Window
Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee
Siligudi
Siligudi
(it literally means a stack of pebbles or stones.) is the gateway to Darjiling,
Sikkim, Bhutan and many other states of the north east. Located on the banks of
Mahananda and Teesta rivers at the foothills of the Himalayas, it used to be a
small village under the Sikkim kingdom till late 18th century, known
as a point of trade. It started growing rapidly from early 19th
century due to its strategic
convenience of trade. In 1865, the British captured Darjeeling and the entire
Dooars region to build tea plantations and export the produce to England. For
easy exportation they built a railway station in Siliguri and introduced the
narrow gauge train from Siliguri to Darjeeling in 1880. Presently a sprawling and crowded city (it is the second
largest city of West Bengal now) with an unkempt look Siliguri is struggling
with congestion and several other urban civic problems.
It
took us over 90 minutes to reach Bagdogra airport, just 17 km from Siliguri. “Nobody
knows when the proposed four lane work will be complete, although the money for
the work has been sanctioned”, said our grim faced driver. “They do not
realize, that if you make good roads, more tourists would come giving us more
opportunity to earn- you don’t have to give us doles and sops, just make good
roads”. A level headed practical suggestion.
Selesian College
I
went to Selesian College, Siliguri on invitation by Father C.M.Paul to speak on
Media and Democracy to their Mass Communication undergraduate students. As I
finished my deliberation and interaction with the students (more number of
girls than boys- a trend in mass communication studies across the country),
Father Paul presented me a book titled ‘Salesian College: A History that speaks
today’ edited by Trophy D’souza. It tells the interesting history of the
college.
 |
| Salesian College, Sonada |
A
small group of 11 persons (among them were French, Italian, German and Spanish)
established a centre of learning, meditation and prayer – Salesian College in Shillong
in 1933. It was shifted in Sonada in 1938. Sonada used to be a small hamlet at an altitude of
6146 feet, midway between the two major towns of Darjeeling hills, Darjeeling
and Kurseong. The Darjeeling Himalayan railway used to have a station here. (it
still exists and is operational).
There used to be a brewery at
Gorabari area of Sonada. It was bought at a price of Rs 8000 and the college
started there. Its Siliguri establishment came much later.
Gajoldoba
About
15 km from Siligudi near the Tista barrage, the tourism department of West
Bengal government has developed a complex of over 200 acres, which has been
named Bhorer Alo (The Morning Light). It has a resort for high-end tourists, a
marshy area with boating facility where birds often flock in. A baazar has also
sprung up near the barrage which has several shops selling chingdi chop (marinated
shrimp dipped in chickpea, deep fried).
The
idea of developing a tourist spot for week-end gateway is good. However, as the
saying goes- god is in the details. And here lies the real problem.
The
rude guards of the resort complex, lack of information about how does one book
one for a night, the dirty and unhygienic state of the bazar somehow
discourages one to visit the place again, although the drive to this place
through a forest and on the bank of a canal is wonderful.
The Chronicler of Birds
B N Neelima teaches
mass communication at Tirupati based Padmavati Women’s University. She is an
avid bird watcher and photographer. Not a trained ornithologist but she has
that passion of one. Here is what she writes about an Indian Pitta (Pitta
brachyura) a passerine and
colorful bird native to the Indian subcontinent which she clicked.
 |
| Photo: B N Neelima |
A small colorful
bird also called Navrang for the nine colors on its body. The word Pitta is
derived from Telugu language meaning 'a small bird'.
However, its Tamil
name is particularly interesting. It’s called the ‘aru-mani kuruvi’ in Tamil,
which translates to the “6-o-clock bird”. This refers to its curious habit of
calling at 6 AM and 6 PM (The bird of course doesn’t always call at that exact
time, this is an allusion to its crepuscular behaviour of being active during
dawn and dusk).
Another interesting
name of the bird comes from Sri Lanka, where it is known as avichchiya and is known to be a
harbinger of the new year (the time coincides with the bird’s migration to Sri
Lanka). According to local folklore in Sri Lanka, the peacock supposedly got
its bright plumage from sticking together feathers of other birds including
those of the pitta. The call of the Indian pitta is interpreted as a lament of
this crime “Evith giya, evith giya, ayith
kiyannam, methe budun buduwana vita ayith kiyannam” translated as “Came and
went! Came and went! I’ll still be complaining when the next Buddha comes! I’ll
still be complaining!”
Tailpiece: Road sign
Sign at Darjiling
roadside:
Don’t watch her behind
Keep safety in mind.
++
Journalist turned media academician
Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He also writes fiction and plays.
mrinalchatterjeeiimc@gmail.com
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