Diary of a Mountain Girl

Sometimes all I can do is to thank God for placing me in such a beautiful part of the country, to be able to call it my hometown- the little city of Cooch  Behar. There are many tales and historical facts available on the internet about this little city. But what gives me joy is to write it from my view point, the way I see it and will always see it.

When I moved to this city I was a toddler... I don't remember the exquisite details of the movement from a big city to a small one. But what I do remember that I did settle in well with no fuss even if it was the cold month of November, and it really gets cold in there at that time of the year. To grow up in a place so close to the foothills of Himalayas, close to places like Darjeeling and the beautiful state of Sikkim is my favourite part about little Cooch Behar. To have so many wild life sanctuaries and national parks around ones's hometown might not be every kid's fantasy but I always relished these facts. The innumerable school outings, the long drives on the long silent roads amidst the woods, the memories still give me the chills (in a very positive way)!! Sometimes I feel the reason why I never got around to liking the sea or the beach is because I had already fallen so deep in love with these silent valleys and woods. The steep climb up the Jayanti forest and the clear water of the Jayanti river, the Pokhari hills, the Buxa Tiger Reserve, the Jaldapara National Park... these aren't names of places to me, but bundles of memories with family and friends.

Part of me had always enjoyed exploring new places... Reading about Tuscan sunset or the cathedrals in Florence gave me more joy than any amount of shopping could give to a woman. But I had made up my mind that before I even step out of this country, I would see and know all about the little place I grew in, because it has so much to be seen and explored!!

Historically too the city of Cooch Behar is rich. Quite interestingly, this place was never a part of India until even two years after the Indian independence.  Before 20th August 1949, Cooch Behar was a Princely State ruled by the Kings of Cooch Behar, who had been a feudatory ruler under British Government. By an agreement dated 20th August, 1949 the king of Cooch Behar ceded full and extensive authority, jurisdiction and power of the state to the Dominion Government of India.  Eventually, Cooch Behar was transferred and merged with the province of West Bengal on 19th January, 1950 and from that date Cooch Behar emerged as a new District in the administrative map of West Bengal. In course of time, Cooch Behar has been transformed from a kingdom to a State and from a State to the present status of a district.

Cooch Behar Raj Bari (Royal Place)

The Cooch Behar Rajbari (royal palace) might seem like another dull old palace to many, but to me it is a 3D version of the city's history and culture. The late Maharani Gayatri Devi of Jaipur was born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar. This city might seem like a sleepy little town, but the gems it had once produced outshine many others in so many beautiful ways.

I might not have grown up in the hustle-bustle of a city or spent my after school hours hanging out in a mall with my friends, but this wonderful city has given me different experiences and taught me so many other valuable facts of life. While I'm living and working in a big city with so  much of activities, I still can go slow most of the times. I know the value of quiet moments and that nature rejuvenates the soul more than comfort or luxury could ever!! I know that it isn't the noise of the traffic that keeps me going, it is the silence of the mountain that makes my heart go on and on.