Legends of the Lepchas - Folk Tales From Sikkim

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‘In the beginning there was nothing but vast emptiness on earth and in the sky. Jtbu-moo, the Mother Creator, shaped the mountains, the rivers and the lakes. But something was missing. Why did her creation feel empty? So, taking a fresh ball of snow, she created the first man.., and then the first woman. These became the chief deities of the Lepchas.’

The Lepchas, defined by a language and a script, inhabit the region currently falling under the state of Sikkim, District Darjeeling of West Bengal, 11am District of eastern Nepal and the south western parts of Bhutan. They have ancient lore to suggest their inhabitance in the region from time immemorial.

Many of these tales are included in this delightful collection by Yishey Doma, and nature in a cohesive world where one describing gods, goddesses, people, animals cannot do without the other.

Accompanying each short story is an illustration by Pankaj Thapa etching the Lyrical Sweep and mood of the tale.

Westland/Tranquebar proudly presents the first in a series of folklore from around the country.

Journalist and poet Yishey Doma is the author of the widely acclaimed coffee-table hook Sikkim, The Ridden Fruitful Valley.

Born on 25 December 1979 at Martam, near Rumtek in Sikkim, her foray into the realm of writing began in 1997 when she started scribbling poems and articles, which later got published in the North Eastern Weekend Review. She also received the first North East Poetry Award in 2007 from the Poetry Society (India) for her poem on ‘Impermanence’.

Armed with a degree in Sociology and Journalism and Mass Communications, she has penned several essays on the socio-cultural aspect of Sikkimese society, which were published in various journals and newspapers including The Statesman. Some of these essays have also appeared in the anthology Sikkim: Stranger’s Notes & Other Essays. Yishey was awarded the title ‘Best Working Journalist in Sikkim’ in 2007. She regularly contributes articles on travel and Buddhism to a large number of magazines and newspapers in India.

A keen researcher on Buddhist affairs, Yishey was an assistant researcher for the award-winning documentary film Lama Dances of Sikkim. She is presently involved in projects on Buddhism and on the life and culture in Himalayan regions which will come out shortly. She lives in Gangtok.