Rajib Dahal shared his memories of Siliguri, India.
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I was born and brought up in India in a town called Siliguri. I have been living in Astana since May 2015.
I am going to tell you few things about my hometown and the things I miss.
The town is located in the North East part of India
It is quite far from the capital of India, from New Delhi. You need to travel 26-30 hours by Indian train to reach my hometown from Delhi.
When someone is in a hurry, he or she can catch a flight which takes 2 hours from India's capital. The nearest airport from my city is called "Bagdogra Airport" which is an international airport but mostly Indian domestic carriers fly into this airport. My hometown is just a few kilometers away from the airport.
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Siliguri is a moderately big city and is a little bit crowded. It is an entryway to access North-East region of India and is a very important place from the administrative and geopolitical point of view.
It is located on the banks of the Mahananda River and is right in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is also a gateway to a tourist destination – Darjeeling – from where comes to the world famous "Darjeeling Tea".
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The city benefits from tourism, income from nearby tea gardens, and from manufacturing business. From a very long time, it has remained as a hub for production and trading. It is also to be noted that the city provides supplies not only to Indian population but nearby people from three neighboring countries: from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. This is the reason why the city is regarded as a vital link for the people of this region.
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Though it has been able to maintain some of its characters from the past, it has lost some of its pristine beauty. Due to the rapid pace of urbanization and industrialization, we have lost greenery to a great extent. The streets and roads which provided ample spaces for pedestrians in my childhood are these days, not enough for motor cars. It sounds like a fairy tale to new generations if I say that we used to get the opportunity to play on the side of roads and that too not long time ago.
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The City council ("Municipal Corporation" is the word used in that part of the world) still seems to keen on protecting the heritage of the city. However, despite its best efforts, people, in general, feel that we need to do a lot to create a balanced life in this town. The problem is not that the city has not progressed. It has, in fact, achieved a lot but most of the achievements are in the fields of economic ones and sometimes, at the cost of environment.
I wish that we would realize this anomaly soon and strive to achieve a sustainable development in my hometown.
I am sure we can if we really want it from our inner heart.