Sandakhphur Trek

01-10-2010: We, the 8 members of our team started from Kolkata terminus by Kolkata Guwahati Garib Rath Express via New Jalpaiguri (NJP) at 21:40.

02-04-2010: We reached NJP station at around 08:00. Then we took a car to Maneybhanjang (2096 m). Our summit, Sandakphu (3636 m) [from ‘Santaphur’ = dwelling place of a saint], the highest point of West Bengal was 31 km from there. We had lunch there and after doing the necessary work there, we started our trek. The first day trek was short. Its was 3 km to Chitray. We got to see hailstorm. And for the first time we used ‘toka’ (a plastic to cover ourselves and our sack, used by the locals and the trekkers). We reached there in around 2 hrs. On our way we saw several ‘Gompas’ (the sacred burial of the Buddhists). That night we stayed at Chitray trekkers’ hut.

03-04-2010: Our next destination was Tumling (2980 m). It was a 9 km trek from Chitray. We walked through portions of Nepal. The mid halts were Lamaydhura (approx 3 km from Chitray) and Meghma (about 5 km from Chitray). From Meghma (2900 m), the right-side road goes towards Tonglu (3070 m) and the left one to Tumling. We completed that day’s trek in around 5 hrs. We stayed at Shikhar Lodge at Tumling. That day we had the first glimpse of the Sleeping Buddha Range [Kanchendzonga (8598 m), Kabru North (7338 m), Kabru South (7317 m), Kabru Dome (6600 m), Mt. Pandim (6619 m) etc.]. The view was simply awesome. We were spellbound to see the magnificent lofty mountains after so many months.

04-04-2010: Today’s destination was Kalapokhri (3186 m). It was a 14 km trek from Tumling. A mid halt was Gairibas (2625 m), around 3 km from Tumling from where we had to take our Inner Line Permit to go through the Singalila National Park. We took the route other than Jaubari. Then we halted at Kaiyakatta. We reached Kalapokhri in around 7 hrs. That night we stayed at Mt. Pandim Lodge in Kalapokhri. It was my 18^th birthday too and I was too excited about it! I even got some surprises from friends around me!

05-04-2010: Today the destination was our summit, Sandakphu situated in the Singalila Range. It was 7 km from Kalapokhri. We trekked downhill till Bikheybhanjang (3293 m) [from ‘Bikh’ = poison], 3 km from Kalapokhri. Then it was 4 km uphill to Sandakphu. We finished that day’s trek in around 4 hrs. We stayed in a trekkers’ hut.

06-04-2010: According to our plan today’s destination should have been Phalut (3600 m), 24 km from Sandakphu. But due to some members’ physical condition it was not possible for us to pursue that route. So we came down to Gurdum (2910 m), 12 km from Sandakphu. It took around 4 hrs to reach. We stayed at the Gurdum trekkers’ hut. And today morning we also saw a bit of Mt. Everest (8848 m) alongwith the Sleeping Buddha Range from Sandakphu.

07-04-2010: We trekked to Shrikhola (2621 m) [‘khola’ = river], around 6 km from Gurdum. It took us around 3 hrs to reach there. The place was a meeting point of two rivers and it was a complete beauty. In the evening we had the Feedback Session with our Team Captain because it was the last day of our trek. There we stayed at a lodge that night.

08-04-2010: We trekked to Seppi, 2 km from Shrikhola in around 1 hr and took a car to Darjeeling (2134 m) [58 km from Sandakphu] via Rimbick (2286 m), Maneybhanjang, Sukhia Pokhri, Ghum etc. We had our lunch with ‘thukpa’ (noodles with soup), momo and local noodles at Sukhia Pokhri. That evening we roamed about in the Darjeeling Mall and places around it and our hotel; and were busy gathering souvenirs from the trip!

09-04-2010: Today we walked down to see the Darjeeling Zoo (Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park) and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI). The zoo was pretty good. But I was awestruck to see the HMI. It was just awesome. I just loved the Mt. Everest Museum. It left me spellbound. One day I also dream of doing the Mt. Everest summit and I’m dying to do the mountaineering courses in HMI. I just bid goodbye to HMI hoping that I’ll be back soon! That afternoon after our lunch we took a car to Siliguri. Mid way we halted for tea and our last momo. We reached Siliguri in the evening. We roamed about in the Hong-Kong market of Siliguri and then took an auto to NJP station. We took our dinner from the station itself and boarded the NJP Digha Paharia Express to Howrah at around 21:00.

10-04-2010: We reached Howrah at around 07:30.

A Journey...

She was in a trance.

She wanted to touch the sky.

But something held her firmly to the ground.

She couldn’t.

But she wanted to touch the sky.

She was in a ‘pensive mood’.

She had no friends.

Twisha was all alone by herself.

She was on a high.

But she wanted to fly high.

And she failed.

Then there he was.

Roni was he called.

Just like a click of fingers or a wave of the magic wand.

She was in a trance.

She wanted to touch the mountain tops.

Nothing held on to her this time.

She could.

She wanted to touch the sky.

She was in a ‘pensive mood’.

She had A friend.

Twisha was with Roni.

She was on a high,

She was flying high…

Just Passing By An Afternoon Thought...

The grey sky,
Me standing on the school balcony,
The pitter-patter rain started,
I was slowly losing my mind,
Getting lost by every second,
The whole world— in vain,
The littlest things becoming important to all the me’s

-- The wet crows,

The lone chair far down below,

The water on the leaves… to its heart’s content,

Me missing someone… from the core of my heart,

And the bell rang…

But nevertheless the feeling was divine; the feeling was pure...

But where art thou? ... Me waiting for you..

Amake egie jete hobe...bhalo'r pothe..

Samay eshechhe egie chola’r…
Shei dunguli’ke pechone phele rekhe…
Shei noshtami’r dingulo… --
Cigarette kheye-kheye thont’ta eri-moddhye kalo hoe gechhe,
Besh koekbaar bidi’teo taan,
Ganja, charash, brown-sugar’er nesha’e boond hoe thaka,
Mod kheye maataal,
Coc, heroin, mary jane—eshob nie jibon’tar barota bajano,
Chari-pashe shei ashlil-acharan kora noshto chhele-meyegulo’r attohasshyo aar tar majhe ami arekta noshto meye.
Uff aamar pagol-pagol lagche; ashustha lagche. Aami aar parchhi na..

Rail-line’er dhare shei disha-heen bhabe ghure-berano;
Rail patti’r ulango bacchagulo’r shei pranobonto hashi’ta aamar aaj’o majhe-majhe mone pore jae.
Aar tokhoni mone hoe aami ektu cheshta korlei kintu ei hashi’tai aamar apon-jon’er mukheo aante paari.
Tai ami aaj egie chola’r pothe,
Bhalo’r poth’er dike cholechhi; baar-baar nije’ke etai bolte bolte je aar jeno kono bhool na hoe…
Aar jeno kono bhool na hoe. Aami parbo.

Tumi...

(… aamar jibon’er harie-jaoa shonali muhurtogulo ki sottyiie aar kokhono phirbe naa?)

Tomar ki mone pore aamake?
Ekhono ki tumi amar kotha bhabo?
Raat-ghum’e tumi ki ekhono amar shwapno dekho?

Achha tomar ki mone achhe aamader shei eksathe katano samay’ta?
Praye dupurei lake’r dhare boshe adbhut shei anubhutigulo…
Bikelbela surjotake eksathe biday deoa…
Sandhebela’r shei hawa’e eke-oporer moddhye harie jaoa…
Tomar shei ushno chhoa…
Tarpor majhe-majhe school kete cinema’e jaoa…
Aamader prothom haath-dhora…
Shei prothom prem’e pora aar lukie-lukie dekha korar uchhash o’ bhoy…
Egulo’r kichhui ki tomake ekhon aar ektuo bhabie tole na? Sottyi kore bolo toh amay….

Jaani tumi ponn korechhile je saat-jonme’o amar kachhe aar phire ashbe na.
Kintu tumi ki ekbaar’o cheshta’o korbe na aamake khoma karar?

Shei aami… je eksamay chhilo tomar shobkichhu, tomar beche thaka’r chabi-kathi, je eksamay tomar shwapno-rajjye biraaj korto, tomar protita shwapne shudhu “shei” thakto.
Shei aami kintu ekhono tomay bhulini.
Amar bhetor theke tomar astittyota ekbaar’er jonneo kintu muchhe jaeni.
Aamar jibon’er protita muhurto kintu ekhono tomar shabdo-gandho-sporsher chhoa pae.
Aamar chokh diye brishti pore kintu aaj’o balish’ta bhije jae.
Aami kintu aaj’o tomari prem’e pagol,
Bolle aami aaj’i tomar sathe chirokaal’er mato harie jete raaji.

Tumi ki kokhonoi ta bujhbe na? Naki bujheo sarata jibon na bojhari abhinoy kore katie debe?

Shei ami

Bhalolage…
Shwapno dekhte
Eka-eka thakte..
Elomelo haat’te.
Sararaat aakash’er dike takie boshe thakte, raat’er aakash’ta ki sundor.. tai na? shei purnima’r gol chand aar aakash-bhora tara..

Neel jol’o-rekha dhore haat’te, aar onek dur’e pouchhe jete. Majhe-majhe jhinuk kurono aar gungun kora. Aar sathe samudrer gorjon
R dure.. jekhane jol’ta aakash’er sathe mishe gechhe, shekhane chotto ekta nouko dekhte pelam. R furfure hawa’e gae shiharon uthlo, orna’ta urte laglo..Ei sobkichhui khub bhalolage, jodi take sotti keu mon theke bhalolagate shekhe… ei ekakittotake bhalobaste shekhe… taholei dekhbe eka thaka somoygulo aro sundor hoe uthbe.

You can conquer the loneliness on your own if you know how to be lost in your dreams…

Majhe-majhe boddo eka lage amar. Tokhon ektu koshto kore amar chotto prithibitake tene-hichre besh khanikta boro kore nie pahar’er churoe ba samudrer nil digante mishe jai. Bas taholei hoe gelo. Ekguchha bhabna mathay kilbil kore. Kokhono samudra-tir’er baali diye khali-pa’e ektu-ektu paa bhijie-bhijie hete jai, abar kokhono ba gae shiharon tule khara pahar beye uthe jai. Bhoy hoe… Jodi ekhuni pore jai? Ki kelenkari !
Abar kokhono hoeto galper boi porte-porte, kingba gaan sunte-sunte tar bhetorei dhuke jai.
Kokhono ba pechhone-phele-asha dingulo’r kotha bhabi. … sometimes I cherish those memories, sometimes I regret those days.
Abar kokhono ba shudhui eka-eka lage. Aar kichhui bhabte pari naa. Mone hoe prithibita aar amar nei. Keu jeno amar astittyotai chaena.
… dhur!, amar bhari boei gelo tate. Chaena toh chaena. Kintu tai bole amar bacha’r ichheta keno morey jabe? Arrey ei prithibita toh amaro. Ei prithibi’r hoe jonmechhi jokhon, tokhon er shob roshtuku nie tobei ami jabo. Nochet noe.
I was in a trance… thinking about all these weird stuff. Kono karon chharai hothat sheta bhenge gelo. Uff!, ami je ki nah… jatto shob udbhat bacha-mora’r chinta. Nijekei nije bole uthi. Hoeto sosobdei… Nijer ei nistobdho dunia’tar kotha bhabi. Aar jatoi bhabi tatoi obak hoi. Aami… je kina masti-baaj, hoi-hullor korte bhalobashi, speed’e amar ritimato addiction ache; shey ki nah ekhon boshe-boshe eishob bhabchhe? Ke jane… nijer ajantei jeno nijer moddhye du’to astittyo khunje pai. Konta je ashol ami..? .. kei baa aaj tar khonj rakhe..? Ei “ashol ami’r” uttor’ta je ami baar-baar kothay harie pheli?... hoeto khunje peyeo painaa…..

Iche

iche kore...

pakhi hote, du'to dana mele ure jete.

bhor'er alo hote.

ghash'er upor ek phonta shishir bindu hote.

ek naam na jana phool'er kunri hote.

hawa'e bheshe jete.

ashar'er megh hote.

brishti hote.

arab bedouin hote, pipasha'e kanthagato pran.

agun'er lelihan shikha hote.

pran'ta haat'er mutho'e niye dur simana'e milie jete.

swapne'r haath dhore haanthte.

rod'er tibrota'e murchha jete.

tal gaachh hoye shobar upor theke sobkichhu dekhte.

samudre'r jol'e mishe jete.

ganga hoye boe jete.

himalaya'er kona'e-kona'e ghurte.

everest'er matha'e chorte.

mombati'r dwipti hote.

jyotsna'r jyoti hote.

gola chhere gaan gaite.

sur'er taale taale nachte.

rong tuli diye chhobi ankte.

jharna'r kul-kul swabdo hote.

raat'er andhokar'e tara gunte.

chand'er sathe kotha bolte.

jaake bhalobashi taake kachhe pete, tar kol'e matha rekhe shei na bola bhasha'e onek kichhu bolte...

prem'e dube jete.

prem'e pagol hote.

sakol ke apon bolte.

maa bole dakte, tar kol'e shuye rupkatha'r galpo shunte.

chile kotha'r chad'e eka-eka boshe thakte.

nichhak ekta prani hoye byasto shohor'er chotto ekta angsho hote.

gariahaat'er mor'e dariye phuchkaa khete.

mobile'r ringtone hoye baajte.

golpark'e karur jonne opekkha korte.

lake'r dhare giye boshte.

... amar bhishon iche kore baachte

... kintu hay! pari naa...