Mussoorie - The Queen Of Hill Stations : NAACHGAANA

Mussoorie - The Queen Of Hill Stations

July 5th, 2008

Kaveetaa Kaul

Just returned from a trip to Mussoorie and reckoned our NG friends might need a respite from the mind boggling BO figures. A reminder to life beyond movies..quite as exciting and fulfilling and so peaceful, nurturing the inner spirit and reinvigorating our core. Man is part of nature, a component in its completion.. after all. I guess we need to loop it in periodically.

Mussoorie, the proverbial Queen of Hill stations, as professed by the British gentry who evaded hot, desultory summers of Delhi and Kolkata by spending time here, has been an almost inveterate part of my life. Our family home was in Dehradun whereby Mussoorie by default was the summer spot.

Not much has changed over the years on the Mall Road, unless you consider a sprouting of shops of every hue and variety dappled all along the narrow streets a major upheaval.

Being of a disposition that treasures seclusion and quietude over crowds and thronging merry makers, we had over the years minimised our annual trips. The spirit of Mussoorie seemed to have lost its sheen having been buried in commercialisation that annoyed by virtue of its almost ubiquitous presence, no matter how deep one imagined having travelled, away from the madding crowd.

This time however, we were hell bent on discovering another side and destination in Mussoorie. The weather served as impetus.. rainy, romantic, right for some travel adventures. So we set on, with just one goal to drive up high into the mountains and find a tea shop that would afford us the inimitable pleasure of ‘chai and pakoras’ .. a must on rainy afternoons.

We had no idea just what was in store. Not wishing to get into Mussoorie proper, through either the Picture Palace or Library entrance, we proceeded to drive up to Landour. Having been to Dhanaulti on several occasions, a trip to Landour was long overdue.

The drive was excruciatingly steep, with blind turns and hair pin bends. Not one for daring drives, I imagined I might have turned stone white, or so says hubby, who seemed to be reveling in his expertise behind the wheel, with Kitaro playing on to heighten his mood. Life seemed perfect for him.For me it was a nightmare. My nails biting into the arm of my son since hubby was to be left undisturbed lest his concentration waver, I recited the Hanuman chalisa, much to the amusement of the rest of the caboodle.

Having crossed Sisters Bazaar, a remnant of the sisters (nuns) at the chapel, we suddenly arrived at this almost perfect picturesque spot called ‘Char Dukaan’ or Four Shops. I yelled out in pure delight. You would have as well. I mean what more could I ask for! It even had a tea shop! A dream come true.

Pictures speak a thousand words. There is no way I could have explained the ethereal, divine scenery that greeted us. It was as if the rain gods had decided to gift us just enough rain to keep the semblance of the monsoon intact whilst simultaneously shutting off the showers once we had reached atop.

Actual sunlight..around 6.00p.m

Can you see the raindrops glistening? At such times its kinda okay to have a professional as hubby..memories are well documented

We were surrounded with fog at 3.00 p.m. and the aroma of waffles wafted through from the tea shop. Hot cups of coffee with grilled sandwiches, omelette buns, which I might have avoided like the plague ordinarily were hungrily devoured. Topped with chocolate waffles generously smothered with Maple syrup.

The owner of the Tip Top tea shop, Vipin Prakash became a friend. His simple, unobtrusive, hospitable demeanour won me over totally. He single handedly manages his little empire consisting of a Kitchen table with wife handling the chopping jobs. It was so quaint, so unassuming and so delightful. Just what the Doctor ordered.

For whom do these flowers bloom? Quite a lesson in life..

How I love ferns! And these are just randomly growing on the hill slope!

Quite difficult to believe these colors are for real..no touch ups.. especially since it was hazily foggy just a while ago

Can you believe this is 8.00 p.m? Its as if Nature blessed us with light to maximise our joy!! The sun refused to set.

I have no idea just why this pic refuses to enlarge . It seems to be ordained to have a mind of its own…the guy, our Mr.Langur was a delightful fella who kept following us half menacingly but then merrily posed for us.

This is Sonnys attempt at capturing nature into a curd glass. These flowers abound only in the hills.

May I also inform you that Landour is home to Ruskin Bond the erstwhile and much respected author, of a great many ooks and recently ‘Blue Umbrella’ who has spent his entire life in these hills. No wonder really.. given a choice I’d happily settle there amidst the flowers blooming unseen on the hill slopes, silence greeting you at every corner, colours of the sky as if being painted by the Divine Creator Himself..never repeating a shade. ..it was just so awesome.

Victor Bannerjee, a good friend of hubbys Tom Alter and lately Prannoy Roy have proven how smitten they are with Landour.. they all have villas here. Whew.. just how do they go up and down the hill!

A bridge above the deep ravines, bathed in golden light..Avoided capturing what the depth amassed..it kinda shattered the heavenly aura..since Man had decided to impair the perfection with garbage..drat!

Just how did this vehicle make it to the top? If only for its sheer ingenuity, the pic had to be posted. We spent a good 45 minutes trying to figure out how it might have arrived with guesses ranging from ..’its never been down’.. to ” its a show piece”.. till we finally manged to locate the owner who stated simply ” Nahin jee..roz neeche jaati hai aut phir upar aati hai”..Maruti ought to use this as their strongest ad

Vipin gleefully informed me that Sachin Tendulkar was at his tea shop a while ago, along with another restaurateur friend Sanjay Narang. Vipins family has been here since the time of the British, almost 80 years ago, when his father was a postman here. The family knows no other life and are well ensconced in living this Oh- so- quaint life.

Does he have any idea just how lucky he is ?

There Are 33 Responses So Far. »

Comment by rks on 5 July 2008:

Thanks for posting. Some really good snaps. I have been twice to Mussoorie. I think I stayed at back side (Mall road is in front or circuitous)of Mussoorie. The farthest I went was a visit to Kempty falls . It snowed heavily in Dhanaulti at that time.

Welcome break from BO discussions
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks Rks..If you stayed behind Mall road it must have been around the place that used to be a skating rink.This was the most happening site in Muss at the time. Now I believe it is defunct.
Dhanaulti is another spot with its tall deodhar trees which come up all of a sudden in a huge forest like patch.We shot there for ” Kaash” (Sony) in 1996,in extreme winters, which maybe the time you went too, if it was snowing. Even further up at Chakrata, where the temperature goes down to minus 10 or so..it was hell but fun.. Got some amazing footage.Used to take the crew up on horseback, We used to reach up at 12.p.m and get maybe two or three shots a day since it used to get dark at 3 pm. but I guess this kind of madness was attempted on television only by us.
Comment by jayshah on 5 July 2008:

Lovely pictures Kaveetaa, you reminded me of my first trip to India earlier this year! Really like the first picture.
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks Jay.. When you say ‘first trip to India’ does it mean first ever? If so what were your initial reactions? Where all did you go? It would be interesting to know. You should have done a post on it. I am curious really.

The first picture was taken by me.Oh Im so proud of meself now..I can gloat about it to you know who!
Comment by don123 on 5 July 2008:

Great pictures. And can you believe it I have never been to Mussoorie. After seeing these photos I know I just have to go.

The sunrise photo looked as good as any picture card. Truly breathtaking. Tell us more about it.

And mind you this is the only post which I have ever saved to my computer.
Comment by jayshah on 5 July 2008:

First trip ever indeed. Hard to describe really, because most people who visit India say its a magical place and I cannot buck the trend by describing it in any better way. Rich in history (my uncle was like a guide explaining different stages of history etc) I saw parts of Mumbai briefly before spending few days in Goa and then a 10 day road trip from Bangalore through Kerala to southern tip. Just awesome. You can see the shift between states like comparing Mumbai to the South is like two different countries. Food was lovely…the cheaper it was the better it tasted it seemed! Scenery in south just gorgeous, very much like these pictures…and the South was so peaceful aswell (was really surprised). Treacherous roads, traffic in Bangalore, sheer volume of people you see on the roads, the plantations and hills of the south, wildlife, rivers and lakes, palaces…its just got everything. And I’ve only seen so little…

I cannot wait to comeback!
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks Don..yeah the post on your comp will perhaps serve as a constant reminder to actualise your trip to Muss. Best months as a tourist would be October and April but I would suggest off season time such as monsoons and winters. The silence speaks volumes then.

The snap you mention was sunset. In Dehradun it darkened at around 7 or so but what seemed remarkable was that sunset up in Landour appeared to last forever..As you can see the snap was taken around 8 p.m…although the sun had set, the after glow remained alive only in a section of the sky overlooking the hills we were perched on.It was magnificent. This was the first time I realised that atop the mountains the evening glow is longer.

I guess the reason this appeals to you and all of us so intensely is because deep down we are all creatures of the earth. Nature beckons universally. Its just that some of us heed the call and respond to its beauty while others due to personal compunctions are obliged to ignore it. What would it be to live a life so close to Nature and so sensitive to its language, I wonder.

A very old song comes to mind..” parbaton ke pedon par shaam ka basera hai.. surmai ujaala hai champai andhera hai”
Comment by Tango on 5 July 2008:

Kaveeta ji- I was there awhile back and rememember everything, especially Gun Hill and Kempty fall. It has old word charm but options are limited for a long stayer like me.

But now I am totally hooked to Kullu-Manali and Lahul Spiti.
Comment by beld on 5 July 2008:

Kaveeta, may I say that this is the best post in ng in a long long while. Thanks for the pics - its heavenly. And u have set me on a nostalgia trip with reminder of that song
Comment by Tango on 5 July 2008:

But thanks for reminding me about it , after all it formerly wsa a part of UP!
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Jay..agree with you on all counts. But cannot imagine what a culture shock it must have been for you. It never fails to be one for me from one of my sojourns abroad or even if it just a teeny weeny vacation out of Bombay. The crowds and traffic dismally remind me I am back home. Except for these couple of hiccups India is a country one cannot but help love..especially places in the hills and GOA. We spent New Year and Xmas there. Perhaps you will enjoy seeing the snaps and story of our trip there
http://sachiniti.wordpress.com/2008/01/03/christmas-and-new-year-goa-style/
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Hi Tango..I have heard a lot about Spiti..some day will go there too.To stay at landour for a month or so we have to make bookings in January..the demand is pretty high since there is a school for International students pursuing Indian languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, etc which too came as a revelation. So no rooms available after the academic year begins in Jan. Mussoorie proper I agree can get quite repetitive and uninspiring.
Comment by satyam on 5 July 2008:

KaveetaaPaul: Wonderful writeup here and beautifully evocative pictures. Thanks for sharing these..
Comment by beld on 5 July 2008:

I think the mountains and beaches aren’t the real india - save for the better food - u can get them abroad too. The hustle and bustle, the markets, the comforts, the food, the movies - that’s a better india to experience. Of course at the end - u need to go to the hills or the beach to chill. I mean, one can’t really enjoy the mountains or beaches unless u experience the madness of the other india
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks a ton Beld.. Yeah the song is one which wrenches your gut in its hopelessly romantic melody. Another one in that genre is
‘jaag dil-e dewana rut jaagi vasle yaar ki..mehki hui zulf mein chhayee hai sabah pyar ki”..
I dont remember the film..just that it was picturised on Feroz khan with the backdrop of misty, mysterious fog in the hills..
Comment by jayshah on 5 July 2008:

Kaveeta - not so much a culture shock really. I was expecting 80% of what I saw but go the full 100%! Other parts of Asia are similar (hustle and bustle, the markets, the comforts, the food - as Beld described) so by in large I wasn’t shocked, but more in awe!
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Beld if hustle and bustle includes traffic snarls and unending bottlenecks,travelling time of 45 minutes for a 7km journey, lack of parking spaces where one goes around in circles in utter futility, wasting precious time which one may have otherwise spent on more fruitful pursuits like with ones family, then I dont know how much one can romanticise it and accept is as the unique India brand. If its a one time affair one can digest it, but its getting frighteningly menacing in its proportions, with no relief in sight..especially in Bombay. It seems then a mountain trip will have to be made weekly going by your theory
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks so much Satyam..except that you seem to have mixed up hubbys initials with mine Its K-aul.
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

All you guys have such amazing avatars!

Jay its the first time somebody mentioned and I am duly impressed, that he is in ‘awe’of Indias overly populated bustle.I guess for those of us living here,its a matter of having to contend with it day after day that erases any magical quality attributed to it.Even as far back as the fifties a poet lamented ” Aye dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan, zara hatke zara bachke yeh hai Bombay meri jaan’..phir bhi..having been born and brought up here it is part of my blood stream..and I love it nonetheless, albeit with caveats, if that is possible.
Comment by Tango on 5 July 2008:

Kaveeta ji to go to Spiti, you should make Manali the base and then visit Keylong for aday or two and return.

The way is beautiful as go through Rohtang Pass, can see the origin of the Chenab river ( Sohni Chenaab De kinare waali) locally known as Chandra Bagha. Its at a place called Khokhsar just after Rohtang.
Comment by jayshah on 5 July 2008:

My awe is a fascination in how life goes round and round in such an environment. I am sure it is hazardous and frustrating (getting stuck in traffic for 90mins and moving only 2Km is not my idea of fun) but at the same time there lies a fascination in zillions of cars all moving the same way, in a chaotic disorderly manner where a 3 lane road is turned in 6 lanes, rickshaws flying left right and centre and hooting every second! The volume of people and vehicles is so dense, crossing the roads was a trauma, to think your life is on the line each time you do it!
Comment by shetty on 5 July 2008:

Wow Amazing pics & wonderful writeup

Thanks for posting Kaveeta

Never been to Mussoorie…will plan shortly
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Will do Tango.. I know what you mean. Have had a glimpse of the rugged terrain of Spiti in Pujas(Bhatt)movie.. Paap I think.Maybe this Diwali vacations Spiti will be the destination since Manali was in the offing anyways.Looking forward now that you also recommend it. I guess winter gear will have to be carried in full form.
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks a ton Shetty..remember me when you have the snacks at Tip Top Tea Shop
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Hmmmm..Jay. It was this reaction I was curious to know… through the prism of an Indian’s first visit to India. It would be distinctly different from a foreigners first visit. You display a lot more patience and acceptance. For us I guess we are now immune to the novelty of a 3 lane morphing into a 6 lane and like you said life on line each time. In fact for this very reason I am paranoid about driving in Bombay. I am all sweaty palms and weak kneed at the idea.
Comment by shetty on 5 July 2008:

“remember me when you have the snacks at Tip Top Tea Shop”

Sure Kaveeta. Loved your Goa write up too
Comment by mahaloser on 5 July 2008:

jay:
without sounding negative.. and putting any positive spin on it.. that hustle/bustle loses its “fascinating” aspect fast, if one has to live there everyday

The drives in rural india (specially south) are absolutely amazing.. the variety of food/chai/coffee/snacks one gets on the roadside.. the scenery..

similarly long distance train trips from north to south or vice versa have a unique charm and imo are the best way to “experience” the heart of india (specially if you have marwari/gujju co-passengers who will share all kinds of home-cooked food with you)
Comment by jayshah on 5 July 2008:

mahaloser I am sure it does. I suppose I am speaking as a tourist. The hustle and bustle of the London Underground lost its charm for me years ago!
Comment by mahaloser on 5 July 2008:

Kaveeta:
I will be vacationing in Goa from 16-20 of this month.. it is the monsoon..when it is supposed to be in its greenest glory.. away from the crowds.. for some good food, R&R..

I will use your Goa writeup as a guide to enjoy ourselves.
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Mahaloser..Its just the right time to be in Goa. Off season and green. I suggest you stay in the Calangute Baga area. South Goa will be dead with no decent eating place operational.
Comment by rks on 5 July 2008:

Kaveeta:

If you are intersted in avatars;

Please goto http://site.gravatar.com and register with same email ID as one for NG. You will receive a mail for verification. After you verify(choose password), you would be able to upload avatars from Disk or URL at gravatar website. Make sure to mark the avatar as ‘G rated’. Associate (confirm by double clicking on uploaded image) the uploaded image with same email ID. It would show up here at NG after 20-30 minutes(Neelu told me it took longer).
Comment by mahaloser on 5 July 2008:

kaveeta:
Staying at the Fort Aguada resort.. dont know if that is close to Calangute Baga area. I am looking forward to it
Comment by Kaveetaa Kaul on 5 July 2008:

Thanks for the tip Rks will try and zero in on something.

Mahaloser Fort Aguada is perfect! Have a great holiday.

Shetty ..you are kind.

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