Bamboo Tale of Lepcha

Bamboo, one of the precious plant resources of the earth, plays a cardinal role in shaping the pattern of life in South and East Asian countries, where it grows abundantly. It has a long history in people's life as cultural material. Since ancient times the extensive use of bamboo is evidenced in hunting-gathering, fishing, agricultural activities, warfare, transportation etc. India is the second richest country in bamboo generic resources after China. In India, bamboo is one of the most important forest species and has a wide distribution throughout the country. In terms of bamboo resources, the North-Eastern region of India is regarded as the most promising region in the country. Tribal communities of this area are masters in the skillful tradition of bamboo craft. This book highlights the rich cultural heritage of bamboo craft among the Lepcha community of Sikkim in general and of the Dzongu Reserve area in particular. Bamboo is an indispensable part of their livelihood and is associated with their origin myth and cultural ethos.

This book is an attempt to present the empirical findings and documentation related to bamboo basketry and the associated traditional knowledge system of the Lepcha Community of North Sikkim, India.

Worrel Kumar Bain (b.1991), an anthropologist by profession working as an Exploration Officer in the Department of Anthropology. Gauhati University, Assam, India. He is also pursuing his Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology, Gauhati University, Assam. He was a faculty member in the Department of History and Archaeology. School of Social Sciences, North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Meghalaya, India, from January, 2021 to December, 2021. He served the Department of Anthropology, Gauhati University, Assam, as a Guest Faculty from 2019 to 2020. He was attached with the Anthropological Survey of India under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India as a Research Fellow from 2014 to 2018 and organized and developed the permanent exhibition cum museum in the Eastern Regional Centre of the Survey. He was involved in various research projects in different regions of India. He has published valuable research papers in various national and international reputed journals. He has participated and presented papers in several national and international seminars and conferences in India and abroad. He is also the joint author of the book entitled "Temples of Bishnupur: A Visual Journey".

He carried out research among the Hill tribe of Sikkim under the financial support of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He has produced several ethnographic films as director and co-director. Some of his ethnographic films have been screened in Kolkata International Film Festival, Goa Short Film Festival, Sambad Film Festival. One of his films has been awarded with 2nd prize in Sambad Film Festival, Jamshedpur, organized by Tata Steel. He is the founder Secretary of the South Kolkata Society for Advance Research on Tribal Heritage and Welfare.