Hotel Kanchenjunga turned out to be quite neat and clean. Each room had a telephone and a heater, the bathroom had running hot water, the linen was crisp and spotless—in short, it was a place that cheered one up instantly. We were going to be in Darjeeling for ten days. If the place we were going to stay in wasn’t reasonably satisfactory, it could become a serious irritant. Our journey had been eventless. Lalmohan Babu had taken out his Rajasthani leather-and-wool cap on reaching Sonada and put it on. ‘To protect my head and ears,’ he explained. Then he began to concentrate on the scenery, and said ‘Beautiful!’ at least a million times. Finally, over a cup of tea in the Kerseong railway restaurant, he made an honest confession. This was his first visit to Darjeeling, he told us. ‘What!’ Feluda raised his eyebrows. ‘You mean you have never seen Kanchenjunga?’ ‘No, sir,’ Lalmohan Babu admitted, sticking his tongue out in embarrassment. ‘Oh God, how I envy you!’ ‘Why?’ ‘Because you’ve no idea what a treat is in store for you. Only you among the three of us will get to experience the tremendous impact of seeing Kanchenjunga for the first time. You are very lucky, Mr Ganguli.’ It was possible to see Kanchenjunga even from Kerseong, if the sky was clear. But it had been quite cloudy today. By the time we reached Ghoom, daylight had started to fade and the clouds hadn’t gone. Lalmohan Babu had, therefore, not yet had his treat. This was, of course, a special feature of visiting Darjeeling. Even at the end of one’s holiday, Kanchenjunga could well remain unseen. If that happened, I would certainly be extremely disappointed. I had seen it before, but was very anxious to see it again. This was an experience that one could never get tired of. We left our luggage in the hotel and went out for a walk. We had to walk uphill for about five minutes before we reached the Mall. It was dark by this time, and the streetlights had been switched on. The shops in the Mall were also lit up. ‘Felu Babu, why aren’t there any cars anywhere?’ Lalmohan Babu asked, puzzled. ‘Cars and other vehicles aren’t allowed to run in many parts of Darjeeling. The Mall is one such place. You can walk here, or ride a horse. Have you ever ridden before?’ ‘N-no. But then, I have taken a ride on a camel, haven’t I? A horse would be child’s play in comparison, surely?’ A little later, we ran into Mr Birupaksha Majumdar. The film crew were out for a walk, like ourselves. Pulak Ghoshal strode forward to meet us. He was accompanied by a gentleman wearing a suit and a felt hat. This is Mr Majumdar,’ he said, ‘we’re going to shoot a part of the film in his house.

He’s very kindly given us his permission. And these are—’ Pulak Babu finished making the introductions. ‘What have you