Perched on the
rugged terrain of the lower Himalayas in East Sikkim Zuluk is a hamlet close to
The Indo China border, located at an altitude of 3000 meters(10000 ft), it is a
relatively new and offbeat tourist destination.
Zuluk derived
its importance from its location on the historic
Old Silk Route. The route started from
Kalimpong and passed through Pedong, Arotar, Zuluk and Jelepla to Chumbi valley
in
Tibet.
After the Chinese aggression however Nathula is the official corridor between
India and
China.
There are about
60 families consisting of about 600 people living in Zuluk. They are largely
immigrants from
Nepal
who came settled here in the hope of a better future. They are honest, simple,
hardworking and hospitable by nature. However most of them are illiterate.
Zuluk has an
extreme climate. Winter is very severe with snowfalls and freezing temperature
while summer is wet and foggy. Due to poor quality of the soil and vagaries of
weather, farming is ell neigh impossible. Neither there is any scope for
practicing cattle rearing as an occupation. Most of the land is fenced and
military controlled making it unfit for grazing. The only source of livelihood
there is employment in the construction and maintenance of border roads. People
live in penury misery. However, there are immense tourism potentialities which
need to be tapped properly.
Zuluk is an
abode of peace. It is an ideal destination for those who like serene ambience,
far from the ‘madding crowds ignoble strife’. For a person who is long put up
in a city and is tired of his humdrum existence, it is a welcome relief.
Zuluk has a
primitive appeal. There are no hotels worth its name. a visitor has to accept
home stay and put up in small cottages which have however attached bathrooms.
Bedrooms are made comfortable and worm at night by room heater or fire place
which locals call Bukhari.
