Sarit K. Chaudhuri - The Cultural Heritage of Sikkim

Sikkim has been a region of anthropological interest since the 1930s when Geoffrey Gorer and John Morris did their fieldwork among the Lepchas of Dzongu, north Sikkim. While Sikkim found mention in various writings of travelers and administrators during the British period, there is a dearth of literature even today on the rich heritage of Sikkim. This collection of twenty-five essays presented first at the international conference on Cultural Heritage of Sikkim, organized by the Department of Anthropology, Sikkim University fulfils this gap in a modest way. The publication of the volume was slightly delayed because of the untimely demise of Prof. Sameera Maiti who was working on this project. It was under her enthusiastic initiative that the conference was organized in collaboration with Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya in April 2015. We are happy that her initiative has finally borne fruit and sad because she is not here to see the result of her labour.

The book has been thematically arranged and is divided into five parts. It starts off with History and Heritage and has different takes on administration, state formation and the changing history of Sikkim, even through travel narratives. It also includes an article on protection of traditional communities while another article emphasizes on traditional health practices of the people here. The next part is on People wherein the focus is on oral traditions of Lepchas and Tamangs. The third part is on Religion and Ritual where the first three articles argue for a distinct Sikkimese Buddhism while the fourth one talks about the erection of death memorials among Limbus. The fourth part focuses on Tourism and Economy and with Sikkims growing popularity among travellers and visitors, different authors highlight the need for different strategies for sustainable tourism in Sikkim. And there is a lone essay on the maize cultivation of Sikkim under this part. Last but not the least we have some emerging issues with regard to Art and Museum as authors talk about folk music and folk dance as arts that often constitutes the symbol of culture and identity. The last two essays discuss museum studies and the need of anthropology to integrate museum and intangible heritage for cultural empowerment of the people of Sikkim. In brief, this book covers a wide range of topics of interest to both students and teachers interested in knowing the tangible and intangible heritage of Sikkim.

PROF. T.B. SUBBA
Vice-Chancellor
Sikkim University
Gangtok