Abandoned toy train coaches of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) to become restaurants at four stations

Keeping in mind tourism vis-à-vis toy train enthusiasts, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) has hit upon a fine idea. It wants to convert abandoned toy train coaches into restaurants. These will benefit four stations in the district at Sukna, Tindharia, Kurseong and Darjeeling. Sukna is the last station in the plains located around 10km from Siliguri while Darjeeling is the terminal station of the 80km route. The plan could become a reality within a few months. The authorities believe the strategy of having “coach restaurants” on the station compounds will be a big draw for tourists. As an official said – “They can enjoy the experience of sitting in a railway coach while having delectable food and beverages.” Toy train icing on hill restaurant cake.

Already one such restaurant has come up at the New Jalpaiguri station. There an old railway coach has been refurbished with sitting arrangements and a live. The inflow of passengers has increased at the DHR and the tourist seasons usher in a flurry of bookings of different services. One of these is the toy train ride between Darjeeling and Ghoom. Since last year, the authorities have taken initiatives to popularize the toy train. It happens to be a UNESCO-recognized world heritage. This has resulted in new train services like a vista dome apart from quiz competitions, drawing contests and cultural programs. In fact, there is a consistent campaign on various media platforms. A railway official said - “Many people who travel to the hills by road can choose to check out the coach restaurants because of their uniqueness. Similar restaurants have been opened in some other stations of the country and those are quite popular.” In due course of time, private parties can run the restaurants and augment the revenue of the DHR.

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The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO monitors more than 18,000 glaciers across 50 of its World Heritage sites. It mentions Mount Kilimanjaro apart from the Dolomites in Italy and the Yosemite and Yellowstone parks in the US. The prediction of UNESCO could have serious repercussion. It predicts that around 50 percent of World Heritage glaciers could almost entirely disappear unless the world takes corrective action. It may be possible to preserve them by keeping global temperature rise below 1.5C. UNESCO says World Heritage glaciers make up around 10 percent of the world's glacier areas overall. The worst part is that the world's best-known glaciers are gradually disappearing. That would be a major loss for global tourism. The report's lead author is Tales Carvalho. He estimates that World Heritage glaciers lose around 58 billion tonnes of ice every year on an average. In other words, the loss is equivalent to the total annual volume of water used in France and Spain together. It contributes to almost 5 percent of the global observed sea-level rise. Major glaciers including Mount Kilimanjaro and Dolomites to disappear by 2050, UN report says.

He adds that in order to prevent major glacier retreat worldwide it is necessary to reduce carbon emissions. UNESCO wants local authorities to make glaciers a focus of policy. They can achieve this by improving monitoring and research. They can also implement different measures of risk reduction. Tales Carvalho cautions - "As glacier lakes fill up, they can burst and can cause catastrophic floods downstream.” The timing of the report coincides with the COP27 event in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt. It would be Africa's first UN climate conference in six years. Incidentally, a recent study found that glaciers in Switzerland lost half of their volume in less than a century. Moreover, the rate of retreat of ice is on the rise. This is a matter of concern.

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Durga Puja 2022 is over and the mega carnival will bring down the curtains

All the action will happen on the Red Road. There will be a mega rally of around 99 Durga Puja organizers. They will display their skills and thrill the crowds with their performances. The selection to this elite club is based on winners of the Biswa Bangla Sharad Samman 2022. UNESCO has bestowed a cultural heritage tag on the festival and the organizers have worked round-the-clock to showcase their idols for the big-ticket event. Last month, the government of West Bengal organized a mega rally to felicitate a delegate from UNESCO. In order to ensure smooth operation of the program, the Kolkata Police have issued guidelines. The Kolkata Police have also imposed certain restrictions on the traffic movement for the gala show. With 99 Pujas and 3 minutes allotted for each, it will be a long duration event. It would go on for nearly 300 minutes or 5 hours. Red Road readied for Carnival on Saturday. This importance of this performance stems from the fact that not only will Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee be present, but also that the entire world will be watching.

As per the guidelines of the Police, each committee can bring in three tableaus. The maximum height of the idol (while on the trailer) should be less than 16 feet to avoid collision with electric and telephone wires. Clubs with taller idols can opt for alternate routes. All participants must reach Red Road by 11am on Saturday and the carnival would start at 4pm. Obviously, there would be traffic diversion around the Red Road and movement of goods vehicles will be restricted within the city after 3pm on Saturday.

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West Bengal and its capital Kolkata are famous for the large-scale, opulent pujas. The organizers work night and day to present artistic creations that attract people from not just different parts of Bengal and from all over the country, but even globally. This has been made possible because of the recognition accorded by UNESCO in 2021. It has granted recognition in the form of Heritage Status to 'Durga Puja in Kolkata.' This is inscribed in its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Those who plan a trip to Kolkata during the festival can expect memorable experiences of gorging on yummy food, praying to Goddess Durga, pandal hopping, and loving every bit of the festivities. These are what Durga puja is all about. Eat, pray, love! 5 things to do while visiting Kolkata during Durga Puja 2022; visit THESE top 20 pandals. It has to be remembered that pandal hopping translates into crowds and hot and humid surroundings. It is better to wear comfortable footwear because you might have to walk long distances and remain in queue for a long time to get a darshan of the idols and the magnificent pandals.

There is a craze among some people to visit 'Bonedi bari' puja. These are family pujas dating back to centuries and involve aristocratic households. There is no commercialization and they do not go in for glamor and glitz of the baroyari pujas. The number of such families is few and the uniqueness is that on this annual festival, members of the family come together from far corners of the world. These turn out to be unforgettable homecomings. Of course, food lovers enjoy street foods, sweets and eating out at the city's famous restaurants. From fuchka (or the gol gappa or pani puri) to jhal muri (puffed rice with special spices) and the famous Kolkata roll – the list is a long one. In many restaurants, food lovers may have to wait in queues for their turn.

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Mahalaya brings a festive flavor in Bengal due to Durga Puja

Durga Puja is the most important festival of Bengalis. This year it is special for Bengal because of the recognition accorded to the festival by the UNESCO heritage committee. Hence, the Puja committees have removed all stops to welcome foreign tourists to highlight the hidden talents of those of those who join hands to construct pandals and decorate them. Many of these have out-of-the-world appearances that defy expectations. It is usual for celebrities to grace the occasion of the inauguration. However, this year there appears to be an exception due to whatever reasons. Durga Puja 2022: Why did Bollywood disappear from the glittering Puja event? Fear of ED here? . As it is, there are the old traditional pujas and there are the new wave theme pujas. People flock and move from one pandal to another to enjoy the sights and sounds all around.

Incidentally, it is usual to conduct the inauguration program after Mahalaya, preferably the Panchami. This year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated several pujas much before Panchami. Probably she had to keep in mind the changed equation in view of commodification and commercialization. Durga Puja is the quintessential Bengali festival where the city of Kolkata gives its all. The outbreak of corona forced the devotees to spend the last two years practically sitting at home. Obviously, the excitement for this year’s puja is different.

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Mamata Banerjee expresses gratitude to UNESCO for awarding Cultural Heritage tag to Kolkata’s Durga Puja

Kolkata witnessed an unusual rally. The people of the city usually have to endure rallies of political parties but this was an exception. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee headed it. The purpose was to express gratitude to UNESCO for including Kolkata’s Durga Puja on the intangible cultural heritage representative list. The chief minister had renowned cricketer Sourav Ganguly alongside her on the stage and they greeted the UNESCO representatives who were present on the occasion. The rally included not only Kolkata but also each district of West Bengal. Among the participants were women drummers of South 24 Parganas to religious and cultural groups (Bauls) of Birbhum. The rally originated from Jorasanko Thakur Bari (House of Rabindranath Tagore) in Kolkata and culminated at Red Road ‘Durga Puja is Celebrated by All’: Mamata Thanks UNESCO for Recognising Festival at Kolkata Rally. The chief minister thanked the UNESCO representatives who had come. She said, “….. About Rs 40 crore business takes place during the Durga Puja, and this support from UNESCO will give a big boost to us…..”

Sourav Ganguly also expressed happiness and said Durga Puja is “beyond imagination”. He admitted about traveling to different parts of the world and said he had never seen such festivity anywhere. He thanked UNESCO about giving the festival due recognition. The TMC government also felicitated Professor Tapati Guha Thakurtha for her efforts to put Bengal’s Durga Puja in the UNESCO list.

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Out of more than 20,000 Durga Pujas in West Bengal, some are hundreds of years old

It is difficult to believe that there are more than 20,000 Durga Pujas held in West Bengal. Durga Puja 2022: Big Plans in Bengal after UNESCO Heritage Tag, Covid Lull Out of these, many are hundreds of years old. The celebration of this festival of Bengal is usually on a large scale. Each year, the state government provides donations to the puja organizing clubs and plans to do that this year as well. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a grant of Rs 60,000 for each puja to make it a success. Last two years, it was subdued because of restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, with ease of protocols, the administration is planning a mega celebration. This is all the more important in view of the Cultural Heritage tag of UNESCO that the celebrations won last year.

The Mondal Bari Puja at Shyamdaspur in Bankura district has been celebrating Durga Puja in their ancestral home here for more than 500 years now. Its origin dates back to much before the city of Kolkata originated. It began as a private family affair and over a period has attracted people from far-off places and become an annual event for devotees and tourists. The joint family has disintegrated into fragments and members have moved to different corners of the country in search of livelihood. They try to return to their ancestral home during the pujas. Some other age-old pujas are given below –

1 Sabarna Roy Chowdhury Aatchala Durga – in 1626
2. Behala Jagat Ram Mukherjee Durga Puja – in 1769
3. Behala Roy Family Durga Puja - in 1756
4. Bhukailash Rajbari - in 1782
5. Sovabazar Raj Bari Durga Puja - in 1757
6. Pathuriaghata Khelat Ghosh Durga Puja - almost 170 years old
7. Purna Chandra Dhar Family Durga Puja - 157 years ago
8. Jhamapukur Chandra Family Durga Puja - in 1761
9. Badan Chandra Roy Family Durga Puja - year 1857
10. Ramgopal Saha Bari Durga Puja – 175 years old
11. Bagbazar Haldar Bari Durga Puja - in the year 1560
12. Shib Krishna Daw Family Durga Puja - in 1840
13. Narasingha Daw Family Durga Puja - in 1859
14. Laha Family Durga Puja - over two centuries old
15. Madan Mohan Dutta family Durga Puja - from 1794 AD
16. Chhatu Babu Latu Babu’s Durga Puja - in 1770
17. Maniktala Saha Family Durga Puja - almost 150 years old
18. Ghose Family Durga Puja of Ghose Lane - in 1856
19. Pataldanga Basu Mallick Family Durga Puja - in 1831
20. Thanthania Dutta Family Durga Puja - in 1855

These are based on Bonedi Bari Durga Puja in Kolkata (Updated in 2020 with Maps)

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Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is never at a loss for ideas. In spite of innumerable problems around her, she remains unruffled. She has declared 11 days holiday for the government staff from September 30 to October 10. She has drawn up a schedule and the celebrations will begin from September 1. On this day, there will be a mega rally in Kolkata to thank UNESCO for including Kolkata's Durga Puja on the list of ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. The rally will start from Jorasanko Thakurbari and end at Rani Rasmoni Avenue. The immersion carnival would be in Kolkata on October 8. It was not observed for two years due to Covid-19 pandemic. Bengal CM Mamata announces Rs 60,000 grant to Durga Puja committees, 11 days holiday. The long stretch of holiday will act as incentive for the people to move out of their homes and visit tourism spots like Digha, Puri or Darjeeling to relieve boredom. It will also boost the Bengal tourism sector.

The Chief Minister also announced that her government would increase the grant to Durga Puja organizing committees in the state from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000. She announced this during a meeting with Durga Puja organizing committee members at the city's Netaji Indoor Stadium. She also mentioned that there would be a 60 per cent discount on power tariff to organizers of Durga Puja. She added that this year's Puja would be special. There would be many visitors from abroad and the organizers must be prepared for this.

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