"It is a sight for a lifetime. Blissful. Tranquil. The Master Creator must be close by..."
... an interlude in Sikkim
Thelma Taylor
As
we ascend many miles higher
bright reddish maroon rhododenrons greet us in welcome. Down
below, we spot a herd of yaks grazing in an amazingly green valley. It is a sight for a life time. We gaze in mute silence! It is blissful. It is tranquil... The Master Creator must be close by. We almost kneel in quiet
obeisance.
Soon the greenery is left far behind. And so is some
of the oxygen. Now there's only snow all around. A frozen lake
on one side and a valley of clouds on the other.
Steadily we climb
a snow covered, man-made stairway. If not the rain and snow, the
speedy winds may cause us to fall! Suddenly we are confronted
by a big wall. We press against the wall. Across the snow covered
area we see a Chinese watch tower! We are looking into another
country! We are thrilled and excited. We wave frantically. A Chinese
soldier comes out and stands on a parapet and waves back!
One of our soldiers relays a Hindi film song, over the loudspeaker, across the border. It is
a catchy tune. The Chinese soldier likes it! He flashes a toothy smile
and dances atop the wall! We applaud wildly! We are ecstatic. We are actually, almost on top of the world!!
We return to Libing
after night fall, cold bodied, warm hearted. Our spirits are left
somewhere 14,000 feet above sea-level! We scramble into warm beds
and dream of the magnificent Himalayas! Paradise?
It happened one night
And one night came a frightening storm. Lightning struck
with ear piercing sounds. Windows rattled with the boom of thunder.
Water seeped in through any possible crack in the house. Would
the night ever end? I woke up to greet a quiet morning.
Even though
the sun was shining there was a strange deathly silence all
around. A soft wailing sound came from afar. I moved towards he
edge of the garden. My footsteps froze! A major portion of the
upper garden was missing.
Landslide! There was devastation all
around. Several houses had been carried away or buried below the
falling mud. The newspaper reported 35 dead and several homeless.
The gate of the local Central School was lying 200 feet below!
The school had to remain closed for almost six weeks.
We were actually
cut off from the rest of the world. No fresh vegetables or fruits
from anywhere. Onions were being sold at Rs 45 a kg! It was
dreadful. My mesmeric slumber was harshly shattered by the facts
of life! Nature is a strangle leveller. There is beauty and ugliness
in every place on earth... only the ratios differ!
But...
Sikkim was truly bewitching! I would stand outside my home each morning and just
gaze at the alluring colours of the sunset and marvel at the
brilliant hand of the Creator. Hills and mountains, close by and
beyond, of various shades and hues, green, grey, purple, black,
brown, chocolate and white! In direct contrast were the radiant colours of
the often-sighted twin rainbows that arose from the flowing rivulet
way down below, and ended somewhere in the heavens yonder. The
beauty was mesmerising. Sometimes I thought I could actually sense
the rising of my soul -- soaring higher and higher -- to an unknown
destination... I wouldn't want to call it back.
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