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Darjeeling, the latest fascination for tourists
by Pallav Basu

      Darjeeling: If you think tourists' paradise can only be the picturesque Kashmir or culturally rich Rajasthan, think again. For, a rapidly increasing number of nature lovers are thronging Darjeeling to have real life experience of this hill station's incomparable beauty. Darjeeling, which derives its name from two Tibetan words 'Dorje' (thunderbolt) and 'ling' (place) meaning 'the land of thunderbolt', has recently emerged as a favourite tourist destination. The hill station is drawing a lot of tourists from across the country and abroad for its picturesque landscape of lush green tea gardens, eyeful valleys and the majestic Himalayan range. Those who have visited the Darjeeling District cannot forget the breath-taking view of the snow clad Kanchenjunga peak. The lofty peak having an altitude of 8.586 metres (28,169 feet) is the third highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest and K2. "I feel good. It has a natural atmosphere all around compared to other hill stations," said Sushil Bhattacharyya, a tourist from Kolkata. "It's a nice place. It's quiet. We came straight from Kolkata. It's nice here, the people are very good and cooperative. I feel good," said Wim Pru, a tourist from Belgium. The local markets cater to a variety of woollen garments and decorative household items. A good number of shops exclusively sell rare novelties of Tibetan art like Thangka paintings, and Bhutanese and Sikkimese artefacts. Apart from restaurants catering Indian and European cuisine, Darjeeling boasts of many tiny and affordable eateries, which offer a variety of Tibetan, Chinese and Bhutanese dishes. Besides large number of tourists also enjoy pony rides and the famous toy train ride. One can reach the hill town while crossing the 80 kilometre (km) stretch on the world famous Darjeeling Himalayan Railway nicknamed "Toy Train" from Siliguri. In 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway a World Heritage Site.

      Meanwhile, all hoteliers are also geared up to recieve tourists. Various packages are on offer for high and low end budget tourists. "It has a scenic beauty. The tea of Darjeeling is also famous and there are toy trains too. For tourists, there are both high budget and low budget hotels," said Suren Lama, owner of Hotel Zodiac. Another memorable event that every tourist cherishes is the enchantress view of the sunrise or the sunset from Tiger's Hill, a spot on the outskirts of Darjeeling. To add a real life joy to their visit in the natural surroundings, interested tourists can also visit the tea gardens to see how the plucked two leaves and a bud are collected, sorted out, processed and blended for the aromatic refreshing beverage, the Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is Internationally acclaimed for its tea industry and the tea plantations in the slopes of the foothills in this region date back to mid 18th century during the colonial period. In Darjeeling, tea is cultivated in around 17,400 hectares in 85 tea gardens with a production of around 11.5 milliom kilograms of tea. The industry employs over 52,000 workforce and about 15,000 persons are engaged during the plucking season from March to November. About 60 per cent of them are women.
-Oct 23,  2006

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