Darjeeling Trip: Toy Trains to Tea Estates

Any trip to Darjeeling can not be considered complete without visiting it's tea estates, for which the place is renowned all over the world. The heritage toy trains are also a major tourist attraction of Darjeeling. The scenery, that unfolds before your eyes, while taking a ride in the toy train, can be a surreal experience. During my trip, i had the opportunity to explore these two famous T's of Darjeeling, i.e. Tea Estates and Toy Train.

Tea Estates

As we all know, Darjeeling is one of the largest producer of premium tea in the world and the place reaches to all Indian homes through the rich aroma of tea produced here. While having Darjeeling tea sitting at your home may be a stimulating experience, a stroll through the tea gardens and interaction with tea workers may also be a memorable one. 

Tea Garden at Mirik, Darjeeling

There are many tea estates in Darjeeling area and some of them were established in the post-independence era by our colonial cousins. In fact the tea plantation was introduced in this area by the Britishers only. One can visit these gardens after taking permission from the manager of estate. Some tea estates in Darjeeling area also offer vacation packages to tourists to experience life in the gardens along with stays in heritage bungalows, plus musical and cultural activities that are rarely found anywhere else in the world. 

Some of the most renowned tea estates are : Makaibari, Glenberg, Happy Valley, Singtom and Gomtee.

Toy Trains

Apart from the tea gardens, Darjeeling has one more major tourist attraction, which finds it's place in the wishlist of each tourist travelling to the hill station, i.e. the toy trains of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). It has been accorded UNESCO World Heritage status due to engineering acumen and creative skills employed in it's construction, making it the 2nd Railway in the world to receive such status. The toy trains are also the legacy of the British rule. Operating on narrow gauge tracks since 1880s, these steam engine toy trains offer unique ride through breath-taking landscapes, picturesque mountains, villages and shops on the way with children waving at you. 

Though DHR operates toy trains between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling covering total distance of around 80 kms, the most preferred section by the tourists is Ghum (the highest railway station of Asia) to Darjeeling, a 7 km long track. The train moves along the hilly terrain with snail's pace, taking around 2 hours to complete 14 km journey from Ghum to Darjeeling and back. The train operates 04 times a day between Ghum & Darjeeling. One advice for travelers wishing to board these joyride trains - Please book your tickets in advance, as you may not get it over the counter due to heavy rush of tourists.  Online Ticket booking may be made through the website of IRCTC.

Tourists, while reaching Darjeeling city by road, can see the toy train running parallel to the Hill kart road and climbing up to the famous Batasia loop. 

It stops here for 10 minutes giving the tourists opportunity to capture the magnificent views of Darjeeling town and snow caped ranges of Mt. Kanchandzonga. Batasia loop has itself been developed as a tourist place with manicured garden and a war memorial at the centre.

Toy Train near Batasia Loop

View of Mt. Kanchandzonga from Batasia Loop

Joyride Train 

View of Darjeeling Town from Batasia Loop

War Memorial built in the honor of Gorkha Soldiers

The place has been picturized in many Hindi and Bangla movies and the most notable of them is the song "Mere Sapno Ki Rani" from the movie Aaradhana picturized on the superstar Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore and Sujeet Kumar. You can compare the Batasia loop of 1969 (the year, Aaaradhana released) and now. I will leave you with the melodious and evergreen tune of the legendary music composer S D Burman. Enjoy!

यात्रा और यात्री (Travel and Traveler)

 साँस चलती है तुझे

 चलना पड़ेगा ही मुसाफिर!

चल रहा है तारकों का
दल गगन में गीत गाता,
चल रहा आकाश भी है
शून्य में भ्रमता-भ्रमाता,
                 पाँव के नीचे पड़ी
                 अचला नहीं, यह चंचला है,
एक कण भी, एक क्षण भी
एक थल पर टिक न पाता,
                 शक्तियाँ गति की तुझे
                 सब ओर से घेरे हुए है;
                 स्थान से अपने तुझे
                 टलना पड़ेगा ही, मुसाफिर!
         साँस चलती है तुझे
         चलना पड़ेगा ही मुसाफिर!

थे जहाँ पर गर्त पैरों
को ज़माना ही पड़ा था,
पत्थरों से पाँव के
छाले छिलाना ही पड़ा था,
                 घास मखमल-सी जहाँ थी
                 मन गया था लोट सहसा,
थी घनी छाया जहाँ पर
तन जुड़ाना ही पड़ा था,
                 पग परीक्षा, पग प्रलोभन
                 ज़ोर-कमज़ोरी भरा तू
                 इस तरफ डटना उधर
                 ढलना पड़ेगा ही, मुसाफिर;
         साँस चलती है तुझे
         चलना पड़ेगा ही मुसाफिर!

शूल कुछ ऐसे, पगो में
चेतना की स्फूर्ति भरते,
तेज़ चलने को विवश
करते, हमेशा जबकि गड़ते,
                 शुक्रिया उनका कि वे
                 पथ को रहे प्रेरक बनाए,
किन्तु कुछ ऐसे कि रुकने
के लिए मजबूर करते,
                 और जो उत्साह का
                 देते कलेजा चीर, ऐसे
                 कंटकों का दल तुझे
                 दलना पड़ेगा ही, मुसाफिर;
         साँस चलती है तुझे
         चलना पड़ेगा ही मुसाफिर!

सूर्य ने हँसना भुलाया,
चंद्रमा ने मुस्कुराना,
और भूली यामिनी भी
तारिकाओं को जगाना,
                 एक झोंके ने बुझाया
                 हाथ का भी दीप लेकिन
मत बना इसको पथिक तू
बैठ जाने का बहाना,
                 एक कोने में हृदय के
                 आग तेरे जग रही है,
                 देखने को मग तुझे
                 जलना पड़ेगा ही, मुसाफिर;
         साँस चलती है तुझे
         चलना पड़ेगा ही मुसाफिर!

वह कठिन पथ और कब
उसकी मुसीबत भूलती है,
साँस उसकी याद करके
भी अभी तक फूलती है;
                 यह मनुज की वीरता है
                 या कि उसकी बेहयाई,
साथ ही आशा सुखों का
स्वप्न लेकर झूलती है
                 सत्य सुधियाँ, झूठ शायद
                 स्वप्न, पर चलना अगर है,
                 झूठ से सच को तुझे
                 छलना पड़ेगा ही, मुसाफिर;
         साँस चलती है तुझे
         चलना पड़ेगा ही मुसाफिर!

                    

                                      - हरिवंश राय बच्चन 

 

The Road not taken!

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood, 
And sorry I could not travel both 
And be one traveler, long I stood 
And looked down one as far as I could 
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 

Then took the other, as just as fair, 
And having perhaps the better claim 
Because it was grassy and wanted wear; 
Though as for that, the passing there 
Had worn them really about the same, 

And both that morning equally lay 
In leaves no step had trodden black.
 
Oh, I marked the first for another day! 
Yet knowing how way leads on to way 
I doubted if I should ever come back.
 

I shall be telling this with a sigh 
Somewhere ages and ages hence: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, 
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference.

                                          - Robert Frost

Music of the Mountains - The Art of Sikkim

Apart from it's magnificent and scenic Landscapes, Mountains are known for it's soulful and mellifluous music. Sikkim, a tranquil hill station in Eastern Himalayas is known for it's beautiful blend of music and dance forms of three communities - Lepcha, Bhutia and Nepali. Folk dances and songs have been ingrained in the culture of Sikkim. The music and dance forms of Sikkim have the ability to transport the audience to another world and leave them spell-bound like it's snow-caped mountain ranges, fast-flowing rivers, flora and fauna. 

It is often believed that in order to know the people of any region, it is better to know about their songs, dances and other forms of entertainment. If you are in Sikkim, I would suggest you to discover the melodious music and elegant dance forms. If you are lucky enough, you will get to watch dancing and singing performances of local artists, while roaming around M G Road. During my stay at Sikkim, i got to witness many wonderful performances, some of which, i still remember.

Here, I have attempted to present some Bhutia and Nepali songs, which are immensely popular in the hilly state. I hope, you will enjoy listening these folk songs.

Music of Himachal and Uttarakhand does also fascinates me, though i have not heard much. If you would like to share your thoughts on music of the hills, you are most welcome. 

An Unforgettable Trip to Tiger Hills, Darjeeling!

In our sojourn to Darjeeling, the first day was spent on travelling from Gangtok to Darjeeling and roaming around Mall Road of the city. On 2nd day, we had to visit Tiger Hills in the early morning to catch glimpse of Sunrise in the Mountains. It is said that if you are in Darjeeling, you must visit Tiger Hills. We had also heard numerous times from our friends in Sikkim that the views of snow-caped ranges of Mt. Kanchanjangha and Mt. Everest at sunrise from this spot were breathtaking and worth-watching, so we were quite eager to visit the place. 

We had to start at 3:00 AM from our hotel in order to reach Tiger Hills before the sunrise, as the place is around 15 km away from the main city and secondly, the sun rises as early as 04:00 AM in the Mountains.Tiger Hill is nothing, but a sunrise point in Darjeeling from where whole range of Mt. Kanchanjangha can be seen bathing in the golden rays of the sun.

We started at 03:00 in the morning, sacrificing our best hours of sleep. As the vehicle was hired in advance, we reached at the spot well before the sunrise, thinking that we were the only early birds. However, after walking some distance towards the hilltop, we realized that we were wrong, as a huge gathering was already present at the venue, wrestling for occupying the front seats. All the seats in the building erected at the sunrise point were occupied by the time, we reached there. It was a chilly winter night and we were shivering with cold, being in an open space at the highest point in Darjeeling area (altitude of 8482 ft). All including me were waiting eagerly for the sun to rise and hoping for a clear sunny day, so that the snow-laden mountain peaks can be seen in the most beautiful form.

Tiger Hill Pavilion

It was around 04:15 AM, when the sun rays dawned upon us and a long agonizing wait came to an end. Suddenly, people started running to find a good view-point, from where both the rising sun and the giant Himalayan ranges could be captured in cameras.

The view of sunrise making everything look orange was spectacular and it's reflection on snow-white mountain ranges turning them into a giant gold heap left us completely spell-bound.

Sunrise as seen from Tiger Hills

Though the mountain peaks were covered by the clouds, we managed to capture some good images of those peaks. Just being there itself was a wonderful experience.

Mt. Kanchanjangha ranges

In the next post, we will explore famous Batasia Loop, Tea Gardens and other tourist spots of Darjeeling. Till then Sayonara!

Darjeeling: The queen of Hill Stations in India!

After a series of posts on Mysore, a heritage city of southern Indian peninsula, now is the time to travel up the Northern hills of Mighty Himalayas and this time, it is Darjeeling, the queen of Eastern Himalayas. Darjeeling is one of those places in India, which needs no introduction, as it has many facets to be famous and known by all. I have been exploring various parts of mystic Sikkim during my stay at Gangtok for 03 years and a trip to Darjeeling was on the cards from the day one, being the neighboring area of Sikkim. 
What i observed during my several trips to Sikkim and Darjeeling was that Sikkim was relatively untouched and less explored territory, where one could unravel many gems of natural beauty, whereas, Darjeeling had certain heritage value apart from having plenty of  natural landscapes, flora and fauna. The place is famous among all classes of travelers for it's six T's - Tea, Teak, Tourism, Tiger Hills, Trekking and Toy Train.

To explore these six T's of Darjeeling, one fine morning, we, a group of 08 persons started our trip to Darjeeling from Gangtok. It was a 4 hours (nearly 95 km) smooth ride mostly on serpentine and curvaceous NH-31A, the lifeline of Sikkim, which connects it to the rest of India. For us, it was like, first going down the hill into the planes and then again going up the hill, as Darjeeling is comparatively at higher altitude. Topographically, there is no difference between Sikkim and Darjeeling. The only difference, one can make out between the two is that the later falls in West Bengal district.

With in two hours of our journey, we had crossed Rangpo, a border town of Sikkim and had left NH-31A after Jorethang for the road (Lebong Cart Road) leading to Darjeeling. We had gone hardly a few kilometers from Jorethang and a beautiful sight of confluence of Teesta & Rangit, two major rivers of Sikkim greeted us.

Confluence of Teesta & Rangit Rivers

As we were moving up the road leading to Darjeeling, the weather was getting colder and fog was engulfing the surroundings. Soon, we crossed Lamahatta eco-tourism park and a good travel destination in itself, regarding which i will write separately. 

After another hour's journey through the famous Hill Cart Road, we had entered dazzling Darjeeling. At the entry point, our vehicle's papers were checked at the check post and we entered the city with high anticipation of fun and joy in exploring the famous hill station. As we were slowly snaking up the hills, a narrow-gauge railway track along the road grabbed our attention and we instantly realized that this is the track on which the famous toy trains of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway ply. soon, Ghum Railway Station was before our eyes. 

Ghum Railway Station

Ghum Railway Station is the highest Railway Station in India located at the height of around 7400 ft. A joy ride in the toy train from Ghum to Batasiya Loop, Darjeeling offering magnificent views may be a wonderful experience for travelers. 

We had reached there by 02:00 PM and decided to look for hotels for our night stay. Darjeeling has plenty of all budget hotels and it didn't take much time to search hotel rooms. After settling in the rooms, we started exploring local markets and famous Mall Road, popularly known as Chowrasta.

The Chowrasta is the heart of Darjeeling town. It's a flat land where tourists and locals come to enjoy in the sun and watch the wonderful views of the mountain peaks and valleys all around sitting on the benches. Here, you will find some of the old and heritage stores lined up on one side, and open view on the other with many pine trees all around. If you want to feel the real vibe of Darjeeling, Chowrasta is the right  place for you. You may also notice many young local fellows with their ponies offering horse rides to tourists.

Chowrasta at Darjeeling

Cultural Programme for tourists at Hawa Ghar, Chowrasta

We took a stroll in the bustling mall road, did some shopping of woolen clothing, for which the place is also famous for and enjoyed the cultural & musical programme going on at Chowrasta. We returned to our hotel taking colourful memories of Mall Road with us and thinking to visit the place again, if time permits. 

Next Morning, we had to start for Tiger Hills, a tourist spot, from where the magnificent view of the ranges of Mt. Kanchanjangha can be seen in a sunny morning. In the next post, i will take you all to Tiger Hills and many other tourist places of Darjeeling. Till then Adios!

नालंदा के खंडहर! (The ruins of Nalanda!)

नालंदा विश्वविद्यालय के अवशेष!

कल्पना का गीत:

यह खँडहर किस स्वर्ण-अजिर का?
धूलों में सो रहा टूटकर रत्नशिखर किसके मन्दिर का?
यह खँडहर किस स्वर्ण-अजिर का?

यह किस तापस की समाधि है?
किसका यह उजड़ा उपवन है?
ईंट-ईंट हो बिखर गया यह
किस रानी का राजभवन है?

यहाँ कौन है, रुक-रुक जिसको
रवि-शशि नमन किये जाते हैं?
जलद तोड़ते हाथ और
आँसू का अर्ध्य दिये जाते हैं?

प्रकृति यहाँ गम्भीर खड़ी
किसकी सुषमा का ध्यान रही कर?
हवा यहाँ किसके वन्दन में
चलती रुक-रुक, ठहर-ठहर कर?

है कोई इस शून्य प्रान्त में
जो यह भेद मुझे समझा दे,
रजकण में जो किरण सो रही
उसका मुझको दरस दिखा दे?

इतिहास का उत्तर:

कल्पने! धीरे-धीरे गा!
यह टूटा प्रासाद सिद्धि का, महिमा का खँडहर है,
ज्ञानपीठ यह मानवता की तपोभूमि उर्वर है।
इस पावन गौरव-समाधि को सादर शीश झुका।
कल्पने! धीरे-धीरे गा!

-- रामधारी सिंह "दिनकर"