On The Lap Of The Silky way, Part - 10

On The Lap Of The Silky way, Part - 10

On The Lap Of The Silky way

After seeing the fountain, we went to see the river. We left the car a little higher from the river bank. On the left, there is a very old bridge. We came to the river bank by walking along the edge of the bridge on numerous small and big pebbles. 

On The Lap Of The Silky way

The name of this river is Rolep. In fact, this place is named after the river. The river is quite low from the road, surrounded by rows of high green hills. A clear soothing environment shaded by dense green trees. Sitting alone on any big rock on the bank of the river, one can remain alone in solitude by hearing the sound of the river and the call of a lost bird. 

On The Lap Of The Silky way

One has to set foot carefully on the rocks by the river, some quite slippery. Although some enthusiastic friends took pictures with their cameras on the rocks in the middle of the river, one of them slipped on the rocks with the camera. It was the price of his great enthusiasm. Luckily he didn't break any of his bones; everyone got together and somehow put him in the car. The view of the river and the two banks from the bridge is amazing. Our minds were filled with joy.

On The Lap Of The Silky way

It was almost a quarter to two to return home. From these rooms of our today's stay, the view of the valley in front and the river Rolep flowing through its chest is wonderful, in a word it is  eye-catching. 

On The Lap Of The Silky way

The dense clouds at the top of the hill are decorated with immaculate white color somewhere, and again in somewhere it is dark black color. The sun is shining brightly on a mountain in the distance. Only that side is shining. The shadow of the clouds that flew by that side fell on the mountain lying in the sun. Suddenly I saw the rain coming from far away, dancing on the other side of the top of another hill with a sheet of thick fog. If I had tried a little harder, I might have heard the creepy sound of her anklets, just at that time a skinny Bengali boy came calling from the dining room downstairs.

The age will be fifteen to sixteen years. The two brothers move from the remote village of Midnapore to all these villages in Sikkim every year during the Pujo holidays and during the summer holidays when the Home stays of these areas are forced to hire outside staff to manage the crowds of tourists. Their father is a day laborer. It is very difficult to provide food for four people all year round, so the two school-going boys have been trying to alleviate their father's suffering for several years. I came down slowly with him.

It was a beautifully decorated dining hall. The dining table has been kept long on both sides. First wrapped with Rexine, then a beautifully designed table cloth is on it. There are chilies, lemons and pickles in the bowl. After everyone came, they brought salads in big bowls and decorated them beautifully. There were tomatoes, onions, carrots, radishes, coriander leaves and another type of vegetable cut into large pieces. This vegetable tastes like cucumber, but it doesn't look like cucumber. I asked and found out that it is called Kheera. I have heard that in Hindi cucumber is also called kheera, then? After finishing the lunch with rice, pulses, two kinds of curry, egg broth, chutney, and panpar, the owner and the land lady of the home stay smiled and took a fool like me with her to show kheera in her huge garden near this house.

The thought of this middle-aged sister is that I am a stupid idiot who doesn't know Kheera yet. This family garden has descended step by step down the hill. Across a lot of places, what is not in this garden? Cauliflower, purple-colored cabbages, coriander leaves, spinach, rye mustard greens, pumpkins, small white eggplants, pomelo tree, and even mountain’s creeping luffa plant. 

On The Lap Of The Silky way

The squash tree can't be finished, there are lots of squash trees, creeping trees on the platform next to a bushy pomegranate tree.  A big creeping plant with green leaves like gourd leaves, a big but very green gourd is hanging from there. Madame showed me this gourd and introduced it to me as Kheera. I protested in loud, can't be, this is "Gourd"! Madam is also not willing to accept it so easily. She said that the vegetable salad we eat today is with this fruit. If I do not believe it, then she is ready to show me this fruit in the market basket. I was surprised. It looks exactly like gourd but completely tastes like a cucumber.

Today the weather is quite cloudy; I did not want to sleep at home. I started walking along the road on foot. The secluded quiet mountain nature. Quite cold now. This time is not exactly noon but it is a bit late in the afternoon. It can be called a little rolling afternoon. 

On The lap Of The Silky way

What intoxication while walking. The mountain water is coming down the hill in a slow and rhythmic stream, I want to touch it very much. It was very cold water. It was not known that where this stream had gone down to the bottom. The valley from the top to the bottom, the green paddy fields of Jhum cultivation descending down the slopes of the hills, and the river Rolep lying like a white thread a little below all look like a dense enchanted dreamy scene. 

On The Lap Of The Silky way

Just right at this moment, an unnamed bird with a large hanging black tail was calling loudly and the chirping voice of her was resonating from one corner to another of this lonely mountain, probably is not true.  What a gloomy dreamy veil is all around me. It is as if, one of the random realities, would suddenly jump out of this net and cause a catastrophe. 

On The Lap of The Silky way

Someone called me from behind in a young voice, "Uncle, Uncle". Looking back, I saw two little girls, dressed in school uniforms, returning home from school. Said we are two friends, will you take our picture? I said I can take your picture, but how can I give that to you? They said, you need not have to give it to us, just show us how we are looking in the picture. The two girlfriends were very happy to see the pictures. Then the two of them told me a lot of their stories. Both of them are reading in Class four. Their houses are about eight kilometres away from their school.  Very few car runs on this road. In some day, some vehicle give them a lift, they pick up these young children in their car and drop them off at school or at home. Today, they haven't got any car yet, so they are returning home on foot.

On The Lap Of The Silky way

This is my country. You see what an indomitable desire towards education they had. I was thrilled to think that these two young children could walk eight kilometres like this every day from their childhood just for the sake of going to school. Those of us, who live in the city, imagine, that one day if the car, bus or auto is off, will you be able to walk eight kilometres on the smooth road to the school, college or office? And this is the road of ascent and descent. The shadow of the mountain has started to get long and longer. It seems that the cold is also increasing. Now I have to go back to my stay.

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