The Light of his Clan

In the closing chapter of his illustrious life, Kuldeep Chandanth, a former Minister of the Government of Sikkim, stands as a prominent figure within his community. However, despite his status, he is an aging patriarch consumed by vulgar language and a relentless obsession with caste.

The people of his clan, whom he dedicated his life to uplifting, now stand in opposition to his every suggestion, undermining his lifelong endeavors. To his dismay, his three children have refused to shoulder the responsibility of carrying forward his life’s work. Pradeep, his eldest son from his second wife, is an ineffectual engineer in the Department of Village Roads, vehemently protecting the honor of his department’s lady clerks from the advances of his half-brother, Yograj—a pleasure-seeking ladies’ man. Yogita, the ex-Minister’s only daughter, resides in Delhi, perpetually teetering on the edge of returning to Sikkim to care for her father. Pemba, his loyal servant, passionately pursues Ai Doma, the neighboring momo-seller, with relentless dedication. And just as the ex-Minister resigns himself to hopelessness in the realm of the living, the ghost of his third wife, Sumitra, who passed away two decades prior, reappears to point an accusing finger at him.

Set against the backdrop of Gangtok, The Light of His Clan unravels the ex-Minister’s journey as he grapples with the treachery of those who were once close to him. Amidst days marked by hail, rain, mist, and sun, he schemes both for and against his children, while also confronting the unyielding stiffness of his aging bones.