Times of Refreshing

En route to Bijanbari, it was raining. I saw these school children with their umbrellas. Their beaming smiles brightened the rainy day. It was a glorious time we had in Darjeeling district, over two years ago.
[Taken with old Philips camera, April-May 2004.]

I love this composition, because I was on the road above and these children were walking down the hill path to their village. They had these lovely umbrellas. I asked them to stop and look up and they obliged.

My Philips camera did more than oblige! It captured not just the children, but the atmosphere, the freshness of the hills in summer rain.

This bhelpuri stand is having brisk sales. I don't know why they encourage smoke. Is it to drive insects away?
Bhelpuri is made of puffed rice mixed with a lot of other spicy and tasty stuff. The young chap on the left is also selling something, but his eyes are on the bhelpuri stand.
Behind the bhelpuri stand, we see a family walking past, perhaps to chose a nice spot on the lawns to relax and let the kids play.

This man is cooking rasam in the pot in his outdoor kitchen. He is one of the contract labourers employed in the Park to prepare seedlings. As I was walking through the Park, I noticed these hovels and came near just to find this young man in a rather embarrassing situation. Cooking in this country is done by the women. But, obviously, he is helping out. Perhaps he is a good cook. I took some great shots of these people and their families. Hope to display them in this blog shortly.