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Man of the Frontier S.W. Laden La (1876-1936) : His Life & Times in
Darjeeling and Tibet/Nicholas and Deki Rhodes. Kolkata, Library of
Numismatic Studies, 2006, xi, 128 p., plates, ISBN 81-901867-S-2.
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Man of the Frontier S.W. Laden La (1876-1936) : His Life & Times in
Darjeeling and Tibet/Nicholas and Deki Rhodes. Kolkata, Library of
Numismatic Studies, 2006, xi, 128 p., plates, ISBN 81-901867-S-2.
Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Background. 2. Education in Darjeeling. 3. Early career in Darjeeling. 4. The young husband expedition to Tibet. 5. The visit of the Panchen Lama to India. 6. The Dalai Lama seeks refuge in India. 7. The Dalai Lama returns to Tibet. 8. Visit to England. 9. War years and later. 10. The bell mission to Lhasa, 1920-21. 11. Chief of police in Lhasa, 1923-29. 12. Suspicion and frustration, 1925-29. 13. Mission to Lhasa, 1930. 14. Two weddings. 15. The final visit to Lhasa. 16. Active retirement, 1931-36. 17. Epilogue. Appendices: 1. A report on observatory hill-May 1912. 2. Letter from Chogyal Sidkeong Namgyal , 8 Nov. 1914. 3. "Bhutan - Sikkim" wedding - April 1918. 4. Petition to secretary of state for India - 11 Feb. 1920. 5. The opening of the Tamang Buddhist Gompa - Apr. 1929. 6. Bibliography. 7. Family tree.
"S.W. Laden La was one of the most interesting personalities on the Tibet India frontier in the first three decades of the twenty century. He was born in Darjeeling, the border town that was the summer capital of Bengal. At the foothills of the Himalayas, Darjeeling was a cosmopolitan yet traditional town with a multi-ethnic population. It was famous for its tea, its unique little railway, its climate and excellent schools, and for its magnificent views of Mt. Kanchenjunga.
The authors have written this short account of S.W. Laden La's life and work. They have talked to people who knew him or knew of him and they have also examined much written source material, including family papers." (Jacket)