I saw her in
Siliguri's Bidhan market and was stunned! May be she was from a village in the state of West Bengal or form some nearby state.
It didn't matter.
It was her face and an aura of an inner beauty which attracted me and my friend, Tommy Singh. We were proceeding to
Pelling in
Sikkim and had come to the base town
Siliguri.We met her in the market where had gone to buy few things.
I had found beauty all over in my country, cities...villages every where. The beauty doesn't need a trade mark of a celebrity or being from
Bollywood. It's in a country's soul, it's people. And so, India is also blessed with true beauty.
She made us laugh when she commented,
"do you have money, sahib? Why are you haggling for a petty amount?"
My thoughts wondered... the essence of inner and outer beauty radiated through her dark brown eyes. They brought me closer to what I remembered in the most fondest memories of childhood. Eyes, eyes that followed me, protected me, and gave me space. They brought me comfort in the darkest of hours. They too gave me my happiest moments at my finest achievements without uttering a word. I remembered, honored and respected those brown eyes throughout my trip and later on for a long period.
Seeing her perhaps was a good sign for our onward journey to one of the most memorable, hidden and exotic Himalayan paradise-Pelling in Sikkim, North East, India
We were enjoying a drink at the
'03 Lounge bar' of the
Hotel Sinclair, Siliguri when our guide Chaten intruded and informed us to be ready at 6 AM next day for
Pelling. The thought of a journey to
Pelling rushed adrenaline in our arteries. We were thrilled! So, we had an early dinner and dived into our beds.
133 km from
Siliguri by winding and climbing road,
Pelling, the laid back, scenic hamlet was situated at 2,085 m above sea level about 2 km beyond
Pemayangtse.
Pelling was famous for the magnificent view of the snow-capped mountains of
Khangchendzonga, 3rd highest peak in the world! High above the forest covered hills, in an amphitheater of cloud, snow and rock, the entire route from
Yuksam over
Dzongri La to the
Rathong Glacier, we were told, could be seen.
It was a cool morning next day with dark clouds on the horizon moving menacingly toward center. We left after a hurried breakfast of Omelet and toast with Darjeeling tea.
The 15 km level road stretch passed through one of the finest sight of
tea gardens surrounded by hills before we started on our climb. It was magnificent!
The velocity of the wind increased and the temperature dropped. Huge rain drops petered on the glass windows
of car and soon it was a downpour! The excitement rose. The breathing increased. Suddenly everything was hazy surrounded by mist. The road was almost flooded! We knew there was an adventure, a paradise awaiting us, ahead at around 150 km on The Great Himalayas! An unknown brute beauty. The land of Goddess?
Pelling! We waited....straining our eyes through mist.......(The photograph of the girl above is by Lakshmi Prabhala)
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