|
 himla’s days of glory,
as they once were, were unparalleled on the subcontinent of India. Not so long ago its crisp air smelled of the Raj. Its Mall road was lined with immaculately kept state buildings that seemed transported straight from Europe. It was out of bounds for vehicles and Indian people, only English people had the pleasure to walk on this famous road. The ridge used to be the social flashpoint- an ideal place to watch spectacular snow-capped Himalayan peaks.
It was here that the beautiful English ladies left alone after their officer husbands had gone to plains on duty had to be attended by their junior officers. It was here the scandals of Shimla got nurtured and became famous, so much so that a point on
the ridge is still known as
Scandal Point. In winter this point was scene of ice-skating adventure. Shimla Ice Skating Rink below the ridge used to be a
happening place. Eve nings were made for special
shows in
classic Gaiety cinema – a place meant for the selected few.
Picnics were organized in the adjoining woods of
Pine and Deodar trees. High society parties were routine at Shimla’s big beautiful homes. With battalions of servants, maids and ayahs all
around, the sahibs and memsahibs never neede d to worry about anything. The grand viceroy house on top of the hill used to be the power
center of India for the six summer months. The coming of Shimla narrow gauge railway facilitated the mammoth exercise of shifting India’s capital every six months, an exercise only British may
have afforded to do in those times. That was
Raj- An era gone by when days were eventful and evenings colorful. Those were the days of style and power of famous British Raj.
Nothing remains of that era today. But the nostalgia can still be felt. The mall is still the scene though now open to all.
Old colonial houses are mostly there with many converted in hotels and restaurants. Now the hot
gulab jamuns and softies are sold more than anything else, yet the classical
Coffee House is still there. There is still an old fire station, Gaiety still stands over the mall and
uniformed traffic cops manage the human traffic (no vehicles still) at the busiest point on the mall in the same old-fashioned way. The ridge is still the social hub and ice skating rink still finds its users.
Viceroy House is now Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. The Shimla toy train still chugs the serpentine curves of Himalayas bringing tourists instead of files from the plains. The woods around Shimla are used for trekking by adventurers. And when the
snow falls Shimla still looks like a cute European town.
Shimla is a perfect place to know about the British experiment to create a place driven by the passion of pure
pleasure. Shimla is the same. Only there are fewer memsahibs and fewer scandals now.
| QUICK FACTS |
| Getting there |
Shimla’s own Jubbarhatti airport is connected by small aircrafts with Delhi, Chandigarh and Kullu. Chandigarh is major airport on the plains near Shimla. Kalka near Chandigarh is the main broad gauge station near Shimla. Shimla has its own narrow gage railway link with Kalka. The slow and pleasant mountain trains from Shimla are timed with main trains at Kalka that further link to main cities of India. A good highway connects Shimla with New Delhi and Chandigarh on one side and higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh like Manali on the other side. There are several deluxe buses in summer months connecting Shimla with New Delhi and Manali. |
| Further connections |
Kufri, Narkanda, Chail, Nalagarh, Manali and Manikaran. |
| Best time to visit |
Cool and pleasant in summer months. Very cold with occasional snowfall in winter months. |
| TOURS TO SHIMLA | |
|
|
)
)
)
