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Darjeeling happened for me in 1984. Baba took us there after I had casually remarked I have never been to the hills. And he wanted it to be a family holiday before I get married in 2 months time. The Darjeeling of 84 was very different when I went back there in '99. Crowded, dingy, demolished and de-glamorized I promised I shall never be back again.
Recently while browsing my old diary and my bucket lists, I found Toy train to be one of them. The romance of Aradhana.... And Air Force Officers who rode a bike and played mouth organ (sigh!!!!). I had to tick that one off even if I was in my mid 50s and the Air Force Officer had long retired from the forces and the harmonica rusted. So our tryst with Darjeeling began .... anew, dusted and de-biased!

However, the Toy train experience was worth a tale !!
5 hours wait to ride a train that was on my bucket list ever since I saw Aradhana in the 70s , was quite an experience. No announcement, no message and the enquiry had no clue. A train scheduled at 8.30 was just nowhere as we waited at an empty platform, and shared our popcorn with a ram! 
After 3 and half hours I see this gentleman in black coat and corner him.
- " Do you know if the Toy train will come?"
-" Yess ! Yess!"
- " I was thinking of cancelling my ticket!"
- " No !no! It will come. I am the guard!! "
At this point I jettisoned English
-" Amra to shei aat a theke wait korchi, ki holo train er ?"
- " Driver er rest hoyni. Rest korche, ei Ami giye ghum theke tule oke anchi. Ticket cancel korben na. Train jabe!"
What reassurance. Even then it took almost another 1and a half hours for the train to arrive.
Slomo up the hill, cars whizzing by, dusk and night setting in with a bunch of happy go lucky college students who sang Mere sapno ki Rani on a partially moonlit night kept our spirits up. Getting down at Ghoom at 10.35 at night while the whole of Darjeeling slept and finding our driver waiting was like meeting god in person. And Pahari Soul, our homestay kept a warm dinner and bed ready for us.
Ahh.. with time sapno ki Rani takes a different connotation altogether.
In a nutshell I must confess I didn't dislike Darjeeling like last time. It is still dirty, unkempt and an environmental disaster, but the people are simple, good, helpful and friendly. The ropeway ride to Tukvar gave us a breathtaking view of the tea gardens. The zoo was well kept. The Toy Train was immensely disappointing. The tea and savouries at Glenary's with the sun setting beyond was awesome.What I would remember most is our driver waiting for us at the desolate Ghoom station at 11 in the night while the whole town slept. And how Pahari Soul our homestay kept a arm dinner for us and how delicious it tasted after a whole day of surviving on biscuits and cakes !!To mist and mountains and the elusive Kanchenzonga may be we shall meet again, may be we won't.... But thank you for restoring the photo negatives again !

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