Night view of the swimming pool at Blue Mountain Country Club, about 4 km from Siliguri, off the road to Darjeeling. The children?s pool with the waterslide can be seen on the left

Siliguri, Oct. 30: This Diwali, residents of Siliguri will go clubbing.

Earthen diyas are drying in the sun and the nimble fingers of Kumartuli artisans are moving ever so fast to give finishing touches to Kali idols. Amid the whirl of last minute preparations, Blue Mountain Country Club, the first club of its kind in Siliguri, has lined up a slew of programmes for those who have a penchant for doing things differently.

Dancing to the tunes of a live band, enjoying fireworks by the poolside and savouring multi-cuisine delicacies: welcome to the new way of enjoying festivals that is weaving itself into the cultural fabric of Siliguri, which can no longer be ignored as a ?sleepy little trading town.?

?Festival weekends are important dates in our annual calendar of events,? said Anand Prasad, the proprietor. ?Keeping in mind that people generally opt to stay at home on Diwali night, we have planned our Diwali bonanza for November 4, the following Friday,? he added.

Blue Mountain is the latest addition to the town that is getting initiated to club-culture.

At present, there are some hotels that have introduced the ?club concept? and have a few registered members. But Prasad claims that none of them will actually be able to match Blue Mountain.

?City hotels have got a few registered members with the idea of letting them use the hotel infrastructure, like swimming pools and gyms, against a hefty sum. But their plan hinges on the customer, who can be irregular. This club will only be for registered members, comprising handpicked, like-minded people, who will come together as part of the same institution,? Prasad explained.

Promising a ?time like never before?, the club with its two-acre plot here on the banks of the Panchnoi river, faces the blue peaks of the Himalayas and has tea gardens on one side.

?Despite some drawbacks, what is exciting about Siliguri is its closeness to nature. But, very few people in town can actually cherish nature because there are no opportunities to do so. Our country club will help people of the town, hopelessly entertainment-starved as it is, with a place to escape,? Prasad said.

The club is only 4 km away from the town.

Regular features like a library, conference hall, swimming pool (a separate one for children that has a water slide too), a gym complete with the latest equipment and a Jacuzzi (or whirlpool) are all there. But what may eventually become most popular are the health spa, karaoke bar and a Japanese garden. The club also has a juice corner alongside the multi-cuisine restaurant.

Like all good things though, the ?club member? tag comes at a hefty price. It is Rs 75,000 for 10 years for a family of four and Rs 30,000 for an individual.