The Pristine Valley: Travel to Silchar: The Culture-rich Frontier City

The journey to Silchar is a journey through pristine natural locales that change all the more frequently. Silchar is about 320 kilometers from Guwahati and the route runs through Meghalaya, one of the most beautiful states in the North-east. I boarded the executive bus of the ASTC from Guwahati and the journey started at about 7.45 am.

	After I travelled about 80 kilometers from Guwahati, the Barapani Lake unfolded like a charismatic picture. Barapani is India's largest artificial freshwater lake and it is also Meghalaya's largest hydro-power project. The Barapani Lake
	Shillong, Meghalaya's capital is a visit to ethereal beauty. Most Indians have not ventured into this city and are ignorant of the Khasi lifestyle. Shillong is a good example of female supremacy. Its the place where citizens from the cow belt should visit to learn how to treat women. Shillong: The Scotland of the East
	Shillong is a neat city and everything is meticulously planned. The Khasis have a rich taste for colours, flowers and dresses. There was a time about two decades back when Indians were ignorant of Jeans as a dressing item while every a poor Khasi could be seen wearing one. Once in Shillong you do not feel you are in India. Its like the west -- the taste, the rock music and the food habits.
	As you travel through magnificent mountains, crystal clear rivers and diverse landscape ridden with the picturesque regions of Meghalaya, you slowly head towards South Assam, the popular town of Silchar. Silchar, they say is the soul of the Barak Valley and have aeons of tales to tell.
	The road from Shillong are full of twists and turns. As I shot the scenes from my window, I was rocking sideways much to the surprise of other fellow Silchar-bound passengers. They were perhaps surprised at the way I was shooting the pictures. That's the beauty of the North-East -- it never fails to amaze the nature lover.
	Delhi has changed my perception to an extent and I was skeptical whether I should go and shoot a picture of the driver. As usual, I found the driver equally cool. He smilingly agreed to pose for me even while the bus was speeding at 60 kilometers per hour. Most North-eastern people are simple folks, members of what I call the "other India" -- they hate being obsessed with the idea of taking others for a ride. The smart ASTC bus driver poses for me even while driving at at 70km/hr speed.
	As you cross Jowai and head further, you will come to see this hotel in Ladrymbai. This hotel is a popular eatery enroute either way where you can relish a complete meal with as little as Rs 25 per plate. The Dosti Hotel in Ladrymbai
	As you reach Sonapur you know that Silchar is not far. Sonapur has beautiful landscapes that enchants the onlooker. The place also has a river that goes further down in Bangladesh. Localites use occassions like happy new year for picnic in these pristine mountains.
	The dance of nature in Sonapur is bewildering. One second you feel you are in the middle of nowhere while the very next you see some pretty and colourfully dressed tribal women carrying pitchers full of water. The mountains ranges and the river are equally deceptive. The water in the river is chilly even while the weather is warm. The mountains dissappear behind the curtain of clouds and appear again in theatrical precision to reveal their beauty. The river as seen from atop the Sonapur Bridge
	In Sonapur the bus comes to a stop at a small Devi Mandir. The mandir is a pious ancient temple and travellers and locals believe that worshipping the deity enroute is auspicious for a safe journey. The pious Devi temple enroute.
	The curvy hills and undulations of the mountainour regions come to an end, the Kalain Tea Estate unfolds like a new chapter. Kalain is the entry to the Karimganj district and it has a forest gate and a police check-post. The Kalain Tea Estate: Welcome to the Barak Valley
	As you head towards Silchar from Kalain, you find that there are no more hill terrains. The only visible site enroute are agricultural fields. You can see the hills in the background. So you have got the idea of why Silchar is in Barak Valley. The Barak Valley is surrounded on all sides by mountains. Behold the harvested fields: You have touched Silchar
	As you move towards Silchar it is not unusual for you to witness the traditional house surrounded by a thick run of beatle-nut, coconut and bamboo trees. You can smell Silchar now.
	The Railway flyover in Tarapur is one of the few flyovers ever built in North-east India, a luxury for an Indian during the 1970s.
	You are now in central Silchar, Premtala. Premtala is a happening place in the town as it has some very good Adda Spots where you can settle down with a friend over a few cups of tea

# posted by AC : 12:40 AM

Comments:

Ashim

Great work, only a few observations, as we travel from Jowai to Silchar we come accross numerous hairpin bends with breathtaking views. They seem to be mmissing,

2 Another there is a spot along the way where on the right side the plains of Bangladesh can be seen

3 afew more social spots like the stadium etc could be added.

otherwise this is a commendable effort
REgards
Partho

# posted by

R : 9:40 AM

Simply great .

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:58 AM

Awesome!!
I just wonder how you could get such clean and traffic free pics of the city? They are really great.

Further, I could see with good roads, it looks excellent.

Finally a suggestion. Can this page be divided into a few since this will take a long time to load for dial-up connections and especially will be a difficult job to see this page being at Silchar.

# posted by

Anonymous : 9:51 AM

congratulations asim, only love can compel one to creat such a great work

# posted by

Soumitradg : 3:10 AM

Congratulations ASIM, Only love for something can compel one to create such a great work

# posted by

Soumitradg : 3:14 AM

Hey Ashim
I must say its a great piece of work..What a nice photography...But i m surprised to see such a well maintained pic of G.C.College..During my 5 years study in the college the college campus n buidings were not that nicely maintained...These r the recent pics or r taken long back..

# posted by

Anonymous : 3:57 AM

Excellent work. Perhaps by mistake some important spots like Rangirkhari point, SMC, REC/NIT & Assam univ. are missing.

# posted by

Unknown : 2:35 AM

U deserve to get complements for such a nice portal of Silchar but at the same time U deserve to recieve condemnation for putting things related to Silchar only when ur site carry the identity Barak Valley. So dear plz take care of Karimganj and Hailakandi also, otherwise named it as Silchar. blogspot

Samrir from New Delhi

# posted by

Anonymous : 1:38 AM

Thanks Dude , U did such a fantastic piece ,touched the real nerve - the heritage --Good
Pls do add a few more identity of the CULTURE RIch CITy

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:30 PM

Thanks Dude , U did such a fantastic piece ,touched the real nerve - the heritage --Good
Pls do add a few more identity of the CULTURE RIch CITy

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:30 PM

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Travel to Silchar: The Culture-rich Frontier City