CHIMPU, 2 May: Tributes were paid to late Sangay Lhaden on her birth anniversary on 1 May by her batchmates (IAS officers of the 1992 batch) by unveiling her bust at Sangay Lhaden Sports Academy (SLSA) here, in the presence of her family members, two of her batchmates – West Bengal ACS Barun Kumar Ray and Bihar ACS Deepak Kumar Singh – and a host of senior officers led by Chief Secretary Kaling Tayeng.
Addressing the ceremony, Tayeng expressed appreciation for late Lhaden’s batchmates for commemorating her birth anniversary, and expressed hope that “the effort would inspire the students in putting their best forward in the coming days.”
“I hope that the students and the authorities (of SLSA) will ensure that the memory lives on by focusing on Olympic sports, which could bring laurels to the state and will be a tribute to the institutenamed after her,” he said.
Ray remembered his late batchmate as “the most ebullient, effervescent and free-spirited individual in the batch.”
“She had worked in Goa and Delhi before coming to Arunachal Pradesh, where she lost her life in a tragic accident in 2001. Soon after her demise, her batchmates instituted an award in her memory, to be given to probationers at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration,” informed Ray.
He, on behalf of his batchmates, thanked the government Arunachal Pradesh for naming the institute after her. He thanked her family members and other colleagues who witnessed the event online.
He also thanked the sports & youth affairs department, led by its Secretaries Abu Tayeng and Sadhana Deori, “for their cooperation in making the event successful.”
Late Lhaden’s family member Sonam Paljorexpressed gratitude to the Arunachal Pradesh government “for honouring my late niece with SLSA,and to her colleagues for commemorating the day with a statue, which I believes has made her immortal in the history of Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim.”
She expressed hope that the institute would be “an inspiration for generations to come.”
Earlier, Deori remembered her association with late Lhaden since 1984, “when we had met as freshers and studied at Lady Shri Ram College Delhi.” She recalled how her late friend had donned the role of a daughter, sister, friend and a proud professional with pride and how, during her stint in the state, she would tirelessly tour the districts in her endeavour to learn firsthand from the people.
“Her humility in service and positivity in nature is what she has left behind. I am sure that she has touched many hearts, not only amongst her batchmates but also the state and the people,” said Deori. (DIPRO)
