed remarkable that a community originating in the hot desert sands of Western India made inroads into Tibet long before others thought that such trade was even feasible. Unfortunately, both Sikkim and Darjeeling District have suffered economically in recent decades because of the embargos placed on the entrepreneurial initiatives of the Marwari. In the whole of Eastern India,they are the only community that has consistently stuck its neck out in maintaining the engines of economic activity running despite a hostile environment in West Bengal, Nepal, Sikkim and perhaps Assam. ( Disclosure: I am not a Marwari by 2000 Km).

By: Pempa Tamang

Pempa Tamang — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 05:59:36 +0000

Read this with avid interest. Yes Rhenock did play important role in its days.
As a child I remember seeing caravan of mules transporting goods to and from Kalimpong to Yatung and Phari in Tibet. Its true this stopped after 1962 Sino-??Indian War.
I suggest you to go through the book written by K. C. Pradhan. I have read another account by Secretary General of Viceroy, India, who passed this route in 1885 to find pass to Tibet. This book is available. It will give you more details about this area.