DARJEELING, Jan 1. - Snowfall marked the turn of the
year for Darjeeling town after a gap of five long years.
But that it fell around 2.30 a.m. during the wee hours of the morning
and there was no trace of it left after daybreak, at least in the
town area, dismayed many.
Churchgoers and late night revelers turned
out to be the lucky ones who witnessed the long awaited flakes descend
silently on the slopes.
Mr. G Lepcha, a local journalist, was returning home from the midnight
mass with his family along the relatively desolate Aloobari ridge
when the snow began to fall. "It was divine…we were all excited,
particularly the young ones, to see a snowfall after such a long time,"
said Mr. Lepcha.
However, news that it had snowed last night excited the town no less.
People, and a large number of tourists, kept a hopeful watch on the
sky throughout the day, thick clouds and the occasional drizzle tantalizing.
Many tourists and locals who had taken a trip to Tiger Hill - a famous
sunrise viewing point which is particularly crowded on the New Year
dawn - were greeted with an even more thicker shower of the snow.
News of the snowfall even reached Siliguri. Plans were being made
by some of the residents to take the two hours drive up to Darjeeling
to see the snow.
The last time it snowed in Darjeeling was 20 January, 1997.
Environmentalists have been crying themselves hoarse about the snowfall
getting rarer in Darjeeling - snow used to fall very regularly otherwise
in the town - blaming it no massive deforestation and rising pollution
levels.
Another highlight of this New Year's celebrations is that there were
hardly any crackers burst.
What will also be remembered is the gesture of the Darjeeling police
band which braved the cold to give a scintillating performance to
locals and tourists at Chowrasta, the town's most popular promenade. |
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