Belvedere .... My home away from home

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It was 6th of Nov , a notification on my  phone from some horoscope site read “ reward for hard work is shortly due” , next day after a spell of drama at ARTI , Salboni I got the posting  at Kalimpong . 

WOW .. Horoscope are sometime true, even though I didn’t cared about them too much in life ..
Any ways. Hills were calling … A place which is close to my soul. And a chance to be here for next one year.. Hell yah .. 

So I was there with my bags packed and ready to go . There was no point in avoiding the fact that I came here with so much of expectation.This time I am just not a tourist, Executive magistrate after all. I thought all the pleasures of good life – Bunglow gari bla bla will be readily available ..

But life is not about what we plan, but it’s about what you face and how you face them.

Being in a newly created district, just 10 months old have its challenge and there is no point turning your back to them . All those pleasures are hard to avail . The circuit house is under renovation, quarters for officers are under construction and vehicles are yet to be procured …

So it was time for home searching.. My plan was always to stay at a place where the life I dreamed was present ,a place good from inside or even better from  outside , even though I have to spend some bucks more than my HRA allowances.

One office colleague showed me a room. It was dark at that time so I cannot estimate what was laying in front, outside the balcony. 2nd time while we were alone and searching rooms, we accidentally came to this house , “Belvedere”… meaning a summer house or open-sided gallery, typically at rooftop level, commanding a fine view.  The owner must have been a person of good choice ..

I talked to him  and realized it was the same house that we came to see a few days ago, I asked for the key once again.

 I opened the door....A big room, one small drawing room one kitchen big enough, and the USP .. the balcony , truly justifying the name of the house ..  The Mighty Kanchenjunga is visible above the Darjeeling ridge , a part of which had a huge land slide during the last earth quake of 2015, the turquoise  Rangit and Teesta meets in front of my eyes at a distance , beyond which lies the state of Sikkim and Kalimpong to my right , and Delo above that .. On a clear day I can see the paragliders  at Delo. I can also see the small town of Meli down , just beside Teesta which is the gate way to Sikkim , and the snow clad  ranges of east Sikkim  where lies Changu, Nathula, East silk route , beyond that the Indo-China border..

I spend hours daily sitting on my balcony , enjoying the sun , enjoying the view and all beauty that my eyes can soak and my soul can  assimilate  .. I watch the first ray over Kanchenjunga and the last ray over her, the lights turning on over Kalimpong Sikkim and Darjeeling  and then turning  off . 

 And sitting on balcony and doing nothing gets a new meaning.. It is Belvedere indeed …
. So when you guys are dropping in ?















Location: Kalimpong, West Bengal, India

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