Magnetic Dantum Valley, Pelling (Sikkim)

Darjeeling: Magnificent Mountains, Toy Train Stations, Tea Gardens And A Cry For Freedom

Day 2: Darjeeling: May 3, 2014

It was a rainy, foggy day. The most stunning part of the day came in the evening when a guy pointed out Kanchenjunga faraway at a distance. It seemed like a marble stairway to the sky since it was way taller than the other mountains. The first comparison that came in my mind was with Taj Mahal. Kanchenjunga (Third highest mountain peak in the world, 29500 feet) like Taj, has a majestic pull that's indescribable. You can't do anything except watching it amidst silence.

The joyride in the toy train from Darjeeling to Ghoom (highest toy train station in the world) was a mixed bag. The rain played spoilsport to some extent but once the rain stopped and the cloudy fog gave way to delightfully serene clear sky, it was a treat. Darjeeling Himalyan Railway was established by Britishers in 1881. It must have been an arduous task then to build such a railway line in a dense hilly terrain. It was awarded World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1999. The British Steam Engine still powers the toy train that runs from Darjeeling to Ghoom twice everyday.

I woke up early. I thought it must be 7 am since the sunlight had seeped in through the windows but I was shocked to realise it was merely 4:30 am. Sun rises early in the East. I went back to sleep. It was exhilarating to run on the hilly road. I was pumped up for the day.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was launched by the first Prime Minister of India, Mr Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954, an year after New Zealand's Edmund Hillary and India's Tenzing Norgay conquered Mount Everest (29800 feet), the highest mountain peak in the world. Mount Everest was named after the first Surveyor General of India Mr George Everest in 1856. Mount Everest is also known as Chomolungma (Tibetans) and Sagarmatha (Nepalese).

The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute has a minefield of information on how several brave hearts attempted to climb Mount Everest before Hillary and his guide Norgay finally achieved what was considered impossible. One newspaper clipping caught my attention which stated that a Britisher George Mallory had actually climbed Mount Everest in 1924 but he never reached back. Seventy five years later in 1999 his body was found on top of Mount Everest.

Japanese Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist Temple nestled amidst thick trees and greenery. The structure is magnificent and the peaceful ambience makes you gape in silence. I saw this written on one of the walls: "No Nuclear Weapons In Our Beautiful World." Considering that Japanese have had a bitter experience of being inflicted with two nuclear bombs at the end of Second World War, they are the best ambassadors to dissuade other nations from even contemplating the use of Nuclear weapons ever again.

The visit to a Tea Garden was a wonderful experience. Scenic and pacifying. We were treated to some freshly brewed green tea and masala tea. Watching the foggy clouds flirting with the curvy rows of tea plantations as you drink the world famous Darjeeling Tea makes you at peace with yourself.

The evening was spent at Chowrasta that could be called as the Mall Road of Darjeeling. Horse rides, tea and curio shops, restaurants, it was simply buzzing with people. No vehicles are allowed in this area.

I noticed that Gorkhaland has been written on top of most of the shops in Darjeeling. The local population out here is comprised of Nepalis, Bhutias and Lepchas. Somehow they don't identify themselves with the Bengali culture. Locals generally feel that they are given a step brotherly treatment by the West Bengal government since nothing much has been done in the name of development in this region despite being such a major tourist hub and premium tea destination. I noticed that the toilets at the tea garden and the Darjeeling railway station were in a very bad shape. Garbage is clearly visible at several places and the general traffic management is below par. The demand for a separate Gorkhaland has been on for quite some time as the locals feel that they need an administration that identifies with their immediate cultural and economic requirements.

Getting Charmed By Darjeeling...The Uninhibited Nature's Treat!

I had always wanted to visit Darjeeling and the North East. There have been too many wonderful stories about nature springing up delightful surprises in this part of India. The fact that North East isn't connected too well with rest of the country dissuades tourists from distant parts within the country to explore it. In the past we made several plans to visit Darjeeling but somehow it didn't materialise. For the summer vacation of 2014 we did a thorough research and after many discussions with several tour operators, we finally zeroed in on a plan to combine a North East holiday with our stopovers in Darjeeling (West Bengal), Pelling and Gangtok (Both in Sikkim).

We boarded an early morning flight to Kolkata and then a connecting flight to Bagdogra which is the closest airport to Darjeeling, Gangtok or Kalimpong, the hill stations people frequent. Taxi from Bagdogra took around 3 hours (90 Kms) to reach Darjeeling (6700 Feet). As the plains of Bagdogra snaked its way to the winding hilly terrain, the temperature dropped and the monstrously beautiful hills enveloped the scenery. Beautiful flowers dotted the road and then the toy train railway tracks swamped the view till we finally reached our hotel in Darjeeling. The toy train runs from Siliguri till Darjeeling and has been anointed the World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The weather is cold in Darjeeling and it's such a welcome departure from the heat and humidity of Mumbai. We were told that it rained here yesterday. We start our excursions from tomorrow. Hope it doesn't rain and we get to explore Darjeeling to the fullest including a joyride in the Toy Train (we paid extra for getting confirmed booking since it's the peak season out here).

Several movies have been shot in Darjeeling, the most recent and the big one being Barrfi! Our cab driver gave an interesting piece of information as to how Barrfi! Director Anurag Basu got into a scuffle with the locals during the shooting of his film in Darjeeling as he was upset with some locals  in the crowd. This piece of information never reached the Mumbai gossip tables and there's no way to establish if such an incident really happened.

Sent from my iPad

On The Way To Darjeeling For Summer Vacation

A58

Aamir Khan Rubbishes Malicious Rumours

The last few days saw a malicious, slanderous and defamatory campaign against Aamir Khan from certain quarters. The messages floating around on whatsapp, twitter, facebook and some websites (social media networks) have been attempting to spread lies and misinformation about Aamir Khan and his show Satyamev Jayate. In addition, this campaign appears to attempt to incite religious sentiments of people.
Aamir Khan has taken this matter extremely seriously and has officially registered a complain with the Mumbai police. The Mumbai Police has assured Aamir of swift investigation and action. The Cyber Cell of the Crime Bureau has been given the responsibility to unearth the name/names of the people behind these unlawful activities and to book them under the relevant section of the Criminal Code.
Aamir Khan's personal message on social media :


Hi Guys,
False and malicious messages are circulating through various electronic media including Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter and other social media networks alleging that donations are being sought in my television program Satyamev Jayate Season 2, in relation to an entity by the name of Humanity Trust which is claimed to be working in the field of Masjid Construction Assistance and placement assistance for Islamic youngsters. This is entirely false. I would like to clarify that Satyamev Jayate, in Season 1 was associated with Humanity Trust, Hanspukur, West Bengal which is a charitable hospital run by Dr. Ajoy Mistry and his mother Subhashini Mistry. Humanity Trust, Hanspukur, West Bengal is doing excellent work in the field of health care and provides free medical facilities to the poor. More information can be found on their website
www.humanityhospital.org and our website
http://www.satyamevjayate.in/every-life-is-precious/humanity-trust.aspx.


Please note that Humanity Trust, Hanspukur has nothing to do with Humanity Trust referred to in the malicious messages. I would like to clarify that all donations sought in SMJ are used and channelized for entirely deserving and secular causes, contrary to the content of the highly mischievous/malicious insinuations in the messages, being circulated by vested and unscrupulous interest.


These malicious messages are entirely false, wrong and baseless. I categorically deny that SMJ has anything to do with Humanity Trust as stated in the malicious messages or that we have called for donations in the name of the said entity. I urge the members of the public to disregard the said malicious message.
For more information on all NGOs featured on the show, please visit our website
www.satyamevjayate.in Spread the love guys.
Cheers.
Aamir

Anushka Sharma Rubbishes Reports Of Going Under The Knife

Hellooooo everyone !! Today I am here to talk about my lips !! Yes ! There ! I said it .. My lips ! 
As a person I find it difficult to talk about my personal life and hence have always maintained a low profile choosing to interact with you all on twitter with my random -mostly illogical thoughts seeming like the only thing I feel ok about ..that's just who I am .. But in today's time where PR stories and feeding people with information constantly or making appearances is a fad somewhere people like me get lost in translation or in this case translations !


Lately there has been a LOT of talk about me in this particular episode of KOffee with Karan . Mainly regarding my lips . I am here to just convey what I have to say regarding the same . I am talking about it only because this story has taken a scary direction and things have been 'blown out of proportion' ( pun intended ;) ) ... 


For a short while now I have been using a temporary lip enhancing tool and that along with make up techniques ( I have learnt over the years) is the reason why there might be a change in the appearance of my lips. Having stated this fact let me very vehemently assure everyone that I have by no means gone 'under the knife ' or done any kind of 'plastic surgery' or undergone any intrusive procedure . This was my decision and was done for the sake of my look in my upcoming film Bombay velvet,a period drama where I play a jazz singer in the 1960's - 70's . And it was taken from the referencing of that time . 

The drastic change in my appearance on KWK is due to lot of factors put together and not just my lips . Everyone goes through good and bad days. Did I think I looked good on the KWK episode ? NO . I do feel I could have done things differently .
To put the current conjectures and reportage straight once and for all from my end - I have said this before and am saying it again .. I do not believe in plastic surgery or any other means of unnatural permanent changes to the body . I do not support it or stand for it or recommend it . 
Now if someday my legs appear different and sexy to you ! Please don't say I've done 'Something' ... 
Oh ! And also ... Some of the 'joker' jokes/memes doing the rounds though a bit mean did bring a smile to my lips ;) 
Goodnight to all
Love and Light 
Anushka