When I went home.

I have hardly mentioned about the time I spent at Sikkim. Have been busy with the Yes+ happening and 8 sem project and stuff. However, here I am! and I want to share a few things about the adventures I had when I went home.
This time it was different, I did not go to Sikkim directly but stayed for a night at Malda. Ashish had insisted for me to come and they had advertised "as a singer from Bangalore is coming and we should have a big satsang". The satsang was very good and though I was missing the rocking YES+ feel but the warmth with which the devotees there filled my heart was amazing. It is amazing to see how devotion and spirituality crosses all boundaries of geography,language etc.I am specially grateful to Asish and his family for the wonderful love which they extended. I never felt that I am staying in someone else's home with someone else's family. There was such intimate and 'no-show-off' love.

Then after a refreshing satsang at Malda, Ashish and me headed towards the mountains to have some adventure. Sikkim was so refreshingly cold and sometimes it made me miss the almost non-noticeable weather of Bangalore. We went to Tea Estates,monasteries,giant statues and had authentic Sikkimese food at more than one place.
We even boarded the cable-car. The cable car is between a very short distance just meant for recreation but it gives a very beautiful view of Gangtok, the capital town.
More than once I told Ashish that if the entire yes+ gang was here then everyone would have had so much fun. Plan a trip to Sikkim, i am sure you will enjoy a lot.
We took many photographs, here are some:

 

We found this banner welcoming us as soon as we got down at Malda railway platform.

 

The river Teesta is one of the two main rivers of Sikkim. The entire bus route of 4 hrs from Siliguri to Gangtok is along this river. Ashish was always looking for the window seat to have a view of the river.

Momos is a  very famous dish from Sikkim. It basically is a dumpling of flour stuffed with veggies,usually cabbage,onion etc and steamed in a special vessel called 'Moktu'.

 

A bird's eye view of Gangtok, this one is taken from the ropeway.

 

The cable car(ropeway)

 

As every major city in India, the main road in Gangtok is also called M.G marg. Notice how clean is the road and there are flower pots and light fountains along the road. Perfect for a stroll in the evenings .

 A candid pic of a young monk trying to get inside through the window.Reasons unknown. This picture is taken at the Rumtek Monastery.

 

I found this sign outside one of the monasteries. Just as its main purpose might be to prevent groups of people from making noise,, i also immediately thought of how we must always move forward in life no matter how many problems and challenges may come. There is "NO STOPPING OR STANDING". "KEEP MOVING!!!!"

The Prayer wheels.. when you enter a monastery, you must roll them.. They signify the wheel of Life-death, which keeps rotating..We keep taking birth again and again.. Once you complete rolling them and reach main hall, you attain "Liberation", " Moksh" in life...