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SIKKIM, INDIA, August 22, 2002: In the last ten years Sikkim, a state in NE India sheltered in the Himalayas, has undergone changes. A senior bureaucrat in the Sikkim government says, “Our religio-demographic pattern has undergone such a change in the last decade that Sikkim is no more a land of Hindus and Buddhists.” The article says, “In 1975, when Sikkim merged with India there were few Muslims and Christians. Now they account for 14.8% of the population. And even before Sikkim can absorb such a big change, it is being threatened by incursions by Nepalese Maoists from across the western border.” Borders of Sikkim are manned by New Delhi’s Special Security Bureau. Their task is to keep Maoist rebels out of Sikkim. But it is a thankless task. Most of the rebels look, eat and speak the same language as the Sikkimese and are often related to someone in Sikkim. When Chief Minister Chamling started projects in the field of power, roads, and tourism; trained masons, carpenters, and plumbers have flooded the country. Many of these artisans have stayed in Sikkim. With the influx of trained artisans, Sikkim’s backward castes and Lepchas have suffered economically. Many Lepchas, the original inhabitants of the state, have converted under the lure of money to Christianity. A senior leader of the ruling Sikkim Democratic Front says, “Sikkim is now being threatened within and outside and it is very important to tackle the triple threat of Maoism, Islamization and Christianization.”

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