Sikkim is buzzing with excitement at the possibility of snowfall on Christmas. A western disturbance has already entered the Sikkim Himalayas on Monday. As a result, snowfall may begin from Wednesday morning in Lachung, Lachen, Changu, and Nathu La. Snowfall is likely to continue until Christmas. To enjoy this snowfall and spend the Christmas holidays, Sikkim and Darjeeling are now teeming with crowds of tourists. No hotel around MG Marg in Gangtok has a single room vacant for tourists to stay. The situation is the same in Darjeeling as well. Most hotels around the Mall are packed with the chatter of tourists.
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However, this time the possibility of snowfall in Darjeeling is low. The GTA's tourism department is making up for this shortfall. Cultural programs are now being organised every evening at the Mall. This festive celebration centred around Christmas will continue until the first day of the new year. According to sources from the Central Meteorological Department, the western disturbance is mainly flowing over Sikkim. Therefore, there is no possibility of snowfall in Darjeeling. However, daytime temperatures are dropping. Bitterly cold winds are blowing at the Mall. Tourists are roaming around wrapped in jackets and shawls. Gopinath Raha, officer-in-charge of the Central Meteorological Department in Gangtok, says, "The possibility of snowfall in Sikkim is one hundred per cent. Daytime temperatures will drop in Darjeeling. The real winter cold will be felt in Sikkim and Darjeeling only after the snowfall."
Mohit Srivastava, a resident of Uttar Pradesh who came to visit Gangtok, says, "I came to Sikkim to enjoy this snowfall. It would be wonderful if we got it on Christmas itself." Sandeep Guha, a resident of Jadavpur who came to visit Darjeeling, says, "It's so cold even during the day. If there's snowfall along with this, the winter vacation will be absolutely perfect." Hotel owners in Gangtok are also happy with the crowd of tourists centred around Christmas. Hotel owner Kalpak De says, "There's no space in any hotel on MG Marg. My hotel is near the High Court. There's a crowd there, too."
However, there's also an opposite picture. As the cold increases, residents from the hills have started coming down. Mainly, children and elderly people are crowding in Siliguri. Most affluent residents of the hills now have two addresses. Apart from their own address in the hills, most have bought flats in Siliguri. In winter, entire families crowd together in Siliguri. As a result, the markets in Siliguri are also seeing increased crowds of hill residents. Jhashi Pradhan, a resident of Kalimpong, says, "I don't feel confident keeping my mother in the hills during winter. Her health might deteriorate in such cold. That's why I've brought her to Siliguri. I'll return around February."
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Tourism business operators are smiling broadly at this crowd in Sikkim, Darjeeling, and Kalimpong, centred around Christmas. Samrat Sanyal, General Secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network, says, "This is what we want. The tourism business in the hills didn't pick up during the Puja holidays. At least let there be business in the hills centred around Christmas. Let the residents get some extra money in their hands. If there's snowfall in Sikkim on Christmas, the crowd of tourists will increase in Darjeeling too." Meanwhile, the GTA has taken initiative to resolve the dispute between hill and plain drivers. Today, Wednesday, GTA officials will sit in a meeting with hill drivers in Darjeeling. If a solution emerges from this, everyone hopes Christmas will be even more vibrant.
