To the young minds of Sikkim

by ANIMESH GAUTAM

Already blessed with the lush natural beauty, Sikkim is now emerging as a tourism giant and it plays a significant role in tea production. Every time a Sikkimese mentions his hometown in the outside world, the first remark one definitely has to hear is the usual phrase - “Wow! Sikkim is such a beautiful place!” – well, at least that is what I hear. There are so many visible accomplishments in Sikkim by the government and the citizens which truly prove that Sikkim deserves the title of an epitome state. However, the rest of the world does not begin their day by reading the Sikkimese newspapers neither do they watch the local news channels every night. Sadly there are some events in Sikkim which are invisible to the outside world.

The cases of substance abuse, rapes and murders have already entered the boundaries of the hill state at an alarming rate constantly hampering Sikkim’s reputed image. The young generation are the future of Sikkim and the very idea of the youth choosing the wrong path creates misbalances in the future of Sikkim. As an integral community, we must forbid the miserable stories of drug peddlers and young addicts from transforming into a common story, at least in Sikkim.
Personally and as a teenager, this holiday I am disheartened to have discovered at least one sad column dedicated to drugs-related incidents almost every day. Sikkim is believed to be the land of peace and tranquility and here we are reading reports about the arrests of drug peddlers and mourning the deaths of drug addicts. The mushrooming of rehabilitation centres in Sikkim is a testimony to the increasing number of drug users.
Drug addicts may be compelled to consume drugs because of their unsuccessful approaches to their aspirations or because of mishaps which leave them devastated. Nevertheless, this isn’t the end of the world; a miserable ending is good news too as it opens thousands of other gates. I am trying to converse with people who know they do drugs. I want everybody to know that while climbing the steep mountain of achievements we must not look back because it will only increase chances of toppling over but we must look ahead and move on with the same grace, faith and zeal which we have been depending on. Looking back and lamenting will not make the situation any better; hence we should learn to move on in life because there are electrifying opportunities waiting for us. Thus drugs are no solution to any problem; in fact they are the problems. They deceive us by giving us the momentary mental pleasure we require so much at difficult times plus by demolishing our actual health conditions which might lead to the ending of our stories. However we will surely get access to a lifetime’s supply of happiness and contentment by making the right and wise choices.
There is still much to discover in life, and by discover I don’t only mean discovering the world, I also imply the discovery of oneself. Our life cannot be perfect and it definitely cannot be as we want however we can always make it better by believing that it will be better. There is always a dark side to anything including a wall, ourselves and our lives. Hence we will face dark days in our life, when nobody will light the candle for us and in the end we might disappear and lose ourselves in the darkness, however, nights end and the sun shines again. This is when we will realize whether we made the right choice. It is actually not the drug but our own choice that ruins some of our lives. It is always going to be our own choice and that is the greatest power we have. Hence it is our choices that decide our future. Amy Winehouse, a popular English singer, died on the 23rd of this month after going to rehab for around the 17th time. She was a renowned singer but she would’ve lived for a longer and cheerful life if it wasn’t for her choices. Finally, I would like to remind everybody, especially drug users who are reading this, that before making your choice, you must keep in mind the fate of your family, the values you were taught by your parents, teachers, friends and close ones and most of all imagine where this choice will eventually take you!

[The writer, a resident of Tadong, Gangtok, is currently studying in Grade XI at Pathways World School.]
source:Sikkim Now