Before the Battle of Imphal: A walk between Gangtok and Darjeeling
On the 30th March 1993 I walked around the hill at the high point of Darjeeling and stopped to look across at Kangchenjunga . On my return to England my father showed me a photograph he had taken from the same spot and sent to his parents on the 23rd February 1943. He had been on leave from his post in Calcutta (deploying radar), staying in a bungalow at Sing Tom, about half way down the hill from Darjeeling. " This is the first of my Darjeeling photographic efforts for you. The cigarette the boy is smoking was his "baksheesh." The highest snow-clad mountain is Kangchenjunga, the next highest after Everest. Propose following this up with one of my efforts per week ." The big picture showing Calcutta, Darjeeling and surrounds, and Imphal. View to the North over Darjeeling with Kangchenjunga the highest mountain and Gangtok in the far right distance. Places on the walk from Gangtok back to Sing Tom near Darjeeling are shown. Suspensio...