Pang Lhabsol

By Tshering Namgyal

The warriors' cry

resound the air,

reverberating

through an empty compound.

There is no monarch

to witness their tribute.

The crowd has dwindled

to a miniscule.

Even Kanchendzenga

hides itself,

behind a pall of gloom.

This auspicious day

has been commercialized.

Its sanctity reduced

to a touristy sight.

Stories are told of its grandeur,

in a time

when kings still ruled.

How the population would gather,

attired to the heel,

sprawled through the lawns of tshuk la khang.

Even the mountain smiled,

pleased with the offering.

But those days have faded,

transforming into a memory.

A memory recounted

in grandmother's tales.

It's hard to visualize,

not having lived those days.

But I reminisce still,

for her passion feeds my imagination.

In this mad race for progress,

have we bargained our soul?

Planting these shards of development,

have we uprooted our culture?

* Pang Lhabsol is a festival unique to Sikkim. On this day Mt.Kanchendzonga is honored as the guardian deity. Traditionally, the chogyal (king) of Sikkim oversaw the festivities in Tsug la khang (the royal chapel), which is within the palace compound.

By Tshering Namgyal