From
primarily a cultural tourist destination for several decades, India
has emerged as one of the most sought-after adventure destinations
for discerning international travelers. Perhaps no other single
country in the world offers the variety of adventure opportunities
as India does.
This
summer, I visited India after a gap of 5 years, along with my wife Padma,
and daughter Rukmani. After listening to my childhood adventure tails with
Darjeeling Toy Train, little Rukmani was so much thrilled that right from
home she was insisting on traveling through the Toy Train -Darjeeling is my
home town and I was born and brought up in this valley. Darjeeling Toy Train now a 117 years old fantasy- turned out to be much a pioneering work of appreciation. I saw this royal train standing with pride on the station of Siliguri, with the journey of more then a century. My memories flashed back to the hills of Darjeeling where I spent my childhood. I remember the toy train was then known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways or by its short form, the DHR.
During those times my family was the leading merchant in Darjeeling - dealing in Darjeeling Tea, even exporting to other countries. During my father's time, Darjeeling's celebrities were either the British ruling class of the time, who visited Darjeeling every summer or royal people like Maharajas and affluent Indians comprising of land-owning Zamindars.
The train has gone under tremendous changes from what it was before. Rukmani was excited to know that the train will take almost 8 hours to reach Darjeeling and she will have ample time to enjoy the panoramic beauty of the valley. The rail track covers the stretch of 83-km Siliguri and Darjeeling, showcasing magnificent landscape. The journey to the hilltop was just awe-inspiring and cannot be experienced anywhere else in the world. Tiny rail engine with its commodious coaches running on the curved tracks made it possible to connect Siliguri in north Bengal with Darjeeling encompassing its entire treasures. The train channels through a divergence of a spectacular panorama. The terrain is just fabulous with variegated vegetation, first there are the dense jungles and then the tea plantations are seen clinging to the steep terraced mountains
In olden days it was known as the most romantic trains carrying British couples, soldiers, planters, holiday-makers escaping the heat and dust of the plains of Bengal and collieries of the Chota Nagpur plateau, and European parents visiting their boarding-school children in Darjeeling.
The train proceeded up to the more steeper hills, en-rout stopping at many stations. Rukmani enjoyed the charm of getting down and climbing up the train now and then. A loop named Sensation Corner was one of the best viewing sites over the down valley. There are no tunnels through out the entire passage, facilitating the passengers to enjoy the voluminous vista of the miraculous hill topography - thick foliage of Sal and Teak trees dotted with purple bougainvillea, royal red poinsettia and exotic mauve of the orchids.
My father used to narrate us the story of, how the toy train had to wait for hours on the narrow gauge track in the Sukna jungle due to the leisure lying of a tiger family on the tracks. Sukna jungle at that time was densely forested and was the habitat of several tigers and other large animals. After almost 8 hours I reached my hometown to be received by my own people- very dear ones. This was the end to our magnificent cruise, I had to promise Rukmani that our return ride will also be through this toy train then only she was convinced and was ready to leave the board.
