My home town, Darjeeling, cannot be simply described in words - it's just not enough. It has much content and it's impossible for me to get my hands on all of it. Here, in short, I have tried to give it a face which I have always seen. A face which I always like.
It's a small town situated in the state of West Bengal, India. It's surrounded by hills on all sides and provides a view which is most exhilarating. I wake up everyday in the morning and take a look outside and what do I find? A new kind of beauty thats different than what I had seen it in the previous morning. We know that to know someone's feelings, one has to get right into his/her boots and similarly, one has to come and visit the place to feel nature shining on them - I tell you it's just incredible. Mount Kanchendzonga can be seen from the very town to it's full length on the backdrop and it seems like nature is here to stay forever, despite the odds created by mankind. The Gigantic snow-capped mountains adds glory to Darjeeling and makes us proud to be a part of it.
In brief, my hometown comprises of people from various communities - Gorkhas/Nepalese, Tibetans, Marwaris, Biharis etc. Despite of mutual differences regarding cultural backgrounds, I feel there is some kind of a magic which binds them all - amalgamation of various communities. Frankly speaking (keep it a secret), the only thing thats affecting it is the political afflictions bestowed upon by the politicians. The innocent minds attached to nature are being disturbed and god forbid nothing goes wrong. Oh!! I am going off the track, SORRY!!!. What was I talking about? Yes, the main resource regarding the town's economy is Tea Production and Tourism. As regards tea, well lets not make complicated, it's world famous and is very costly, but is affordable if you don't opt for the high range ones. Darjeeling Tea itself is a huge topic and since this site comprises of personal data, I just can't accommodate it. Well, there are other sites on Darjeeling and it's Tea - you can refer to that, if you are interested. It's hand picked and is simply hair raising - hahaha!!!!. So, guys taking a sip of Darjeeling Tea is worth a try and I tell you that you will not regret it provided that the tea is genuine. One thing, beware!! there are lots of people selling tea in the name of Darjeeling and those obviously tastes awful - do all the necesssary finding of details before buying. Yes, another backbone of the town's economy is Tourism. Hundreds, I may say thousands of tourists flock to Darjeeling every year to admire the town's natural beauty. Although, it has massive buildings now a days and have become more commercialised, the surrounding hills still have their say and thats why thousands of tourists from all over the world come to visit the place. Another thing which Darjeeling is proud of is it's TOY TRAIN which recently got the status of WORLD HERITAGE conferred upon by UNESCO. Not only Darjeeling, but the whole nation should be proud of such a possession. We are it's owners and we surely do feel proud, but I am doubtful regarding the whole nation in becoming proud because there were some disputes regarding the venue of the ceremony for conferring the status by UNESCO. Some people wanted the ceremony to be down in the plains - a ceremony of the hills in the plains - don't you think it's a bit abnormal idea? Well let me not go deeper into it, coz it's gonna be a different topic and will be full of controversies.
There are other places of interest and like I have told you before, it's impossible for me to include everything on this small page. It's a place where you can feel the proximity of the stars and can dream on. It's a place that is intoxicating and yet pleasant. It's heaven on earth. It's called the "Queen Of Hills".
If you are interested in knowing more then you can click on the pictures above to go to http://www.darjeelinginfo.com which has your answers and if you are still not satisfied then you can write to me and I'll try my best to provide you the appropriate links. |