Gandhi stayed with Das from June 4-9 at 'Step Aside', a villa in Darjeeling where the latter breathed his last a few days later

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway's 'Shatabdi March' to commemorate 100 years of Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to the ‘Queen of Hills’ will commence from October 18, an official said on Friday.

The march, to be held over successive weekends, retraces the historic route taken by Gandhi to Siliguri in the plains from Darjeeling, reflecting his ideals of peace, simplicity and harmony with nature, he said.

It was earlier scheduled to commence from October 5, but had been postponed owing to torrential rain that triggered landslides and floods in several places in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, including Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.

"The ‘Shatabdi March’ will now commence from October 18 from Darjeeling railway station at 8 am," the DHR official said.

Spread over five weekends, the march will retrace the route of Gandhi’s journey along the DHR, symbolically connecting the stations and communities that witnessed his presence a century ago, he said.

In June 1925, Gandhi travelled to Darjeeling to meet the ailing Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, a leader, lawyer and founder of the Swaraj Party, he said.

Gandhi stayed with Das from June 4-9 at 'Step Aside', a villa in Darjeeling where the latter breathed his last a few days later, and engaged in vital discussions on the future of the freedom struggle against the British Raj, the official said.

The initiative is being organised in collaboration with some NGOs.

The march will proceed in stages over successive weekends, beginning from Darjeeling to Ghum and culminating at Siliguri Town in November, 2025, he added. (PTI)

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