Hail! O’Queen of Hill

Hail! O’Queen of Hill

Hail! O’ queen of hill
With thy natural scenic beauty
Heart of jaded city-dwellers, thy thrills,
Nestling amidst the Himalayan foothill
Bounded and flanked by
States and Countries
Thy world-known scenic beauty
Fill and pour in plenty.

Amidst thine mighty Himalayas
Holy shrine of ‘Mahakalbaba’
And the footstool of Goddess Senchella.
Paradise to jaded city-dwellers
Thine Majestic splendor or exotic beauty
Pervades hither and thither

Sandakpu on spur of Singhalila
Observatory view of snow-clad Kanchanjungha
Delightful sunrise of the Senchella
All been thy diadem
Teesta, Rangeet, Balasan and Jaldhaka
Snow-fed rivers of thy kingdom
Kholas, Jhoras or spring and waterfalls
Heavenly pleasure everywhere
And atmosphere of lull
But not colour of nature dulls.

Pine, Fir, Deodar and Rhododendron
Thine coniferous forest trees
Even mouths of millions water with
Ripe orange, pears and peach

Wavy grass and booming buds
Mud-painted houses here called huts
Cold winter and warm-rainy summer
Pleasant climate for bachelor and spinster
Humming of bees, birds open their bills
In spring rhythmically Cuckoo sings.
Rippling streams and rest-drowsy lakes
In chilly-cold winter snow even flakes.

On thy mountainous bosom
Beautiful décor of valleys and ridges
The glimpse of scarecrows in the terrace
Heavenly décor of the picturesque village.

Lebong race-course and railway station of Ghoom
On thy trees’ bough priceless orchids bloom
Salamander, Panda and Leopard
And the Pretty Himalayan toy train
Thine invaluable pride possessions
Found only on thy Heavenly location

Priceless gift of Cinchona
And flavoured aromatic tea
Amidst dense forest spreads coniferous trees
Why not city-dwellers be in glee?

The Gorkhas, the martial race
Aboriginal inhabitants of the domain
Peace-loving and chivalrous
But inherent war-famed bravery
And battle strategy of the ancestors.


(Dinesh Das ‘Clan’)