Sikkim for Sikkimese

The Woman Question

Abstract

Sikkim was an independent monarchical Kingdom from the early 17th century A.D. till 1950 when the Kingdom became a protectorate of the Government of India. During the erstwhile period, all sovereign and political powers rested with the ‘Chogyal’ or the Maharaja of Sikkim. Sikkim became a state within the Union of India based on the Amendment Act of 1975 and a referendum of the Sikkimese people from 26th April 1975. However, the state of Sikkim has been granted special status to protect and safeguard the identity and interests of the people of Sikkim under Article 371F. The paper is an attempt to situate the identity of Sikkimese women under Article 371F and to see if the umbrella term ‘Sikkimese’ can be applied to Sikkimese women in an inclusive sense. The primary object of Article 371F seems to uphold, what the forefathers of Sikkim upheld, ‘Sikkim for Sikkimese’, in order to prevent any intrusion from outsiders and also to reinforce the suzerainty of Sikkim. However, what many of us do not see is that the Article is deeply entrenched in patriarchy and in an attempt to insulation against outsiders, insidiously insulates its womenfolk as well. The paper examines the historical trajectory of the Married Women’s Property Regulation passed by the Chogyal in 1962 to the passing of the Sikkim Succession Act in 2008 revealing the status of women in Sikkim seem to be mired in the politics of exclusion.