Letter from India: the welcoming lights of Gangtok

A long drive from plains to mountain peaks reveals a jewel hidden in the Himalayas

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Tranquil retreat ... an Indian Buddhist woman rotates the prayer wheels at a monastery in Gangtok. Photograph: Deshakalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty

 

The road winds tortuously up into the Shivaliks, leaving the Teesta river behind to wend its way through the plains. In the distance, the warm, welcoming lights of Gangtok shine through a soft autumnal haze; when the cold months arrive, a bed of snow will flake the twinkling fairy lights of this hill town.
We have crossed monasteries, temples and bridges lined with Buddhist prayer-flags on our way up, driving over rough Himalayan terrain in our journey to the mountains. Clear springs and hamlets pop out of what could be nowhere, but for the fact that even at 3,000 metres above sea level, the consumerist trappings of civilisation are kept alive through puffy bags of crisps and crates of soft drinks, sold alongside hot Darjeeling tea.
After hours of travel up narrow, twisting roads, we find ourselves in Gangtok, the capital of the state of Sikkim. Buildings crowd the slopes, and people stroll unhurriedly around, as if absorbing the tales of a past long gone but still lingering in spirit. It feels almost like a journey through time: Gangtok is quite different from the cities of the plains, but possibly like the quintessential colonial-era Himalayan towns. You can almost conjure up images of British sahibs and their elegantly dressed wives trotting up and down these hill roads on their horses, looking for respite from the searing heat of the plains. All you need, in fact, is a haunted dak bungalow to complete the story.
Today, the main thoroughfare, MG Road, is a paved street only for pedestrians. It is lined by restaurants and shops, ending in a nondescript, dank movie theatre. The lamp-posts are mounted with Bose loudspeakers playing Hindi movie songs from the early 90s. Something about the very air evokes nostalgia.
It is close to 8pm, and a cloudy mist descends heavily over the town, people reduced to blurry shapes. Shopkeepers begin to rustle up their wares; some already have their shutters down.
With its extraordinary mix of faiths and traditions, Gangtok defies slotting into any single category. It isn't ostentatious opulence that takes your breath away, but simplicity. Up in its quiet Himalayan corner, it lives a rich, happy life, with ready smiles that mask its troubles.
Source:Guardian