A group of painters based in Siliguri has decided to observe the anniversary of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) on July 4 with colours this year.
Around 144 years ago, on July 4, 1881, the toy train chugged into the hills for the first time from Siliguri.
Sanjay Dey, the president of North Bengal Painters Association (NBPA), said the people of Siliguri and the hills had grown up listening to the whistle of the heritage mountain railway and living with its historical legacy.
“But many of us are not aware that this century-old Himalayan railway started its journey for the first time from the Siliguri Town station on July 4. We want to celebrate this special occasion this year,” he said.
On that day, the painters will congregate at Sukna, the DHR station located around 10km from Siliguri.
“There, we will organise a sit-and-draw competition for school students. Our members will also make paintings on the theme of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway,” Dey added.
"There will be poster-making competitions, live workshops on painting and an exhibition of professional artists at the site," he added.
In India, DHR is the first mountain railway to get the world heritage tag from Unesco.
The NBPA representatives said initially, they had planned to organise the programme in Siliguri Town station.
“It is an important site in Siliguri known for its historical importance. Famous personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose have visited the station,” said Sujay Mitra, the secretary of the NBPA.
“However, over the years, it has turned dilapidated, and we want the railway authorities to restore the old station building. That is why we changed our plan and decided to celebrate the anniversary in Sukna,” he added.
The association has also communicated with the DHR authorities to obtained their consent. “Some DHR officials will also be there at the event in Sukna,” said a source.