On The Lap Of The Silky way, Part - 4

On The Lap Of The Silky way, Part - 4,

     

    

The road from Silarigaon to Mankhim is only 50 km but it takes about two and a quarter hours to reach. The road is not a very good one, but there is no end to the hundreds of variations that are constantly unfolding along the hilly terrain. Lots of large cardamoms are grown in this whole region. Step by step in the hills, in the backyard of the house, on the road, by the side of the ditch, this tree with big leaves and slightly brown stems is always visible. The cultivation of this spice continues to carry an important responsibility for the economy of the region. Another tree, large in length and with long ridges in the middle, can be seen in this area of ​​the hill from which the flower broom is made. It is difficult for me to describe the name of innumerable kinds of flowers and herbs, those have bloomed in the joy of coloring this world in the midst of utter neglect only to glorify the nature of  this entire hill. 

    

We reached Aritar within few hours. Today we will not stay in Aritar, we will spend one night in Mankhim today and come to Aritar tomorrow morning. Mankhim is just one hill above Aritar. Rows upon rows of evergreen hills. Suddenly these rows came to a halt at the narrow bend of a hill. Steep hills on the right, canyon on the left, a rectangular long piece of vacant land on the side of the canyon. Rows of houses can be seen at the far end of that land. Row upon row. From a far,  a huge colorful umbrella made of cement can be seen.

This is the house of Prabha Rai and her brother. Our abode today. A number of  boys came down the narrow hill side road  from above. They carried our goods on their backs and carried them home on their heads. The way to their house is not exactly thin and narrow, but to some extent like that, a little too wide. We slowly reached the house, trampling the wet grass and soil on the soles of our feet. Downstairs, in the first step, there are three big houses, three more rooms a little further in. In the next rooms, Prabha Didi lives with her family. There is a staircase just below the side of their house. In the second step upstairs there are about four more large rooms, a little more downstairs to its left. There is no end to the number of colorful orchids in the small earthenware pots hanging on the thick iron wire on both sides of the narrow path to keep the flowers beautifully in the whole steps. Hot water and cold water system in all rooms. Pretty neatly arranged. It made me feel better, who knew there was so much more to it.

As soon as I crossed the stairs of the second step and climbed the third step, my mind was filled with surprise. Quite a large attic, surrounded by railings, with a huge cement umbrella on one side. There was Iron chair arranged under the umbrella and beside the railing. Just below is the abyss, and in front is just mountains, hills and mountains after mountains, like the waves of the primordial mountains. A mass of white clouds is wrapped around the top of the mountain. Wonderful view. The last part of The  Aritar Lake can be seen at the very bottom on the right. This is a wonderful moment. I heard that the first sunrise on the peak of Kanchenjunga from here in the morning is a memorable sight. I prayed  to the goddess of nature  for a cloudless clear sky. 

The call came from below for lunch. Rice, onion with mussuri pulses, lemon, chilli and pickles, gourd curry, egg curry, chutney, papar. At the end of the full meal, the eyes seemed to close. When I came in my room, I fell asleep under the blanket on the clean bed with my eyes closed. I woke up suddenly when there was a small noise in the room and two or four people talking in a soft voice. The evening light is on inside the room. Intense cold air is coming into the room through the open door of the side balcony. Outside is the frozen darkness. Two very enthusiastic young friends of our group brought a native drink from the village with the boys of Pravadi's house, along with boiled eggs and round chopped raw onions and tomatoes. The materials are being arranged on the center table of our room at that moment. One of the mouths of the thick hollow bamboo is open, the bottom end is closed due to the knot, a special kind of local wine is prepared in this region by inserting some more things like the poppy seeds inside the hollow bamboo. The locals call it 'Chhang'. The boys also left a kettle of hot water. They also instructed that the hot water should be poured into the long bamboo pot from time to time. A fierce pungent odor (read bad smell) was spreading throughout the house, creating a horrible situation where I somehow managed to get into the bathroom and leave the house with a splash of water in my eyes as if I was out of breath. Afterwards I have heard from the brothers of our team that this drink is not at all a tasteless one, and unlike other alcoholic beverages, it is not very intoxicating, but it is very suitable for keeping the body warm in the cold. All heard, I'm not impressed by the liquor at all, so the idea is less.

To be continued....................................................................................