by Subbaram Danda
It was a delight to watch the Japanese Peace Pagoda standing majestically in bright white among the green pine trees on the outskirts of Darjeeling. Slow moving streaks of grey clouds in the blue sky provided a touch of enchantment to the scene. Instantly I came under the magic spell of the dome-shaped Buddhist structure. Its appeal was profound.
I was in the Queen of Hill Stations with my family on a short summer sojourn. The visit had been our long-standing desire. We had been told not to miss the pagoda under any circumstances. True, our first impression was gratifying.
Located on a vast site, the 94-foot tall edifice, called stupa by Indians, has been attracting visitors ever since its inauguration in November 1992. Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fuji, the guiding figure behind it, wanted it to serve as a source of inspiration for people of all races and creeds to work for international harmony.
From the gate we walked for a while to the base of the pagoda and started climbing its semi-circular steps. Straight ahead at the top on the circular wall of the pagoda was a large statue of the Buddha shining in golden colour in a serene sitting posture. The statue depicts the Buddha preaching renunciation of unbridled desires as a panacea for all evils.
As I kept looking at the sculpture, various thoughts on the dimensions of desire flooded my mind. History is replete with instances, where over-ambition has led to disastrous consequences. The Pakistani and Chinese incursions into the Indian territory in the past are glaring examples. In the epic age, Ravana’s lust for Sita made him meet an inglorious end, though he had been a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Currently, cases of avariciousness to amass wealth by hook or crook are aplenty.
Great thinkers have also advocated the principle of abdication. Greek philosopher Socrates felt that “from the deepest desires often comes the deadliest hate.” Noted British Political Economist John Stuart Mill emphasized the same idea in simpler terms, “I have learned to seek my happiness by limiting my desires rather than in attempting to satisfy them.”
On the other hand, small desires have always received encouragement. My thoughts raced back in time. I recalled what Management gurus had told us in our class. “The starting point of all achievement is desire. And a creative man is motivated by his desire to achieve.”
We moved around the pagoda at the top level. Besides the statue of the Buddha in the front, there were three others in different styles – reclining, standing and meditating. The four sculptures faced the four cardinal directions. The reclining Buddha was in Nirvana pose (emancipation from earthly bonds) watched by tearful devotees and members of the royalty during the last moments of Buddha’s life. The standing Buddha was offering his blessings to devotees to enable them conquer fear. The Buddha in the meditation posture was promoting ‘focused concentration’ to attain a state of tranquillity. Between the statues there were a few sandstone panels, realistically etched, representing the outstanding episodes in the life of the peace apostle. The common refrain of them all was that for peace and happiness, equanimity of human thought is essential.
As we returned, I looked back to catch a last glimpse of the pagoda. I felt refreshed in my mind. Desire and ambition are not bad concepts after all. But it is their excessive magnitude that is the culprit.
Darjeeling offers many attractions for holiday-seekers. It was our desire, a reasonable one, to see as many of them as possible. Prominent on our itinerary was the peak of Kanchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world (28,209 feet) to be seen with naked eyes from the precincts of our resort. The next day we witnessed it. The snow-clad mountain glistened alluringly against the backdrop of the blue mid-day sky close to the horizon. What an exhilarating sight it was! Small desires bring great joys.
People vacationing in Darjeeling long to visit Tiger Hill, from where one can have a spectacular view of the sunrise, provided the weather is fine with no mist or cloud formation. The sun first emerges as an orange spot on the horizon and gradually grows into a ball of fire. The entire skyline of the mountainous terrain glows swathed in brilliant crimson light to the elation of the sun gazers.
We had arrived at the hill-station having yielded to the temptation of travelling by the Toy Train, officially known as the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which runs on a two-foot narrow gauge track from the town of Kurseong to Darjeeling. It is the recipient of the World Heritage status accorded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization (UNESCO). Senior citizens can recall that the block-buster Hindi film of yesteryears “Aradhana” featuring Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila Tagore immortalized the Toy Train by shooting a song sequence “Mere Sapnonki Rani” along the route.
It took three pleasingly meandering hours to cover the 30-kilometre distance. For the most part the track ran alongside the ghat road and there was no wall or fence separating the rail-line from the road. As the train chugged on its way, we could take a look at the green valleys,slender streams and tea estates. Softly caressing cool hilly breeze kept us in good humour.
The best way of appreciating the beauty of the hill-station in a panoramic setting is by taking a ride in the Darjeeling ropeway. Buying tickets we got into a cable car and glided over the townfor 40 long minutes enjoying the sights of closely-packed houses on hill slopes, plunging gorges,lush tea gardens and ghat roads.
Visitors to Darjeeling make it a point to visit the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park named after the former governor of West Bengal. We were no exception. The zoo isknown for its conservation and breeding programmes aimed at saving the endangered animal species of the eastern Himalayas. It was a pleasure looking at some of the exotic types of high altitude animals such as red panda, black bear, snow leopard and yak, besides colourful Himalayan birds.
Located behind the zoological park is the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, a centre of education and research in mountaineering. Set up in 1954, it has a rich collection of models, paintings, sculptures, photographs, manuscripts, autographs and equipments of well known mountaineers. Of interest is the “samadhi” of Nepal-born Tenzing Norgay, who was the first to step on Mount Everest in 1953 along with New Zealand’s Edmund Hillary.
There are several Buddhist monasteries in and around Darjeeling. They are essentially shrines where people throng to offer prayers in front of large colourful Buddha statues.
A passion with tourists is shopping for Darjeeling tea. The hill-stationproduces a wide variety of teas – black, green, white, blended, flavoured and scented. They have their own distinctive taste, colour and aroma. Its high-grown variety has acquired international reputation.
Celebrated American writer Mark Twain had once described Darjeeling as a “land that all men desire to see.” It is true even today.The queen’s charms are always worth exploring!
We returned home happily, our small desires having been fulfilled. British writer Samuel Johnson could not have been more explicit when he said, “Some desires are necessary to keep life in motion.” And they yield great joys too!
Subbaram Danda is an author and a former journalist. Two of his books in print format — “Marvels Very Majestic” and “The Rustles of Pleasure” are available at Amazon.in and Flipkart.com. He was Chief of News Bureau of a multi-edition business daily and later Media Relations Chief of a foreign diplomatic mission. He has travelled extensively. Photography is his cherished hobby.
