#HousesOfIndia Story 7 - Manifest

Manifestation works in wondrous ways. You spend days, months, even years envisioning how you want your life to be, and one day you wake up to the immensely happy realisation that you've created it for yourself. 

Aarti was lucky enough to manifest the home she dreamt about as a child - one with high ceilings and an attic. A beautiful abode, where she could build her little universe. That is exactly what she did, in this small town in Darjeeling called Pandam. Aarti and her husband Nethai build their house themselves, and have added their personal touch to every inch of it.

Aarti and Nethai built most of this house themselves, even breaking stones and sourcing material from nearby cities. The three types of wood used for the house (Pine, Chaap and Tuni) are from the forest the couple owned. The tiles are fom Siliguri, and sand from the bed of the local river. The only help they employed was a carpenter to do the woodwork in the entire house. 

Very few of us are lucky enough to proudly claim that we built our abode ourselves, with our blood, sweat, and unbridled love!

This dream home is located a little way away from the main town, enjoying the tranquility of the hills, and the conveniences of the city at the same time.

The interiors of the couple's house reflect their interest, as well as their two daughters'. It's filled artefacts of music for Nethai, traditional Nepali and Tibetan handicrafts for Aarti, and a plethora of books for their daughters. 

#HousesOfIndia Story 3 - Love

In the beautiful, picturesque, and magical Tukvar Tea Estate, just a little away from Darjeeling, is the story is man and his immense capacity for love.

Simone Subba is a tea garden worker at Tukvar. Our journey with Simone and his home goes back to a few years ago, when he had to take the difficult decision of leaving his parent's home due to differences arising because of his marriage. With only love in his heart, and a whole lot of hope, he set out to create a new life for himself, and the woman he loved.

After leaving his home, Simone and his wife were out in the big world, preparing to fend for themselves without the support of their family. A tea garden worker of few means, Simone began his search for their new home. When he couldn't find anything he liked or could afford, he built their home himself!

The entire structure of this humble abode was made by Simone, and thus he and his wife started their new life together in the hills of Darjeeling!

Simone built the new house he and wife were starting their new life in from scratch. While the structure looks simple, it took him considerable time and effort!

The house has been made with durable and affordable material like wood, tarpaulin, and mud. It features the quintessential sloping roof found in homes in this part of the country, and even has a steel gutter pipe to drain the rainwater. Simone's house, is a true labour of love.

Home is wherever the heart is happiest. This is truly reflected in Simone's story, and how this self-made house now is home to him, his wife, and a beautiful baby daughter.

Amidst the tranquility and beauty of the vast tea estates around Darjeeling, Simone built his own small universe. Isn't that something we all aspire to? Pure, resilient love.

Jaldapara Wildlife Santuary Park

No sooner was I back from the Sandakphu Trek when my school mate invited me to a trip to Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary. This place is of significance importance as it was the place where we were brought once on a school field trip. Contrast to that winter trip of 2008, this time around, better equipped and wiser, the elephant ride felt a little cruel. But the journey itself with two childhood friends made things easier.

While we had hoped to stay at the lodge within the sanctuary, the impromptu nature of the trip meant that all the rooms were already taken. Instead, we settled for this cozy little 'hotel' right opposite the gate of the Park.

The Elephant Safari (Jaldapara gives you the option of choosing between this and an open-air jeep) takes place in batches of around ten per hour. We took the comfortable second shift where it was still daybreak but light enough to be able to spot the animals. A local tout (resembled Nawazuddin Siddique, I swear) helped us book the spot for 800 per head.

With friends Tripti and Sangha, the generous sponsors of my trip!

By the Torsha river, we wait for the first batch of tourist to come back from the safari.

Torsha River.

The first spotting - a rhino grazing in a grassland across the river.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've shot video clips and interviews as well for this.
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