GANGTOK A GONDOGOL

Gondogol? Problem? Y not? How pessimistic I am!!! But hey, this title of this blog reminds me of the famous detective story "GANGTOK A GONDOGOL" by Satyajit Ray. 

Well, when we reached Gangtok late in the evening most of the shops were closing down. Only M.G.Marg area was open till 9-30 p.m. We were not lucky to get the permit for the next day to visit East Sikkim (Changu lake, Baba Mandir, Nathula Pass). But we were actually lucky to find a shop half opened at 10 O'Clock in the evening where a guy gave us an option to visit North Sikkim (2 nights) the next day. Ultimately "GANGTOK A GONDOGOL" was becoming reality as the real mystery of Feluda lies on the way to North Sikkim. 

Some photos I clicked on our way to North Sikkim (Between Gangtok & Lachen)....#Copyright

Another Car Tyre was punctured on da way & dis photo shows da coordination among da local drivers 

Our driver repairing da Car Tyre 

Having Tea

Our driver wanted to reach Lachen before getting dark but we reached there a bit late. That's where the feel of adventure started on the way after the sunset when nothing was visible outside except the rough road ahead of us under the reflection of our Car's headlight with sound of river sometimes waving by.

Finally we arrived at Lachen fully exhausted after 6 hours of long bumpy rides as the condition of the road was not good after entering North Sikkim. Some years back (most probably on 2008) there was a massive earthquake that demolished the hill road & landslides are very common here. 

It was too cold. I don't remember how much (probably below 5 degree) on December evening but for social drinkers there is a good news. Alcohol is very cheap in Sikkim. So we bought local Sikkimese rum at Gangtok that helped us to keep our body adaptable with the cold climate of the mountains.

Local Sikkimese Rum

There was a local party going on next door where we were living & I thought there was no point of taking rest while traveling as I remembered one important line my South African guide cum friend Iphrame told me "All rest in heaven". 

After taking a walk around for a while we joined da party. The local people were curious to know about us after hearing that we are from Kolkata. Everyone started shouting dada dada (they mean to say Sourav Ganguly, former Indian Captain) & famous Mithun Chakroborty(Bollywood actor). I am sharing one trending song of this time that goes with the flow of this party ;p;p;p...

                             

Finally we went to sleep @ 2 O'Clock in the midnight & our next destination for Gurudongmar lake was about to start @ 3 a.m. that is an hour later. So imagine what next !!!

Stay tuned for da REAL adventure.... 

GATEWAY 2 SIKKIM

Standing near the New Jalpaiguri Station with luggage after traveling for more than 12 hours & negotiating with the drivers of shared taxi can be tiring but once the journey begins towards the hills, all the tiring feelings disappear on the way.

Some photos taken on the road (between Siliguri & Gangtok) :

These are young mountains (i.e. they are still growing) & that's why landslides are common

While on our way, my friend & I met a middle-aged Bengali man who was traveling there with some kind of hotel business purpose. 4 hours of journey from Siliguri to Gangtok flies just like that if one comes across any like minded people to communicate. For us being Bong (Bengali) we started talking & sharing our plans with this unknown man in our mother tongue.

The music that our driver was playing was annoying as all the songs were sad but we kept on talking bla bla bla. Bollywood masala music would have lifted our spirits but at the same time I was expecting to hear local Sikkimese songs after entering the state of Sikkim.

Rangpo check post (Gateway 2 Sikkim)

Rangpo is a small town bordering Sikkim & West Bengal along the Teesta river. When we stopped nearby for the evening snacks, I first encountered with the local Sikkimese beer "HIT BEER", that was awesome & cheap that brought a big smile on our face as we were traveling on a fixed budget. But ultimately this unplanned trip taught us that nothing is fixed & budget is out of question if you really want to enjoy your journey.

My first encounter with the HIT BEER

After getting hit by the HIT BEER ;p, I started feeling relaxed & was trying to figure out some adventurous stories from the young mountains along with the flowing Teesta river. Then this Bengali man started telling us about the mystery of this place where he sometimes drives around with his friends at midnight. He tried to tell us one of his scary experience there of coming across a ghost on the road in a human form of a girl at 2 O' clock in the night & she flew off suddenly like a bird over the mountains. 

River Teesta

Somehow this story didn't impress us as we Bengalis (most of them) after getting hit by beers, especially HIT BEER, become story teller. May be I was expecting something more scary...

The sun was setting down fast behind the mountains & I could very well guess the Capital of Sikkim upon arriving there in the evening. The town was lit up with twinkling lights as if the stars have come down on elevated surface of the earth.

Stay tuned for more interesting stories on our way to North Sikkim & some spectacular panorama of the HIMALAYAS...

AFTER HAVING TEA WITH MANDELA, SA

When I first landed at "OR Tambo International airport", Johannesburg, on 14th May 2013, I was carrying some cash of Indian rupees with US dollars. First thing that I noticed was, dollars could speak universal language whereas Indian rupees had some other stories to tell. It was not possible to exchange our currency with the local South African currency i.e. RAND but South Africans could recognize the father figure of our currency. Yes, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

We Indians on hearing Gandhi, visualize the imaginary figure of an old man wearing dhoti, holding a stick and wearing spectacles in our mind. But this young statue of Gandhi below changed my illusory figure and made me travel back to Johannesburg virtually between 1906 & 1913, when Gandhi as a young professional lawyer came here by an invitation from an Indian merchant in South Africa. His first encounters with racism gave birth to a non-violence protest that has been enormously influential throughout the 20th & the 21st centuries. 

Statue of young GANDHI

Can't imagine Gandhi without dhoti & spectacles 

Red Bus for the city tour

My brother & I on the rooftop

Our friendly guide Iphrame

Me capturing the Rainbow nation

                         

People on their way to work

Woman bus driver that we haven't seen before in our country

When I went to South Africa, Nelson Mandela was alive. The living legend was/is considered as a god figure of the country. My brother & I were curious to get a glimpse of Mandela and our guide Iphrame while taking us on a ride around Mandela's house said that he was lucky to see him couple of times there going for morning walk with his bodyguards. 

Picture was taken outside Mandela house

Mandela was there inside at that moment 

After having tea with Mandela (in my imagination), we went to Nelson Mandela Square that is linked to Sandton City and is one of the most fashionable destination in Johannesburg, offering some finest restaurants, exclusive couture & designer labels, boutiques and sidewalk cafes.  

Statue of the legend at Nelson Mandela Square, that was unveiled in March 2003 as a celebration of 10 years of democracy in South Africa 

"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again"--

92B, Sovabazar street, Calcuta-700005

Ésta es la dirección del famoso Butto Kristo Paul (B.K.Paul) quien fue el fundador de la compañía farmacéutica más grande en Calcuta.

B.K.Paul

Siempre hay cosas nuevas que conocer incluso dentro de nuestra propia ciudad. Yo nunca había estado en este edificio antes. El edificio tiene 158 años, está situado en el norte de Calcuta y a pesar de su edad, para mí fue un lugar nuevo que explorar.

La casa de B.K.Paul (ahora es un edificio patrimonial)

Quedé con Arindam Paul, el tataranieto de B.K.Paul, quien me explicó más o menos sobre la historia del imperio farmacéutico. B.K.Paul vivía en Shibpur y cuando tenía 12 años, se trasladó al norte de Calcuta para vivir en casa de su tío. Comenzó a trabajar en una farmacia de homeopatía y luego abrió su primera farmacia en Kherapati Barabazar. Desde allí empezó a extender su negocio. Después de eso cada instrumentos médicos como medicina, las herramientas cirujanas , etc  pertenecido a Compañía  de B.K.Paul durante esa época. Él abrió esa farmacia dentro de su casa en el año 1858, justo 3 años después de la construcción de este edificio que ahora es parte del patrimonio cultural de la ciudad.

La farmacia dentro de la casa

El negocio alcanzó un nivel nuevo cuando crearon una medicina "Edwards Tonic" y empezaron distribuirla en gran medida. Todavía se puede encontrar en Calcuta, y la gente continúa usándola.

La medicina se llama EDWARDS TONIC

Su hijo Harishankar Paul hizo el negocio global expansionándolo a Londres.

Calcuta tiene un rico patrimonio cultural. Pero, debido a la polución y mal mantenimiento, la ciudad está perdiendo su encanto. Anteriormente había algunas normas y leyes para la preservación y la conservación del patrimonio cultural, escrito en el West Bengal Town & Country Act , 1979, para la planificación y el Desarrollo de la ciudad. Mas tarde, en 1997, un Comité experto fue designado para supervisar el registro, la modificación y el mantenimiento de todos los edificios históricos, monumentos y lugares declarados de interés en todo el estado de Bengala Occidental. En la misma línea, el West Bengal Heritage Commission Act del 2001 fue aprobado y entró en vigor el día 1 de agosto del 2001.

En Calcuta, 163 edificios han sido declarados como Patrimonio Histórico hasta ahora, y la unos 200 edificios más han sido identificados por el Comité de Expertos como edificios históricos, cuya documentación está siendo recogida

Actualmente la farmacia de B.K. Paul la lleva ahora la cuarta generación de familia Paul (Barun Kumar Paul, Anup Kumar Paul, Ashok Kumar Paul).

El timbre tradicional de la puerta todavía se usa allí

92B, Sovabazar street, Kolkata-700005

This is the address of a famous person, Mr.Butto Kristo Paul (B.K.Paul). He was the founder of the greatest medicine manufacturing company in Kolkata.

Butto Kristo Paul

One can always explore new things within or outside of one’s own place. For example, I have never been to this building before, which is situated in north Kolkata. The building is 158 years old but for me it’s a new place to explore.

B.K.Paul's house (now a heritage building)

I met Mr. Arindam Paul, fifth generation of B.K.Paul, who explained quite a bit about the history of the Empire. B.K.Paul was a resident of Shibpur & he came to north Kolkata at his uncle’s house when he was 12 years old. He started working in a homoeopathy medical shop & later his first medical shop was established in Kherapati Barabazar. This was the place where he started expanding his business. After that, every medical equipments like- medicine, surgical tools, etc belonged to B.K.Paul Company. He opened this medical shop inside the house in the year 1858 just 3 years after the construction of this heritage building.

Medical shop inside the building

The business moved to a new level when a medicine called Edwards Tonic was made & widely distributed. Still now it is used and sold here.

EDWARDS TONIC medicine

His son Harishankar Paul made the business global by expanding it to London.

Kolkata has a rich cultural heritage. But because of the pollution & poor maintenance, the city is losing its cultural charm. Previously there were some provisions for preservation and conservation of this heritage in the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning & Development) Act, 1979. Later in 1997 an expert Committee was set up in order to supervise the modification, enlistment and maintenance of all Heritage Buildings, Monuments, Precincts and sites within the purview of entire State of West Bengal. Accordingly the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act, 2001 has been enacted with effect from the 1st day of August, 2001.

163 buildings in Kolkata has been declared as Heritage Buildings so far, and documentation of around 200 buildings have been done out of identified buildings by the Expert Committee.

Presently the B.K. Paul’s medical shop is run by the fourth generation of Paul family (Barun Kumar Paul, Anup Kumar Paul, Ashok Kumar Paul).

The traditional doorbell is still being used today

Chandrabhaga Beach, Odisha

What is the global point of view on India?

India will be a super power and at the same time India is a dirty place. Well I agree and at the same time I don't agree.

There are some places in India where we can explore the strangeness of the beautiful nature and the most important thing- the clean environment. I use the term "strangeness" because I think that it can also exist in a place where there is less human intervention and nature seems to be more alive like life itself.

Chandrabhaga is a place situated along the east coast of India facing The Bay of Bengal where nature enjoys its freedom. When I was on the beach, the true surrounding beauty made me aware of not leaving any human impression there except the momentary footprints on the shore.

Footprints

We must follow simple regulations to save our world from demolitions like- not leaving plastics or bottles on the beach, avoid throwing packets of food on water etc. One of the reason behind the existence of this fresh environment is- there are no hotels near by this beach but they are situated 3km away in a place called Konark. In future I don't want any hotel business to run over there.

With the mild sound of waves falling on the shore, one can enjoy small fishing boats passing by. The ideal time to explore the glorious view, is during the sunset, where nature changes its color accordingly.

Sunset

Sunset (next day)

Future is unpredictable. I have always heard people saying-- "Those were the days far better than today".

Do you agree with this?

Well change is inevitable and we must learn not to interfere with the nature but rather maintain the pristine environment as much as possible.