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Rock Garden

The Rock Garden in Chandigarh is the work of a rare genius.  Only a Nek Chand could have created such beauty from sheer waste.  All kinds of waste from pieces of broken bangles and porcelain articles to boulders and electric sockets are made efficient use of producing an aesthetic wonder.   Nek Chand was not a trained artist.  Art was his hobby.  He spent his spare time creating works of art in a wasteland he cleared in Chandigarh.  As his work progressed and drew the attention of people, the government was in a conundrum.  How to destroy such exceptional artwork merely because it was built up on land belonging to the government?  Good sense prevailed (strangely!) and Nek Chand was given not only the permission but also regular employment with helpers to assist so that he could create the paradise in the semi-desert that Chandigarh is. Below are some pictures from my recent visit to the Rock Garden. Rocks welcome you Nek Chand was not only an artist, but he had certain e

The Promenade in Shimla

One of the best places to spend the evening in Shimla is the Mall road.  Vehicles are not allowed on the road.  You can approach it by any vehicle (shared taxis or private vehicles) or walk up the narrow alleys flanked by shops of all kinds.  We chose to do bit of trekking and walked up.  If you are healthy person, it will take only about 15 minutes to reach the Mall from the old bus stand. The views from the Mall are delightful and grand.  Below are some pictures.  Way to the Mall Another view on the way The ascent lands you right in front of the Town Hall The antique and the contemporary coexist symbiotically In fact, the Tommy Hilfiger showroom is on the ground floor which did not attract me since it looked like any of today's showrooms anywhere.   Inside the Christ Church Stained glass windows of the Church Earlier the Christ church had on its walls elegant frescoes designed by J Lockwood Kipling, father of Rudyard Kipling and principal of Mumb

Scandal Point, Shimla

One of the many tourist attractions in Shimla is supposed to be the Scandal Point where the Maharajah of Patiala is supposed to have misbehaved with the daughter of Lord Kitchener, British Commander-in-Chief. The British government in India banished the Maharajah, of course.  He went and built a palace in Chail.   The historical fact seems to be that Bhupinder Singh who built the palace in Chail was just one year old when the scandal broke out.  Well, were the Singhs so potent that their one year-old royal offspring could proffer an amorous kiss on the lips of a young woman?  Better still, elope with her (as one of the gossips - I mean, tourist guides, explains!) History is not any better than this, most of the time.  And I'm speaking about the history of just a century ago.   I went to the Scandal Point in Shimla and got the picture below. Perhaps, history haunts the place even today!  This can happen only in India :) Scandal Point It looks like a haunted house.  And

Kufri

Kufri lies at about 20 km from Shimla on the way to Chail.  In winter tourists enjoy skiing and other snow-related activities.  The place won’t disappoint you in summer too.  There’s the Fun World which can offer you much entertainment.  There are various adventure activities and yak riding on offer.  You can view the distant snow-capped mountain ranges with the help of the telescopes placed in a row.  You reach the Fun World of Kufri riding a pony from the main road where your vehicle will have to park itself.  It’s a 15 minute-ride on a terribly rugged path that slopes ominously in some places.  Your guide will tell you when to bend your body forward or backward so that the pony won’t think you too idiotic.  Below are some pictures from Kufri.  Ponies carry you to the hub of activities Fun World Nag Mandir - Tourism and Religion go hand in hand in Himachal Pradesh A view from Nag Mandir Most yaks in Kufri are paired as black and white Brown Bea

Being Second

Lore has it that Bhupinder Singh, king of Patiala, was enamoured of the daughter of Lord Kitchener, British Commander-in-Chief.  The Maharajah, a handsome ladies’ man, made some overture to the young girl.  The place where the incident occurred is known as Scandal Point (on the majestic Mall Road in Shimla) even today.  Bhupinder Singh was duly banished from Shimla.  He went to Chail, another hill at a distance of about 50 A view of the Chail Palace km from Shimla, and built up his new capital, having conquered the Gurkhas there.  But when he decided to construct his palace on the highest hill with the royal penchant for looking down on Shimla, his former Summer capital, he was faced with another problem.  An ascetic who was living on the prime location of the hill refused to budge and asked the king to build his palace elsewhere.  The king felt rage mounting in him by being pushed to the second place twice in succession: first by the British, now by a native baba.  Babas were

Child in the Hills

Maggie and I returned home yesterday after a brief journey in Shimla and nearby places of tourist interest.  A full day has passed after the visit and I am not able to write anything worthwhile about the visit.  It was not at all inspiring in any way.  Except for the mountains and their natural beauty.  But nature alone cannot satisfy any tourist.  The people matter. Child in Chail   And here is one person who caught our interest.  Our driver had stopped the car on the way back from Chail to Shimla in his own village market to talk to his people.  Maggie and I continued to sit in the car.  We saw this little girl sitting all alone on the veranda of a nearly-dilapidated building.  She was eating a tiny piece of watermelon.  Maggie called her and smiled at her.  She didn’t care two hoots for smiles.  In fact, she looked more indifferent than scared.  Maggie went out of the car and approached her.  She asked some questions and eventually managed to extract a smile from

The Yogi and the Layman

When I was a young man I had the opportunity to listen to a great speech by a yogi who demonstrated the merits of yoga.  “We can live a healthy life for a hundred years if we practice yoga ascetically,” he concluded as the audience burst into a thunderous applause.  Later one of the invited guests present on the stage asked the yogi, “Do you ever enjoy some of the simple pleasures of life like eating some food which is forbidden by your creed, sipping a whiskey with sparkling soda and some ice cubes, lying on a beach watching without feeling guilty beautiful girls walk by wearing bikini...?” “No,” admitted the yogi. “What’s the point of living a hundred years then?” asked the man.  And the yogi’s answer was a silent stare. Recently I visited a religious centre in Punjab.  The cult has over 5000 acres of land on which an entire township is built up.  But nobody can use even the mobile phone in that township.  There’s a whole list of Do’s and Don’ts, unbreakable comma