Lepfron Kat
“While I live with a society where other community people they look so developed then my community I feel embarrassed so I decided to write my poem through I may hope some what changes come in our communities”
Ronamith Lepcha
… in my own language
“I chose my Lepcha language as a medium of language because I love my Lepcha language so much.”
Ronamith Lepcha
“Basically I didn’t get to write a story but I wrote a poem in which I was very emotional. When I saw some of the Lepcha people in our Sikkim, they only focused on drinks and drinking. They still don’t know about the future of the
generation. When they earn some assets, they invest all that into enjoyment, fun and after that their condition goes bad and unseen.”
Ronamith Lepcha
ᰜᰬᰱᰑᰥᰩᰰ ᰀᰦᰳ
ᰛᰩᰵ ᰓᰴᰊᰤᰬᰰᰕᰫ ᰕᰧᰃᰧᰳᰠᰦ ᰣᰧᰳᰊᰩᰵᰛᰬ ᰀᰩᰵᰇᰬᰰ ᰆᰫᰜᰩᰮ,
ᰠᰛᰩᰵ ᰆᰫ ᰣᰨᰛᰬ ᰎᰳᰶ ᰕᰧᰶᰃᰧᰳᰍᰪᰰ ᰌᰩᰭᰓᰫᰠᰦ ᰜᰤᰫ ᰓᰧᰶᰋᰨᰓᰦ,
ᰌᰶᰛᰩᰮᰌᰤᰬᰰᰠᰦ ᰑᰦᰳ ᰑᰤᰪᰊᰤᰩᰭᰠᰪᰵ ᰣᰨᰛᰬᰀᰦᰜᰦ ᰣᰦᰝᰤᰫᰯ ᰙᰩᰭᰓᰦ,
ᰊᰪᰰᰃ᰷ᰥᰩᰵᰞᰨᰠᰦ ᰛᰪᰵᰉᰫ-ᰛᰪᰵᰉᰧᰳ ᰣᰫᰵᰀᰤᰨᰵ ᰣᰨᰛᰬᰀᰦ ᰀᰕᰩᰲᰋᰩᰠᰦ ᰣᰦᰕᰧᰰ ᰘᰪᰳᰓᰦ,
ᰕᰦᰚᰬᰯ ᰜᰤᰦᰵᰠᰦ ᰕᰪᰕᰧᰶᰀᰦ ᰛᰩᰵᰠᰦ ᰋᰤᰦᰭᰊᰩ ᰑᰦᰳᰋᰨᰓᰫ ᰊᰫᰍᰪᰰ ᰚᰶᰓᰨ ᰊᰬ,
ᰇᰨᰃᰤᰫ ᰎᰦᰯᰢᰪᰵᰠᰦ ᰙᰪᰱᰊᰩ ᰀᰦᰚᰫ ᰛᰩᰵ ᰕᰧᰃᰧᰳᰠᰦ ᰊᰫᰍᰪᰰ ᰡᰧᰶᰓᰨ ᰊᰬ,
ᰜᰩᰈᰬᰵᰀᰦ ᰀᰦᰚᰫ ᰙᰫᰮᰓᰦᰰ ᰇᰨᰃᰤᰫ ᰜᰬᰱᰑᰥᰩᰰ ᰣᰦᰯ.
ᰎᰍᰫᰈᰫᰵ ᰎᰦᰯᰢᰪᰵᰠᰦ ᰀᰊᰦᰱ ᰠᰦᰭᰆᰧᰵᰶᰡᰴᰛᰬ ᰣᰦᰀᰤᰩᰯ ᰅᰫᰰᰎᰦ,
ᰛᰩᰋᰩ ᰣᰨᰛᰬᰀᰦ ᰀᰦᰚᰫᰌᰨ ᰍᰪᰮᰍᰪᰙᰩᰵ ᰈᰫᰵ ᰕᰦᰳᰀᰦ,
ᰛᰤᰬᰰᰈᰨᰵ ᰣᰦᰛᰬ ᰀᰦᰚᰫ ᰓᰦᰮᰜᰤᰦᰵ, ᰃᰤᰬᰭᰜᰤᰦᰵ ᰜᰤᰬᰰᰇᰩ ᰋᰨᰀᰦ,
ᰙᰪᰱᰊᰩᰛᰬ ᰛᰩᰵᰀᰪᰱ ᰓᰦᰮᰜᰤᰦᰵᰠᰦ ᰋᰩ ᰕᰋᰫᰱᰙᰴ,
ᰋᰦᰮᰔᰤᰩᰭᰍᰪᰰ ᰛᰧᰱᰶᰠᰦ ᰝᰪ ᰠᰛᰩᰵ ᰜᰫᰭᰣᰦᰯ ᰕᰦᰳᰜᰪᰵ ᰋᰴᰠᰦ ᰛᰧᰱᰶᰡᰧᰵᰶ ᰣᰨᰛᰬᰀᰦᰌᰨ ᰣᰦᰀᰪᰱ ᰃᰬᰭᰠᰦ
ᰋᰩ ᰣᰨᰛᰬ ᰝᰪᰌᰨᰠᰦ ᰘᰳᰶᰓᰦ,
ᰀᰠᰪᰠᰦ ᰋᰩᰀᰦ ᰝᰪᰌᰨᰠᰦ ᰓᰦᰮᰜᰤᰦᰵ ᰋᰫᰱᰠᰦ,
ᰣᰦᰀᰤᰬᰳ ᰑᰦᰳᰍᰩᰰ ᰣᰦᰍᰳᰶ ᰈᰬᰵᰠᰦ ᰋᰤᰦᰭᰊᰩ ᰑᰦᰳᰓᰫ ᰊᰤᰫᰆᰦ ᰂᰤᰶᰓᰦ,
ᰠᰦᰰ ᰕᰂᰪᰳ ᰈᰫᰵ ᰠᰃ᰷ᰥᰦᰮᰠᰦ ᰝᰧᰃᰳᰶ ᰣᰨᰛᰬ,
ᰢᰳᰶ ᰕᰉᰧᰰ ᰃᰫᰛᰫᰵᰜᰦ ᰊᰦᰎᰬᰳ ᰛᰩᰵᰈᰧᰵᰶᰌᰨ,
ᰊᰗᰳᰶ ᰜᰩᰟᰫᰵᰡᰨ ᰠᰗᰪᰭ-ᰜᰦᰟᰨ ᰙᰴ ᰣᰦᰗᰪᰲᰀᰦ,
ᰛᰩᰵᰅᰦᰰ ᰠᰛᰩᰵ ᰜᰫᰭᰣᰦᰯᰠᰦ ᰜᰤᰬᰱᰑᰥᰩᰰ ᰈᰬᰵᰀᰦ….
A New Page
The Indigenous Lepcha borne from the lap of Mt. Kangchendzonga,
Today this peak stand as a guardian deity as voiced by the Tibetans,
Even there are hundreds of claims on the earthen pots of Dae rom den,
Exploiting the mighty Rongnyu Rongeet of Tendong Lho under the shadow of invaders,
Who can sense the identity crisis of Rongkup in the portrait of Mayel Lyang?
Who can see it? This is where we’ve come so far, risking it as a vanishing page of a book,
Let us all come forth, into a new beginning.
The realisation only after the end of monarchy was our mistake,
Nevertheless, our status is still ours to flourish as one.
Let’s spread love and peace in this land which embraced us in her womb,
And not abandoning it as a parentless child,
As a butterfly exploring the vital blooms dusk and dawn
tempting her to lay the eggs for tomorrow,
alas she marks the territory on her demand,
imposing the natives out, to become strangers in their own land.
This gloomy breeze has led the pathway of identity crisis,
It is hard to breathe underneath this statute,
Our sweat and tears persisting without any aid,
In good time the day will return as the morning light peeks in,
Just hold on until we start with a new page tomorrow.
Poem by Ronamith Lepcha
Translations by Meenamit Lepcha