AND QUITE FLOWS THE DIANA Dooars is all about rolling blue hills with clouds lovingly caressing the peaks, the vast expanse of lush green tea gardens, dense deep forests with ancient trees standing tall where even rays of sun dare not enter and of course the intricate network of rivers and rivulets crisscrossing the beautiful landscape. Like a priceless necklace of intricate pattern, created by a master artisan shines on a beautiful woman, these rivers, like ornaments, accentuate the already pristine beauty of the Dooars landscape. Born in the icy heights of the mighty Himalayas these rivers gurgle down to the plains. The riverbeds are wide, very wide bearing signs of the mad rush of water coming gushing down, overflowing the banks when it rains hard high up in the mountains. Otherwise the rivers flow quietly, in countless numbers of narrow, meandering and gurgling streams of crystal clear water, cutting through the riverbed and making their way around the black boulders, white sand and pebbles. I could imagine, on dark nights wild animals wander on the lonely river beds. The big ones Elephants, Bisons and the Rhinos reign supreme, playing with water or submerging their great bodies onto the flowing streams. The trumpeting of Elephants travel thru’ many miles in the silent forest, The deer snoop out of the jungle to drink water, their mind edgy but alert, ready to bolt at the slightest hint of danger. The light footed leopards come after them, sniffing for the prey darting from boulder to boulder like a shadow. The drama unfolds every night but there are never any spectators. The names are sweet sounding, Teesta, Jaldhaka, Torsa, Murti, Lis, Ghis and Diana. They are the main rivers and along with them there are hundreds of small rivulets flowing thru’. I was travelling from Siliguri to Dhupguri, through scenic route of Odlabari, Malbazar, Chalsa, Chapramari and Damdim and passed at least four major rivers enroute. My driver was quite a friendly person and told me the names of all the rivers we crossed. I always have this urge of knowing the name of the river I am crossing and I was pleasantly surprised that my driver not only knew all the names of the rivers but also had lot of stories to tell about the area in general. The photos here are of the river “Diana”.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:25:12 +0000