The Government of India granted Geographical Indication (GI) registration for two traditional Lepcha musical instruments – Tungbuk and Pumtong Pulit – giving a major cultural boost to the Lepcha community of Sikkim. They were officially registered under the Musical Instrument category of the Geographical Indication Registry, Government of India, on the 5th of November.

 

 

The GI registration certificates were formally presented yesterday during the 1st Tribal Business Conclave held in New Delhi organised by the Ministries of Culture, Tribal Affairs, and Commerce & Industry. The Tungbuk is a three-string instrument, while the Pumtong Pulit is a bamboo flute. Both are integral to Lepcha folk music and hold deep cultural and spiritual significance. Ugen Palzor Lepcha and Namgyal Lepcha, who had submitted the GI tag applications for the Sikkim Lepcha Tungbuk and Sikkim Lepcha Pumtong Pulit respectively, received the certificates at the event.

 

 

Union Minister of Commerce & Industries Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram attended the event. The GI registration not only provides formal recognition to these distinctive folk musical instruments of the Lepcha community but also strengthens efforts to preserve and revive them. The association believes that the institutional recognition will help bridge the knowledge gap among the younger generation and support the livelihoods of artisans who craft these instruments.

 

 

NABARD, Gangtok had extended extensive support in the GI filing process. It took around two years of work to receive the GI tag. Lepcha Community expressed gratitude to everyone involved in securing the GI tags, especially NABARD for its two-year long support in this pursuit for national status.