www.kalimpong.info

it is not by any stretch of imagination among the grand roads that connect this vast sub-continent. however it is of strategic importance as it is the life line between sikkim and vast chunks of the kalimpong subdivision with the rest of the country. a bolero or any one of the swifter, swankier and smaller cars these days can do the entire 75kms stretch between siliguri to gangtok in 3 1/2 hrs. many of the younger drivers can do it in three hours flat i am told. but, that is asking for trouble. at best of times the road is quite motorable and the border roads organisation people do a fairly good job of keeping it that way. but the road is very narrow and and punctuated by endless series of sharp bends that will brook no carelessness or entertain the whims of speed freaks. the terrain is unforgiving and has zero tolerance for mistakes.. it could be very costly.

to drive home this point, the BRO has put up many sign boards along the route. dire warnings served with a touch of humour. here are some;

1. this is not a rally. enjoy the valley
2. be gentle on my curves
3. drinking and driving don’t mix
4. haste makes waste
5. if married..divorce drink
6. BRO can build roads to anywhere except the skies.
but we are working at it.

i have driven the teesta highway more times than i can remember, and i will do it as many more times as i can. it is by far one of the preetiest drives in the country. it does get very messy during the monsoons with any number of landslips that hold up traffic for hours and sometimes…days. otherwise as the legend says…”enjoy” the valley. carry a flask of coffee, sandwiches, and a cd player. pull up where the river flows gentle along a sandy bank. listen to ‘yesterday once more’. hang around for a while. if you’re lucky you just might catch the sun going down.

time passes, and a great many things just become a clutter of memories . some days i think of days past and remember things from my childhood. the many treks and hikes down to the valleys where our two rivers flowed..relli on the east and teesta on the west. the many paths and trails in the woods and forests that led to our secret swimming holes. aah, then the rivers were pristine, their waters clear and cool and we spent magical summer days diving off the rocks basking in the sun wishing the day never came to an end. and innocence would last forever.

along the way we often came across the most gorgeous butterflies .They seemed to be everywhere. So many that the national geographic magazine once did a long article on it under the banner “the valley of butterflies”. then sometime beginning in the late 60’s the butterflies vanished. they say the great floods of 68 was responsible.likely. what remained swiftly became a collectors treasure hunt. and they came from all over the world with butterfly nets and trophy boxes,and for a while it seemed like these winged creatures of such exquisite beauty too would be driven to extinction.

Almost four decades ,and it seems somewhere in the hidden shades of the remaining forests and under the warm moist rocks of the river bends, the butterflies have made a slow but definite comeback. i don’t know how long it will last this time. the nhpc with their grandiose plans to build hydroelectricity dams are clawing away in the valley; and human colonisation of forest lands, the butterflies are making their last stand here.

i took these pictures over the last two summers. butterflies are very difficult subjects. their flight patterns are absolutely freaky. and most times they land and stay still just long enough to tease you. i had some very interesting moments getting these shots and will tell you about it some other time. for now hope you enjoy these pictures as much as i enjoyed taking them.

chuck