In search

Pity that I take so many photographs only to store them on my hard drive. Here's a little attempt to share the beauty on the other end of the lens.  This one is from a trip to Rimbick where we had gone to conduct a farmers training. Initially we were planning a night halt at Sandakphu but the villagers strongly adivised against it as the trek is nearly 6 hours long that too for experienced trekkers. On the other hand the local villagers reach Sandakphu in 4 hours and reach return back in 3 hours or so. Finally we decided to go for a trek towards Jarayo Pokhari (Deer Lake)  on the way to Sandakphu, a two hour trek from Rimbick Bazar, but then again we only made it half way up to the monastery.  The village around the Monastery is called Maney Dara and name of the monastery is Mahendra Samten Monastery which was built around 1917. The main monastery itself is new but the stone structures and relics around it are old and beautiful. A beautiful stupa stands atop the hill

A porter at Judge Bazar Darjeeling Porter, Coolie, Dai! We call them by different names. Without them, nothing will move...literally. Consumer goods from LPG (cooking gas cylinders), food items to construction materials; anything that needs loading, unloading and transporting-you name it! These Dai's or Coolies as we call them they are the ones who do the backbreaking work of lugging goods from one place to another with their Namlo. (Namlo is a sturdy string/harness used to carry things) They are people who have migrated from Nepal and its common to see both men and women working as porters in Darjeeling. Most of them are poor, often falling below the poverty line and it is only some who have gone on to make a fortune.  Most of them confess that they have vast agricultural lands back at home. Isn't it sad that they who have acres and acres of agricultural land should now live as BPL (Below the Poverty Line) people? Many welfare and social organisations in Darjeeling