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TRAVELOGUE

TRAVELOGUE TO KHIRAI

A REFRESHING HALF DAY GET AWAY DURING THE WINTERS

Counting simple blessings is one good thing that has
come out of staying locked down for months due to the
pandemic. The imprisoned selves ocked in huge num-
bers to the nearby areas to get a waft of fresh air and
release the pent-up stress in icted by the tiny virus. On
one such wintry Sunday morning, I set out to a rural
nearby area called Khirai which has gained much populari-
ty in recent times for its multi-colored ower carpet that
adorns the lush green elds of the area.

Khirai is around a 1 hr 45 mins drive from Haldia and then its ower gardens are to be
explored on foot. Walk along the aisles of the elds abounding in red, orange, yellow, white
and pink owers and the eyes will never get tired of the acres and acres of farmland bloom.
The fragrance of the owers mingled with the buzzing of the honeybees will ll the mind
with the much needed vigor to shed o the trails of a weary week.

The river Kangsabati ows just parallel to the ower elds thereby adding to the scenic
beauty of the area. The rail track of Kharagpur-Howrah runs just overhead the ower elds
and occasionally a train might rattle down the tracks striking a stark contrast to the back-
ground. So many times before had I taken these tracks to commute and stared in awe at the
ower blooms underneath but never had I thought of venturing into the spot directly.
Being right there, amidst the owers, brings in a separate kind of solace, altogether.

If like me, Tagore has been intertwined with your childhood in an inseparable way, you
won’t even realize when the following lines start playing in your mind:

On the way back, besides bringing back a camera full of colorful pics, one can also buy a
variety of owers, sold at the spot at the cheapest of rates. My personal favorite was the
oral tiara that the local women sell with their warm smiles. So if you love owers, may
consider exploring this region in the next winters. You can stop by at any of the popular
eateries of Kolaghat to nish o the day.
Let me aunt a few snaps taken from the location.

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