The Magic of Shimla, the Queen of Hill-stations An elevating experience
“Porter Sir, porter. Please let me carry your luggage.” The entreating voice belonged to a wiry, lean man, with weather- beaten, angular features and penetrating eyes. Clad in the local dress, a pathani dress (a loose, long-sleeved, collared top with pajamas) with a thick blanket thrown across the shoulders to keep the biting cold at bay, armed with a long, thick rope, the man was among a horde of other similarly dressed and armed porters; who greeted us at Shimla railway station.
“No, thanks, we prefer to carry our own luggage” so saying, I and my husband started walking down the platform, towards the exit.“You won’t be able to carry your luggage Sir. It’s a steep climb uphill to the Mall.”The same porter had followed us. Soon enough we realized that what he said was true. The road wound upward at a very steep gradient. There was a board stating that no vehicles were allowed on that road. Of course, no vehicle could possibly climb up that way without sliding backwards! When we saw other people engaging porters, we too allowed the persistent porter to carry our luggage. The price for the work was haggled over and brought down from sixty to thirty.
The porter then proceeded to tie the 4 pieces of our luggage securely with his thick rope, into 1 huge load. With 2 ends of the tied rope held in front of him, across his chest, he heaved and hoisted the entire burden over his back. We set forth for our destination—the guest-house booked for our stay in Shimla; on the Mall Road.
As we puffed and panted our way on the hilly, steep road, we were glad that we had engaged a porter. After about 10 minutes, the porter suddenly sat on a way side stone bench for a breather. As he gulped in some air and felt fresh, he started talking.“My name is Mohammed Yusuf.I hail from Kashmir.I’m a graduate in Urdu from the Kashmir University.I was jobless so I came here and started this work.” He spoke in halting English and sounded very earnest."Why don’t you stay in a hotel, comfortably? I can get rooms arranged for you.” It was obvious that he got a commission for bringing customers to the hotel. “No thanks, we’ve confirmed reservations for the office guest-house;” we said.
Once we reached the guest-house, we found that it was locked. The porter asked us to go to the office, which was just closing and enquire about the care-taker’s whereabouts. Seeing our hesitation at leaving our luggage with him, he assured us saying “Don’t worry Sir. There are no thieves in Shimla. You are like my sister,” he said turning towards me. “Trust me.”
When it was time for settling his dues, he took 50 instead of 30. I too, handed the requested amount over, without a murmur. For all his exertion (and his loss of commission!), he deserved it!
In fact, throughout our stay in Shimla, we noticed how the hard-working, poor porters lugged huge logs of wood, gas cylinders and even an entire full-size Godrej cupboard on their backs up and down the hilly roads! We wondered about how their spines were so erect and unaffected by those heavy burdens; and also about their camaraderie and cheerful faces, even while they were about their tasks. They were uncomplaining, honest and very simple, easy-going people.
As our porter had informed us, each porter at Shimla is given a token no. and a badge. Only such designated persons were authorized to carry luggage.
On our first day in Shimla, we went on a sight-seeing tour conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. We watched the beauty of nature and drank in the unpolluted air, as the bus sped along narrow paths with cliffs on one side and steep valleys on the other side. These valleys were filled with forests of pine and deodar trees.
At one place, we were asked to alight to view a ‘point’. This was Fagu point where the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas could be seen in an unending semi-circular stretch far in the distance. Of course, as we didn’t have binoculars, we could see only as far as our line of vision could allow.
Then, at another point, we saw ‘green valley’ a valley densely forested with coniferous trees. There was a small temple nearby dedicated to a goddess which had an interesting legend behind its origin. The priest of the temple briefed us about it. “This temple was built 2 years ago. Before that, all vehicles plying on this road used to meet with fatal accidents. The drivers of these vehicles would think that there were 2 roads here, instead of the one that is actually here. At this point, they would be deluded by a police-man to go by the other route and invariably plunge into the valley to their deaths. The police-man was in fact, a spirit. It was after many such accidents, that this temple was built here by the local people. After that, no such accidents occurred.” A slight shiver ran up my spine; even as I was listening to his narration; thinking that we had just traveled along that road.
Shimla has many orchards of peaches, almonds and apples. A visit to an apple orchard was mentioned in the sight-seeing itinerary. We were very excited at the prospect of actually seeing these fruits on the trees, which we could otherwise only buy off carts.“Please get down for a visit to the orchard” said the tour guide. All the tourists alighted.“As this is a private orchard, outsiders are not permitted to enter it,” the guide said. Then from the road only, he started pointing out to some trees saying that, that tree was a peach tree, that one a cedar and this one an apple tree. ‘This one’ had small green apples hanging from its branches. “The apple season is from August to September. Then you’ll actually see huge red apples here,” the guide said.
Far in the distance, in a deep valley, we saw bright blue polythene sheets covering some trees. When we asked the guide about them, he said that they were cherry trees and the sheets were used to protect the cherries from birds.By now, some co-tourists were getting irritated and restless, as the ‘sights’ that they longed to see were actually nowhere in sight.One such person caught hold of the guide and asked him about why he had not shown us better ‘points’. He told him that tourists actually wanted to enter orchards, experience the feel of the place, whereas the sight-seeing only consisted of getting down for about 5-10 minutes at some places and watching ‘next-to-nothing’. The guide quickly pointed out that he was just an employee of the H.P.T.D.C and that the tourists, if dissatisfied with the sight-seeing tour, should speak to the Public Relations personnel in the office.
Once back in Shimla, all of us hurried to take the lift up to the Mall Road.Each of us had to pay a small entry fee and was given tickets as there were two connecting lifts to go up to the Mall Road. This, by itself, was an experience to savor, as this was no ordinary lift in a building, but a lift to connect the areas at different heights, as Shimla is characterized by undulating steep hilly roads at different levels.
Most of us went to the tourism department office to complain about the unsatisfactory sight-seeing trip. What the person-in-charge said silenced all of us in one stroke. ‘Shimla is famous for its scenic beauty, ladies and gentlemen. You must learn to appreciate nature, which you must have noticed all along in your trip. Besides, there are no man-made points here. All that one can see here is views which are very panoramic at specific places. These were pointed out to you during the trip.’
Thus chastened, we decided to savor the scenery of Shimla in the true sense, instead of hankering about ‘points'. Needless to say, the rest of the days of our trip went off like a dream! ******************************************************************************
P.S. We, i.e. my hubby and my self, visited Shimla in May 1998. ****************************************************************************** This article's copyright is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan
Dear friends,
From the 27th of September, 2013, I've started 2 new blogs dedicated exclusively to original short stories and novels written by me. I'll be pleased if you could post your comments and let me know your invaluable feedback.
You may also tell me whether the story could've ended differently or if it was perfect!
Please visit www.creativepriyasvision.blogspot.in and www.radiantpriyasvision.blogspot.in and read my stories and novels. If you like them, you may recommend the blog to your friends and contacts.
You may also view my latest blog at www.uberrimafideslicindia.blogspot.in. This blog deals with my R.T.I. case and lone crusade to get the repudiated wage revision arrears' payment and payment of difference in retirement benefits, from L.I.C. of India, for all the resigning ex-employees of the Corporation.
“Porter Sir, porter. Please let me carry your luggage.” The entreating voice belonged to a wiry, lean man, with weather- beaten, angular features and penetrating eyes. Clad in the local dress, a pathani dress (a loose, long-sleeved, collared top with pajamas) with a thick blanket thrown across the shoulders to keep the biting cold at bay, armed with a long, thick rope, the man was among a horde of other similarly dressed and armed porters; who greeted us at Shimla railway station.
“No, thanks, we prefer to carry our own luggage” so saying, I and my husband started walking down the platform, towards the exit.“You won’t be able to carry your luggage Sir. It’s a steep climb uphill to the Mall.”The same porter had followed us. Soon enough we realized that what he said was true. The road wound upward at a very steep gradient. There was a board stating that no vehicles were allowed on that road. Of course, no vehicle could possibly climb up that way without sliding backwards! When we saw other people engaging porters, we too allowed the persistent porter to carry our luggage. The price for the work was haggled over and brought down from sixty to thirty.
The porter then proceeded to tie the 4 pieces of our luggage securely with his thick rope, into 1 huge load. With 2 ends of the tied rope held in front of him, across his chest, he heaved and hoisted the entire burden over his back. We set forth for our destination—the guest-house booked for our stay in Shimla; on the Mall Road.
As we puffed and panted our way on the hilly, steep road, we were glad that we had engaged a porter. After about 10 minutes, the porter suddenly sat on a way side stone bench for a breather. As he gulped in some air and felt fresh, he started talking.“My name is Mohammed Yusuf.I hail from Kashmir.I’m a graduate in Urdu from the Kashmir University.I was jobless so I came here and started this work.” He spoke in halting English and sounded very earnest."Why don’t you stay in a hotel, comfortably? I can get rooms arranged for you.” It was obvious that he got a commission for bringing customers to the hotel. “No thanks, we’ve confirmed reservations for the office guest-house;” we said.
Once we reached the guest-house, we found that it was locked. The porter asked us to go to the office, which was just closing and enquire about the care-taker’s whereabouts. Seeing our hesitation at leaving our luggage with him, he assured us saying “Don’t worry Sir. There are no thieves in Shimla. You are like my sister,” he said turning towards me. “Trust me.”
When it was time for settling his dues, he took 50 instead of 30. I too, handed the requested amount over, without a murmur. For all his exertion (and his loss of commission!), he deserved it!
In fact, throughout our stay in Shimla, we noticed how the hard-working, poor porters lugged huge logs of wood, gas cylinders and even an entire full-size Godrej cupboard on their backs up and down the hilly roads! We wondered about how their spines were so erect and unaffected by those heavy burdens; and also about their camaraderie and cheerful faces, even while they were about their tasks. They were uncomplaining, honest and very simple, easy-going people.
As our porter had informed us, each porter at Shimla is given a token no. and a badge. Only such designated persons were authorized to carry luggage.
On our first day in Shimla, we went on a sight-seeing tour conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation. We watched the beauty of nature and drank in the unpolluted air, as the bus sped along narrow paths with cliffs on one side and steep valleys on the other side. These valleys were filled with forests of pine and deodar trees.
At one place, we were asked to alight to view a ‘point’. This was Fagu point where the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayas could be seen in an unending semi-circular stretch far in the distance. Of course, as we didn’t have binoculars, we could see only as far as our line of vision could allow.
Then, at another point, we saw ‘green valley’ a valley densely forested with coniferous trees. There was a small temple nearby dedicated to a goddess which had an interesting legend behind its origin. The priest of the temple briefed us about it. “This temple was built 2 years ago. Before that, all vehicles plying on this road used to meet with fatal accidents. The drivers of these vehicles would think that there were 2 roads here, instead of the one that is actually here. At this point, they would be deluded by a police-man to go by the other route and invariably plunge into the valley to their deaths. The police-man was in fact, a spirit. It was after many such accidents, that this temple was built here by the local people. After that, no such accidents occurred.” A slight shiver ran up my spine; even as I was listening to his narration; thinking that we had just traveled along that road.
Shimla has many orchards of peaches, almonds and apples. A visit to an apple orchard was mentioned in the sight-seeing itinerary. We were very excited at the prospect of actually seeing these fruits on the trees, which we could otherwise only buy off carts.“Please get down for a visit to the orchard” said the tour guide. All the tourists alighted.“As this is a private orchard, outsiders are not permitted to enter it,” the guide said. Then from the road only, he started pointing out to some trees saying that, that tree was a peach tree, that one a cedar and this one an apple tree. ‘This one’ had small green apples hanging from its branches. “The apple season is from August to September. Then you’ll actually see huge red apples here,” the guide said.
Far in the distance, in a deep valley, we saw bright blue polythene sheets covering some trees. When we asked the guide about them, he said that they were cherry trees and the sheets were used to protect the cherries from birds.By now, some co-tourists were getting irritated and restless, as the ‘sights’ that they longed to see were actually nowhere in sight.One such person caught hold of the guide and asked him about why he had not shown us better ‘points’. He told him that tourists actually wanted to enter orchards, experience the feel of the place, whereas the sight-seeing only consisted of getting down for about 5-10 minutes at some places and watching ‘next-to-nothing’. The guide quickly pointed out that he was just an employee of the H.P.T.D.C and that the tourists, if dissatisfied with the sight-seeing tour, should speak to the Public Relations personnel in the office.
Once back in Shimla, all of us hurried to take the lift up to the Mall Road.Each of us had to pay a small entry fee and was given tickets as there were two connecting lifts to go up to the Mall Road. This, by itself, was an experience to savor, as this was no ordinary lift in a building, but a lift to connect the areas at different heights, as Shimla is characterized by undulating steep hilly roads at different levels.
Most of us went to the tourism department office to complain about the unsatisfactory sight-seeing trip. What the person-in-charge said silenced all of us in one stroke. ‘Shimla is famous for its scenic beauty, ladies and gentlemen. You must learn to appreciate nature, which you must have noticed all along in your trip. Besides, there are no man-made points here. All that one can see here is views which are very panoramic at specific places. These were pointed out to you during the trip.’
Thus chastened, we decided to savor the scenery of Shimla in the true sense, instead of hankering about ‘points'. Needless to say, the rest of the days of our trip went off like a dream! ******************************************************************************
P.S. We, i.e. my hubby and my self, visited Shimla in May 1998. ****************************************************************************** This article's copyright is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan
Dear friends,
From the 27th of September, 2013, I've started 2 new blogs dedicated exclusively to original short stories and novels written by me. I'll be pleased if you could post your comments and let me know your invaluable feedback.
You may also tell me whether the story could've ended differently or if it was perfect!
Please visit www.creativepriyasvision.blogspot.in and www.radiantpriyasvision.blogspot.in and read my stories and novels. If you like them, you may recommend the blog to your friends and contacts.
You may also view my latest blog at www.uberrimafideslicindia.blogspot.in. This blog deals with my R.T.I. case and lone crusade to get the repudiated wage revision arrears' payment and payment of difference in retirement benefits, from L.I.C. of India, for all the resigning ex-employees of the Corporation.
I just loved this article Ma'am. I could almost visualize the scenic beauty of Shimla and now I have become really excited to go there. I had, in fact, heard of this 'police-man spirit' some years ago and you have just stamped it to be true.
ReplyDeleteReally an amazing stuff..thank you so much for sharing!