The Hindu Business Line : Of hariyali and breezers

(Recently in Gangtok) Yeh hariyali ko barbad karney ke liye aa gaye yeh lok. Yaha par sab hariyali khatam kar dengey aur phir hamsey kahengey ki aap log yaha sey nikal jaon. (These people have come here to destroy the greenery. They will destroy the forests completely and will then tell us, the local people, to get out of here)”.

Our driver Tenzing Norway is complaining about the large presence of the NHPC in Sikkim and describes how some time ago he and his friends had gone on a bhook hadtal to protest against the erosion of forest cover, but nothing came o f it.

On a holiday to Sikkim during an unusual season when the monsoon is active and when most tourists stay away, the visit is an eye opener. First of all there is a total absence of an anti-India feeling that you encounter in the North Eastern States in general and Nagaland, Manipur or Assam in particular. Most of the people we meet are soft spoken, educated and speak English – the literacy rate in Sikkim is an impressive 82 per cent, are well dressed; forget encountering a single beggar in Gangtok or elsewhere during the 8-day trip, even those who provide you a service, as in a restaurant or a hotel, do not solicit or wait for a tip.

Neil Law, our tour organiser from Himalayan Footprints explains this is because “the Government of India pours in a lot of money into Sikkim and you won’t see much poverty here.”

The North East monsoon is in a vigorous stage over this tiny State; the 2001 census put the population at 5.65 lakh but there is a sizable floating population in the State which attracts a lot of Nepalese and Bihari labourers. The green forest cover over the Eastern Himalays range in this part is mind blowing and in stark contrast to the brown you see frequently in the Garhwal Himalayas. And the incessant rains have added an incredible freshness to the greenery so that at any point the human eye can see at least 7 to 8 different shades of green. People like Norgay are immensely proud of their green heritage, and having worked regularly with heritage and eco tourism promoters like Law, not to mention birding experts such as Sailesh Pradhan, the proud owner of a huge nursery on the outskirts of Gangtok, which has over 100 varieties of orchids, are keen to protect it. Pointing to the hectic construction activity that is on in patches, Norgay says, “Yeh log yaha par todjod kar key c haley jayengey… (these people will make and break things here and disappear). The pity is that while the American people are with us to save the environment (now that was a new one, but there wasn’t time to ask him to elaborate on that one!), we are not getting much support from Indians.”

It was through slips such as these one realised that sometimes, and in a fit of passion, the Sikkimese people tend to forget that Sikkim was annexed to India and became part of it in 1975. Seeing the greenery one naturally thinks of the farmers and their distress in other parts of India. Law, who is a Bengali married to a Sikkimese ex-police officer, and passionately involved in promoting adventure, cultural and eco-tourism in Sikkim – he has driven all the way from Kolkata to Bagdodra in his Scorpio to drive us up the hills – vouches for the lack of distress among Sikkimese farmers.

“The main crops here are tea, cardamom – a high value crop, ginger, different varieties of rice and potatoes, apart from other vegetables. The farmers get enough for their produce and are quite happy. I’ve been travelling all over Sikkim for 12 years and can say this with some confidence.”

Rice is a staple here and the varieties served during our stay are thin and long-grained. Again, unlike the Garhwal region with many pilgrim spots such as Gangotri, Yamnotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath, and hence has a virtually uniform ban on non-vegetarian food in most regions, chicken, beef, mutton and fish are freely available here. Forget the pampering of the palate for non-vegetarians and vegetarians alike, tipplers would be even happier in Sikkim.

The local beer Dansberg is delicious and available at a mere Rs 35 a bottle, whiskeys such as the regional produce Royal Orchid, cost a mere Rs 125 a bottle and similarly cheap are the other spirits. For those among us who kept off hard liquor and were happy with just a spot of alcohol available, for instance, in a Bacardy Breezer, couldn’t have asked for more. Even little shops selling cigarettes, chips and chewing gum displayed at least half a dozen Breezers in various flavours. Noticing this phenomenon, it felt strange that one can’t pick up Breezers in Chennai, unless you are prepared to pay a steep premium on the marked price!

(To be continued)

Response may be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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