Darjeeling and Indian Cinema share an eternal bond that has been celebrated through various movies as well as song sequences shot in this heavenly Himalayan hamlet. From Mere Sapno ki Rani to Main Chali Main Chali to Kasto Maza Hai, Darjeeling has ignited the imagination of many filmmakers since as early as the 1960s. Movies like Aradhana, Humraaz, Mausam, China Town, Barsaat ki Ek Raat, […]
Happy in Happy Valley Tea Estate, Darjeeling
Spiralling down the serpentine and incredibly narrow roads of Darjeeling while carefully clutching the rear side of the seat ahead I look through the window to see vast expanses of not so lush pruned tea shrubs waiting to flourish once spring is here. It’s a cold February morning and the sky is like a painting of clouds playing hide and seek. Binay, the driver happily […]
Mahakal Temple, Darjeeling: Where crossroads unite.
Perched atop the Observatory Hill in Darjeeling is an age old Temple dedicated to Mahakal or Lord Shiva. A ten-minute walk towards the right side of the Mall Road will lead you to this temple, which is also a vantage point for a 360-degree view of the entire city as well as the adjacent mountain ranges.
Darjeeling – On a clichéd touristy trail.
Darjeeling is a quaint hill station in the lap of Eastern Himalayas in India. Previously a part of Sikkim, Darjeeling was given to the East India Company as a gift from the king of Sikkim in the year 1835. Apparently, Lt. General Lloyd identified the potential of Darjeeling to be turned into a British sanatorium.
Chhurpi-the lesser known Himalayan cheese
Found mostly in the Himalayan regions of Sikkim, West Bengal and Bhutan, chhurpi is not just another candy or lozenge, it’s a way of life. All along the streets of these places, you can spot numerous shops selling garlands of what look like hardened cheese cubes brown or white in colour.
