Sikkim is a state in northeast India. Sikkim shares its borders with Tibet in the north, and northeast, Nepal in the west, Bhutan in the east and West Bengal in the south. The capital of Sikkim is Gangtok. Sikkim entices everyone with its rich culture, biodiversity, and excellent natural flora and fauna. However, when it comes to its people, many from Sikkim have made their names in different fields and have had an enormous influence on the people of India. Moreover, they have inspired the next generation to pursue their dream and achieve the greatest possible success.

Bhaichung Bhutia

Bhaichung Bhutia is an Indian footballer and a famous personality closely associated with India’s sports fraternity, especially football. He was born on 15th December 1976 in Tinkitam, Sikkim. 

He is also called the “Sikkimese Sniper” for his shooting skills and has played as a striker all of his football career. He is known for his pinpoint accuracy in striking a goal and the powerful shots he delivered throughout his career. 

Bhutia was the captain of the national team and currently is acting manager for the state football club of Sikkim. His professional club debut was in 1993, when he played for Calcutta-based East Bengal and was the highest scorer in the league. 

Bhutia was named as 1996 player of the year after that. Following his success in the club games, Bhutia became the first Indian footballer to sign a contract with a European club and English team, ‘Bury’, and the second in Europe to play professionally. In addition, the player has had many scholarships to his credit, a stadium named after him as a tribute to his uncountable success.

Danny Denzongpa

Danny Denzongpa, born as Tshering Phintso “Danny” Denzongpa on 25th February 2948 in Yuksom, Sikkim. Danny is an Indian actor, singer, and film director who works predominantly in Hindi cinema. 

The actor has received his education from the Film and Television Institute, Pune. He entered the industry in 1971 with the movie Zaroorat and has acted in over 190 films. 

His acting career extends for more than 4 decades, and he has performed predominantly as a villain. In 2003, Denzongpa received India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, i.e. the Padma Shri. 

Denzongpa has also worked in Hollywood alongside famous actors, such as Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet. The multi-talented star is also an accomplished singer and has sung with the most prominent voices like Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi, and Asha Bhosle. His first song was Yeh Gulistan Hamara in 1972, with Lata Mangeshkar. He also wrote and acted in a Nepalese film, ‘Saino’.

Omi Gurung

Omi Gurung was born on 24th February 1986 in the Sikkimese capital of Gangtok and is a renowned fashion designer in India. He is also a social activist and a pro-environmentalist, also known as the Green Man of Sikkim. Gurung received his education from the Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology and was reportedly one of the top students in his class. 

He also participated and was a finalist in PETA India’s Cutest Vegetarian Next Door competition in 2013. He gained fame when he launched his design collection ‘Integration- a new identity’ which received ‘The most creative collection’ award in Vogue Mystique Design Awards 2005-06. 

Currently, Gurung owns an eco-friendly boutique in Sikkim by Green Gangtok. He also writes fashion and lifestyle blogs and articles for many well-known publishers and is featured regularly in trendy magazines. Omi is one of the few people who have created a niche early on in their careers.

 Gadul Singh Lama

Gadul Singh Lama was born on 15th June 1939 in Gangtok, Sikkim. He is a famous personality widely known as Sanu Lama and is an Indian fiction writer and poet of Nepali literature. 

Gadul is an engineer by profession, but his interest was always in writing since his school days. His first article was published in a local magazine, and his first story was published in 1971, named Katha Sampad. 

Lama has published three compilations of short stories. He also translated his works into other languages such as English, Hindi, Urdu, Assamese, and Oriya.  He was presented with the Sahitya Akademi Award for his story, Mrigatrishna, in 1993. For his contributions to literature, the author received the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civil honour, in 2005.

Keepu Tsering Lepcha

Keepu Tsering Lepcha is an Indian social worker and educator born in 1942 in Sikkim. She is a famous personality who was also a former secretary of the Sikkim government and a current member of the Human Development Foundation in Sikkim (HDFS). 

HDFS is an NGO working for the socio-economically challenged communities of the state. Lepcha has also worked as Project Director of the Government’s Rural Development Agency. 

She reportedly conducted training programs for teachers in the local languages and published textbooks for primary students, volunteering for the education of refugees as well. 

Afterwards, Lepcha founded the PeaceWomen Across the Globe organisation. She was nominated for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize and won the Real Heroes Award from the Reliance Foundation in 2012. In 2009, she was presented with Padma Shri for her services to society.

Tarundeep Rai

Tarundeep Rai was born on 22nd February 1984 in Namchi, Sikkim, and is a famous personality in Indian archery. He played his first match in international archery at the Asian Archery Championship in 2003 at Yangon, Myanmar, when he was just 19. 

After that, Rai won an individual silver medal in archery for India at the 16th Asian Games, 2010 in China. Since then, he has won multiple medals for the Indian team in numerous games like the Asian Games in Doha, London Olympics, South Asian games, etc. 

For all his achievements, Tarundeep was presented with the Arjuna Award in 2005, and in 2020, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian President Ram Nath Kovind.

Conclusion

All these people from Sikkim have performed exceptionally well in their fields and have inspired many generations to pursue ambitious goals and make a name for themselves. It takes a lot of hard work and determination to achieve such prosperity and success. They have proved that the opportunities are not given, they are created. Some of these people have risen from small villages of Sikkim to name, fame and international recognition. Their works have received global applause and have won multiple awards for them. All of them are Padma Shri recipients—the fourth highest civilian honour by the Indian government, and that speaks a lot itself.