Popular Personalities of the Bhutia Community / Sikkim
The Bhutia community of Sikkim has produced remarkable men and women who have contributed significantly to culture, literature, spirituality, governance, and the freedom movement. Presented below are brief accounts of some of these distinguished personalities.
Male Personalities
Sikkim Mahinda alias Reverend S Mahinda Thero
Sikkim Mahinda, commonly known as S. Mahinda, was a Buddhist monk from Sikkim. He was a poet and author, and an activist in the freedom movement of Sri Lanka.
A Buddhist monk who was well versed in the Sinhalese language, he was a poet, who created several literary works inspiring patriotism among the Sinhalese and urging them to fight for their freedom during Sri Lankan Independence movement. He is considered as a national hero of Sri Lanka and one among the greatest of Sinhalese poetry figures of all time.
Mahinda was born around 1901 in Sikkim and named Pemba Thendup also known as Sarki Tshering. His family lived in Gangtok. He had three brothers; the first would later become a lecturer of the University of Calcutta, the second would be the prime minister of the king, and the third would join the Buddhist priesthood. Their elder half-brother, who looked after the family following the death of their father, was Kazi Dawa Samdup who is credited of translating and compiling the Gazetteer of Sikkim (HH Risley) and also the History of Sikkim( Denzong- gyal rab) by their Highness Chogyal Thutob Namgyal and Maharani Yeshe Dolma.
Pemba Thendup was ordained into the Amarapura Nikaya as Sikkim Mahinda, although he used his name as S. Mahinda. He was re-ordained into the Shyamopali Nikaya on 16 June 1930, and obtained Upasampada later that year. He identified himself as a Tibetan, presumably because it was better known in Ceylon and was a leading Buddhist country in Asia. S.Mahinda Thera served as a teacher at Nalanda College, Colombo from 1934 to 1936.
Mahinda soon became fluent in the Sinhala language, and established himself as a poet and author. He has written over 40 books, most of them poems inspiring patriotism. His first book was Ova Muthu Dama, which was written around 1921. His final book is believed to be Sri Pada. He also appears to have created a number of unpublished works. He also wrote several books for children as well, and in these too he has tried to inspire patriotism upon the reader. His most famous works include Nidahase Dehena, Nidahase Manthraya, Lanka Matha, Jathika Thotilla, Ada Lak Mawage Puttu, Nidahasa, Videshikayakugen Lak Mawata Namaskarayak and Sinhala Jathiya.
He was also a member of the temperance movement, which served as the basis for the independence movement of Sri Lanka. After the country gained independence in 1948, he was acknowledged as a national hero for his literary works inspiring the independence movement. He died on 16 March 1951.
Female Personalities
Tamra Patra Recipient Helen Lepcha (Sabitri Devi)
Helen Lepcha alias Sabitri Devi a daughter of Sikkim is revered as one of the most famous Freedom fighters from the hills of Sikkim. Gandhiji renamed her “Sabitri Devi” when she went to Sabarmati Ashram on his invitation. Her area of activity was Jharia Coal Fields, Bankipur, Danapur, Patna etc. Originally, a resident a small hamlet in the village of Sangmoo near Namchi in South Sikkim, she spent a good part of her life in Kurseong in the District of Darjeeling, West Bengal. She is the only woman freedom fighter born in the state of Sikkim and even though she spent most of her life in hills of Darjeeling; Sikkim has come forward to claim her as the daughter of the Sikkimese soil.
Born into a Lepcha family of Achung Lepcha, she was the third daughter amongt the seven siblings. She was born in1902 and started receiving primary education at Scott‟s Mission School; however, she dropped out of school in 1916.
During the 1917-1918 period, Mahatma Gandhi’s Charkha movement had gathered huge momentum, Helen Lepcha inspired by the Nationalist cause decided to offer her services, She took advantage of the fact that her elder sister was residing in Calcutta and went there in 1918 and enrolled in the Charkha school of the granddaughter of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar.
In 1921 when the Non Co-operation movement was at its peak she took part in the huge rally at the famous Muhammed Ali Park at Calcutta alongside Gandhiji, Chitaranjan Das, Maulana Abul Kalam Ajad, Smt. Urmila Devi and Smt. Swaroop Rani. On this day she had given leadership to a rally of thousands of labourers of Jharia coalfields by holding the national flag in her hand. Her role in the Non Co-Operation movement in 1921-22 was immense which cannot be ignored or undermined.
It has been said that she was put under rigorous imprisonment for her protest against the British regime. The Amrita Bazaar Patrika one of the famous circulated newspaper of the time states thus in its issue on 30th January 1922: “Sabitri Devi with the Congress Secretary and E. Ahmed and Gorkha Volunteers have been arrested”. The government then opened an anti-government case against her and was jailed for three months in Darjeeling Sadar jail, later after she was released she was put under house arrest and her movement was restricted to the Kurseong Municipality. Even this constraint in movement could not contain her spirits and she kept the freedom movement in the hills alive.
In 1925 – 1926 when Mahatma Gandhi came to the Darjeeling hills to visit the ailing Chittaranjan Das. Sabitri Devi went to meet Gandhiji, and was so impressed with Mahatma Gandhi’s simplicity, that Devi decided to donate all her jewelry to the Swaraj Fund. Since then she never put a single ornament till she lived, she religiously followed the path shown by Gandhiji and led a very simple life devoid of all luxurious articles, dedicating her life to the freedom struggle.
In 1932 she was elected as the first woman to be the Commissioner of Kurseong Municipality. Sabitri Devi was not just a politician but also an involved a social activist. She was the Chairperson of various associations in Kurseong like the Sherpa Association, Nagar Congress, Anjuman Islamia and the Lepcha association. She was also the Mandal of Kurseong area till late in her life.
On the event of the celebration of the Silver Jubilee celebration of Indian independence on 15th August 1972 the Government of India honored and awarded the contribution of Sabitri Devi with the Tamra Patra. The Tribal Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal also honoured and recognised her contributions by conferring on her “Reward to Tribal Headman of the District”. The Governor of West Bengal handed this to her at the Shrubbery Park, Darjeeling on 1st June 1958.She passed away at the ripe age of ______on______.
It is a matter of great pride for the Sikkim Himalayas to have Sabitri Devi/Helen Lepcha born in and contribute to a Nationalist cause; and to which we shall forever be indebted.