Rabindra Jayanti celebrated at Selimhill Tea Bungalow, Tindharia, Darjeeling

Suhas Basu, in this picture reads out portions from 'Shesher Kabita' during Rabindra Jayanti celebrations at Selimhill Tea Bungalow, where he had last visited 51 years ago as a freshly joined engineer at Kurseong. This Bungalow and the adjoining areas were frequented by 02 Noble Laureates from West Bengal, India, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and Mother Teresa. The stone Bungalow here stands here for the past 175 years to witness the sailing decades of Darjeeling. The nostalgia of the place brings back several of the visitors of the past. The owners of the Tea Estate Selimhill did not want to deprive the visitors and has kindly allowed this property to be used for hosting guests. The locals myth that goes around: From the estate's first manager to all those who have visited the Selimhill Tea Estate, had to come back as a visitor because of the mesmerizing attraction of the place. This is a kind of extension of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy Train), World Heritage Site at Tindharia, which has many more memories scattered around Tindharia and Gayabari. Suhas Basu, now the President with Fuleswari Nandini, a group of cultural enthusiasts, mostly women from Siliguri and Jalpaiguri area, has taken the initiative to pay respects to the Great Man, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore at the Selimhill Tea Bungalow.

The Fuleswari Nandini Members with the photograph of Gurudev

Selimhill Tea Bungalow: The President along with his niece, Mahua Choudhury, also the Founder Secretary of this group in front of the 175 years old stone bungalow

A report on the event written in Bengali

    

Back to Kolkata after 100 years

It was Calcutta then. The capital of India was shifted to Delhi, almost a 100 years ago, one of the reasons were patriotism and the British were not being able to take it. Then came the 2nd World War, the Japanese took control of the CBI (China-Burma-India) theater. At home there was war against the Imperialistic orders, so far so that the flag of Independent India flew in Manipur. 

Let us try and go back a few thousand years, during the time of the Silk Route. Very little is known about the East and Northeast India, but the traces of Buddhism in the area and beyond is the proof of the glory of those days. An area which did not give up to any of the imperialistic ruling. An area which is the connectivity for resources for India to flourish.

The present visit of Hillary Clinton reflects the vision of United States America. She was in China, followed by Bangladesh and then to West Bengal (we must remember this is only a state under the country India) to go further to the country capital, New Delhi. We have all been watching the rise of Myanmar recently. If peace prevails, the time is not far off when India will have to review her 'Look East' policy from Delhi and make a shift to Kolkata, 'Look from East'.