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In no other places of the world is the void so richly coloured, the mosaic so splendidly peopled as in Sikkim, a state in north eastern India.
If its monks and monasteries and tales of masked dances are a common thread running through its stirring history, Sikkim's synchronization also lie in its peace loving Lepchas, Bhutias and Nepalese, the way in which festivals are celebrated amid snow clad peaks, the manner in which they drape themselves in colours and ornament their bodies and their homes.
From an independent kingdom to a robust state of India, the world of the Sikkimese under the benign shadow of Mt Khangchendzonga, the third highest mountain in the world and and revered by them as the guardian deity is still a Shangri-La where Hindu and Buddhist shrines dot the sacred groves.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Yishey Doma is based in Gangtok. She is a popular journalist specializing in ecclesiastical affair. She is also a poet who recently won the North East Poetry Award from the Poetry Society (India). She has also written another book, Legends of the Lepchas.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Parvin Singh : Gurgaon-based photo journalist Parvin Singh. Although Singh has travelled widely, he has a special fondness for the north eastern states, including Sikkim. His major works include two coffee-table books - Sikkim, the Hidden Fruitful Valley (co-authored with Yishey Doma in 2008) and Golfing Destination.
