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In the summer of ’79, I had the opportunity to accompany my family on a trip to Darjeeling the picturesque hill resort, popular with the Sahibs during the British Raj.
As nearly everyone knows, the USP of Darjeeling is the famous toy train installed by the British and now a widely acclaimed world heritage. In retrospect, the train and its rail network are one of the few things that we must thank the Sahibs for.
In retrospect, the train and its rail network are one of the few things that we must thank the Sahibs for.
One can drive up to Darjeeling or fly in to Bag Dogra airport nearby. However, if you miss a ride on the train you’ve missed a great good deal. Well, in reality, the toy train is not that small; it carries a sizeable number of passengers. As the train winds its way up to the town, at a sluggish pace you can catch glimpses of the lifestyle of the local populace. As the train passes through tiny, tad shabby hamlets with quaint names. e.g., Tung, Ghoom, Sonada, Batasia et al., you see people going about doing their daily chores; bystanders, mostly little children, wave cheerily at the passengers while the train ambles past them. The picture must have changed after so many decades, but the uncluttered unhurried pace of life sort of seeps into you!
The idyllic sylvan city with undulating slopes and hillsides draped by verdant tea-gardens, lofty snowy peaks of the eastern Himalayas left us mesmerized. However, my parents, who had been here on a month-long sabbatical, much before I was born, turned up their noses at the tiny piles of garbage here and there recalling that the town was much cleaner those days.
We enjoyed strolling down the Mall, Darjeeling’s nerve centre, dotted with swanky shops selling all kinds of merchandise – from antiques, ethnic artifacts to yummy delicatessen and gateau.
Nonetheless we enjoyed strolling down the Mall, Darjeeling’s nerve centre, dotted
with swanky shops selling all kinds of merchandise – from antiques, ethnic artifacts to yummy delicatessen and gateau. We also visited the Dhir Dham (Hindu) temple, and the famous Ghoom monastery nearby. There are a few majestic churches dotting the town which are a must see. Darjeeling also boasts of several missionary residential schools which cater to children of glitterati and celebrities to this day
My parents reminisced about their visit the samadhi (final resting place) of the Maharaja of Bhawal (his death was a sensational legal case) which lies way out of town at a much lower height. They had found the desolate graveyard overrun with briar roses growing wild. The details were interesting. However, as we siblings are lethargic and not good walkers the idea of a repeat visit was scrapped.
One morning, when we reached Tiger Hill a strategic point in town – hoping to behold the fabled sunrise over Mount Kanchenjunga – clouds played havoc and eclipsed the view!
On the final day, while the iconic toy train – which we had boarded – had chugged its way down to Kurseong town, the pall of dark clouds suddenly lifted and Lo and Behold, the majestic Kanchenjunga came into view in its full glory!
On the final day, while the iconic toy train – which we had boarded – had chugged its way down to Kurseong town, the pall of dark clouds suddenly lifted and Lo and Behold, the majestic Kanchenjunga came into view in its full glory! The golden light of the morning sun, glistening on the snowy peaks lent it an ethereal beauty. The azure sky above and the mantle of green below completed the picture. This Godsend experience still remains vivid in my memory!
Photos from the Internet
