After living on an island for five years, all I can think of is escaping to the hills. In fact, I sometimes day dream of a life in the mountains, away from the bustle of the plains, away from the clammy heat, the humidity, the flatness and the monotony of plain ground. Of air that is rarefied, that falls soft on the body. Of wildflowers growing of their own accord here and there. Of steaming cups of mountain tea, with sunlight streaming in through slats in the window, and of valleys and endless valleys, green with cedars, willows and pine. Of the sheer fragrance of life in the hills.....away....from everything.
Last month, I spent four days in Simla....a cozy mountain town tucked in the foothills of the Himalayas, where my uncle lives with his family. Right at the outset, when the ascent from the plains began, and the altitude started rising steeply, the topography began changing, and every new turn heralded a new vista, a new panorama.....
The view from my uncle's balcony itself was mesmerizing.....a bird's eye view of hundreds of homes tucked in the mountain incline in tiers, as if God himself had taken a handful and tossed them onto this pretty patch of land high up in the mountains......
Simla is the capital of Himacha Pradesh. It was the summer capital during the time of the British in India, and it was here, in the Vice Regal Palace, that the Simla conference was held and the decision to partition India and Pakistan was taken. The Vice Regal Palace that was once the abode of the Vice Chancellor of India, and after Independence, also housed the President, is now converted into The Institute of Advanced Studies.
Housing some very interesting relics of the past, the Institute's key attraction is the round table that was used during the signing of the partition papers.Seems unbelievable that one fifth of humanity was wiped off the earth by a few papers signed on this ridiculously small table!!
The British, in their attempt to reach Simla with more ease, built a railroad from Kalka in the foothills
(around 600m above sea level) to Simla ( more than 2000m), which came to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a part of the Mountain Railways of India. The train that traverses the spectacularly beautiful route and passes a total of 103 tunnels is called the Himalayan Queen.
A visit to Simla is incomplete without a trip to Mall Road, a winding incline bordered by countless shops, boutiques and stores selling souvenirs, nicks and knacks, apparel, woolen clothes and local merchandise. A walk up the steep slope leads to the Ridge.
Public Library at the Ridge
Christ Church at the Ridge
A view from the elevators that lead from this road to Mall road on top
Gaiety Theater at the Ridge
View of lower valleys from the Ridge
I had really wanted to visit Dharamshala, the seat of Tibetan Buddhism in India, and home of the Dalai Lama, a mere 270km from Simla. Unfortunately, I could not. And being a hard core Buddhist fan, I visited the local monastery instead.
After almost a year of just waiting and yearning to visit Simla, the meager four days came to a hasty end. But I tried my best to gather all the sights, smells, visions, and images of the region. It is so wonderful that mundane things- a cup of my aunt's Kangra tea, a tasty meal of simple pahari fare in a roadside dhaba, a chance encounter with little kids I saw playing on the steps, souvenir shopping in Lakkar market where I found an exquisitely carved wooden tray to gift my Prof back in Singapore, buying paintings at the Gaiety Theater, a ride on the Himalayan Queen from Simla to Kathleeghat, and counting the number of tunnels we passed through, wildflowers blooming everywhere and the early morning mist getting dispelled by the slanted rays of winter sunshine- all that and much more, gave me a brand of peace and wholesomeness that I had been craving for since almost two years.
On our way down, as we began our descent, we were in for still another surprise. The valley had gathered white fluffy clouds, and the natural basin had trapped them to render an almost surreal landscape that was bewitching in it's beauty.
I was sad to leave this beautiful place behind, and even sadder when we finally reached the planes and suddenly all the cedars disappeared and the cool rarefied air was replaced with the dusty, humid air. Nonetheless, the entire journey was refreshing, beautiful and soothing.
Next on my list is Dharamsala, Kulu-Manali, Dalhousie and hopefully....Ladakh!!
