Walking along.

by Ruchita Gundecha (India)

Making a local connection India

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The white washed Kanchengdzonga peaks glistened in the morning sunlight.The whole setting makes you feel assured to encounter a White Walker in the dense white carpet of snow.I could see the hustle and bustle of people downstairs from my hotel window.It was 5 in the morning.Elsewhere you wouldn't expect this, but here I was in Pelling, Sikkim where it is pitch dark at 6 in the evening. I was to see Vinitha, a victim of drug abuse.Accompanied by Kenzho, a 10-year old leaving for school,we started walking down the mountain.From the dark green mountains in the vicinity,to the pale green ferns in the warmth of the sunlight,I could see 50 shades of green.There was no sight of land visible from the top except the patches of road all along the way.Rocks and house-roofs covered with algae.We walked through the fog surrounding the mountains and the sunlight peeping through Pine trees.Squirrels and Leeches passed us through the narrow soiled roads. Kenzho carried no bag with him.He said he must take it only once a week.He and all the children from the remote villages walked for 10-12 kilometres everyday to and from school.With the frequent weather changes and dangerous commute, life is hard for people here.Yet, Sikkim has a high literacy rate.With patches of cultivated land all around, its the only state to have adopted organic farming all over. "Cleanliness is in our culture",he says.As we are about to reach our destination, Kenzho points out to a Monastery in the vicinity. In this open-defecation free state, I see colored flags all around."They represent peace and humbleness". Clouds surround the distant mountains,and fog around us.Its possible to tell both are a class apart.This place has warm sunlight touching our skin and rainfall leading us to waterfalls.Such contrasting weather and such contrasting situations keep me wondering about the economic and social circumstances in this area.Drugs, Suicides, Suicide attempts being prominent in the recent times. Kenzho bids me goodbye and walks along playing hide-n-seek with his friends.And as I see the clouds playing hide-n-seek with the mountains, I reach Vinitha's place.