Darjeeling.

To have understood this place well you have to visit the crux of this inhabitation, in order to reveal the secret resources of infinite flora and fauna which are found here. It is to be noted that more dominantly than the major composition of the three-tiered economical structure namely, ‘Tea’ 'Tourism', and 'Timber'; Darjeeling can be likely explored to the optimum, if we can substantially pay attention to the outstanding and grasping characteristics of it's natural wealth. You need to have flair to look into the soul of this mighty land. I am talking about the adventurous perceptives such as trekking, Wild Life study, Orchid Management, extinct or dormant varieties of bird research, Cinchona expeditions, refinement and elevation for the assimilated studies on the promotion of Orange cultivation. The history of Darjeeling needs to be mentioned here, since this place has kept a very close relation with the world. The place was chosen to be the “Summer Capital of the British”. The past requires significant analysis and attention, because the profound love for Darjeeling by worldly citizens and for its distinctive and vibrant features. ‘Robust natural landscape is the most impressive criteria; it is the sheer originality. The Lloyd Botanical Garden, on the north-west town is an elaborate illustration to define the above statement. There are trees older than two-thousand years old, ‘rare’, and exotic. The trees are completely matured in sizes. The establishment of the garden was taken up by the General himself, when he was here in Darjeeling as a Superintendent in charge in the year 1835. Till now as per a concerned report it is known that not even a single shrub has been felled within the premises of the garden. Instead the authority has begun with a major type of program for the additional management of Orchid cultivation and Horticulture encouragement here in this garden. The medicinal segment of this garden has been improved upon consistently. Previously as we all know that Orchids we ushered only from Kalimpong, our neighboring hill. Wherever you be, you are always accompanied by the mystic feel of living in the Queen of Hills. I remember back when I was in school and we had to go on a trekking course at the ninth standard. It was obligatory. The season of late winters is the perfect time for sporty and exciting performances. The trek was initiated by my friend Choggyal, who was basically from North Sikkim. This time to relish his weekend in Darjeeling he came up to me and proposed the site of moving into the ‘Chimney’ (picture given). This is a course of dense forest path, crispy with rusty gold leaves, antique rosewood trees which are probably more than 500 years old, diamond white steam at long distances. The meandering path is around 28 kilometers, which carves its way through the mixed terrain of mud, grass, block stones, wet log woods, sand, and some unending dry brown leaves. You will hardly remember the walk, because every step that you feel deserves joy. The mild breeze refreshes your fatigue and sprays you with pure and intact oxygen. This place is still not exploited by human interference. The rare and extinct varieties of birds we find is mind-blowing. The abstract variety of calls you hear is unexplainable. The atmosphere there, is as if you are into a world where only nature lives with you. In solitude one really analyses the gracious presence of self in this grand design. One is surrounded with lush green, yellow-golden shelter. This forms the chimney type structure of the track. The gradient of the line is approximately 7* on an average while we travel from here. Actually it connects the upper Ghoom (the highest altitude Hill Station in the world) with the antique & remote part of Kurseong (Dow Hill upper). Every tree has got it’s own look, differentiating it from the rest. There are trees as high as 125 feet. where there are shrubs which percolate over 10ft. The Alpine and the Pine trees are the dominating ones. There are clusters of Rhododendron (Guras) at the quarter of the walk. At a point when we have walked for almost 50 min, we come across a 90 degree turn when we head north again. This is like turning back towards Darjeeling. To your great surprise you will find a natural mineral flowing with rapidity and smoothness. It is placed in hinge of the turn on the left. The silky fluid sloping on the water body below gives you quenching feeling against the dryness of the leaves. The floating music the water produces in the air rings like bells in our ears. There is a small connecting bridge made of log slices, and coconut ropes add to the flavor of the scene. It is risky by its approach, not quite enduring. It is suggested that, we should not cross that micro-pool with load more than 200 kilograms. We had to cross together. We wanted to feel the tension of the structure and it’s response. Bouncing up and down we ultimately made our way through. Now it was time to have a break, after walking about more than an hour, we halted beside a pond or in fact a moat, covered with flowery plants of various qualities. We dipped our legs in the water, to relax and soothe the temperature of our feet, and agitated ourselves to catch hold of at least a single. Later when cooking some soup in our mesh-cans I was scared by an uncommon breed of spider. Then we realized that, there were enormous types of insects, especially that rare variety of Beatle (Rhino-who loves to eat banana, jam & biscuits chewed) my friend had one in his rack-shack, which he had brought from his place, Sikkim to free it into this portion of territory. We were heavily prepared with the fundamental tools like, the foam mattress, three meters of polythene/plastic, packet food with mes-can, caribina, rope, binoculars, Rambo-knife, ‘match’, torches because we were planning to come back the next day. After recapitulation I found that a vast number of other insects were there, which was earlier not felt by us, since this was our first tour. The color of one bird, I still remember had more than a dozen colors, and its movement very much swift. Within seconds it just flew past me, flickering its magnificent, brightly colored wings. For a moment I felt a flash of a jovial mood inside me, and was deeply comforted by the creativity of God. I felt that we were blessed to have been there. To my surprise I glanced to see Choggyal with a big sized local chicken in his hand. Later he told me that the bird had been running around the water, trying to drink some, after being chased by a wolf, it flew past a water body and narrowly escaped arrest. He laughed and told that, the chicken had fallen into more cruel hands now, and he will make a feast out of it, since he had invested some labor on it, by aiming a pelt at it by his so called ‘catis/catapult’ an y-shaped instrument designed to fire stones, this one had shot and hit the target successfully for the last twenty times plus. After completion of his peeling process he started with the barbeque work. Since the fire was on and full fledged, because of the adequacy and surplus of fuelling materials, he grilled the flesh well. He seemed to be a real professional in that case. After sometime he took out a flat steel container out of his back and poured out little amount of brandy on to the chicken, which ignited it more aggressively. He said that the flesh will have a sort of marinated taste and will roast properly. The reason why he retained brandy with him was, for some mild bruises, for fuel in urgency, to cook etc. After winding up with those… (having food with some Guras wine), we started again, this time I took the lead. We walked at steady paces for about half an hour, and arrived at a rural village with a couple of huts. This place was a source of major amount of Cinchona, clove, and other medicinal valued plants and herbs production. We drank yak-milk, tasted some good ‘churpis’, and then moved on. The entire arena of this portion of the forest emitted the ambivalent fragrance of mixed spices. We were totally boggled by the natural offers, and the virginity of the plush green environment. It was then I decided that I can sacrifice anything for green. I engraved this angelic charm of nature deep deep in me. I inculcated the ‘naturalist’ aspect in me, and understood every move of the surrounding atmosphere. They say : ‘ To grow, we require space’ I reflected upon these words, and realized every word to be very meaningful The track was calling us….leading our aligned foot-steps towards more and more of fresh ground. As we gaily whistled,(not for fun sake) but to communicate with the hoots, we had to encounter, in a sudden a pair of glazy light silverfish-grey, well built wolves. I was struck with tension, as to determine what will happen. Neither they moved back, nor did we, the backer will be suppressed for sure, this is the rule of the wild. Then I noticed him…he took out the dry food pack (which contained dried, mimed meat) and threw it beside at a far off distance. They rushed to the place at once. He said me later that it was because of the essence of the flesh ,they had come howling towards us, and to forfeit the remains of the cooked chicken. It was getting dark and he ordered me to keep my torch at standby, and to get it checked once. I prepared myself with his commands. The evening rays showered the forest with a golden glow and the entire thing looked like…a fantasy. We noticed birds returning home, fluttering for the cause been done, and with dew responsibilities, for the care and nourishment of home, to gather food for their children, they had to head home soon. It was getting dark. I and may be we were missing home now. I observed a huge white bird may be a Subotica, with a broken wing, hurrying its way among other species. I felt the acute feelings of shouldering responsibilities, though I was incapable of then. This brought about in me a weird feeling of melancholia. The feelings gushed to me so spontaneously, that I could barely avoid it. It was true that mamma tells us that we are still young. Like these sheltering trees, over the flowery plants, we do have the sturdy shelter at home. Growing up gradually, we should learn to reflect or analyze things deeply, not accounting anything just at its face value. I found the flower plants to be symbolic of us, since we too have so much to offer to the world, since we are fresh and energetic, and colorful ones. This again composed me back to normality and gave me a ‘ray of optimism’, and with this last ray of positive hope, the sun went to relax for the day, and we were left to analyze or rather check our preparation, and our experience as to how our first day in jungle would be.