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As we drove up to Gangtok, we caught our first glimpse of the Teesta River, a familiar sight from our early childhood trips to Sikkim. My sister, Rashne, and I found ourselves imagining a similar journey made over eight decades ago by our father, Nari Rustomji, under very different circumstances. It was his first visit to Sikkim, in May 1942. At the time, Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal was a young maharajkumar (prince) and our father a young Indian Civil Service (ICS) probationer who had just returned from England. They had formed an instant connection at the ICS training camp in Mussoorie. The prince had written to his father, Sir Tashi Namgyal, asking permission to bring his friend to the Himalayan kingdom.

   

That first visit marked the beginning of our father’s lifelong bond with Sikkim and her people. Just over a decade later, he returned as dewan or prime minister, embarking on a shared vision for Sikkim’s future, together with the maharajkumar. They formulated and executed the first seven-year plan which was entirely funded by India. They worked tirelessly to further the kingdom’s infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare and education; initiatives that were the backbone of Sikkim’s future development. Moreover, their projects reflected a visionary approach to conservation and respect for the environment and its distinct biodiversity. In his book, Sikkim — A Himalayan Tragedy, dedicated to the Chogyal, our father poignantly writes:

"A moment and time will forget

Our failure and our name

But not the common thought

That linked us in a dream.”

The years went by. Sikkim was no longer India’s protectorate as it had been since 1950. The prince, who had been coronated as Chogyal or ruler, was deposed and, in May 1975, India declared Sikkim its 22nd state. Almost 50 years later, in September 2024, a photograph posted on the Sikkim Living History Project Facebook page compelled me to contact Tenzin C. Tashi (Tina), who had posted the image — an old picture of her mother and grandmother [once maharani (queen) of Sikkim], together with my late father. This serendipitous encounter with a photograph, linking our two families together, was the mysterious catalyst that led to an amazing exhibition and a deeply touching rekindling of family ties down generations. 

Tina, a senior researcher at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT) in Gangtok, had mooted the idea of the exhibition in a text message: "Hello, I spoke to the director about a photo exhibition on ‘An Extraordinary Friendship between Chogyal Palden Thondup Namgyal and Dewan Sahib Nari K. Rustomji’ for our Founder’s Day on May 22, 2025… Before I put in my formal application for approval, I would like to request you to confirm you would be able to give me high-resolution photos in your collection at the earliest.”

  of the royal family at Rustomji Deer Park

  r: school children learning about their history at the exhibition

Thus, the first notes of the exhibition were played; the contents of an old steel cupboard, in the family home in Bombay, were unearthed, scanned and brought to life once again. Tina’s passion and curatorial brilliance resulted in a historic exhibition showcasing rare film footage from the 1950s, as well as personal artefacts, documents, letters and photographs dating back to the turn of the last century. She once exclaimed in one of our exchanges, "People imagine they’ll walk into a hall and find about 35 large format, high-resolution photographs of the duo… Instead, they’ll walk into the hall and have all their senses assaulted; there will be small stories of human interest. And, I will manage to put in some hard-hitting ones as well! Every important photo will find a place on the boards. Even if they are very small sizes.”  

Set in the historic and beautiful NIT, of which both protagonists were founders, the exhibition, from May 22 to 28, attracted audiences from varied segments — students, teachers, old-timers, local gentry, bureaucrats, as well as visitors from overseas. It was inaugurated by the governor of Sikkim, Om Prakash Mathur, with the commensurate protocol that accompanies officialdom! Following the ribbon-cutting was the deeply emotive chanting of Buddhist prayers and lighting of butter lamps positioned in front of a framed picture of the Chogyal and our father, strategically placed upon a traditional carved and painted Sikkimese table — this was the focal point in the hall.

An emotional voice recording of a message by our 96-year-old mother, Avi Rustomji, who unfortunately couldn’t make it for the event, echoed through the hall: "Thondupla and Nari had a truly extraordinary friendship with a shared love for Sikkim, Thondupla’s beloved country.” While old film footage was projected and played on loop (repeated again and again after it ends), the strains of classical music for which the two friends shared a common love, filled the air. 

For the elderly, the experience of being there was an emotional homecoming. Many arrived bearing ceremonial silk khadas (scarves) which they reverently draped in front of the portrait of the two friends. For the several groups of school children who visited, this was their first glimpse into the richness of Sikkim’s pre-merger identity; they were fascinated by their collective history. Others stood in silent reflection or amazement before sepia-toned images of family members, long gone but not forgotten. Pema Wangchuk of the Summit Times commented, "If there is any complaint about the exhibition, it has to be the mere week that it was up for. Something like this should be allowed a longer run, not only because many of the exhibits were being seen by the public for the first time, but more so because an exhibition as nuanced as this deserves more time to marinate, demands repeat visits and more discussions.” 

Narratives centered around Sikkim’s merger often overshadow the nuanced relationships and dreams that preceded it; this exhibition resisted that reduction. Instead, it offered visitors a chance to reflect on a gentler time — through the vista of aging photos and handwritten letters. Important milestones in Sikkim’s history, such as the construction of iconic government buildings, the 2,500th Buddha Jayanti celebrations in 1956 which the Dalai Lama had attended, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit en route to Bhutan in 1958, and the Chogyal’s coronation in 1965 were charmingly showcased. Structured in the format of a scrapbook, the seven serpentine panels were easy to navigate; every one of the over 300 exhibits told a story that was seamlessly woven into the larger narrative. A tribute to a friendship spanning 40 years emerged as an unexpected journey through the historical and cultural timeline of Sikkim. 

The exhibition exceeded by far all our expectations. It was deeply humbling and moving to experience a palpable respect and love for our father despite him having left Sikkim in his official capacity in 1959. Wangchuk adds, "Technically, Rustomji was India’s man, an ICS officer on loan to Sikkim. He doubtless walked a tightrope while discharging his official duties, but his love for Sikkim and his extraordinary friendship with the maharajkumar is legendary, and exuded from every display curated for the exhibition.” 

There was quite an entourage from our side of the family, including our cousins, Jehangir and Reshad Rustomji, who’d also visited Sikkim as children. Jehangir’s wife, Behroze, touchingly wrote: "I came to this exhibition’s inauguration as Dewan Nari Rustomji’s nephew’s wife. I left, not as a relation but an inspired human being, realizing that the ultimate value in life is compassion and love… Here was a human story! An extraordinary bond between two men that transcended titles, trappings, power and geopolitics. A story of shared compassion and love for a tiny kingdom, above all else. A relationship that brought two far-flung families together as one. And a friendship that stood strong through laughter, tears and even tragedy.”

Rashne’s daughter, Sharah, and my son, Kaie, accompanied us on this journey; it was through the exhibition and the people they encountered on this sojourn that they had the chance to get to know the late Chogyal and the grandfather they’d never met. Another member of our group, Kaikobad Mistry, commented, "The wealth of documentation and the fabulous photographs — indescribable in what they evoke — and what an example this deep friendship, still so palpable after all these years, offers us. The quality that emerges so clearly is the affection that he had not just for your father but for the entire Rustomji family. The superb curatorial achievement of Tina deserves special recognition.” The Chogyal’s son, Prince Palden exclaimed, "Wow, what a wonderful journey and visit to the past. Even I really learned about how this dynamic duo, late Chogyal and Dewan Rustomji loved and worked for Sikkim. Congratulations Tenzin Chukie for a great exhibition.” 

We are grateful to NIT for honoring the memory and vision of our beloved late father and his dearest friend, the 12th King of Sikkim, our dearest uncle Thondupla. We are humbled to believe that in sharing the archival material we had some small part to play in recreating the past for those who remember it and telling the hitherto untold remarkable story of a crucial chapter in Sikkim’s history for future generations.