extras 1

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On Behalf of the management and staff ofLadakhi Properties (P) Ltd. Mr. & Mrs. NTLadakhi welcome you cordially to the inaugu-

ration of Vajra Cinema on Tuesday, August 16, 1983.”Thus read the invitation card to the Chief Minister,

Governor and other invitees going on to add, “This thea-tre is acoustically designed for 70/35 mm pictures with 6track stereophonic sound effects.” As the crowd settled into watch “Kranti”, starring Manoj Kumar and Hema Malini,curtains went up on Gangtok’s first 70 mm cinema hall,changing the local movie going experience forever.

This month, the only 70 mm cinema hall in Sikkim,

20 YEARS OF STARDUST

with a capacity of over a thousand seats celebrates20 years of existence. An occasion that makes PemaLadakhi, MD, Vajra, doubly happy.

“Not only has the hall turned 20, but it was myfather’s dream, who took the gamble to open a moviehall when there were already two halls present in thecapital at much more convenient locations,” he says.

The two halls notwithstanding, Gangtokians stilltrooped all the way to Baluwakhani to watch their fa-vourite films. “Back in those days there was no othersource of entertainment, people came here not onlyto watch movies but to also meet other people,” saysPema.

The coming of television, as we now know it,sounded the death knell for movie halls all over thecountry. For a while things took a downturn and itlooked like the day of the cinema hall was over. Vajratoo, hosted audiences well short of the thousand seatcapacity. But the simultaneous release of some “Big”films saw people returning to the theatres. It was thedecade of the “Badshah”. All the biggest hits at Vajra

had ShahRukh Khan as the hero. “Dil Wale DulhaniaLey Jayenge” in 1995, “Dil to Pagal Hai” in 1997,“Kuch Kuch Hota Hai” in1998, “Mohabbatein” in 2000,and “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham” in 2001, all wenthouseful. But it was in the year 2001 that Vajra Cin-ema Hall had its biggest ever hit. “Darpan Chaya,” aNepali film ran for more than a month, each day to afull house. The director, Tulsi Ghimirey was so happythat he gifted the hall a memento as a token of hisappreciation.

Today, with a new stereophonic surround soundsystem, an American 4 Trax projector, employees inuniform, and a brand new hit in Koi… Mil Gaya, Vajrais poised to seduce the locals with more value addi-tions in the hall. A shopping arcade, a cybercafe,bookstore, video parlour and coffee shop are all onthe anvil giving people more than one reason to visitthe place.

“I want to carry on my father’s dream and whathe inspired,” says Pema. It will be a legacy worth liv-ing up to.

VAJRA STREAKS PAST SECOND DECADEOF ENTERTAINING GANGTOK

a NOW REPORT

20 YEARS OF STARDUST

RANIPOOL: If you live in Ranipool, and want to get reallyfit, you no longer have to head to gyms in Gangtok. Withthe opening of “Body-Flex,” the first multi-gym-cum-HealthClub, Ranipool may in fact, become the favored destina-tion of fitness freaks from the Rajdhani.

The gym, which was inaugurated on 18 August, byMinister for Tourism and area MLA KT Gyaltsen, providesfacilities like an eight -station multi-gym, multi-user bench,treadmill, stepper, jogger, twister, cycling, rowing machine,medicinal ball, free-weights and bars and personal lock-ers for members. Training is given in weights, fitness, con-ditioning and aerobics for women.

The brain and brawn behind “Body Flex” is BishwendraPradhan, a certified trainer and Sikkim’s representative inthe Indian Body Building Federation, Gujarat, in 2000.

“This is the right place to keep healthy, away from alldrudgery and stress. It provides an outlet to release thetension created by stress. Working the whole day in of-

fices, schools and at home makes a person mentallytired and exhausted. The stress created by thesesuppressed energies can contribute to physical ail-ments like back pains, heart diseases, insomnia,obesity, ulcers, high blood pressure, hypertension anddepression. The right exercise can help preventthese. And what better place to do it than this,” hetells us earnestly.

Mr. Gyaltsen congratulated Pradhan for his initiativeand invited others to bring forth new ideas and implementthem instead of depending only on government jobs.

“Health is Wealth,” he said, “people should exer-cise and keep themselves fit at all times.” The Ministeralso offered to pay the fees for those who come fromeconomically disadvantaged families. CoordinatorNehru Yuva Kendra, JK Limboo, Zilla Panchayat, LakhitLepcha, panchayat members and local residents werepresent at the function.

Ranipool prepares for some brawna NOW REPORT

Tourism Minister KT Gyaltsen tries out the spanking new

multi-gym equipment at Body-Flex, Ranipool. a NOW! pic

Late N.T Ladakhi and his wife on the day of the opening of

Vajra Cinema Hall - 16 August 1983.

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extraneous THE GANGTOK STATE OF MIND

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FINALLY!

It was a much relieved SalmanKhurshid that one saw on thisvisit. As he watched the

Sangram flag being broughtdown and the Congress flag goup, the thought that made himthe happiest was that at last, theCongress had an office of itsown in Sikkim. On his last visitto the state, he could not under-stand why the local Congressleaders refused to take him tothe party office. Khurshid, whohas only recently taken overcharge of the North East, did notknow that his Grand Old Partydid not have an office of its own.After two days, the local leadersmarched with him to an officewhich proclaimed on its name-plate “Sikkim Online Lottery” [notmy words, but those of a Delhi-based columnist of HindustanTimes, the most widely readdaily in Delhi].

However, this has now beensorted out. Part of the mergerdeal was that Bhandari wouldhouse the PCC in the formerSangram Bhawan, which hasnow been rechristened as Con-gress Bhawan. Well, you winsome, you lose some. The newlymerged whole could lose somemore if the Sangrami dissidentscontinue with their sangram andwrangle the bhavan away fromthe Congress, back to SSP…

HUM SAATH

SAATH HAI

I t ’s good to see thenew solidarity between the Congress

I leaders in the region.Support has comefrom as far asDarjeeling andSiliguri. TheDarjeeling DistrictPresident of theparty has threat-ened that anyonewho is not nice tohis brethren Thisside of the Rangpowill face severe con-sequences That sideof the border. After allyou have to catch yourtrains and planesfrom Siliguria n dJalpaiguri, het h u n d e r e d .

Well, we are all shivering infright. After all the Congress hassuch a large and menacing pres-ence in West Bengal!!

DUMP IT

How would you feel ifsomeone asked you topay Rs. 6000 for a dust-

bin? You’d surely say get the helloutta here. But that’s how muchUD&HD is asking shopownersat MG Marg to pay for a ‘BunnyOR Monkey’ bin that they wantplaced in front of every shop.The bins are said to be availableat Delhi for less than a thousandbucks. These in turn have beensupplied to the department forRs. 2000 by a local agent, thelittle bird tells us. Instead of mak-ing it more affordable for the us-ers, the department is turning itinto a major profit making ven-ture. Maybe the “side” income-rich department forgets that notall shopkeepers can afford topay that much to accommodategarbage. The department is nowthreatening to revoke licenses ifthe shopkeepers don’t comply.Its time a collective protest wasmade by the business commu-nity, who curse and cry but aretoo timid when push comes toshove. The department is finally

waking up to its responsibilityafter years of not giving adamn. It’s just that they aremaking others pay for it. IfUD&HD wants fancy bins,

maybe They should pay for it.

THE MALL

Talking of MG Marg,the SP East is havinga tough time manag-ing traffic of a kind he

is ill-used to. Remov-ing taxis from the “Mall”

was a cakewalk com-pared to the tricycles,

roller skates and K...MGwheels. This he is slowly

discovering. Having him-self invited all the chil-dren to play at the“Mall,” he was takenby surprise how seri-

Buzz. . .

BAZAARously they took him. The shopowners, filled with impotent rageat a change they had neitherasked for nor wanted, sent outan army of children on thestreets to take revenge. Armedwith a riot gear of footballs, shut-tlecocks and cricket bats, theywheeled into the street, threat-ening to turn the “Mall” into a“Maidan”. This the SP could notpossibly tolerate. After all he hasbeen wanting a “Mall” for manyyears. Just like “all hill stations”have. So orders were sent downthe rank - to each and every con-stable. The kids had to get backfrom wherever they came. Thuson Saturday evening, policemenwere heard cajoling, requesting,and then finally threatening thechildren with promises of brokenlimbs and a night at the thana.Children came home crying andmothers were frantically trying toreach the SP. Quite a jam!

CONTINENTAL MOVES

A strange phenomenon isbeing witnessed lately. Acertain pub with a conti-

nental flavour is being regularlyvisited by groups of men. Theyorder only pizzas and pasta, andthen take meticulous notes onevery dish. What sauce? Fromwhere? Thin crust or thick,cheese, what name? What fla-vour? Etc. All this is leaving theowner quite worried. Are theyplanning to open a rival joint?Should he really tell all?

Some helpful snooping bythe Buzz team has unraveledthe truth. These men are thenew citizens of Congressdom,determined to master all thingsItalian. Just to impress Madam.

Kitna mehnat karna parta haipolitics mein…and you guys saypoliticians never do any work!!

United States of America.Three days of powerbreakdown. Peoplestranded in airports,elevators and offices.Thousands sleeping onthe streets. You stillwanna go bomb NorthKorea?

Think! Mr. Bush,think!

a NOW! pic

a NOW! REPORT

The Governor, V Rama Rao,launched the Department ofPost’s “Letter Writing Campaign”at a simple function held here atRaj Bhavan on Tuesday with therelease of two special covers.

John Samuel, Post MasterGeneral, North Bengal & SikkimRegion, stated that the motivebehind launching this campaignwas to popularize and createmore awareness on the charmof letter writing. He thanked theGovernor, who is also the patronfor this campaign, for his supportto the campaign.

Speaking on the occasion,the Governor lauded the Depart-ment’s effort at rejuvenating thedying practice of writing letters.“Letter writing gives pleasure toboth the writer and the receiver,”he said while adding that other,more modern methods of com-munication lacked this intimacy.He also recollected the pre-in-dependence days, when all let-ters used to be censored by theBritish rulers. There were manyfreedom fighters who devotedextra time to write simple lettersusing difficult words understoodonly by them, he shared.

The Governor also revealedthat he had received many let-ters congratulating him and ad-vising and guiding him whenwas appointed the Governor ofSikkim.

“Letters thus educate youand are also treasures if you pre-serve them. Letters are meantfor communication, pleasureand joy,” he added.

The Post Master General,while updating the gathering onhis Department’s infrastructuralcapacity to deliver revealed thatthere were 1,54,000 post offices[the highest number for a coun-try] in India. Sikkim already has

I sent a letter….LETTER WRITING

CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED205 post offices, he said, whileadding that three new post of-fices shall soon be started here.

“We have already started thesame day speed post here nowwe are soon going to launch E-Post (Electronic-Post) once allthe post offices are computer-ized. In fact Gangtok Post Of-fice, when it gets computerizedand connected to other post of-fices in the State shortly, Sikkimwill become the first State tohave a fully computerized postalservice,” he added.

Talking about this letter writ-ing campaign, he said that itwould also include the “DearJawan…” campaign. The Postalservices was trying to encour-age local students to write let-ters to Indian soldiers stationedat the border areas as a thanksfor risks they take to keep ussafe.

The Department of Posts willalso be holding letter-writingcompetitions for the students ofschools and colleges aroundSikkim. Interested students canpost their letters to this address:Letter Writing Campaign, TheJoy of Communication, GangtokPost Office. This would compe-tition is open till 30 September,2003.

CD Rai, editor GangtokTimes and president SikkimPress Club, while speaking atthis function, spoke of the1930’s when there was onlyone post office in Sikkim - atNamchi Kothi on MG Marg.“When this postman arrivedwith the day’s mail, peoplewould crowd around him eve-rywhere he went,” he said.

Letter-writing is indeed a dy-ing form of communicationwhich has all but lost out toemails and sms. Indian Post willpull a major coup it gets peopleback to putting pen to paper.

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rajdhaniWHAT THECAPITAL’SBEENUP TOD i s t r i b u t o r : E x i d e , A m r o n , S h e l l , P r e s t o l i t e

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When Babulal Malu,proprietor, PanoramaColour Lab, was

woken up in the early hours of14 August, last Thursday, by aworker, he had no idea that hewould soon be witnessing theruins of a business he had builtso assiduously over the last 20years. A few minutes later, hewatched helplessly a powersurge short-circuited his photolab to ashes. Babulal was toostunned to react. It was aneighbor who rang up the policeand the fire brigade. It took thefiremen nearly two hours to bringthe conflagration under control.Nothing could be salvaged fromthe lab. Needless to add, it willtake Babulal considerably longerto pick up the pieces and startall over.

Enduring an overnight lossof Rs. 25 lakhs is not easy foranyone. For Babulal, it is madeeven more difficult by the factthat this was not only a business,but a passion for him. A passion

that made him start a smallphoto shop almost twenty yearsback. With two machines and adaily turnover of barely threerolls a day, it hardly made soundbusiness sense. A problem com-pounded by the fact that he hadno real knowledge of photogra-phy. Reading books and hands-on practice on the job helpedhim turn the small shop intoGangtok’s premier photo-lab.

It is this same spirit thatmakes him determined to carryon.

“Although I am still to cometo grips with the loss and assessthe total damage, I know that thisis not the end. I will start fromthe scratch again,” he says, un-able to hold back the tears.

The fact that the photo labwas not insured means he’ll ac-tually have to start from scratch.

He’s already begun talking tovarious financial institutions forloans.

“Although the loss was terri-ble, I want to look into the futurenow. I’ll be getting more ad-vanced equipment with state-of-

the-art facilities and the latesttechnology,” he tells us.

Even as he gets ready tomove on, the one positive thingthat has come out of the wholeunfortunate experience hasbeen the attitude of the peoplewho have sympathized with hisloss.

“I am extremely grateful tothe police, the fire brigade andto all those who have given memoral support at this time,” hesays. Although it will take morethan moral support to get himback on track, knowing BabulalMalu, it won’t be long beforePanorama Colour Lab rises fromthe ashes.

PANORAMA WILL GET ITS COLOUR BACK

Babulal promisesa comeback

a NOW! REPORT

a NOW! pic

The charred remains of a photo lab at Panorama ColorLab. a NOW! pic

a NOW! REPORT

The fire which razed thephoto-lab of PanoramaColor Lab here at Naya

Bazaar is suspected to havebeen triggered by a short-circuitin its junction box. Some believethat had the fire at Panoramanot spiked power supply, thepower surge could have causedmore damage at more homeslast Thursday. Gangtokians areobviously worried about thecondition of the capital’s elec-tricity distribution network whichis admittedly outdated and over-loaded. Exposed panel boardswith naked wires sticking outpose a threat not only to powerconsumers, but also passersby.

These are not unfoundedfears and have even the CivilDefence personnel concerned.The Civil Defence Sector War-den [MG Marg], NamgyalWangdi has been worriedenough to approach the SP[East]’s office for redressal.

In a letter dated 19 August, Mr.Wangdi cites the example of apanel board installed by the PowerDepartment in the passage be-tween Amber Traders andMahabir Traders in New Market.“The panel board has naked wiressticking out and is a perfect ex-ample of death trap. It seems for-

tunate that no untoward incidenthas taken place,” he writes.

The letter goes on to allegethat “umpteen number of com-plaints” to the concerned authori-ties have fallen on deaf ears.

The Sector Warden’s com-plaint, especially in light of therecent fire, will probably getheard, but much more will haveto be done to make the “deathtraps” he talks of, safe.

HIGH TENSIONCIVIL DEFENCE SEES “DEATH TRAPS” IN

POWER DEPTT PANEL BOARDS

a NOW! pic

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extras 4

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INTHECITYrajdhani

THIS IS HOW YOU RIDE ITA girl shows her enthusiastic wannabe rider friends thehows and whats of riding a cycle at the Gangtok Mall! a NOW! pic

a NOW! REPORT

The Rajdhani is soon to bethe venue for a gatheringof eminent psychiatrists

from all over the country. TheIndian Psychiatric Society isholding the National Mid-TermCME at Sikkim GovernmentCollege, Tadong, on September13 and 14. The theme of themeet is “Psychopharmacology inSpecial Population”. Scientificdeliberation on providing theright psychiatric medicine to vari-ous groups of mentally ill pa-

The conversion of achildrens’ park into a carpark and an extended

parking zone into a playground.It was an experiment possibleonly in Gangtok. And we havebeen living it for a week now andthe response has been mixed atboth extremes to say the least.

For those who had visions oflanguorous walks through MGMall during the 4 hours everyevening that traffic is bannedfrom the Old Market area, thegangs of pre-teens that takeover the stretch with their arse-nal of scooters, footballs, bicy-cles and badminton racquets arequick levelers. Pedestrians havea tough time dodging the exu-berant spirits of the newfoundfreedom of the Gangtok kids.While the kids are not complain-ing, the faces at the establish-ments which open into hyperac-tive kids during peak businesshours when they would preferbulging pockets resting in luxuryutility vehicles, tell a differentstory. The complaints of vehicleowners are best left ignored fordemands of propriety.

Shopkeepers are openly dis-pleased. No vehicles in the com-mercial hub of Gangtok is a logicthat escapes them and their laalkhatas.

Anyways, at the end of thefirst week of MG Mall, has Gang-tok outgrown its teething prob-lems?

“The response has beenoverwhelming,” says SP [East]Akshay Sacheva, “we did notanticipate such a response fromthe people. Initially, we did facesome resentment from the shop-keepers and the taxi drivers, butnow, even they seem to haveseen the positive aspects of thechange and accepted it happily.”

Accepted they may have,but the apprehensions are stillpalpable.

“Business has gone down

NOT JUST VEHICLES, EVEN BUSINESS AND

PEDESTRIANS HAVE BEEN CRAMPED OUT

One-Week of the New MG Marg

more than 70 per cent in the lastone week. Gangtokians do theirshopping in the evenings. Theyare still doing to but ypassing usand heading for Naya Bazaar,”complains one shopkeeper.

There is some optimism too.“If the entire stretch from MG

Marg to Naya Bazaar is con-verted to a vehicle-free zone24x7, then it will make sense.People will eventually get usedto the idea and then even wecould look at how best to adjustto the new system,” says onegarment shop owner.

The SP admits that peopleneed time to accept changes.

“The initial response has beenextremely encouraging. This newconcept has generated a lot of feel-good factor amongst the people.A lot of people have personally toldme that this has given the town anew identity. Now it’s all up to thepeople to see that this conceptbecomes an integral part of theirlives and taken it to the next level,”he adds.

The feel-good factor notwith-standing, a Mall generates its ownset of typical problems. Out of con-trol kids being just one of them.

“Yes, we are receiving com-plaints from the people about suchincidences. Strollers have com-plained of being hit by speeding

bicycles and misdirected projec-tiles. We are now considering ban-ning cricket and football from MGMarg for safety reasons,” says theSP.

Now that may not be taken toowell by the kids, who have at lastfound some open space and morehealthy releases for their energies.“If the Police will not allow me toplay games on the road, what’s theuse of making it empty?” reasons9-year old Prashant who has finallygot a chance to show off his brand-new skateboard.

While Prashant may still haveto wait for an answer, the otherquestion on everybody’s mindsthese days relates to the fate ofthe vehicles that have beenmoved away. The Old West PointSchool parking lot sees hardlyany traffic and save some extravehicles parked at Nam Nang,Naya Bazaar is no more crampedthan it was earlier.

“Earlier, people would justleave their vehicles parked atMG Marg. Nowadays, driversand owners are taking themaway in time to parking lots intheir own localities,” explainsthe SP.

Have the Gangtokians sud-denly discovered that there isactually more space availablethan previously thought of?

by SARIKAH ATREYA

NATIONAL LEVEL

PSYCHIATRY MEET IN

GANGTOK

tients along with recent ad-vances in the management ofpsychiatric care will be focusedon.

The programme, which willstart at 8 am on 13 September,will discuss the specifics of se-lection of psychotropics [medi-cation] in mentally ill patientswho are also suffering from otherphysical illnesses. The secondday’s programme will focus onvarious anti-depressant drug in-teractions.

“Sikkim will be extensivelyexposed to the rest of the coun-try. Doctors are coming from allover, the exchange of views willbe telecast to different institu-tions in India through tele-conferencing. The State will ben-efit in many ways from the hold-ing of this National conference,”says Dr. IL Sharma, organizingSecretary of the meet and thehead of the Psychiatry depart-ment of STNM Hospital here.

Lend a Hand” is the theme for Rotarians all over for the year 2003-04. Lend a hand in yourclub, vocation, community and world is the pledge taken by all. The year is special for Rotarymembers throughout the world because it is the first time in the history of the Rotary move-

ment that an African has become the President of Rotary International.Helping the community concept was stressed at a general body meeting of the Rotary

Club, held at Hotel Norkhill. Manas Chaudhari, District Governor of Rotary International,District 3240 was the chief guest at the function. On his first visit to the state, he askedRotary members to always be of service to others.

The Rotary club of Gangtok has implemented various schemes in the past in Sikkim,many of which have been quite successful. The Hepatitis B immunization programme,the two Polio Plus programme at Gangtok, and the monthly health check-up programmefor the children of Balika Niketan with the help of doctors from Manipal Referral Hospitalwere some of those.

Four new members joined the Rotary Club here, increasing their strength to 30.

Rotarians Lend A Hand

NOW! can be reached at

270949and e-mailed at

sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

extras 5

DEPTT. OF SPORTS & YOUTH AFFAIRS

11

Bookworm Asks CONTEST

the winner [decided by draw of lots from allcorrect entries] wins a discount voucher

worth Rs. 100 from Rachna Books andPublications

books and

p u b l i c a t i o n s

Near Community Hall Gangtok Sikkim

�224336 �rachna_books@yahoo.co.in

Who wrote Alice In Wonderland?

Last week’s answer:

NO CORRECT ENTRIES

LiTNOWWHEN THE HILLS WRITE

q u i z z i n g r e d e f i n e da day long inter-school & inter-college QUIZ GALA

28th August 2003,

Community Hall

an event managed by:

Midas Touch Inc.and supported by:

alphabetsA B O O K S H O P

HO

TE

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Golden NestH O T E L

ZamdenM P RC O M P U T E R S

Kapil Centre, Siliguri Tripti’s

PRESENTS

DESERTEDby A R U N ‘ A E R O N U T ’ C H E R I A N

All characters, locations, mutants and

myself are fictitious in the story. The

7-UP mentioned is vampire urine and

does not resemble the actual 7-UP in

any way.

I tried concentrating on otherthings, like the soft thud of mysneakers as the soles hit thepavement. I was no longer hun-gry. Fear had driven my appe-tite away. My clothes stuck to mybody as they got splattered bythe rain and the sharp gusts ofwind sent chills through myspine.

Suddenly, in the stillness ofthe night, I become aware of thesharp clickety-clack of newboots behind me. I turnedaround.

Nobody.At that moment I remem-

bered that Feroz was wearingnew boots to the movie.

“Feroz,” I yelled “stop play-ing pranks and come out fromwherever you are hiding.”

No answer. It must havebeen my imagination. Feroz was

-ii

not the sort of guy who playspranks on other people. Alwaysserious, never joking.

I continued walking andagain I became aware of some-one following me. I walkedfaster, the footsteps behind mekept tempo. I looked back andall fell silent.

Come on, it’s your imagina-tion playing tricks on you, I toldmyself. All that running and turn-ing had made me thirsty, so Iopened the 7-up bottle and tooka long (or so it seemed to be)swig.

“Khwachk! Pthoo!”I spat it out like Jim Carrey

showing his affection to the na-tives in Ace Ventura: When Na-

ture Calls. Eeeew! It tasted morelike the frog spawn I had tasted inthe school pond, only worse.Pouring the contents into theground, I saw that it was somekind of glutinous, foul smelling liq-uid in my mouth. I continued onmy way down the highway. It hadstarted to rain more heavily nowand in a sudden flash of thunderand lightning, I thought somethingflitted over my head.

My eyes were now accus-tomed to the darkness and I couldmore or less see clearly. I wasgetting soaked to the skin in therain and it was getting creepier bythe minute and the dampnessmade me shiver. There were pud-dles of mud all along the road and

I kept stepping on them. All of asudden it stopped raining and themoon started shining again, cast-ing an evil glow all around. In thepale moonlight, I saw someonecrouching on the pavement infront of me. I was relieved to seethat at last there was a humanbeing in my vicinity. I was evenmore relieved to see that the per-son was wearing my friend’ssweatshirt and his head was cov-ered with the hood. I ran towardshim and tapped him on the shoul-der. What I couldn’t see from adistance, I saw now. He was shiv-ering all over and there werelumps all over which were mov-ing up and down like maggotscrawling underneath his skin. I letout a sudden yell and steppedback. All of a sudden the personin front of me came to life and aclawed hand shot out andgrabbed my throat as he turnedaround. Holy smoke, it was my

friend but at the same time wasnothing like I remembered him as.His nose was a short stubby bat’snose, growing and lengthening ashe transformed back into a hu-man. Large eyes started disap-pearing. This ghoulish apparitionof my friend was pale, almostbloodless with red glowing eyessunk deep in their sockets. I triedto get out of his grip but his griptightened. Watching me struggle,he started to laugh revealing longyellow jagged teeth.

“I have been waiting for you,”he growled. Struggling again, Ishouted, “What kind of a stupidjoke is this?”

“My friend, this is not a joke,remember I never joke,” hegrowled.

I knew that.“You are wondering what

happened to me,” he continued.“You shouldn’t have made meget the taxi because I got this,”he said, showing me bite-markson his neck. “I am now what youcall a vampire. I have becomeimmortal, but the only hitch isthat I need human blood regu-larly and you are going to be myfirst victim,” he said.

- To be continued

Every night I have, a dreamWhen I have my loveYou to hold in my armsIn a moment of supreme simplicityTime freezes for me Explicitly.Then in a dream within a dreamMy arms no longer hold youThen in my dream, I fearI fear I’m dying of hungerMy throat parched with thirstLike all my nerves ready to burstThese eyes of mine ready to popMy heart pleading for theinclement pain Stop, Please Stop!!In the dream of my dreamI wake up with a startAnd find you there, beside meThere I realizeAs the moment of fear encompassThat losing you for a moment

Would surely sufficeEnd it all into edifice.But until I live with the fearI’d like you to know thisThat if I had but one breathBut one last look to seeI’d see youFor my soul destituteThere’d be a place no betterThen in my love’s caressTo embrace foreverI knew, too much of dramatismBut seriously baby,Just wanted to simply sayIf my life all I’d do was loveEnough Simple LoveI’d love you I love you.(Dedicated to my loving angel and to

everyone who’s in love.- From Agya

Pomps.)

EARLYENTRY

DREAMS

extras 6

12

WOMENEXTRA SPACE FOR THE FAIRER SEX

NOW!

Chimi Chettri and Esther Gurung, two local beauty queen wannabes areback in Gangtok from Shillong, where they had gone to participate inthe Miss North East Nepali Queen Title held on August 10. The contest

was organized by the Nepali Fashion Society, Shillong. 25 beauties from theregion competed in the Mexican, Latino, casual and formal rounds. Among theten finalists were our two local beauties. Although they did not proceed further,Esther Gurung won the Miss “Beautiful Eyes” title.

19 year old Anita Lama from Nagaland was crowned the Miss North EastNepali Queen while 24 year old Manisha Chettri and 20 year old Rashmi Sharma,both from Meghalaya, were crowned first and second runners up.

According to Rakesh Somani of SK Audio Vision, local sponsors of the twogirls, both the girls were very confident while walking the ramp but their onlydraw back was an inability to communicate properly. Although in Sikkim, girlshave been exposed to fashion shows, this was the first beauty contest of thiscaliber that they competed in and hence their nervousness, he added.

Mr. Somani is planning to hold a Ms. Sikkim contest next month to “boosttalent and confidence”. That should help.

According to Dr. Yogesh Verma, Pathologist, STNM, breast cancer is the most common cancer in Sikkim

among women. It is almost at par with cervical cancer, which is another cancer common here.

Although it is not possible to get a mammogram done in Sikkim, detection of cancer through Fine

Needle Aspiration Cytology is available at STNM hospital. In this test, a fine needle is inserted into the

breast and the fluid is removed and sent for examination. Needle aspiration helps to distinguish between

solid tumors and liquid-filled tumors. “It is the best way because it is cost effective, has minimal trauma

and reports can be given the same day. It is also very accurate.” informs Dr. Verma.

Surgical biopsy is usually performed if the lumps are solid. There are two types of surgical biopsy that

can be performed. An incisional biopsy removes only a portion of the suspicious lump for the pathologist

to examine. An excisional biopsy, the most commonly performed procedure, is used when lumps are

small. In this case, the entire lump and a small amount of surrounding tissue are removed and sent for

further examination. Dr. Wangchuk, Surgeon, STNM informs that no special equipment is required for the

surgery, which is routinely done at the hospital. “STNM cannot completely say it has provisions to cure

breast cancer. Surgeries are performed but there are no guarantees. While stages 1-2 are curable, there is

no certainty for later stages,” adds Dr. Wangchuk.

Provision for chemotherapy is also available at the hospital but cancer patients have to bring their

own medicine.

EARLY DETECTION CAN SAVE LIVESBreast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Each year, 182, 000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 43, 000 die. On

woman in eight either has or will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. It is a disease in which cancerous cells are found in the tissues of the breast.

These cancerous cells continue to grow and eventually form into a lump known as tumor. If detected early, the five year survival rate exceeds 95%.

Breast cancer can strike any woman. But certain lifestyle choices and personal traits – including your genetic makeup – can affect your risk.

Breast Cancer

WHO IS AT RISK?

Age is the most important risk factor for breast cancer. As womenage, the risk of breast cancer increases. It increases most sharplyin the reproductive years from the age of approximately 30 on-wards. The rate of increase slows down around the menopause,but the increase in risk continues beyond the menopause. Infact, about two-thirds of women, who are diagnosed with breastcancer, are over the age of 50.Women who are overweight after menopause are at an increasedrisk for developing breast cancer. Women who exercise regu-larly will have a lower risk of breast cancer before the meno-pause.Another risk is alcohol intake. Women who drink regularly five tosix times a week or greater have a significantly increased risk ofdeveloping breast cancer.

IS BREAST CANCER GENETIC?

There appears to be clusters of breast cancer that appear incertain families. Naturally, one doesn’t inherit the disease. What’sinherited is the susceptibility to develop the disease. When thesetwo genes are altered in certain families, they result in a greatlyincreased risk of breast cancer. Women who have several af-fected family members should consider and should look into thepossibility of genetic counseling to understand more about trans-mitted susceptibilities.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO DECREASE RISK?

Women who are at increased risk for breast cancer can followsome of the advice that’s given for general health maintenance.Eat a varied diet, plenty of fruits and vegetables. Avoid regularheavy alcohol intake. Maintain a close to ideal body weight. Ex-ercise regularly.The recommendation for adult, healthy women over the age of40 is an annual screening mammogram. Women who havescreening mammograms and have their cancer detected by mam-mography have a one-third reduction in the risk of dying frombreast cancer. That is the single thing that woman can do to re-duce her risk of death from breast cancer.

The vast majority of breast lumps are not cancerous. Most women will experi-

ence some kind of non-cancerous breast change during their lives. However,

any new or unusual change in breast tissue or appearance should be brought

to the attention of a doctor as soon as possible. In particular, the following

should be reported to a clinician:

- A lump or thickening in or near the breast, or in the underarm area

(particularly a lump that is painless and hard with irregular edges)

- Swelling and / or pain in part of the breast, or a change in the size or

shape of the breast.

- Irritation, ridges or dimples in the skin.

- Nipple pain or skin irritation, including redness, scaliness, or discharge.

- An inverted (turned-in) nipple, if the nipple was not inverted previously.

- A change in the way the skin of the breast, aerola, or nipple looks or

feels (for example, warm, swollen, red or scaly)

The key to curing breast can-cer is early detection andprompt treatment. A physical ex-amination, mammography andbreast self-examination (BSE)make up the conventional earlydetection.

A physical examination isperformed by a doctor, and it isstrongly recommended that youse your doctor for regular breastexams – at least every threeyears between the ages of 20and 40 and every year after age40.

A mammogram is a specialx-ray picture of the breast. Dueto modern mammographyequipment and techniques,women only receive a minimalamount of radiation during theprocedure. Two x-rays aretaken of each breast duringmammography, one from aboveand one from the side. Routinemammography screening ap-pears to reduce breast cancermortality by approximately 25%.

A breast self-examinationshould be practiced monthly.Ash your doctor or nurse toteach you the proper method.Remenber, most breast lumpsare not cancer, but only a phy-sician can make a proper diag-nosis.

Facts on Breast Cancer in Sikkim

BREAST CHANGES THAT WARRANT A FOLLOW-UPMETHODS FOR

EARLY DETECTION

LOCAL GIRL WINS

‘MISS BEAUTIFUL EYES’ TITLE

extras 7

13

ONLY DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND - EX CINEMA HALL IN THE HIMALAYAS

4 FREE

DENZONG

4 FREEONE CORRECT ANSWER TO THE FILMI

QUESTION WINS 2 TICKETS TO

Identify this Hollywood action

hero

Answer: __________________

Name: __________________

Address: __________________

moviesmoviesLAST WEEK’S ANSWER:Tobey MaguireWINNER: Sanjog Subba,Chandmari

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART

Sweet NothingsWINNER GETS FREE DINNER FOR TWO AT

LITTLE

italylittle

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LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS: ACROSS 1. SCULPTRESS 8. ROOFS 9. BRINE 10.

PANG 12. MENTAL 14. SELECT 17. BRAT 21. IDIOT 22. ADULT 23. HIGHHALDEN

DOWN 2. CROWN 3. LOST 4. TABLE 5. EXIST 6. STEEL 7. PROP 11. GEE 13.

NAB 14. SWISH 15. LYING 16. CATCH 18. ROUGE 19. TOTS 20. BALL WIN-

NER: NO CORRECT ENTRIES

CROSSWORD - 059T H E

ACROSS

1. Fundamental

6. Shake

8. Overturn

9. North American nation

10. Exclamation of mild dismay

12. Stop up a hole

15. Having a high temperature

16. Person who mourns

18. Make shorter

19. Remove hair

DOWN

1. Sheets and blankets

2. Exchange

3. Small house

4. Heaps

5. Operated by hand

7. Overstate

11. Security round

13. One who shapes metal

14. Rotates

17. US space agency

Solve the crossword correctly. Rush it to Oberois (MG Marg) orNOW!, on or before Sunday and a lucky draw of all correct entrieswill decide who wins FREE DINNER FOR TWO at LITTLE ITALY,DEORALI.SNACKS COUPONS TO BE COLLECTED FROMNOW! OFFICE

Hey Sunita

Timi mero zindagi ko

kiran. Timi mero

bhawishya ko aasha!

Na chhoda saath mero!

Aye Oh!.

NOW! EXTRA FOR THE YOUNG

FACTOR

Hey MARK!

you are marked 4 life

GONNA MISS YA!!?!

Sherry

Dear Humpty Dumpty

Mom got the phone?

You got the missed call.

Peace out! Regards

‘GOD’fully yours.

BELIEVER...

Dear KIM!

Take Care.

Best of Luck.

What am I gonna do?

Where am I gonna go?

Come back soon.

Will miss you terribly.

Love yu!

Your Early Man!

HEY LOCO COCO!

Round! Round! Round!

Round! Round! Round!

Round! Round! Round!

It’ll come around.

My way, someday.

How you gonna take it

then?

Think... LOCO COCO!

Dechen Zangmu of Kyi-de-Khang SecondarySchool was the clear

winner in the recently held Sik-kim State Open BadmintonTournament, held at Gymna-sium Hall, Gangtok. All of 13years, she went on to win twomedals after defeating her op-ponents from TNA and PNGSchool in the under-13 andunder-19 categories.

Speaking about her victoryrun, she said that she was quitesurprised as the other contest-ants had all played “so well”.“But this was a big tournamentfor me,” she added.

Dechen had earlier com-peted at championships held inDarjeeling and Mizoram but notachieving success there, shehad been very disappointed.

“After a lot of thinking I real-

Dechen Zangmu hascome a long way

FROM FLOWER-MINTONTO BADMINTON

ized that this was not the endof the world, so I startedpracticing real hard for this tour-nament. I am very happy nowfor I have proved myself wor-thy of this success. My hardwork really paid off,” she says,happy in her moment of tri-umph.

About her interest in thegame she shares that as a childshe used to play “flower-minton” a game where sheused a flower as a shuttle andcard board as a racket. “Me andmy brothers used to play thisway for hours,” she recalls.

It was only when she was10 that her father bought her aproper badminton kit. Playingwith her friends in theneighborhood, she was alwaysthe winner. Soon she startedplaying with much older kidsand to everyone’s surprise thisten-year-old easily defeated

them.Regular practice sessions

helped in honing her talent. Butit was only after ThendupTseten Lepcha became hercoach that her game really tookoff.

“Agya Thendup has alwaysencouraged me in this game,he even gave up his job at abank to be our coach. I shallalways remain indebted to him,”she says now.

Dechen’s big dream is tocompete for the Nationals. “Iam practicing hard. Maybe I willmake it some day,” she sayshopefully.

Asked about other hobbies,she replies volleyball. Whatabout TV? “I hate MTV, Chan-nel V and the soaps on TV. Iwould rather play a game thanwaste my time watching theidiot box,” she says. Yes, webelieve that.

by TINA RAI

DEAREST DEAR,I’m writing this in becauseI’m not probably not strong

enough to tell you this.

CORNERED

Get on with your life,

5 easy words I guess,

I wake up everyday with the

loneliest heart;

You don’t now how desperate

I’ve become

And I guess I’m losing this fight.

I pray every second

for the night to come

So I can sleep and forget the pain,

But sleep don’t come, only more hurt.

Magnitude of hurt cant define the

state of my heart

I was in too deep, darlin’ you see

There’s no justification, no apologies;

What could I guy like me ever really

offer.

Bloody fool, that’s what you said, and

that’s what Iam

Never really was a part of your world

Though I am tryin hard to understand.

I love you, theres nothin you can do

And neither can i.

Hope you miss me sometimes

From - Doesn’t matter who

Dear MEROS girls

Whats up? Lets march

together and come out

with flying colors.

Best of luck! to you for

your sent-up exams. Do

well

your fren

Deepikaas Komlika

extras 8

extracurricular...NOW!

OVIEREVIEWMOVIEREVIEW

14

FUTURE NOWthe

is

TASHIMOVIE

� BAD BOYS - II

� S.W.A.T.

� TERMINATOR - 3

� PIRATES OF THE

CARIBBEAN

� MATRIX RELOADED

TOP5CLUB

DENZONG

DOLBY DIGITAL; SURROUND EX

NOW SHOWING.

Mo

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11:15 AM 2:30 PM & 5:30PM

GOPAL S. BASNETT, 3rd Year, SGC.Likes playing the guitar and performing on stage

alphabets

HARRY POTTER AND THE

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

PS ROAD, OPP. HOTEL TIBET

presents

A B O O K S H O P

FACE WEEKFACE WEEKtheoftheof

Want a Futon? Don’tknow what it is orwhere to get it from?

Never mind. Neither do the peo-ple at “Passion India,” the newfurniture shop at Deorali, justahead of the SNOD complex.But apart from that, the storestocks on nearly everything thatyou could need for your homeinteriors. Sofa sets, almirahs,carpets, kitchenware, and a hostof other things to light up yourhome.

Customers have the choice ofordering furniture of their own de-signs and colours. Kitchenwarelike stands, dish-racks and in-made cupboards which can bemoved from place to place andwhich can also be attached to thewalls are available.

You can also buy carpetsmade from the finest qualitymarina wool, imported from NewZealand.

Discounts and instalmentfacilities will also soon be avail-

ARIES: Some may get a good profit in their business. Expenses are ex-

pected. Popularity will be gained. Some may be in a position to encash their

money. Some may start new business activities. Business will be brisk and

busy. Business expansion is indicated.

TAURUS: Financial status will be very good. Some may be in a position to

encash money. Social status and popularity will be maintained. Expenses will

be there. Some may get a promotion and transfer. Service people will be

happy. Support from superiors will be earned.

GEMINI: Good changes may take place. Cash flow will be very good.

Improvement in your status is expected. You will receive encouraging com-

munication. Some may purchase immovable property this year. Loans will be

reduced.

CANCER: You will find success in your activities. Financial status will be

good. Those who are appearing for exams may find easy success. Apprecia-

tion from superiors and elderly people is expected.

LEO: An easy going time ahead. Some may inherit ancestral property. Those

in employment do well. Appreciation from superiors and sub-ordinates will

continue. Some may go for pilgrimage.

VIRGO: A very easygoing period. Cash flow will be normal. Improvement

in you activities is indicated. Some may get a good income from their allied

business. Peace of mind will prevail. Avoid loneliness, which is the cause for

your mental tension. Meditation will give you mental peace.

LIBRA: Some may be going for a long travel. Some may consider starting a

new business. . Social status and popularity will be maintained. Unnecessary

expenses will be there. Unwanted worries will be reduced. Tension through

your juniors may take place.

SCORPIO: You will have monetary gains. Some may consider new busi-

ness activities. Business will be very brisk and busy. Encouraging news will

be received. Financial status will be very sound. You will get a good income.

SAGITTARIUS: A new line of business may come. Unnecessary worries

may be reduced. No problems on the health front. Good understanding with

your spouse will prevail. Medical expenses are expected. Sudden changes in

your activities will take place. Support from your superiors will continue.

CAPRICORN: You can enjoy sudden unexpected good changes and sup-

port from your friends. A happy period prevails throughout. Expect business

will be very brisk. Those in the judiciary people will gain recognition. A change

of environment will also take place. Popularity will be gained. A promotion will

be in the offing for some. Speculative income will be dull.

AQUARIUS: Support from your superiors is expected. Service people will

be given a promotion. Tensions will be reduced. Happiness will prevail.

PISCES: Some may be separated from their family. Change of environment

is expected. No problems on the health front. Worries will be reduced. Cash

flow will be good. Expect a delay in resolving disputes. Happiness will pre-

vail.

Lifestyle renovations for the living spacea NOW! REPORT

able to customers. According toY Pradhan and partners, theUSP of the shop is that the fur-niture is all locally produced andavailable at a very reasonablecost. While some might still findthe costs steep, few will be ableto fault Passion India on thequality of its workmanship.

The store is worth checkingout for those wanting to live instyle.

A vicious druglord (OliverMartinez) publicly offers $100million to anyone who can

bust him out of jail. Pledged to safe-guard the prisoner is a specially re-cruited team of SWAT cops (ColinFarrell, Samuel L. Jackson, LL CoolJ, Michelle Rodriguez). Prepared toanswer the $100 million summonsare the various street gangs of LosAngeles , and for a moment, S.W.A.T.seems poised to become an updatedversion of The Ninja Turtles.But the real threat to the SWAT teamis a renegade ex-SWAT officer,whose inside knowledge of theteam’s special weapons and tacticsmakes him an especially prickly ad-versary. The important decisions thatmake S.W.A.T. work were madeearly, with casting. Jackson plays ateam commander who recruits a teamof talented misfits for an elite unit.Among his recruits is Farrell, playinga disgraced officer whose presence

on the special squad is a chance to

restore his reputation. He’s really a

pretty good actor, and he handles the

tough-guy dialogue with style. Of

course, so does Blue Crush / Resi-

dent Evil girl Michelle Rodriguez.

S.W.A.T. is the kind of movie that

might fall apart if you stopped to think

about it for a moment. Making sure

you don’t is director Clark Johnson.

He breaks fast, accelerates, and

makes sure the race is appropriately

brief (though it does lose a bit of

steam at the end). The movie also

has some interesting background

politics. On one hand, it presents a

casual view of police brutality. On the

other hand, the secondary conflict in

S.W.A.T. is between the racial/gen-

der diversity of the team and

Jackson’s boss, who is racist and

sexist.

terenaam

STARRING: SALMAN KHAN,

LATESUMMER

KICKS A**