In The Shadow Of The Kanchenjunga

The search for the simple joys of life introduces  Malavika Bhattacharya to Diwali in a quaint Sikkimese village.

NOT A GLIMMER OF LIGHT OR A SOUND IN THE STREETS. BARELY 5PM, BUT SIKKIM’S MOUNTAIN SKIES WERE BLACK AS INK. The sun, like the roads, had vanished hours earlier— one swallowed by clouds, the other by rain. Shivering under my backpack and parka, I trudged up roughhewn stairs etched into a steep, silent mountainside. For the eve of Diwali, it was eerily dark and silent.

I thought of home, a thousand miles away—likely to be warm and filled with light and familiar noises. My old friend Anu and I were heading to the Daragaon Village Retreat, a mountaintop homestay in the tiny hamlet of Darap, six kilometres from Pelling in West Sikkim. An idyllic mountain village in the lap of the Kanchenjunga had seemed like a good place to spend Diwali, but now, we were having second thoughts. Instead of the festive vibe we’d expected, the hill was mostly devoid of light, thanks to only a scattering of homes. In that moment, we felt apprehensive, and rather alone.

First impressions aren’t always lasting. With warm wooden rooms bathed in golden light, flowering bushes, and a kitchen smelling of momos, the homestay was instantly welcoming. A motley crew of people were gathered in the kitchen for a preDiwali prayer. Shiva and his wife Radha Gurung conducted the proceedings. Nesang, their 13-year-old daughter, sang prayer songs, as her eight-year-old brother Prabal tried hard to keep up, even though he didn’t know the words as well. A visiting family from Mumbai participated actively with their teenage daughter and much younger son, while two elderly American tourists greeted us with Namastes.