Sikkim—Once a Captivating au Naturel Himalayan Kingdom in the Light of Its Growing Urbanscape

Abstract

The untiring effort of man in changing the natural features of the planet Earth in order to serve their own comfort has always received grand applause. We pat our own back in judging ourselves as rational, intelligent creatures who can create knowledge, and who can apply this knowledge so as to turn even an inert entity to life. However, we at times remain oblivious to the existence of life, aesthetics and the marvel within these earthly inert matters. A hill that was once as a giant mass of rock was transformed into a lively human habitat through the magic wand of man’s knowledge. Nevertheless, we deliberately fail to consider that the hill in question was no less vibrant before man’s advent. It possessed a wide assemblage of vegetation and a unique and varied species of chirping birds; the place was rich in everything ranging from endless animal diversity to the numerous tiny insects who ruled each of the mountain bends. It is in this context that the present article seeks to understand the situation of the once all-natural, virgin hills of Sikkim—an area which is now a constituent State of India, existing under ceaseless population influxes and is ever more transformed into a crowded human habitat. The following write-up is a narration of the relentless endeavour by the mountain people in joining the race of development through urbanisation and modernisation. Observations and information data sets both reflect the testimony of this reality. Thus, the focus principally rests on two aspects: the sequence of development of the urban pockets and the subsequent process of urbanisation in this part, and secondly the outcome of such change in the overall environmental sustainability of this Himalayan State.