Temperatures soaring above 40 degrees,sun blazing outside almost equivalent to a burning furnace,stray animals seeking for shelter hither and thither,birds creating a veritable bedlam of chirruping,whilst searching for canopies too and a lone traveler here with a heavy heart. A warm sully morning of Sunday,and I made up my mind to pay a small visit to the rural countryside just outside the commotion of the bustling city of Siliguri. This was pretty much a kind of errand that i decided to undertake. Without delay,i made a move on.Just got my camera gear packed and left for the lush green.
Phew! Oh boy did i feel rejuvenated as i left the pollution and cacophony of the burning city.
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| The Siliguri Kolkata Highway |
I was literally surprised to see the amount of traffic that effusively welcomed me at mid hour. But the most scintillating factor amidst all were the beautiful trees and their dazzling flowers,lined up along the entire getaway from the city,in an intermittent fashion. I was propulsed to halt for a few minutes to drink a deep gaze on those motherly creations of nature. "Nature"-what a deep rooted symbolism does the word bore. We human beings hardly decipher or contemplate on what mother nature has to offer. Not a single mind does imagine or envision on the latent beauty as well as the exhibited smothering delicacies of nature. Thereby I didn't tend to repeat that unavoidable mistake;rather had quite a lot of time to check out the aurora encompassing us. So i just deeply loved what i eyed. Totally enjoyable...... True love this is!!
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| Royal Poinciana |
Gosh!! Just have a look at these vibrant flowers. I was stunned. I was taken aback. I was flabbergasted. Never before did i come across such wonderful flowers. They didn't seem like flowers,rather glazed quite analogous to a hot ball of fire. The vivaciousness of such flowers spurted from the ebullient branches & the green leaves adjoining the emblazed red flowers had enough power to incite an impeccable excitement in a traveler's heart. The total scenario was just overexposed red and one would mistakenly feel that such photos might be tampered. But honestly,its not. This is exactly what you get to see a few miles outside the corridor of Siliguri. And not only is this flower beautiful, but also home to several school of bees and gamut of insects. A deeper zoom could bring home its intricate artistry and finesse.
Just a few more miles and my eyes clung to another set of intermittent trees, but now bearing flowers with another ecstatic color. Yellow. Nevertheless many in their childhood frivolously enjoyed barking,"Yellow yellow dirty fellow".. But here its totally paradoxical. The yellow color acted almost like a catalyst of energy for any passer. Yet there were several passers-by who never noticed the Elysian trees around them. Sad indeed. The sun up there so much blistering and roasting,yet down here mother nature seems to be too adept with parturition of magnificence..almost like chandeliers gleaming with quaint radiance. Shook me off!
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| Laburnum |
I made a move on towards the rural countryside,after drinking such wondrous magic potions from nature. Those moments did seem to be an everlasting wanderlust. Every minute of the trip had me engaged to the unveiling splendour of these trees lined in discipline along the highway. While i was down to the core of thoughts about nature and its incredible procreation, my attention was drawn to another set of trees,this time pink in color,almost more than what we would term beauteous. I felt blessed to have witnessed such remarkable creations. The colors of almost all the flora,which are left to be encroached by unscrupulous practices sooner or later did leave a deep smudge in me. Green with all the band of colors were like eternal bliss here.
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| Cassia Javanica |
It was more than an hour of overjoyed exigent, when I planned to move on towards the rural countryside. An hour's drive led me to the border areas and the adjoining villages. Truly,there was much less of traffic,the associated commotion & the asynchronicity. Rural lands were in abundance,some with verdant agricultural produce,while the rest were barren and dried out of the uncomfortable heat. Domestic animals like cows and buffaloes were noticed frequently, and some were really in a bad state. They deemed to go back to their cattle pen,cozy and a relaxant indeed. But to their bad luck,the owners were nowhere in sight. It was a tough situation. The plight was clearly evident in the eyes of the poor buffaloes. Nature on one side is so quixotic at its flower production,while on the other hand undesirable sufferance is written in the fate of these animals who disseminate hard work their lifetime and man only utilizes it to meet their own ends. The picture was quite despondent and was turning unbearable in the uprising heat.The sparse population in most of the roads and areas were an eye snatcher honestly.
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| A meandering deserted road |
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| The border fence |
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| Poor old buffalo tied to its post Having seen the luminescence of the flowers at every blink of your eye, the brightness efficiency of the leaves, the resplendent imagery all around, the agrarian portrayal just on the backdrop of the city,the opulence of mother nature and along with it the vicious circle of penury,I decided to return back to my den. On my way back,i noticed a wide range of tea plantations on either sides of the road,spread over vast terrain,glorifying the crystalline beauty of the village canvass. Also there were some other trees,surfeit with mangoes to be precise,green mangoes,dreamland as one says it,a mouth watering fruit for fanatics. The tree with its produce looked phenomenal.  Verdant tea plantations  Fresh green mangoes,wanna get it? Overall it was a wonderful sojourn to the surrounding areas of the hot city of Siliguri. One can capture wonderful flora as well as fauna latent and visible at various places. It is a traveler's delight no matter even if its a summer afternoon or a winter chilly morning. Every moment must be lived. What a memorable journey,just be engrossed to all what nature has to offer,far apart,ripped open from the daily chores of life. A perfect rejuvenation I term it. |
