That intrepid Italian traveller of third century AD Marco Polo who had the grit and tenacity in him to travel to and from Peking had told his reluctant sons who he wanted to take to China on his second trip, "Dear boys, it will be good for you." From his personal experience, Marco Polo knew that the best education one could have in life came from travelling. Probably that is the reason why a large number of people love travelling and those who are bitten by this travel bug, with some money to spare in their pockets, make it an annual must.
Parents, these days, make it a point to take their children away to new places during the summer or other vacations. So also the schools are advised to take the students, compulsorily, on an annual excursion to expose the young minds to new people, new places, and new experience.
Be that as it may, I ventured out this summer with a couple of my family friends to Himalayan foothills to experience the mighty hills (before whom any tall and powerful man will feel humbled) and its cool climate. It was towards the East of our country to Gangtok (Sikkim), Kalimpong and Darjeeling.
Landing at Bagdogra Airport, after a short flight from Kolkata Airport, a 75 - km drive on good road took us to Kalimpong, a destination fabled for orchids and nurseries. At 1,243 metres (4,078 ft.) elevation from sea level, it is a popular Hill Station of West Bengal. If you are lucky, you sight the spectacular view of Mount Kanchanjunga and its range. We were not lucky. Dello Hills, Dr. Graham's Home, a legendary landmark of immense heritage value and a Buddhist monastery are other places to see.
We stayed at "The Silver Oaks," a heritage hotel of British vintage maintained very well and situated atop a peak (where else?). After all, the land of peaks and valleys only starts from here! Interestingly, vintage black and white photographs adorn the walls taking us back to the days passed by many centuries. There is no ropeway now, but in 1935 there was one. A 1932 picture shows beggars from Tibet. The 1887 snowfall in Kalimpong and an 101 – year - old lady in 1932. Nehru visited Kalimpong in 1952 but Rabindranath Tagore visited this Hill Station in 1938. And the first Home School of 1901 was also there in photograph.
For those who want to discover real Kalimpong, there is the famous Kalimpong Walks of four types with different rates — beginning Rs. 300. This idea of walk, which in other words is trekking, is found in all the tourist destinations with hills and forests. These days we find Kodagu and Malnad becoming popular trekking destinations.
While at the hotel, I saw a man sitting with his tools to mend shoes and slippers next to the gate of our hotel in a state of bliss waiting for customers. I engaged him in a conversation. "What is that building flying our national flag? DC's Office?" Before he could tell me, a customer volunteered: "That's where VIPs stay." He let out a big laugh. I knew he was joking. It was the jail. The man in the picture Ramacharan Das had come to Kalimpong from a faraway village in Patna 60 years ago with his grandfather from Bihar who was working in Kalimpong and stayed put here ever since. He goes to his native place during vacations with his grand children who are staying with him here and going to school. His sons are in Patna.
All his family members in Patna are staunch believers in Lalu Prasad Yadav. He earns about Rs. 100 to Rs. 150 per day and stays in a rented room nearby. He is contented, he says. Life goes on.
There is a giant Hanuman statue painted red and a temple on a hill built a few years ago. In the beginning there was Rs. 5 entry ticket but the public objected saying as it was built with public money raised through donation, no entry fee must be collected. So it was. Free entry. Like now in our own Chamundi Hill temple. Thanks to our just transferred DC P. Manivannan.
In Kalimpong, we could see on every shop front the words “Gorkha Land” some prominently, some in small letters in English. English is commonly used for shop signboards. I did not see any sign board or English hoarding disfigured with tar like in our heritage, tourist city Mysore. Not a great experience but a cool climate for the people from the plateau.
It is 85 kms from Kalimpong to Gangtok, Sikkim’s capital. Journey is comfortable and roads are not bad though understandably narrow. Sikkim is the State (formerly Kingdom) from where our once famous villain of Hindi films Danny Denzongpa hailed. He has a brewery in Sikkim, according to our guide. Gangtok enjoys a mild, temperate climate all round the year and offers spectacular views of the Himalayan ranges. Snowfall is rare. Even at 14,000 feet at Nathula Pass we had to search for snow and found. Children were seen playing excitedly. Gangtok itself is only at an elevation of 5,480 feet. As could be expected, a wild variety of rare orchids could be seen so also Buddhist monasteries. We found the handloom and handicraft not quite attractive except for their traditional dress.
Interestingly, Sikkim being a Buddhist majority State, sale of liquor is strictly banned on full moon day (Hunnime). This is in deference to Lord Buddha's day of birth, the liquor shop owner told me.
A visit to Tsomgo Lake at a height of nearly 13,000 feet with 50 feet depth is worth visiting more for the adventure of driving on that narrow, treacherous road skirting the sky - kissing vertical peaks on one side and a deep valley on the other side with loose earth at the kerbs on many stretches. It is 35km from Gangtok and one will have to take special permission with photographs and also identity card to visit this place which is on the way to China border Nathula.
We had hired taxis of Darjeeling registration but the rule is only Gangtok taxis with local drivers are allowed to ply on this road. We could not go to Nathula Pass, the Chinese border, where change-of-guard could also be seen if on time, but we went to the shrine of a martyr (see picture 1 & 2) two kms from the China border — Baba Harbhajan Singh — which has a legend of its own about his spiritual powers to guide our forces stationed there in a mysterious way. A plaque on the wall talks about this soldier who now after death is considered as a saint and known also as Tsomgo Nathula Baba. The plaque reads as follows:
Late Baba Harbhajan Singh
No. 2456687 Late Sep Harbhajan Singh (23 Punjab) belonged to village Browndal, District Kapurthala. He was enrolled into the Punjab Regiment on 09 Feb., '66. On 04 Oct., '68 while escorting a mule column from his Battalion Headquarters at Tukla to Deng Dhukla, he slipped and fell into a fast-flowing stream and got drowned. There is a belief that he appeared in the dream of one of his colleagues from 23 Punjab and expressed desire for a samadhi to be constructed in his memory. The samadhi was accordingly constructed by 23 Punjab in area near Chhokhya Chho, which was reconstructed at the present site as part of watershed memorial complex. Over the years, this samadhi has acquired the status of a place of pilgrimage and is frequented by service personnel as well as civilians. Every year in the month of October, on the occasion of Infantry Day, a wreath-laying ceremony is held at this site in honour of all those gallant soldiers who laid their lives defending the country.
As you drive to this place, you find at one spot on the barren hill side written the legend "Mera Bharat Mahan, Hum Hi Jitenge" in English (see picture 3).
The hills, barren, seem to be made of brittle, fragile soil which keeps sliding on the road built by the Border Road Organisation and maintained by them. You can see giant earthmovers and other equipment constantly at work.
We left this place at 2 pm and at 2.30 pm sun disappeared, heavy mist began to waft across and soon it was pitch dark forcing the driver to switch on the fog - light and cut down the already 30 km speed. Then began the rain with hailstorm that turned the grey slushy road into a ribbon of white posing the risk of vehicle skidding. Then on, it was crawling taking advantage of a heavy truck that was in front moving along its tyre mark. It was a rare experience many are not likely to get. The Axis Bank ad is often seen on TV extolling its ATM on top of Sikkim's Nathula and it is true! We saw it.
Yak, looking like massive buffaloes, grazing, of what is available by way of grass and shrubs, is a common sight along the way. Yak is also the beast of burden for transporting military cargo to inaccessible areas of military and civilian presence. There was, at that 13,025 ft. height, a Yak Golf Course in East Sikkim set up in 2008 and is on Guinness World Record. Our own JWGC players may try their luck here, whenever or if they go to Sikkim.
There are another three attractions in Gangtok worth taking note of. One is the ropeway. Wonder why we can’t have it here? Talk of trees to be sacrificed is not correct if you see this and travel in this small, modest ropeway, is great fun and entertainment for the locals as also tourists. Then there is the Mahatma Gandhi Road which is like the famous vehicle - free Mall in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh (see picture 4 taken early in the morning).
It is traffic free and the median is broad and landscaped with flower beds and fountains. In the night it looks beautiful. The shopkeepers too are happy and do good business. We can try this either on Sayyaji Rao Road or D. Devaraj Urs Road and make shopping pleasant for everybody, especially to tourists. And look how vehicles are provided with parking lot away from the mall. As for taxis, a multi - storeyed building houses hundreds of them (see picture 5). Why not we have a similar vehicle parking building for those visiting Zoo, D. Devaraja Urs Road, Ashoka Road and Sayyaji Rao Road to begin with? Our elected representatives must take initiative now before it is too late as in Bangalore. As a memorabilia, we were also issued Certificates of Visit to the Watershed Memorial located on the India - China border along the old silk - route by the Garrison Commander.
I have always loved travelling by train. While in Mumbai over three decades ago, I was a regular weekly commuter on Deccan Queen plying between Pune and Mumbai — a great experience. The scenic beauty outside apart, the food served and the gambling in cards to pass time was to be seen to be believed. And then it was known for punctuality. I had heard of Ooty train and also the world-famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the Toy Train where people really travelled. It was operational in 1881 and rose nearly 7,000 feet on its 53-mile journey. I was told its average speed was just over a mile per hour!
As for us there was no train. The Gorkha Land agitation had taken its toll. But then there were other compensations in this queen of hill stations which used to be British Bengal's summer capital. Our guide told us that original Darjeeling was part of Sikkim, but the then king parted it to the British India. Darjeeling is 115 kms from Gangtok. It also offers a spectacular view of Himalayan ranges including Mount Kanchenjunga — if there is no fog or mist or rain, of course. The elevation is 7001 feet.
The Tiger Hill visit at an unearthly hour of 3.30 am was touted to us ever since we checked into Sinclair's hotel where we were idling for two days playing snooker because of the two-day bundh demanding 'Gorkha Land' by GJMM organisation. So on the third day, we were in our car by 3.30 am in utter darkness and a steady drizzle, hoping it will be clear at the Tiger Hills to see the glorious sunrise, rays of which would touch the snow - tipped peak of Mount Kanchenjunga. At 4 am we were there, but heavy rain lashed the area. We rushed back to our vehicle and waited again till 5.30 am and left disappointed. In Darjeeling it is sunrise and bright even at 4.30 am.
Other interesting places: the never - miss ones are the Japanese Temple and the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, where in the same campus is the world - renowned Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. Worth a visit.
Water - scarcity seems to be daunting here. Our hotel gets water by tankers from 14 kms away. For a tank of water of 600 litres, the cost is Rs. 800, says the driver. However, to some areas, water is supplied through a three - step pumping arrangement.
English, again, is commonly used almost like the first language in shops and sign - boards.
Our guide says there are three racial people here. One is Lepchas, the original inhabitants, then the Bhutias and the Nepalis. The last one is said to be the majority — probably for this reason, the demand for Gorkha Land. At present, BJP's Jaswant Singh is the MP from Darjeeling. There are three MLAs.
Paradoxically, there is a Mahakala Shiva Mandir, but in the same sanctum sanctorum there is also a Buddhist Stupa right in front with two Buddhist monks performing rituals along with Hindu priests. Strange but true. It was a compromise formula to resolve the ownership problem.
Yes, finally, what about the world - famous Darjeeling tea? We are told the ongoing agitation has taken its toll on the volume and quality of this famous tea.
