Riverside stroll

The Kolkata skyline with the Hugli in the foreground. You can just about make out the lights of
Eden Gardens on the right

Place: KOLKATA

The Kolkata skyline seen from across the Hugli. This afternoon pic is taken from the Howrah side of the river, just south of the famous Howrah railway station.

A building in Bhawanipur, central
Kolkata. Note the hand drawn
rickshaws, outlawed years ago,
but still plying!

Kolkata, once the political capital of the British empire in India, has been a city in almost continuous decline ever since independence. Yet, as this pic indicates, it is a city that has potential. Though not visible from in this pic, it has an enormous treasure house of architectural riches. But years of apathy means most old buildings have little or no maintenance and are crumbling, the roads are chokingly full of largely obsolete traffic, there is little modicum of order and very little to suggest that at this time even a century, it was south Asia's leading city and fount of ideas.

The Hugli, part of the Ganga, is an integral part of the city's life stream, and thousands cross the river by boats and ferries on their way to work. There are still some ghats where a stroll is a pleasant experience and totally warranted. Try that, or a ferry ride upstream to Belur to feel the beauty of the city that has lost in decades of apathy.

The city has begun to show some signs of revival, though there is an enormously long way to go. 

Spud time

Harvesting potato in Bardhaman district of West Bengal

Place: BARDHAMAN

The humble, and now less popular among the weight conscious, potato's history in India is not really a very old one. But in the few centuries that it has made its home in India, it has already become almost the staple Indian vegetable.

Today almost all the potato plant grown in India is for domestic consumption. But there is another category - the process grade potato, which is used to make chips and french fries. Just 3% of India's current production of potato, this crop is much in demand by corporations who make potato snacks.

Lots of research,planning and innovation goes into this. This contraption here, the Bengal Potato Planter, is a locally produced contraption that does away with the need to harvest the crop manually. Traditionally the crop was harvested by hand, but this is too slow a process for commercial production, apparently. And you thought there wasn't much to the potato besides addictive snacking and feeling guilty! 

Grand past, future uncertain

All set to set off from Ghum station, the highest in India. 

Place: GHUM

One of the most iconic symbols of Indian railways, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway may be a World Heritage project, local politics has ensured that has come to at its worst ever.

The train / route has played such an important role in popular culture, especially at a time when Bengal and Calcutta were the centre of Indian elite. For well over a century, it has delighted generations of tourists as entire families would take the train to the matchingly beautiful destination of Darjeeling.

When it was listed by UNESCO in 1999, it became only the second railway to get that honour, though it has since been joined by two more routes in India alone.

The track passes through picturesque little towns, and from almost
within touching distance of houses! 

The 86-km route was commissioned in 1881, and has since been modified a number of times, usually to better align to the hill gradients, as it rises from 100 m above sea  level to 2,200 through a spectacularly beautiful countryside - starting with verdant forests of Sukna, meandering through low hills at first and then increasingly higher mountain towns. The towns it passes are lovely as well, with house balconies often adorned with flowers growing in polythene bags! The tea gardens, uniformly arranged, with narrow passages and colourful tea plucking ladies, add their own charm.

The steam engines chug along for the better part of the journey along Hill Cart Road, which connects Shiliguri to Darjeeling. As a child, my mother, who grew up in the tea estates of the region, remembers running along the train, and getting on and off at will, so slowly did it move in parts. The route is steep, and in parts the train goes through loops, of which the Batasia is most famous. There are even parts where it reverses to move forward. For many parts, it almost seems to pass through people's houses, and travelling on it can give the passenger a first look at hill homes of the region, up close.

Due to damages to the rail track, the Darjeeling
Himalayan railway currently operates only from
Kurseong to Darjeeling

There are many small stations, though Kurseong is the major halting station. Quaint names such as Ghum and Sonada are like dream towns, where the townspeople, used to stares from passengers, go about their lives without noticing the train much.

Today the Gorkhaland dispute has meant that most of the route is in disarray. The train only runs from Kurseong to Darjeeling as unrepaired tracks means the route upto Kurseong is no longer operational. The carriages require upkeep, and there are comparatively few tourists as people are unwilling to come to a politically disturbed area. However it continues to draw some tourists and railway enthusiasts. And despite the hard times, hardly any visitor goes away without leaving a part of his heart behind to this Himalayan heritage. 

Bridges can be pink too

It's a long drop to the bottom, don't even think about the jump, 
there's too much time to reflect en route! 

Place: SEVOKE

Yes, that's the super impressive Sevoke bridge over the Teesta in north Bengal. And its got a recent coat of paint.

Now called the Coronation bridge, it was opened in 1941. Named to commemorate the coronation of King George VI in 1937, it has since been a crucial link linking north eastern India to Bengal.

As it was built over a fast flowing river, it was apparently never an option to get any help from the river in construction, so the two sides of the river are anchored on the rock ranges on either side. It's a very long drop to the bottom - note the size of the vehicles on the bridge to put its size in perspective- and for the adventurous, there are some roughly hewn steps down to the river bank.

For decades, it has been one of the most important tourist spots near Shiliguri, though there is very little place to spread out - it is in the Himalayas. The bridge offers spectacular views of the Teesta as it flows through a narrow gorge.

There's a popular temple nearby. But you will have donate elsewhere too - the bridge has monkeys that are ready to snatch any eatables you might display! Experts at eyeing their targets - chips packets, bananas, corn, etc, the speed at which they approach can be disconcerting. 

Period piece

Glenary's reputation continues to attract visitors

Place: DARJEELING


Glenary's in Darjeeling is definitely among the places where time has stood still. Here the days of the Raj continue to hold sway as the entire ambience of this restaurant is geared towards maintaining it.

The main eatery still has items like meat pie on the menu. Try the cakes and pastries on offer. The best - look out of the window to get a great view of the Himalayas.

There is even a bar, The Buzz, on the floor below, though today it plays more local music than anything else. Along with the rest of this once glittering city, this restaurant has been in decline since the separatist Gorkhaland movement has affected the region.

May its halycon days return soon, for it is too precious too be permanently lost. 

Before the climb

Place: SUKNA

The Sukna forest at the foothills of the Himalayas on the way to Darjeeling is a quick getaway for those tired of Shiliguri's rampant commericialisation.

Where have you heard the name Sukna? Well, it has been in the news for a massive scam in the army due to sale of land in the area!

The forest, formally called the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, is just north of Shiliguri. Known much more its elephant herds, it also has lost of peacock and deer. This terai forest is famous for its rich variety of birds, making it a favourite haunt of birders. 

PLTs

Place: NORTH BENGAL

Hill flowers are just amazing. Or rather, flowers in the hills are amazing. just beautiful - the colours are vibrant, they last longer, all due to the weather of course.

Of course, we plains folk only see them in summer, not when they are asleep in winter.

This is somewhere enroute to Darjeeling on an April early afternoon

Floral interpretation

Place: KOLKATA

At the lobby of ITC Sonar Bangla.

Alpanas with rice paste are a common tradition in West Bengal. Here a contemporary twist as it is done with flowers. The diyas just heighten the impact on  grey-black granite floor.

This shot is taken in the evening. 

Unity of mind

The Belur Math as seen from the river Hugli. 

Place: BELUR

A view of Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math. Founded by Swami Vivekananda, it is today a huge attraction for local people, who throng here daily in large numbers.

The Belur complex began in 1897, when Swami Vivekananda started work here. The main temple is The Ramakrishna temple, which resembles a temple, a mosque, a church if seen from different positions.

This photo is taken from a river cruise ship on the Hugli, just as the evening aarti is concluding. 

Nostagia

Place: KOLKATA

The palaces of old Kolkata are one of the sadder stories of our times. Once grand and opulent, many of them are a state of ruin as often there has been a decline in family fortunes and no one, including the state is bothered.

I feel there should a trust, with or without the support of the state, that can take care of these really magnificent buildings. Part of our recent heritage, any part of them lost is a slice of history that is gone forever.

These palaces are largely in north Kolkata, in the older part of the city, built largely during British times. There are still some families that have managed to maintain them, but most seem to be in terminal decline. For a state that is looking for funds, this could easily turn into a huge heritage complex if someone did take the initiative.

This pic is taken in the evening from a cruise ship on the Hugli.