We are Bengalis, we belong to Bengal,
but we have seen very little of our home state. Holidays were always restricted
to visiting parents, in-laws, numerous relatives, gorging on sweets, relishing ‘Hilsa’
and ‘Pabda’, then pack your bags to come back again next year, next ‘summer holidays
to our NATIVE place.
Gujarat (our work place) Rajasthan,
Maharashtra (neighboring states) Quite a bit
of Chennai (our place of college education), Karnataka (Asim’s first job
happened to be there, Kerala (aunt’s place) U.P, M.P ……visited every visitable
place but our own state somehow bypassed us.
As the saying goes, there is a time for
everything, correction, there is a time for every place, and the time was
thrown right into our lap when we needed to attend a wedding in Kolkata. The
season too was right………what more?
It was going to be Gangtok, Pelling
and Darjeeling for us. Now we can justify ourselves to be Bengalis from the bottom
of our heart.
All three beautiful places. Green welcomes you everywhere, and
you wonder why is the world screaming about the vanishing green cover of the
earth. Then you wonder too, if it is such a concern then at what rate are we destroying
to create so much of alarm.
Here the predominant color is green.
Green greets you at every turn little. Hills near and distant are cool with their
green foliage with little peeping houses, half hidden, half seen giving you the
impression that you are watching a painting.
Pic1.Teesta River on the way
to Gangtok and greenery with it
Standing on the bridge and looking down
at Teesta gave rise to an unexplainable feeling. Teesta known for its ferocious
nature in the rains, frightening, swelling unbelievably, causing destruction compared
with the now tranquil Teesta was such a contrast, but that is nature, beautiful,
friendly on one hand, infuriated and raging on the other.
Shops are little thatches with hanging
electric bulbs and sparse wares…. but they look so beautiful with dark green tall
trees, short shrubs, wild creepers behind them. The sun plays hide and seek to
tell you it is still day not dusk as it seems. Natural environment
in all its
beauty is around you
,for your body
to feel the little chill hilly
breeze , for your eyes
to absorb the greenness and fill your
lungs with fresh
air .Gangtok, Peling, Darjeeling has
its share of
concrete jungle which is
subdued by the splurge of
green behind them .The
best part is
,you are not sweating,
not panting, not shading
yourself from the scorching
sun, you walk up
a hill or
down a slope to take
in some more
of unpolluted nature ,which
is yours for
a few days. But breathless you become, what with our
urban habit of getting into a wheeled gadget at the first sight.
Our first halt GANGTOK
Ganghook was picturesque. Simple
language --picture perfect. Whichever window you peered out from your hotel; scenic
beauty greeted your eyes. It could be a cluster of houses (as you see in
calendars),
Pic2. Gangtok town Approach
Road.
Pic3.Gangtok town from top
of hill.
or it could be clouds stuck on tree tops
in the far-off hills
Pic 4. First view of Cloud
on hills.
Pic 5. typical Sikkim Road
with roadside shops and cloud topped hills.
or it could be a bunch of blood red roses growing
wild. Everything was so serene and
peaceful. As you walk the streets, the word called crowd is absent, there seems
to be no hurry, tourists walking lazily, children trudging to school, shopkeepers
waiting behind counters and the aroma of ‘thupka’ reaching your nostrils, one forgets
everything and indulges in this luxury called Gangtok.
Pic 6. M.G road of
Gangtok.
Streets in Gangtok are clean with a
capital ‘C ‘. No use of plastics, no litter and most important everybody abides.
The drive to the Tsongmo lake, also known
as the Chaanggu lake is a glacial lake at
height of 12,400 feet is an experience by itself.
Pic 7. The beautiful
reflection of hill in Tsongmo Lake
Pic 8. Freezing cold by
the lake side.
The local people hold it with great
reverence.
Pic 9. Chaanggu Lake with
snow covered mountains.
Pic10.- Varied beauty of
Songmo Lake
With the change of season, the lake reflects
different colors. The cold, the far-off snow-clad mountains, the winding roads,
fluffy snow on either side
PIc11. Snow on sides and
slippery icy roads
and people running into the snow, some standing
with hands folded in fists under their chin, some lifting fistful of snow and others like us watching.
Pic 11A. tourist enjoying
fluffy snow on slopes of mountain.
When we saw the lake, it was 25 % frozen.
Pic12. Lake from distance.
Pic 13. Everything covered
with ice.
The other visits can be to -----the
Nathu la pass, we went half way to it wherein we saw the Chinese watch tower
and camp.
Pic 14. Chinese post near
Nathula pass road
The Banjhakri falls, the seven sisters
water fall, Phurchachu hot springs (known for its sulphur springs) and guru dongmar
lake.
Pic15. waterfall on way to
Nathula pass
Pic 16. Superb view of
stream flowing in the valley.
The Sang market here is visited by the
Chinese people accompanied by the ITBP (Indo Tibetan Border Police) sell jackets,
clothes, in exchange buy Parle G biscuits, sugar, vegetable oil. The Border
Road Organization takes charge of the maintenance of roads. The historic trade
route 1600 km long known as the silk route is here.
Pic17.Typical Sikkim roadside
market selling woolens and fast food
The Baba mandir or the Harbhajan
Singh mandir is in the memory of a sentry of Punjab regiment. He lost his life by
drowning but reappeared in the dreams of one of the sentries requesting him to build
a temple in his memory.
Pic
18. Baba the ghost sentry
Pic 19. Baba mandir maintained by the
Indian army.
The sentries still believe
his spirit is there to protect them. The Chinese soldiers across the border also
talk of seeing a turbaned soldier patrolling at night. Indian sentries believe
he still uses the bed in the camp as it is crumpled and looks slept-in in the
morning. The belief that he is still around he has been promoted to the rank of
captain. He still receives a salary and his uniform goes for a holiday every
year. The original Baba mandir was inaccessible to people because of the difficult
terrain so this new Baba mandir was built in 1982.
Visit the Namgoyal institute of Tibetology.
The whole of Buddhist History, Gods and Goddesses Spread of Buddhism under different
kings is depicted through paintings, statues, panels and pictures.
Pic 20. Namgoyal Institute
Any itinerary should include Khechiodpalri
lake. Khachapuri means ‘Mountain of Blissful Heaven’. The legend is that a Lepcha
couple saw two conch shells entering the ground after which large spring of water emerged and engulfed the whole area
like a lake.
Pic 21. Khechiodpalri Lake
Pic 22. Lakes close up view
Pic 23. Beautiful walkway
to the lake laced with flags placed by the pilgrims
This lake is like a foot print, according
to local belief it is the foot print blessing of Goddess Tara.
Pic 24. Tara the presiding
deity of Khechiodpalri Lake
Flat stones, seven in number are arranged one over
the other like a pillar and you wish, which is fulfilled. As you walk on either side you can see hundreds
of these stone piles, done by visitors for the fulfillment of their wishes. Not
to be left behind I too didn’t miss this opportunity and arranged my stone pile,
must be there somewhere among those numerous arrangements.
Pic 25. seven wish stones.
Pic26. Line of wish stones arrangement.
The lake was full of fish, multiplying happily
as fishing in that lake is considered a sin.
Pic 27. Abundant fish in
the Khechiodpalri Lake
The handicrafts museum satisfies
you’re shopping crave. A good place to carry home gifts …small and big. Cushion
covers, clutch purses, side bags, furniture –small stools, tables typical Gangtok
style. The place is big so keep an hour in hand. Bamboo baskets, trays, woolen carpets,
silver ware and many more. Mention over here of Yak tail hair is a must. Wands of
Yak tail costs as much as Rs five thousand and more, which are used in temples,
gurdwaras and pujas.
Pic 28. Yak tale.
Embroideries depicting different Gods
and Goddesses, mats made of sheep wool and THIGH BONES …. For beating the drums.
Both machine weaving and hand weaving is there, huge copper drums are used for
dyeing.
Wooden carvings done with teak as well as walnut wood are on sale. Clocks, masks, wall pieces
bearing typical Nepali characteristics are for you to buy. In one room young
boys----apprentices can be seen learning to carve intricate and beautiful designs.
Second
halt PELLING
Another endless green landscape
spread before your eyes. Once again…. Green hills, green trees with tops
reaching the sky, green foliage.
Pic 29. Pelling with
magnificent green foliage
Pic30. Tall trees a
beauty to behold
Lightly built houses, cottages with roses all
over, climbing creepers or shrubs, what you have in front of you is a picture post
card presented by nature.
Pic31. Picture postcard
from Pelling
Pelling is a small town in the north eastern
part of Sikkim, at the foot hills of mount Kanchen jungha. Rich heritage, culture, monasteries and
trekking is for you to savour.
At the Pelling helipad you get an all-encompassing
view of the majestic Kanchen jungha and the mountain ranges.
Pic 32. Kanchen junga
before sunrise
Pic33. Short glimpse of golden
hue Kanchan junga Hill range at sunrise before cloud engulfs the view.The Kanchen junga falls is a favorite
place for tourists. The source of the water fall comes from the glaciers of
Kanchenjunga. Cars wait by the side while enthusiastic ones brave the cold water
and weather get down to dip their legs and some stand under the fall.
Pic34. Kanchen junga falls
Tourists in large numbers visit the oldest
monastery in Sikkim, The Pema yangtse monastery, which was built in 1705. Walk
to the monastery is another attraction. It is a seven-story wooden structure which
shows in detail religious facts, figures, statues, scriptures.
The Sangachoeling monastery is
another old monastery. The Rodents ruins is of national importance is worth a
visit (we did not due to lack of time)
We got to visit the Darap village.
Home stays over here are popular with tourists in return you get a glimpse of Sikkimese
culture and tradition. This village also holds a special place because it is exclusively
populated by Nepalese of limbu caste who concentrate in cardamom cultivation.
The Rimbi river shows you the Rimbi water
falls
Pic35. Rimbi falls.
With its orange orchard.
Pic36. Sole orange of the
orchard
It is quite a climb down but not difficult
as steps are cut out. There are tea shops where you park, so a cup of hot tea before
or after is welcome. One can go up to the river hear the gurgling water and feel
one with nature.
Pic37. Lovely bridge on
Rimbi River.
There is calm, there is solitude and
there is beauty of course.
Pic38. Rimbi River bed a visitor’s
favorite spot near the orange orchard
Pic39.Peling with its blue
mountains.
Go for a shopping spree to the small
shops and pick traditional Buddhist handicrafts, hand woven carpets, colorful
shawls, prayer flags, lepcha weave shawls AND Walnuts and organic tea.
Losong is a Buddhist festival which
ushers the new year, the Kanchen jungha festival is celebrated with gusto with
lot of fun filled activities and sports. Zaxro is a special type of biscuit, rice
and non- veg are consumed during festivals. Like Leh and Ladakh you see the Round
Drum Mane and the Chorten.
Pic40. One of the big Chorten of Pelling.
Third
halt Darjeeling
From Peling Avinash (our driver) took
a short cut to reach Darjeeling through interior villages. Got to see these places
on the off beaten track, or else we are restricted to the main city, places of tourist
interest and the usual frequented streets, malls and Bazaars.
The villages were drowned in darkness,
blinking lights in small houses gave the indication of life and living beings.
City dwellers like us are left wondering about the type of life there. Houses were
mostly built of wood, once in a while a house of brick and cement stood proudly.
It was like driving through no man’s land. Once in a while a solo shop, few playing
children, onlookers, women carrying their children stared at the car and us inside,
their eyes questioning ‘Why here?’
Soon it was dark, in that unknown land
surrounded by mountains and forests, trees tall and straight. Only the headlights
on the narrow uneven road telling we were proceeding somewhere. It was Avinash’s
back, his expert driving and thorough knowledge of the roads was comforting but
still kept us on the edge of our seats. We felt we were the only living beings
on earth. It was lonely to the point of being eerie. The dim lights from shops assured
us we were not lost in wilderness. I realized only on reaching Darjeeling did I
leave my held breath, So much for adventure!
We often heard Darjeeling was not the
best of place if you are a cleanliness freak, but to our surprise we didn’t find
anything so awful and objectionable, on the face of it, on the contrary there were
cities in our country that could be described as very unclean. We were put up
in a hotel on the main road,
Pic41. Darjeeling hotel
view
we visited markets, shopping places, eateries,
so maybe we didn’t get to see the ‘Not so good parts.
The woollen market offered shawls,
sweaters, jackets, scarves at enviable prices, provided, yes provided you are one
of those who can sit tight and keep on asking for better deals……in simple language
bargain.
As you walk down it is the main market with its collection of
shops selling local stuff and things you need daily. Grocery, umbrellas, shoes and
slippers, sweaters and cardigans, scarves and caps, noodles and biscuits, fruits
and vegetables…. you name it and its yours for a price.
Road parallel to it at a higher height
satisfies your taste buds. Noodles, Thupka and of course the mouth watering, famous
all over, MOMOS ……Veg and non-veg, CCD, KFC are ready to welcome you with open arms
if there also you are craving for some Fast food.
Pic42.Mall Road of
Darjeeling
This road has the Sikkim and West Bengal
state emporiums. You get genuine local arts and handicrafts. Safe to buy. Shops
also display local artifacts, precious and semi precious stones. Knowledge is a
must if you are interested in them. Faces of Buddha, Tara, and many more, the shop
owner will give you information about each, which makes it interesting.
Expect the rains at any time. People,
tourists included are ready with their umbrellas. cold, chilly winds make you reach
out for the chai served by the numerous chaiwallahs making the rounds with their
thermos of hot chai.
Pic43. British Era Shops
adorn the mall road
Chilly wind and hot chai, bakery biscuits, Children on
horses, aimless tourists strolling with
umbrellas, ideal to sit around and wile away time. It is a luxury city people don’t
get it often. Make the best of it.
Pic44. Horse ride for
children is major entertainment in evening.
Pic45. Mahakal Temple of
Darjeeling.
Darjeeling and Kanchen junga,
meaningless one without the other. But all are not lucky to have a view of the third
highest mountain of the world. Kanchenjunga range and its snow peaks is one of the
primary attractions of tourists. We rushed as early as 4.30 AM to Tiger hill to
have a glance of this majestic mountain. what a crowd there was, we parked kilometers
away ready to walk the distance, but this pleasure was not ours to be. You need
a clear sky and that’s something which is difficult to get. You get to see a white
blanket of cloud or mist. Even though this was expected, we were disappointed. Holidays are also synonymous with rather should
be synonymous with doing what you always wanted, sleep late, sip your tea without
office, maid, worries entering even the farthest corner of your mind. If with hubby
enjoy the much-wanted space, if with friends leave throw ‘need space’ to the
winds. Don’t your weight mar your happiness of few days, indulge with your friends
in foodie delights of all kinds. No holiday is worth calling a holiday if you
are not bindaas.
Pic46. Sunset view at
Darjeeling.
Please do not forget to notice and admire
the driving skills of the drivers. Hills on one side, with a valley on your other
side, traffic in front and cars behind, what can be a nightmare is so easily negotiated
by the drivers here with a smile on their faces and some interesting information
on their lips. The ease with which they negotiate curves, steep and sloping
roads, drive up and come down smoothly reminds one of the Hindi phrases ‘baaye haath
ka khel’. Houses are left with bare minimum parking space but the vehicles are
skillfully parked, how they performed this circus trick left me wondering.
While most of us admire and keep in mind
the dignity of the place and what is expected from us, among us are the callous
and insensitive too. There was a half an hour halt due to a land slide.
Pic47. Roadblock clearance
after Landslide.
It was welcome. People got out to stretch and admire
the scenic beauty around. We were lucky to halt and experience the flowing stream
40 to 50 feet below, by the side the hills with their tall trees or else we would
have just driven through minus the land slide.
I'm
Pic48. Traffic holds up
due to land slide and our scene of spoiling the environmentSuddenly TANGG, the jarring sound of a
coke can thrown down and its rattling sound till it vanished into the deep
valley. Most of us standing at the edge were stunned and furious for such blasphemy
but the boy walked back to his family
after chivalrously disposing of the coke can. Only one community has this “chalse”
attitude who can behave like this and say “Chalse” ----Chalta hai. You are silenced,
what can be said, one cannot be taught, sensitivity should come from within.
We were having tea in a small road side
shack, suddenly there is a far-off roar. we, the citybreds immediately almost instantly
jumped to our feet with panic and anxiety writ large on our faces.
‘Landslide hai, Sir’ Avinash
declared,’ Bahut door hai, chintaki baat nahi ‘(very far off not to worry). If far
off is this, what is near then? In the silence of the dark night, with the dim
bulb of the tea shop, we sat on plastic tools and listened to the hurtling down
of stones and boulders, falling of huge quantities of earth, saw at a distance rising
cloud of mud and dust. Realized this is nature in the raw.
If I didn’t talk about Avinash
my travelogue would be incomplete. Nepali looks, but not fully Nepali, black
stud in one ear, cropped hair, in jeans, shirt and jacket.
So respectful, always
ready to listen and answer our numerous queries. Expert in his profession, the steering
was like ‘Butter’ in his hands, winded up and down, in and out, knew every
road, every short cut every turn, every nook and corner. Always smiling always
pleasant.
Avinash lived in a village
40 kms away with his uncle, aunt and cousin. Father, he doesn’t remember, lost
his mother a few years back. So, all alone, felt sad for this boy. Had passed the 10th, cleared the written exam as
well as the physical fitness test for the Indian Army, but the interview didn’t
work in his favor. People who paid a lakh of rupees landed the job, he had neither
the cash nor any relative to support him by lending him this amount of cash. I couldn’t
believe this; he didn’t seem to be lying but according to him it not only happened
but it was quite rampant.
Actually, I should call
him Dr. Avinash. While we halted for tea
he rushed down and came up with leaves, like marigold, smelt also the same. He crushed
it in his palms and said it was applied on cuts and wounds which helped to heal
soon. I remember this was also a part of wound care in our villages. He showed
us a variety of herbs, to control diabetes, increase the RBC,
cure your joint pains and aches and some more. Another place he brought jungle
berries as sweet as sugar, I tasted it willingly, by now I fully believed his knowledge
of herbs and plants. He showed us green stems, “Khatta hai na” he enquired after
I bit it on his insistence. They used it in daals (lentils) and pickled it too.
Pic49. Botany Doctor aka
Driver Avinash explaining the plant available around this hill.
Pic50. Avinash as seen
before we departed.
Next day we were leaving Asim
and I wanted to gift him a jacket, decided
to give him the cash for it when he would come to drop us to Bagdogra airport. Our
lovely holiday was to have a sad end we never knew.
There was another
chauffeur at the wheels and not Avinash. We were informed by the present driver
that he lost his cousin in a motorcycle accident.
Could he meet us? No, he was far away in the village. Was bad
luck haunting him? Father, mother now cousin, only son of his mama maami with
whom he lived. I prayed God should bestow him with everything good. Today also I
remember him and wish him a lot of happiness in those lovely hills that is his
home.
Pic51. MAKAIBARI Tea
garden---One of the world-famous brands.
Have you got the overwhelming whiff of
tea on a cold, cold morning –yes it is the
Makaibari tea gardens. The world famous, much appreciated tea drinker’s top preference
and demand. There is an organized trek through
the tea gardens. It is worth your time.
The hills became smaller, greenery
became lesser, beauty freshness of the hills was replaced by dry, long stretches
of land and strong sun.
Pic52. Team effort to
clear road of fallen tree.
Agreed all good things come
to an end BUT all GOOD MEMORIES live on.
