Cricket at 9000 feet

Discarded robes

This shot was probably the most poignant. Young monks out of their robes indulging in sport. This young kid looked at the ball in hand. Robes scatterred at his feet his world suddenly looked his age; more colorful, less austere. I was a passer by. I passed. Leaving the kid with his reverie and robe.

Chitrey landscape

Chorten at Chitrey

Road to Chitrey; of cricket chortens monks

Road to chitrey was a winding dream. Dhoopi pines, Chortens adorned with prayer flags...young monks and ...cricket.

walking silence

tipsy words one vodka two vodka three vodka

moving on from manebhanjang

Night was cold and manebhanjang old. Such are traveller's travails; a place looks old in a day and you feel like moving on. to where is not the question....but there's a queasiness in the gut that el-dorado awaits the one who treads. packed our bags and our landrover moved on as guide on wheels, stopping by every half mile to let us catch up. First turn into the tall dhoopi pine jungle and manebhanjang disappeared. stone cobbled trek was still wet and slippery as monsoon had left not long ago. A few slips and bumps later we decided to take the road. Shiring sherpa greeted us with his perpetual smile.....and his T-shirt with One vodka two vodka three vodka print. Just as I was taking his picture a monk entered my frame......and frame of mind. Banter stopped for silence. Tashi dilay (budhist greetings in this area)....we exchanged greetings and I followed monk's trail with my digital rebel....his appearance and disappearance left the trail in more silence. Camera shutter bug-ged but it had to be done.

Manebhanjang bazaar

Manebhanjang bazaar (market) lined both sides of the main street running through it. Shops were rundown wooden planks painted green over again and again. Attire of young girls, coy smiles on their faces made up for lack of color on street. We went out for a casual stroll with a forewarning by SSB (Sashstra Seema Bal in hindi, Armed border-force deployed all alonh Indo nepal border to prevent cross border illegal trade and traffic) to watch out for Indo Nepal border markers. Here one doesn't know when one steps into Nepal inviting SSB's wrath. We were careful to watch out as warned but kids boys n girls darted across with least bit of bother. We soon ran into a big marker of Nepal border and decided to pose there, without infiltrating of course, standing on the politically correct side!

Of disarming simplicity and defiance

manebhanjang was surely not a visual treat. But simple ways of doing things touched hearts. The way our inn keeper's daughter served food and liquor with folded hands as if we were family; and that did score. the way we were greeted with "khadas"; silk scarves draped around neck. the way a boy was inflating a land rover tyre with a bicycle pump!!! Land rovers are WW-II vintage jeeps, the only vehicles plying from Manebhanjang to Phalut. The only complicated thing was the GL- gorkhaland number plates on land rovers and all other vehicles. These plates underscored a defiant mood in the hills. Gorkha land for others might be a political joke but for these people it was a cause to live for. (won't say die for)

Details of picture

oops!
I put the pic there but forgot to mention details. From right to left: Dhritiman(standing), the poet in the middle, my friend VK singh at Hotel Pradhan, Manebhanjang. They are wearing Khada; a ceremonial silk scarve usually worn around the neck. Mr Pradhan presented Khadas to the entire group as a welcome souvenir.

Singalila;The abode of Khangchendzonga and more

This thread is about my trek to Singalila national park, west bengal, India. The trek is known for views of Mount Khangchendzonga the third highest peak in the world, and mount everest. Both are visible from a place called Sandakphu-see pic "view of things to come". On a clear winter day the entire panorama with Mt everest, khangchendzonga, pandum, kumbhakaran studded on the horizon is breathtaking.
I'll start from NJP (new jal paiguri) the nearest railhead from where we drove down to Manebhanjang, the starting point of trek. And what a trek it was! It was the most well planned trek I've ever done. Everything worked with clockwork precision except rains. At NJP station we were received by Dhritiman; a geat wildlife photographer and a dear friend. On seeing me after three years he quipped"man you've gone old but glamorous." I took that as compliment and had inroductions with rest of team mates who were meeting Dhritiman for the first time. Actualy Dhriti had organised the whole thing through his company "Wandervogel adventures". The package included everything from NJP station onwards till the end of the trip at NJP station after good 11 days. So we were off quickly to the starting point called manebhanjang. We were there at 5 in the evening. Unwound and went out for a stroll in this sleepy village on Indo Nepal border. Nepal side houses didn't have electricity. People have same features as Nepalese. In the evening we had a starter party of sorts where we met an economist & poet! who was visiting the place again after 50 years! alongwith his sons and grandsons. His first visit to this place 50 years ago glistened in his eye as a distant dream. He wrote poetry but not to get published. Not upto the mark yet, he remarked. He spoke good accented english and parted our company after two drinks. No more! and walked away with good balance good gait. Poets afterall know balance and gait!!