Fifty years to be precise.
Ever since we participated in the Golden Jubilee Celebrations in 1957, we had been waiting in anticipation for the Centenary.
Some of us fell to God's will on the way and some of us couldn't make it for various reasons.
But some of us who were blessed by God were able to participate. Thank you God.
On 31st October, four of us, A.K Roy, D K Roy, S P Chatterjee and I reached Sealdah Station at 9.00 OM for a journey back through time. D K and I also decided to take our wives.
Times had changed.
Darjeeling Mail which during our times left at 9.00 AM in the morning, now left and 10.10 PM at night and reached NJP at almost the same time as previously, i e 8.30 AM.
We spent almost the entire night gossiping of the good old days.
At NJP, we waited for J K Ghosh who was to come from Delhi by Rajdhani Express. While we waited we refreshed ourselves. JK arrived at around 12.00 noon.
We hired a Tata Sumo for Rs 1080.00 to take us to Darj. I am adding the rates etc to assist any person who may want to come at a later date.
Where earlier there was only the Hill Cart Road for people wishing to visit Kurseong, now there are three roads.
For going up, there is the Rohini Road.
For coming down, there is the Pankhabari Road. This road was there earlier but the condition was never good. Now it is a motorable road.
The Hill Cart Road is still there for traffic both ways.
We went up the Rohini Road, it took us about one and half hours to reach Kurseong, absorbing the beautiful scenery on the way.
We halted for about 45 minutes at Kurseong for some light snacks and collection of our ID Cards and momentoes and then proceeded to Darj.
We reached Darj at around 4.30 PM and went directly to Hotel Tarang, where we had booked rooms. It is not a very good place to stay and would not advise anybody to stay there. But we were stuck there for two days.
In the evening we went up Mall Road and revived old memories, Glenaries cakes, Keventers milk shakes, pony rides etc etc.
Of course we did not ride the ponies. The ride would not have been a problem, but if we fell that would have been disastrous.
At Keventers we had a long chat with Rabin Jha (1966), who filled us on updates.
We had our dinner at Hotel Apsara, a vegetarian set up, where the food and service is good. I would recommend this place for the vegetarians. It is near the railway station at 6, Laden-la Raod.
We left at 4.00 AM next day for Tiger Hill. The last time I had visited Tiger Hills was in 1964 when I was in class 10 and we had walked up all the way from school.
In '64 we did not have a good sunrise. This time too my luck was not very good as the pictures will show.
The next point we visited was the monastery followed by the Batasia Loop. I have tried to recapture the atmosphere with the pictures. I hope you feel the same as we felt at being at those places.
Radheshyam
Right: A View of St Andrew"s Church
Right: Mounted Pheasant Heads
Below: Mounted Elephant Tusks
Top: Front View of the Museum
A View of Darjeeling from near Batasia Loop
Mr and Mrs R S Sharma at Batasia Loop against the backdrop of the War Monument
L to R : D K Roy, Mrs D K Roy, A K Roy, R S Sharma, J K Ghosh against the backdrop of the Kanchenjunga at Batasia Loop
Another View of Kanchenjunga from Batasia Loop
A View of the Kanchenjunga from Batasia Loop
A View inside the monastery
A View inside the monastery
A view inside the monastery
A View inside the monastery
R S Sharma and S P Chatterjee,Inside the monastery
Mrs R S Sharma and
Mrs D K Roy,
inside the monastery
An Internal View of the Monastery
L to R :
J K Ghosh, S P Chatterjee,
A K Roy, R S Sharma,
Mrs D K Roy
A View of The Kanchenjunga from Tiger Hill at Sunrise
Sunrise from Tiger Hill
At NJP Railway Station.
L to R : A K Roy,
S P Chatterjee and
D K Roy
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