A tourist trickle in mist-covered Chimney Kurseong

Chimney, Oct. 17: The village has been named after a chimney almost 100 years old and tourists have now discovered the charms of the little Kurseong hamlet with a “curious name” that gives a view of the Kanchenjungha and the Nathu-la, the border pass in Sikkim.

Village tourism has reached Chimney along the Old Military Road with a little effort by a youth who started hosting visitors in his house five years back.

Since then, Suraj Chhetri has been getting a steady flow of tourists at the Himalayan Home-stay that he runs on the first floor of his two-storeyed house in Chimney.

The quiet hamlet at 6,800ft and the neighbouring villages of Mazua, Seemkharka, Kochegaon, Khundruke, Simantar and Chaitepani are nestled in the midst of thick forests.

“Barring the rainy season (from June to September), we keep getting guests on a steady basis,” said Chhetri, who plans to construct two cottages for guests.

“I will start the construction after Diwali,” he said.

He added that there are four rooms in his house that can accommodate eight visitors at a time and each double-bedded room is priced Rs 500 per day.

Chhetri’s fellow villagers are, however, yet to follow in his footsteps probably because of financial constraints.

Most of the residents of Chimney earn their living by growing vegetables like radish and mustard on their land.

“Suraj has shown the way to the others in the area. I am sure if easy loans are available to the villagers, many would start similar projects. The village has a curious name, it draws a lot of queries,” said Robin Thapa of the neighbouring Dow Hill area.

Chimney, 8km from Kurseong, gets its name from a 23-foot high chimney that was probably built during World War I and used by British officers.

C.B. Rai, the former vice-principal of St Joseph’s College in Darjeeling who hails from the village, said if tourism takes off in Chimney, the local economy would grow.

“The returns could be quite substantial. More than the money, it would bridge the gap between the people and cultural exchange will take place,” said Rai.

Rai said he had recently hosted a family from Calcutta at his new house in the village.

Chimney can be an attractive option for visitors not only because of its scenic beauty but also because of its closeness to a lot of places of interest like Dow Hill and Victoria schools, Dow Hill Park and the forest museum.

All the places are within a 5km radius of the village.

“Tourists can also go on a trek to the nearby forests or to famous Tiger Hill which is 15km from here,” said Chhetri.

The area adjoining the chimney provides a view of Nathu-la and Kalimpong along with the Kanchenjungha.

Another must-see place in the village is the St Alphonsus Social and Agricultural Centre.

The centre trains villagers in scientific and innovative methods of farming and is involved in agricultural activities like vegetable and mushroom cultivation, poultry, forest nursery and plantation, dairy, making bio-organic compost and generation of bio-gas.

The fresh organic vegetables grown at the centre are served to the visitors.

“We serve the guests locally grown vegetables. The food is basically a local cuisine of rice, meat, vegetables and chutneys,” said Chhetri.

TT