It has been exactly a month since we embarked on the great journey through this amazing land. With expectations touching the ceiling, I must say this mind boggling road trip has lived up or sometimes ‘surpassed’ it. With us dangling at the final leg of ‘North East’ darshan, I just can’t tell you how eager each of us is to euphemistically put – get out of here!!
Not because we didn’t like it here, but because sometimes too much of good also gets on to your nerves :P
The best part for me till now has been the Army attachment at Sikkim. As the sun shimmered down the valley and clouds floated underneath, the exalted gasp in unison left all of us without a doubt that Sikkim is a paradise. The serene lake, the experience of a ‘yak’s back’ , the frozen falls, dripping icicles, foggy evening where the hills and valleys get decked up in all hues , the sun eager to settle down by 5 and the moon popping before it is due, there is always something to be awestruck.
The visit to Nathu La, border between India and Tibet Autonomous Region was the much expected outing. It was an exhibition of Chinese might and presence, with them building better and ‘elevated’ posts, so as to display their stronghold. We took photos of the PLA soldiers ,with the barbed wire separating us, at freezing temperatures. The winter clothing provided by the army did support us from being flown away by the chill winds. But the pass was unusually clear and as per our captain’s words extremely pleasant! Whatever snow formed melted and the landscape thus looked barren. The return journey from Nathu La to our ‘base camp’ was filled with ‘wows’ and ‘omgs’ as we were spectacle to the the greatest bounties of nature!
If Nathu La left us speechless, we had more interesting stuff on cards, like the visit to the Tibetan plateau region held by India. We witnessed how hard the life of a soldier on the border is and I was particularly impressed by their levels of motivation which keeps them going at 19000ft! Then there was the breathtaking Gurudongmar lake, another good reason why you should plan a trip to Sikkim soon.
Thus went 10 days with the army, each day teaching us about their tough life and dedication. We were exposed to the weapons they use, even allowed to fire INSAS and AK 47 at their firing ranges. Soon after Sikkim, we went and spent 3 days at Darjeeling where we, well, just drank tea, visited tea gardens, got briefed on different types of tea and had enough of tea talk to last a lifetime! But surely, an industry which claims to be the economic backbone of a district needs to be studied in ‘detail’ by any of us.
Then came 2012, new year, new place – Guwahati. The Brahmaputra caught the eye as soon as we settled down. The city gave us joy as it was by far the best civilized place we had been on this trip. The visits to the corporation didn’t enlighten us a great deal, nor did the other ‘attachments’. I liked the movie we watched here though!
Then came Tezpur airforce attachment, which I totally missed due to ill health and thus cribbed a lot. Kaziranga was very nice, with Rhinos being spotted by us in hordes especially during the evening safari. But on the whole, I had imagined a lot more sightings which did not materialize. A dance performed by the tea tribes called ‘Jhoomro’ was the high point of our Kaziranga stay and I had so much fun dancing with them.
Jorhat followed next with Majuli being the place we all waited for. Specifically because it is the world’s second largest riverine island and the largest inhabited one. With a population of nearly a lakh and half, it surely cannot get bigger for an island sitting pretty in the middle of the Brahmaputra. The best part of this visit was the Mishing tribes, their traditional wooden dwellings, their dances and their amazingly colourful dresses. Then there was the traditional Assamese Bhakti theatre ‘Bhavana’, held only during this time. Another great experience for us to sit and watch the Mahabharata Parvas at night!
Assam thus proved to be a multi cultural package which was liked by us all. The cuisine was especially liked by the non vegetarians and I loved its weather. Thus bidding adieu, we landed in Kohima, again in the hills. Nice, windy city,with temperatures being extremely low, we were exposed to the Naga culture. The heritage village showcasing the 16 different Naga tribes and the world war 2 cemetery were the best takeaways for me till now.
If there was anything all of us were worried about, if not fearful of, was the extended stay at Imphal planned for us. As it happens when you are so much in doubt, it turned out to be a very interesting trip! To start off, this place had amazing weather to lift up our mood. The visit to Ima market which is totally run by women was nice and I got the traditional Manipuri design stamped on my forehead there. Imphal was primarily an insurgency attachment and we got to know a lot about the underground separatist groups active here, the multiple culture and their clashes(Meities, Nagas and Kukis) and the problems faced both by the administration and the Assam Rifles in handling the same. If you land up in a place during elections and read only about grenade blasts in the local news papers, things are definitely very wrong. The other observation was the ‘on your face’ discrimination faced by the people here and other places of the North East. They seem so alienated from the mainland that even we got a taste of that in our 38 day stay at this region. However it is just not the mainland but also the attitude of the people here that should be blamed for the mess. A concerted and sincere effort from both sides is required to improve the situation here. While dwelling over the numerous problems faced by the local Manipuris, we got a chance to visit Myanmar, by crossing over the border via a bridge at Moreh. Tamu, on the other side had such better infrastructure that it made us all gasp over the basic amenities a poor country gives its people while we lag behind.
Something happened next, which lifted my spirits – suddenly Kolkata felt like New York and Park Street, Times Square! Imagine the happiness on returning to the mainland in the plains with broad roads brimming with people and where the sun doesn’t set by 5. Kolkata was awesome fun, be it the cruise on the Hoogly, the walk through the College street, the splendid exhibits in the Victoria Memorial Museum, the grand Kolkata book fair or the local tram, I loved them all. We paid a visit to the Sunderbans, the journey was memorable, sundari trees which I always read about, stood pretty but the majestic tiger was not to be spotted. Not a lucky day for us on that front. We saw ships being built at GRSE and stood in awe looking at the enormous machines present there. Science City, the first of its kind self sustaining science park took me back to my school days. The session on nanotechnology was especially engaging. We witnessed the RD Parade which unfurled in full glory and later in the evening attended the Governor’s tea, both of which I liked. As the day came to an end, I felt sad at leaving this lively city of joy and made my way to the Park Street again to fill myself with Rosogulla, Mishti Doi and paan – the experience stays with me forever.
As though to extend the good times, we landed straight at the heavenly Portblair . The sun shone brightly and the typical coastal weather welcomed us. We then left to Havelock Islands by a jetty and the 2 hour journey which ensued is unforgettable. The deep blue sea, the flying fishes which propel themselves and drift on water for a long time and the setting sun provided the perfect setting for me to lose myself! The beach at Havelock adjacent to the circuit house was pure emerald. Radha Nagar beach at Havelock is one of the most pristine beaches in the world and all of us had immense fun playing with the gushing waves. After seeing a few corals and some exquisitely coloured fish at Coral Islands there, we returned to Portblair. The visit to Cellular jail took us back to history, the struggles faced by the brave men of this country and the inhuman conditions they had to face. It left most of us pensive about the atrocities they faced and got us thinking how easy it is for us to experience freedom now because of them. Thus, after the captivating sound and light show, a lovely evening walk by the sea in Portblair brought an end to this almost fairytale tour of ours.
The next state on our list was Orissa. The flight from Portblair got us to Bhuvaneshwar, the land of temples, and how many did we see!! We saw the Mukteshwara temple, the majestic Lingaraja temple, Rajarani temple, all displaying the intricate Nagara style of architecture on the very day we landed. But surely, the icing on the cake has to be the Konark temple with its exquisite 24 stone wheels. I was amazed at the delicate carvings throughout the exterior of this magnificent temple complex. The best part was our guide’s interpretation of many of the carvings, some of which I found really interesting. The Jagannath temple at Puri was huge, the 3 idols in the sanctum sanctorum very unique and I felt this temple deserves better crowd management. We also saw Dhauli, the scene of the Kalinga war and beautiful sand art at the Chandrabhaga beach. The most enthralling visit for me though, was to Chilika Lake. It is so huge that I wondered whether I was travelling on sea. A wide variety of birds greeted us there, the Purple Moorhen, Eurasian Wigeon, Northern Shoveller, Rudy Shellduck and loads of pelicans to name a few. I consider myself really fortunate to have been able to spot so many winged wonders on such a short visit.
We next went to Vizag for our naval attachment. The place was great and had a lovely beach. Contrary to the other groups’ experience, we had a good time here. The walk around war ship INS Rannvijay and the submarine Sindhuraj gave us loads of information about the working of these huge ships, which look like mini city centres. I had a great time on the minesweeper INS Karwar which was tossing all along the journey. They conducted mock firing drill for us and we on our part realised how hard life is for a navy man. The most interesting visit for me was the submarine training institute INS Shatavahana. Looking at the extremely tough regimen they follow, the inherent difficulties of being in the submarine totally cut off from the outside world, their problems were clearly understood by us especially after seeing their extremely tough escape procedure in case of exigencies. Thus, after 3 eventful days with the Navy we made our way back to Delhi in a monotonous 36 hr train journey. The attachments with the National Security Guards for 2 days and with Maruti Udyog Ltd on the final day went off smoothly. The catching up with friends did pump a bit of life into our tired souls. The best part came next, flight back home, to meet family and friends and more importantly to relive all the good old days!
Bharat Darshan would undoubtedly remain one of the high points of my life. It feels so good to be part of a civilization so diverse as ours, where people, culture, language, and ethos change with every few miles you travel. And to find so much of variety in just one portion of this divine land is truly wonderful. 
