Even before the school had closed for the holidays, we were off. Landed at Kolkata, stayed with my dadis for a day, then boarded the overnight train to NJP and took a cab to take us up the hills.......AND finally we are in Yangsum Farm in Sikkim. Ma has come here on work - so she walks and talks to everyone around and writes and writes, but for me and Biga it is pure holiday and we made the most of it. Thendup uncle has a lovely house ( see below) and a lovelier dog Rocky( see above).
Yangsum Farm (Thendup uncle's house), near Rinchenpong in Sikkim.The house is in a valley surrounded by mountains and orchards and forests. On our second day, Ma woke me early in the morning and I had my first view of the snow peaks. ( Ma says I have seen them earlier, but I don't remember). They looked so beautiful and majestic. So this is the Himalayas- where the gods live! ( each one - one peak? I asked Ma and she said "yes")
Late in the morning, we went for a trek in the jungles with Kishen as our guide. Leeches clung to my feet and sucked a lot of blood, but I still walked and walked all the way up to a ruined monastery (Resum monastery) on a mighty mountain top. The view from there was fabulous- you could see for miles around, down in the valley there was a river and it looked like a piece of thread and farther away in the north and now hidden by clouds were the snowpeaks whose darshan we were lucky to have in the morning.
12th October 2010- is a significant day for me. Today I have trekked 8 kms, up the hills, through leech infested jungles and over sharp- edged rocks. I am fast growing up.
This is the Rinchenpong monastery- newer cousin of Resum. It was brimming with monks and prayer wheels. I has great fun turning them round and round.
This is the Dhungay Homestay- House of Ganesh uncle. We were here on 13th October 2010. The house is on the top of a hill and to come here, you have to walk for about 10 minutes uphill from the main road. But once you reach the house, it is great fun.
There is Peter ( the dog- pl see below), two cows Mary and Maya, a calf eva, four goats- Tanzing, Hillary, Ram and Shyam and many hens. We had a lovely time here, roaming and romping around. I want to go there again.
This is Peter- Ganesh uncle's dog. I took him for a walk.Now it was time to leave the mountains and go back to the plains ( Kolkata and then Hyderabad) and I was SAD.
We reached Kolkata on Ashatmi night. The next day that is on Nabami, I had great fun doing a around of the pandals with Ma, Baba, Mimmim, Guri, Soumenduda, Phulmashi, Sonamashi, Kalyanda and Mamdi. There were so many Durga Pujas in Kolkata, almost one at every corner that I was wondering- is there a ma Durga factory here?
The next day was Dashami- last day of the Puja, when Ma Durga along with her children returns to the Himalayas to Lord Shiva. Ma took me to a ghat to see the gods being sent off.
Ma told me....
The gods board the boat and in the mid-river, they plunge into the water. Under water, there is a platform with a train ( the Himalaya Express) waiting to take them to their home. After all the Ma Durgas in Kolkata board the train , it takes them to the Himalayas.
Bye Bye Ma Durga. Come again next year! Till then take care!
Photos- Pramatha Nath Saha
