In search

Today it was a foggy and rainy day outside...such a day when  difficult to get out of bed and face the world.  But the begonias on my window cheered me up and promised me better days. She (the begonias) seemed to say that its okay to bloom on a gloomy day to imagine you are flying when the strong wind ruffles your petals And keep your calm until the turmoil settles...

No new year resolutions this time-feels kind of strange and funny at the same time. Here are some photos of the new year taken at Madhuban Park in Siliguri.  A family picnic at the park - it felt peaceful to watch the children play and the ducks swim without any care for the world

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

It is said that patterns duplicate and replicate in this universe from the micro to the macro level. It is interesting to notice the beautiful patterns and juxtapositions of various plants together. The most interesting things to watch are the symbiotic relationships in nature. There is a lot we can learn from nature, however we have stopped looking at it closely, our connections with nature has completely stopped.  Go out, take a walk, make that connection and feel the change. For once shut down that computer and mobile phone and listen to the birds sing.  This post is part of ‘ Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter ' A Symbiotic Relationship [click on image to enlarge view] Trekking Trail at Lamahatta, Singrimtam Darjeeling [click on image to enlarge view] [Click on image to enlarge view] [Click on image to enlarge view] [Click on image to enlarge view] [Click on image to enlarge view] [Click on image to enlarge view] [Click on image to enlarge view

Google+ Reflecting the first rays of the sun-Morning Click on image to enlarge view Enveloped in Fog - Daytime Click on image to enlarge view The lights are on- Dusk Click on image to enlarge view Darjeeling is this beautiful land that lies on lap of Mount Kanchenjunga. It's the land of the two river goddesses the Teesta and the Rungeet. It's the land of the clouds, mountains, ravines and forests. This is the view from my home, where one can get a partial view of the Kanchenjunga. The land plays hide and seek behind the clouds and seems to change in the blink of an eye. A bright sunny day gets enveloped in fog by noon and ends in rain. People mostly grumble on the finicky nature, but in reality it's the most beautiful and amazing natural phenomenon-the water cycle!  Yesterday I was chatting with my Dad enjoying this view from my verandah. He recalled how the landscape was covered with forests with only a few houses dotting the hills. Even I remem

Waiting Not wanting, just waiting Eerie silence, the calm before the storm perhaps? When and why? Who knows? There are the ones who speak And there are those who don't, Words, sentences language... Can't you you understand what I am trying to say? No you don't understand, it's my silence that speaks... Waiting..?

A kid feeding his dog Was passing through when I took this picture; memories of my childhood came flooding back to me. I used to play in a similar enclosure in my house while my mom went about her work. My thoughts continued around the dogs that I used to play with.My love and fondness for dogs, that's the only thing that hasn't changed about me in spite of these years. Thought about Henry, Jango, Likhuri, Spy but most of all Magdalene, the dogs I used to play with, and wondered how and where they are? According to Buddhism it's said that amongst the many lives, we are born as dogs finally before we are born as humans. I wonder if  they are walking amidst us as humans. Each of the dogs has his own tale, and hopefully I will write about them soon. The circle of life...

It's yet another cold winter in Darjeeling, the schools are closing and there is a cold sting  and excitement in the air. The anxiety of the final exam results is relieved by the holidays and games. While the old huddle indoors seeking warmth of quilts and heaters the children are out playing their  favourite outdoor games. The badminton, chungi, mascol (marbles), bicycles are out and it's heartening to see these kids play a few of those games that have been played by generations of children who have grown up in these hills.   For a person who has grown up in this place one cannot but help feel nostalgic about their own childhood and playing these games in winter, a period which is continues to be supremely the best period of the year.  However it's also sad that the numbers of children who come out to play are very less compared to those times when hardly any kid stayed indoors. On a random guess, hardly 10% children come out to play on the streets.  Play stations, Nintend

Silent Prayer I ask mum if she thinks that too many people have died this year or is it just my perception. She just sighs and says maybe the seasons have been harsh for the weak and the old. Its the passing of a generation, I concede, gazing at the patterns on the table lost, each in our own deep morbid thoughts. I reflect, on how the days of our glorious past have become history today. What we did in the past are buried deep grave of memories. All that is seen today are cold monumental epitaphs with engraved letters that will fade in time. We cannot love one thing too much because it doesn’t last forever. How many tears have we shed, how many graves have we dug and filled, how many ashes have we scattered with love, longings and despair? We are today born out of what we did yesterday, yet it cannot be the same tomorrow because of what we did today. And so lets rest the heavy burdens of our aching souls today and wish each other good night and peace. Lets hope we may see each other ag

 The HImalayas Having grown up on the beautiful lap of Himalayas, the omnipresent sight of the mountains has always brought joy and peace into my heart. Later I was told that the people of my tribe hold the mountains sacred and pray to the mountains. They said it is the source from where all things begin and end, and it’s the doorway to the fabled Mayal Lyang (paradise) of the Lepchas where time has no beginning and end. In the initial part of my life I never tried to understand what the mountains meant in my life or why it meant so much to me. I only knew that every time I looked at the glorious Kanchenjunga my heart would leap with joy when I was sad, it would calm me when shaken and confused, and help me reach to the sacred part of myself that I now call soul. I revere the mountains because of its beauty and magnificence. It shows me how pure, sacred and pristine it is covered in a halo of snow. Its so beautiful and yet stands alone, unmoved in solitude with unmatched

here is posting something I never posted:- The city: 2nd Jan 2008: So crowded yet so lonely; endless roads leading to oblivion. I shared my loneliness with the lone billboard flickering in the fumy night; the wait for the bus seemed endless. The song on the radio stringed together the pain of my heart and the loneliness of the city while the choking fume of the passing cars blended me into the morbidity outside.How long do I need to wait to breathe the fresh air with warm sun on my back? How long before I see the mountains lying on the grassy countryside? How long before I am where I belong? Life is about the choices we make and this is my attempt to live in harmony with my choices. ... that was then, now its different but we cannot forget our roots for that moment in time shaped us to be who we are today. - Pasang D Lepcha\

Goodbyes are painful when death separates us...you will always be loved and live in our memories. I miss you in the empty spaces of my life that you had filled with your unconditional love… Your coming into my life wasn't accidental, it was purposeful and God sent. You helped me back on my feet in ways people would fail to understand. You filled up the dreary spaces in my life with your constant companionship. I will cherish those walks in the park and the sunsets we watched together under the giant tree atop the small hill at deer park. You touched our lives and bonded us together, and in these threads of memories you will live on with us. In life it was difficult not to love you and in death its difficult not to remember you. When the long and lonesome day ends you will always be there to welcome me on the other side of the door. If you came into my life with a purpose then there must be purpose in your leaving. I only wish for you to be happy in this journey you must take alone

We took pictures of the yellow flowers and captured the memories of a fading dream. How some things always remain amongst the tattered n fragmented memories of the yesteryear. A season before i shared my sorrow wit the blooming flowers at the park; how ironic that my friend should share the same feeling wit me today. We walked on the dusty n winding trail, shared a smoke against the gentle breeze. The unrelenting heat beat down on us with the same intensity of the unchained emotions that ploughed our hearts. Its said that people meet for a reason; i felt glad to share this moment with my friend. We wondered how we would talk about this moment in the winter of our lives and wondered if these flowers would bring good memories. A season will pass and fade our dreams along with these memories but these flowers will be back in full bloom to share sorrows of another broken dream. - Pasang D Lepcha

It (happiness) exists in bubbles is what my friend says to me..His words resonates in my ears like the sound of the thunder outside. Flashes of insight like the lightning outside lights up the dark corners of my consciousness. How long before the sharp needles of reality burst those bubbles n set me free. How long before i come out of the bubble of my world? Life has been a wonderful journey among the bubbly rivulets n streams. A strong n turbulent sea awaits n i cant wait to be there. The strong & cold wind is less flattering than flattery of men (shakespeare?I think) dont know why but dylan songs keeps playin in my head "u got to serve somebody". Although the other song that i keep singing is "good bye is too good a word to say so i say fare thee well" i m tired of living in a bubble & of people living in them. World connot be without care n i know we r just a pawn in "his" game (dylan again). Will end this note wit a line i remember from a poem,

As my soul transmigrates from one world to the other, it travels far away into the distant land and seas, till it reaches deep into the woods. Happiness is something that I am learning to find deep within myself ... Far from the madding crowd I realise my true self. The voice of my soul becomes clearer and louder. I thought I would find voices there but I found only the rumblings and rantings of the self obsessed narcissist. Roads diverge in every step of the way, choices are made every step of the way. Life unravels every step of the way. A serene lake somewhere, a cold breeze on a mountain top, and the smile of a beloved holds my dream together in a far away place and time. Till then my weary feet must find their way in the road less travelled...