"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...