14TH fINANCE cOMMISSION VISIT TO sIKKIM.

 PRESS RELEASE

Gangtok, 22nd Jan: Dr. Y.V. Reddy, Chairman, Prof. Abhijit Sen, Ms. Sushama Nath, Dr. M. Govinda Rao and Dr. Sudipto Mundle, Members of the Fourteenth Finance Commission, and Shri A.N. Jha, Secretary, visited the State of Sikkim on January 21, 2014, to hold consultations with the State Government and key stakeholders.

The Commission met with the Hon’ble Chief Minister, his Cabinet colleagues and senior officers of the State Government, for discussions.

The Chief Minister in his speech welcomed the 14^th Finance Commission and highlighted the following points:

•         Share of Central taxes to the sates to be raised from 32% to 50% and a special dispensation for Sikkim;
•         While considering the weightage for horizontal devolution, population of 2011 Census may be used;
•         Need to consider measures to transfer all centrally sponsored schemes under state subjects with requisite funds and flexibility in the implementation of the schemes;
•         Education and Health are the priority sectors for the state government;
•                 Sikkim is the only state to allocate 20% of its financial annual allocation to the education sector, state has embarked on a scheme to enhance the employability of the local youth by establishing 43 livelihood schools;
•         First state to provide free hepatitis B vaccination to children, Mission Healthy Sikkim and CATCH programme being the flagship programmes, Government is constructing a 575 bedded super specialty hospital;
•         The Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide in the world has ranked Sikkim the number one region to visit in 2014;
•                  Promotion of Village tourism, rural tourism and homestay as a means to diversify livelihood options and make tourism sector more village-oriented, people centric as well as eco friendly;
•         Creation of Smriti Bans, biodiversity parks, butterfly parks and herbal gardens;
•         50% reservation of seats for women at the Local Body level;
•         The policy to devolve 70% of the annual outlay for rural development remains the cornerstone of the State development agenda;

The State Government submitted its Memorandum and made a detailed presentation on the finances of the State Government, its projection for the award period and gave its views on some of the Terms of Reference of the Commission. The Commission also interacted with representatives of Political parties, Panchayati Raj Institutions, Urban Local Bodies and Trade & Industry Associations.

The Commission placed on record its appreciation to the Chief Minister and State Government for the cooperation and support extended to the Commission and assured that the issues raised would receive due attention in the deliberation of the Commission. The Commission also looks forward to continuing interaction with the State Government.

The Commission will finalize its recommendations by October 2014 after completing its discussions with all the State Governments, the Government of India and relevant stakeholders.

The Hon’ble Chairman of the 14^th Finance Commission Dr. Y.V. Reddy, in his address, complimented the State Government for the steady progress made in various sectors like tourism, forestry, human resource development. He stated that the Commission have noted the proposals and demands of the Government of Sikkim and would deliberate on them. He also suggested the need to continue the process of discussions through subsequent interactions.

Following are comments made by the Hon’ble Chairman, 14^th Finance Commission, Dr. Y.V. Reddy:

1.       Sikkim is the fastest growing and a leading State of the Country

2.       Referring to the Chief Minister, the Chairman said, “Your Devotion to uplift the underprivileged is well known and deeply appreciated in the Country”.

3.       The insights provided by the State and the Chief Minister is deeply valued

4.       Sikkim is witnessing inclusive and participatory development

Subsequently, Members of the 14^th Finance made their individual observations. They are as follows:

Professor Abhijit Sen, Member – “Sikkim has recorded the 2^nd highest GDP Growth rate in the Country”

Ms. Sushama Nath, Member

        1.     “Sikkim exemplifies how a State can sustain development in the fields of  agriculture, education, environment and health”.

        2.       “Sikkim is a very diligent State in the Union of India. It has always made efforts to be in the forefront”

                            Dr. Sudipto Mundle, Member

1.       “A well governed, advanced and forward looking State”

2.       “Second richest State in terms of per capita income”

Dr. M. Govinda Rao, Member

“Sikkim is one of the most promising States in the Indian Union.”

Shri A.N. Jha, Member Secretary

“Perhaps one of the most distinctive and commendable features in the State is the pedestrian footpaths found nowhere else in the country, and I congratulate the Government of Sikkim on this”.

As per latest information received from the Government of India, the Ministry of Road Surface and Transport has recognized Sikkim as the least accident-occurring state in the Country.

LPG PRICE IN SIKKIM

Following is the Notification received from Food and Civil Supplies Department, Government of Sikkim regarding revision in the L.P.G. distributors commission.

 NOTIFICATION

Consequent upon revision in the L.P.G. distributor’s commission, the State Government is hereby pleased to refix the retail sale price of Domestic subsidized LPG Cylinder (14.2 kg), as under by allowing minor local transportation allowance.

1.      1.  At distributor’s godown                                                       ___   Rs. 429.50 per refilled cylinder

2.       2. Distance within 10 kms form the distributor’s godown            ___  Rs. 450.00 per refilled cylinder

3.    3.    Distance between 10 km to 25 Km

     from the distributor’s godown                                             ____ Rs. 455.00 per refilled cylinder

4.      4.  Distance between 25 km to 40 km

   from the distributors godown                                                  ____  Rs. 460.00 per refilled cylinder

5.     5.   Distance beyond 40 km                                                            ____   Rs. 470.00 per refilled cylinder

Any person /dealers found contravening this Order shall be prosecuted under the Essential Commodities Act 1955 and Prevention of Black Marketing and maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act 1980.

This Order supersedes the Notification No 16/FCS&CA Dtd. 8.10.2012 and will take immediate effect.

CM Inaugurated Ngadak Gompa In South Sikkim

CM inaugurated Ngadak Gompa in South Sikkim

15 Jan, Namchi : ( Source: Voice of Sikkim)The ‘Ngadak Thupten Shedup Dhargay Choeling Gompa (Monastery)’ was inaugurated today in Namchi by the Chief Minister Mr Pawan Chamling in the presence of the Taklung Tsetrul Rimpoche of Shimla. Taklung Tsetrul Rimpoche performed the Consecration ceremony wherein the Chief Minister with wife Mrs Tika Maya Chamling and other guests attended the puja ceremony inside the monastery.
It maybe recalled that the Chief Minister himself had laid the foundation stone of the Gompa on May 20th 2007. The vision, of the Chief Minister Pawan Chamling as accentuated in his public speech, is to make Sikkim the Pilgrimage and Religious Destination for people of all faiths and religions from all walks of life in the days to come and renovate Sikkim into a holy place for all faiths in the world. Today his vision has materialized another step ahead with the inauguration of the Ngadak Gompa.

The centuries old historical Ngadak Chyangter Gompa (Monastery) located in Ghurpishey Namchi South Sikkim has been taken up under South East Asian Regional Buddhist Cultural, Traditional and Heritage Study Centre in the form of a project which has been initiated and conceived by the State Government to incorporate this Monastery as a museum and a centre for Learning and Preservation of Buddhist Culture, Tradition and Heritage. In this context, Ngadak Monastery will be another historic Buddhist institution to be added in the list of other prominent tourist spots like statue of Guru Padmasambhava at Samdrupste, Char Dham at Solophok and Buddha Park Rabongla in the South District. This monastery which is located a few kilometers above Namchi Bazaar can be reached through a short road that deviates from the highway that leads to the premises of the monastery. The history of Ngadak Monastery is noteworthy as it relates to the era of monarchial system in Sikkim as well as foundation of the Buddhist religion here.

It must be mentioned that the old monastery has not been torn down, it is still there for the visitors to see with everything including all the old features persevered and intact. At present the state government has put up metal prop around the old structure of Ngadak Chyangter Monastery because of its fragile and dilapidated state after the earthquake of 1989 which rendered the monastery unsafe, adding upon the centuries old architect and materials used which consist of timber beam and post framework. This old monastery is a two storied structure built completely in the ancient style, the ground floor has stone and mud flooring and the first floor has timber planks and mud with husk in between the floor and ceiling.

According to the technical details presented by the Chief Engineer Buildings and Housing Department Mr Rinzing Dorjee, the total cost of the project till date has been revised to Rs.2076.79 lakhs owing to the additional works of the project. The other notable features of the new monastery include i) the yabring in the foreground of the monastery ii) Intricate traditional carvings on the wood and concrete, paintings, religious decorations in the exteriors of the monastery iii) and most importantly are the huge statues of three eyed Guru Rigzin Thongdup, Cherezig and Guru Dorjee Dakpo Chal (Yap Yum) crafted at the site and installed in the Altar said to be rarest and important combination of divine status. The main monastery has the plinth area of 48300sft. The project was completed with the collaboration of various teams like Ecclesiastical Department, Buildings & housing Department and Ngadak Duchi Committee. Artisans from Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim were engaged in the project.

Forecast 2014: Economic Trends

Ronan Keenan - Jan 06, 14

Geopoliticalmonitor.com 

This time last year, the majority of financial commentators held a downbeat outlook for the global economy in 2013. The potential for instability was seemingly high, but in reality it turned out that the greatest shock was a lack of any major shocks.

In the United States, the Federal Reserve reduced its monetary stimulus measures and stock markets actually rallied on the news. Unemployment fell to a five-year low of 7% and a government shutdown came and went without hysteria. An unfamiliar calm reigned over the eurozone through the year, resulting in a welcome decline in bond yields for the weaker “periphery” nations. China successfully reversed its slowing growth, while Japan’s extraordinary stimulus policies helped reinvigorate an economy that has suffered a quarter century of stagnation.

By year end there was synchronized growth from the major global economies, pointing to an optimistic outlook for 2014. The smooth navigation through so many potential shocks naturally bodes well for this year, but enough headwinds remain to keep growth modest.

US Growth Gaining Momentum

Expectations are relatively high for the US economy, with growth forecasts broadly surpassing the expected final 2013 figure of 2%. The economic drag caused by the sequestration budget cuts will no longer be a factor and significant progress has been made in reducing corporate and household debt. Moreover, developments in shale energy will aid US manufacturing, particularly in the petrochemical sector. A stable environment should bring near-term benefits to rising asset prices and the housing market.

Yet several issues cloud the positive outlook. The Federal Reserve may have begun tapering its quantitative easing strategy without market panic, but the timeline of its ultimate exit from the stimulus program remains unclear. And while there are signs that political gridlock in Congress may abate somewhat, it is unlikely that there will be any development of progressive fiscal policies. Moreover, household income levels are expected to remain stagnant, meaning that a robust increase in consumer spending is unlikely, casting doubt on whether the US economy can make a smooth transition from central bank stimulus to self-sustained growth.  

Japan’s Stimulus Measures Fruitful, For Now

The aggressive monetary expansion launched by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in late 2012 has delivered on its intention to reverse deflation. The rationale behind the initiative is that sustained inflation will see depressed wages rise and boost consumer spending as households realize that prices will no longer follow a downward trajectory. Growth and inflation both rose last year and 2014 should see a continued increase. 

A potential risk to growth exists in the introduction of a 3% sales tax increase which may dampen economic activity. Abe has promised further stimulus to offset any negative impact from the tax; a strategy which should prove successful. But the need for the rise in sales tax is a more serious issue. Japan must ease its huge public debt burden, which is forecast to reach 230% of GDP in 2014. Financing such debt can be treacherous, and a sharp rise in Japan’s sovereign bond yields would make debt-servicing costs unsustainable. Such an outcome would prove disastrous for the Japanese economy.

Eurozone: The New Japan?

While Japan recovers from decades of deflation, the eurozone risks falling into its own trap in 2014. 2013 was good for the eurozone largely because nothing much happened; financial markets interpreted no news as good news. Fears of a breakup have cooled and the 17-country bloc emerged from recession last year. But growth in 2014 is expected to be minimal, inflation is anemic and major structural issues remain.

Eurozone unemployment remains stubbornly high at 12.1%, with several of the bigger nations hampered by a lack of competitiveness due to high labor costs and a strong currency. The leadership may be moving away from the ideology of severe austerity measures, but public debt levels remain elevated and nations will need to continue to improve their financial balances to attract foreign investors. Similarly, banks will remain in deleveraging mode, especially following region-wide stress tests, resulting in a continuation of tight credit conditions.

Some support should come from the ECB through easier monetary policy, aiding market sentiment over the near-term. But progress on a banking union shows signs of remaining painfully slow and developments on fiscal union are nonexistent. 

Economic and Debt Growth in China

Ballooning debt growth in China has been a burgeoning issue over the last couple of years.  In 2012, China’s central bank made efforts to tighten credit, but these initiatives slowed economic growth. That was an undesirable outcome for the leadership, so last year credit conditions were eased and infrastructure investment was increased. Chinese economic growth rebounded quickly, calming fears of a “hard landing.”

Creating more debt will not help China in the long-term. Beijing is attempting to change its model from a reliance on foreign demand for its exports to an economy driven by sustainable domestic consumption. But households do not have adequate wealth to drive the economy, and have therefore relied on debt to maintain growth. The Chinese leadership will need to introduce significant economic and political reforms to reduce its reliance on debt. However, during the transition it must be careful to maintain growth and avoid any crash that would have a far-reaching impact.  

Conclusion

2013 turned out to be a pleasant surprise for global markets, spurring optimistic forecasts for the year ahead. 2014 will likely be a better year for global growth and many near-term risks have dissipated. Yet such upbeat sentiment should not distract from the political dysfunction and absence of progressive reform policies in some of the world’s most significant economies. 

Ronan Keenan is a contributor

3 Day Long Sikkim Winter Carnival 2013 Kick Started

source: Voice of Sikkim

Sikkim Winter Carnival 2013 : Governor and the CHief Minister inaugurating the 3 day long event at MG Marg

22 Dec, Gangtok (IPR) : The three days long Sikkim Winter Carnival 2013 kick started today at White Memorial Hall with the inauguration of Buddhist Art & Craft of Butter Sculpture and Sand Mandala presented by Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, and Photo Exhibition presented by Information and Public Relations Department.

Hon’ble Governor of Sikkim Shri Shriniwas Patil inaugurated the Carnival in the presence of the Chief Minister of Sikkim Shri Pawan Chamling. The Carnival has been organized by the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Government of Sikkim in order to promote tourism of the state.

The inauguration ceremony also included the inauguration of the exhibition at the premises of Directorate of Handlooms and Handicrafts, Zero Point followed by visit of the exhibition, sales emporium and live demonstration by the Governor, Chief Minister and host of other dignitaries.

At MG Marg, Gangtok the Hon’ble Governor of Sikkim declared open the Sikkim Winter Carnival 2013. Earlier, the dignitaries also visited the different stalls at Titanic Park.

Governor, Smt Patil, HCM and Speaker Shri KT Gyaltsen in Sikkim Winter Carnival 2013 stall

While presenting the welcome address, Mr Chewang Zangpo Bhutia, Sectretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation Department informed that the three days carnival will showcase ethnic culture coupled with peace and tranquility of the state. He also sought every one support to make Sikkim a must visit destination. He also informed that the three days event will also be broadcasted live through internet by the I.T. Department.

The dignitaries also witnessed the rich folk depicting culture, traditions and customs of the various communities of Sikkim.

Thereafter, the Governor and Chief Minister visited the photo exhibition by Imago Creative Studio, titled ‘Glimpses of Sikkim’ in front of Star Hall, and then proceeded to Kanchenjunga Shopping Complex where traditional food and artifacts stalls were laid out by various communities and associations of Sikkim.

Per capita power consumption

Most profitable fund house in FY13

Data source: Business Standard

Sharp fall in 2 and 4 wheeler sales over past 6 months

Data source: Siam

Sikkim reports highest number percent of diabetes

Sikkim reports highest number percent of diabetes, hypertension as per NPCDCS screening

Joseph Alexander, New Delhi Saturday, October 12, 2013, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

Belying the common notion that South Indian States reported maximum number of diabetes cases, Sikkim emerged as the State to have maximum percentage of suspected diabetic patients, if the ongoing screening for diabetes and hypertension by the Union government is any indication. According to the figures based on the screening so far done under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS), screening for diabetes & hypertension among the population above 30 years of age has been initiated in 100 districts of 21 States. 3,81,12,537 persons have been screened for diabetes and 20,14,385 persons have been screened for hypertension till the end of August. The screening found that 6.32 per cent of the population having suspected of diabetes and 5.91 per cent as suspected of hypertension. Standing high above the national average, 13.67 per cent people among those screened had diabetes while 18.16 per cent of them have hypertension. Out of total 127,393 people screened, 17414 persons have suspected cases of diabetes while 32,225 have hypertension. Karnataka (9.36 per cent), Punjab (9.36 per cent), Gujarat (9.10 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (7.42 per cent) reported high incidence after Sikkim in the case of diabetes. Madhya Pradesh with just 2.57 per cent reported the least number of cases. In the case of hypertension, Assam came second with 10.42 per cent of prevalence, after Sikkim. According to report published by International Diabetes Federation (IDF; 5th Edition, 2011), number of people with diabetes (20-79 years) in Urban setting of India are about 27 millions in 2011 which is projected to reach about 56 millions in 2030. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has completed the phase I of Task Force project entitled, “ICMR-India Diabetes (INDIAB) Study-Phase-I,” with the aim to determine the national prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes in India, by estimating the state-wise prevalence of the same and  compare the prevalence of type-2 diabetes and pre-diabetes in urban and rural areas across India. In the first phase of the study, the rural and urban settings in four states and one union territory viz., Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Chandigarh have been included. The adjusted prevalence of diabetes (both known and newly diagnosed) in Tamil Nadu was 10.4 per cent, Jharkhand - 5.3 per cent, Chandigarh - 13.6 per cent and Maharashtra - 8.4 per cent. The prevalence of pre-diabetes was 8.3 per cent, 8.1 per cent, 14.6 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively. Data reported during the course of screening of school children under NPCDCS indicates that out of 92,047 school children screened in the towns of Nainital, Ratlam and Bhilwara, 1,351(1.467 per cent) were suspected to be diabetic. States No. of persons screened Suspected for Diabetes % of Diabetes suspected Suspected % of Hypertension Hypertension Suspected Andhra Pradesh 6,919,210 513,301 7.42 527,738 7.63 Assam 1,268,479 62,465 4.92 133,080 10.49 Bihar 2,249,272 131,244 5.83 63,605 2.83 Chhattisgarh 970,028 57,444 5.92 41,527 4.28 Gujarat 2,633,861 239,634 9.1 176,588 6.7 Haryana 1,290,313 61,920 4.8 80,514 6.24 Himachal Pradesh 169,195 9,779 5.78 8,416 4.97 Jammu & Kashmir 559,208 31,389 5.61 45,922 8.21 Jharkhand 1,166,716 63,451 5.44 67,444 5.78 Karnataka 2,692,871 251,943 9.36 96,207 3.57 Kerala 3,300,811 157,984 4.79 107,138 7.23 Madhya Pradesh 1,651,784 42,478 2.57 47,437 2.87 Maharashtra 3,033,450 170,982 5.64 223,087 7.35 Sikkim 127,393 17,414 13.67 32,255 18.16 Orissa 2,362,801 138,791 5.87 71,517 3.03 Punjab 880,192 82,396 9.36 81,490 9.26 Rajasthan 1,209,737 60,416 4.99 61,640 5.1 Uttarakhand 241,706 13,960 5.78 7,659 3.17 Tamil Nadu 2,664,499 152,576 5.73 39,791 8.14 Uttar Pradesh 1,269,989 54,854 4.32 54,659 4.3 West Bengal 1,451,022 95,043 6.55 46,671 3.22 Grand Total 38,112,537 2,409,464 6.32 2,014,385 5.91

PORT of call for HAPPINESS....

Each of us wants some peace and happiness in life. Still, happiness often evades us. “Is there a simple, straightforward road-map to get happiness and peace in life,”  ‘Reducing PORT is one of the ways’. PORT stands for Possessions, Obligatory Duties,Relationships and Transactions. How to reduce these?

Happiness is a state of mind; it does not come from possessions. There are severe limitations of happiness sought in place, things, beings, relationships, social status, financial status, situations, circumstances, conditions, environment, etc.

First, time, effort, money and some pain are involved in acquiring objects. Many waste their entire life in pursuit of desirable objects. There is no guarantee that even after getting those objects or positions, we would be happy.  Wemay feel ‘let-down’ after spending so much of time, effort and money. One may think, ‘this is not what I laboured for’.  Also, objects of desire keep changing, and so also our goal posts. The chase continues and   every new possession brings with it its own burden. If someone has a big house with swimming pool and ten bed rooms; imagine his plight in maintaining it. He is busy all the time cleaning, fixing, protecting. Does the house serve us, or do we serve the house? Again, objects make us dependent on them. Any kind of dependency is a cause of bondage and any kind of bondage is a cause of misery. For instance, once we are used to a particular standard of living, it is inconvenient not to have certain objects such as air conditioners in our life. Hence objects usually create bondage.

Relationships are meant to make our life happy. But do they? We have to maintain some blood relations for social cohesion, but we create other new relationships, which complicates life. Every new relationship has to be maintained. We have to remember to wish people on their birthdays and anniversaries or else they will take offence, participate in functions like marriage and engagement, or reach out in case of sickness or loss. Also we experience sadness or pain when the person with whom we have a relationship does not reciprocate. It is said that grief is never caused by outsiders or unknown people. It is caused by people with whom we have a relationship. Depending on our attitude, our relationships might cause us more pain than pleasure. The thing or being to which we are most attached will be the cause of our biggest misery in life.

Every possession and every new relationship creates its own obligatory duties. We have to insure our vehicles, for example, remember to send it for regular service. Similarly we have to attend to the expectations of relationships. These add to our list of obligatory duties. We cannot avoid basic, minimum obligatory duties towards the office, business, parents, spouse or children. But our optional duties also become obligatory when we maintain too many possessions and relationships.

We should also be careful in accepting new roles in life just for the sake of ego-satisfaction. If we are made President/ Secretary/member of a Society/village/city, we may feel good, but that adds to our obligatory duties also. Performance of each of these duties becomes a transaction. This way we try to cope with a large number of transactions in our life, and get exhausted at the end of the day. Where is the time to be happy?

This is not to say that we should have no objects or relationships in our lives. However, the idea is to be aware of their limitations and not to get too much attached to them. We should strike a balance in everything. 

The mind will be peaceful only if we are able to discriminate between what is necessary and what is unnecessaryin our lives.  

Reducing Possessions, Relationships, Obligatory Duties and Transactions (PORT) is a practical way to look at life and happiness.

That is the PORT of call for HAPPINESS.

Sunanda K Datta-Ray  

October 4, 2013 Last Updated at 22:46 IST

Sunanda K Datta-Ray: The lost kingdom of Sikkim

Vijianagram's relic is as forlorn as the Chogyal's palace in Gangtok on the cover of my book Smash and Grab

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Indar Pasricha would have murdered me. It was bad enough plonking a copy of Smash and Grab: Annexation of Sikkim, the book that has had as turbulent a passage as Sikkim itself, on the priceless piano in his smart picture gallery in London's Connaught Street. I cringed when a fashionable grey-haired woman placed a glass of red wine she'd just taken from Indar's butler on the piano's gleaming marquetry surface only to pick up the book. She put her glass down right next to a notice sternly warning people not to use the surface like a table.

It was an early 19th-century piano. There are only three of them in the whole wide world, Indar says. What probably counts far more is that it belonged to a European royal family that found refuge in Switzerland. Hastily, I placed a paper napkin under the glass before it became a casus belli in those rooms packed for the opening night of Tim Scott Bolton's exhibition of oils and watercolours that recalled Mark Twain's famous eulogy, "If there is one place on the face of the earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India!"

There was the expected Taj Mahal and an unexpected Amritsar cook house, an unfamiliar view of Delhi's Rajpath and an all-too-recognisable Lodi Gardens, all shrouded in mist and mystery like Turner on the Thames. But Bolton's India isn't locked into the straitjacket of political frontiers. I counted several scenes of Nepal and Bhutan. And to my delighted surprise, above the hallowed piano hung a vision of prayer flags, chortens, red-robed monks and a glimpse of white monastic walls reaching up to upturned eaves against an ethereal background of snow, cloud and rock. It was unmistakably the lost kingdom of Sikkim. That's why I braved Indar's wrath and, as I told the artist, offered my book in tribute to his art.

Not that I immediately recognised the Sanga Choelling ("island of esoteric teaching") monastery seven kilometres from Pemayangtse ("the sublime perfect lotus"), Sikkim's premier monastery which I do know. Like a painting of Darjeeling's Bhutia Bustee, Sanga Choelling evocatively captured the essence of Himalayan life. It was the biggest (36" x 48") painting in the show. At £6,000, it was the most expensive. At the risk of being accused of artistic lese-majeste, I felt it would have made an ideal illustration for the glossy new Tranquebar-Westland edition of Smash and Grab which Deep, my son, had just brought from Mumbai.

The original book was manoeuvred into obscurity 29 years ago. The virtually indistinguishable paperback edition you bought in Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Gangtok all these years was a cunning work of piracy. The mix of bureaucratic conceit, political insecurity and clandestine censorship that made this possible is described in detail in my long introduction to the new edition. Bolton had no inkling of those tumultuous happenings. He had visited Sikkim as a tourist long after it was all over. But Indar knew. His exhibitions are a celebration as much of the Indo-British encounter as of royalty. Witness the Paikpara portraits in his basement.

It was entirely appropriate, therefore, that we should stumble upon a small tablet lost in the grass on our way back from the elegantly jolly opening nights he specialises in, as I wrote in this column four years ago. I didn't want to walk but Deep insisted on cutting through Hyde Park. I am glad I agreed because, otherwise, I would have missed what a guide book calls one of London's "lost fountains."

The metal plaque that tops the little slab of concrete reads: "A Fountain given by His Highness the Hon Maharajah Meerza Vijiaram Gajapati Raj Manea Sooltan Bahadoor of Vijianagram. KCSI stood on this site from 1867 until 1964." The questions popped up. What did the fountain look like? Was it demolished in 1964 or relocated somewhere else? Why? Above all, who was this forgotten potentate who squandered his state's revenues building fountains for foreigners who obviously cared nothing for him?

He wasn't the only one. Apparently, fountains were a welcome gift after London's 1854 cholera epidemic. The books say "Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney gave one to Regent's Park in 1869." The Princess of Teck inaugurated it. Perhaps the Readymoney creation still stands. I must look for it. But Vijianagram's relic is as forlorn as the Chogyal's palace in Gangtok on the cover of my book.