Make one’s day

When I first left for Kasauli, it was supposed to be a pit stop in my grander Himachal travel plans; it didn’t merit a spot in itself, I had decided. I am driving up with a friend who is Himachali, and who had also not been to Kasauli in over 20 years. Typically dismissed as a ‘hill station getaway’ for the Delhi and Chandigarh crowd, few unearth its historic or literary roots that go deep down, or the stories that lace its walks and sunsets. In a way, I am glad I left it to Kasauli to surprise me.

As I pull into my hotel, I am still in two minds about spending a full day in Kasauli — I am not quite up for being jostled on the mall by enthusiastic tourists. But I freshen up and decide to settle down on the inviting terrace deck with a coffee instead, and enjoy the quietude. “That is the famous Lawrence School on the ridge,” points out a gentleman. He turns out to be the hotel owner, who has been in Kasauli for over 15 years. Then begins a preview into the history of the town and its landmarks, which holds my attention right until sunset. Mr Chimni’s wife, fresh from her walk, also points out her favourite trails that are off the beaten track. Reading, walking, and sipping wine are the best things about Kasauli, she quips, so I decide to give it 24 hours.

Frames for the famous Sharma & Bros studio in the cantonment area

Perched on Sanawar Hill, Lawrence School, simply called ‘Sanawar’ by most, is one of the oldest co-educational boarding institutes in the world, and was established for British soldiers’ orphans in 1847. The school’s alumni is more well-known than its interesting history. And even fewer are aware of its campus, which offers walks with views of snow-capped peaks, and plenty of birdsong. I stroll around and stop to chat more about the place with Gaurav Sood, a business studies teacher here. The local from Kasauli quit his crazed corporate life to return to his hometown 17 years ago and live his dream of teaching. I amble along the winding paths, far from classes in progress, listening to minivets and finches welcome spring. This walk, with its sprinkling of a quaint chapel (the oldest building on campus), time-worn cannons in keeping with the school’s military tradition, and the library with plaques commemorating the founder and his wife Lady Honoria, also the first white woman to have crossed the Himalayas into Nepal, is going down as one of the highlights of my time here. As the recess bell rings and children in maroon uniforms filter out, I have a bite at the sun-drenched cafeteria and leave.

Up in the cantonment, the old part of Kasauli, is a tiny shop that draws attention with its big, black-and-white photographs of Farookh Sheikh in retro frames, Sanjay Dutt as a goofy teenager, a poised princess of Bhutan, and other star alumni of Lawrence school. That’s the timeless Sharma & Bros studio that proudly displays its works and, despite its elfin size, stands out in the shopping complex, an erstwhile colonial building from 1862. A short walk from here is the Heritage Market with its lovely cobbled stretch. Lined with small trinket shops and eateries and other daily needs stores, it is Narinder Sweets here that is the most sought after. Among other things sweet and savoury, this shop serves Khushwant Singh’s “favourite” gulab jamuns. It is also thronged by all who want to hang out where Omar Abdullah and other famous Sanawarians once did. I am not one for strange combinations so I skip the “legendary bun gulab jamun” and stick to a safe samosa. I continue to the end of the bazaar, which branches off into various viewpoints, with the ‘Khushwant Singh trail’ going all the way to Kalka.

Not just Singh, but a bunch of other prolific writers frequent Kasauli, especially since the advent of an annual literary festival to honour the now-deceased writer, who did much of his writing here. The event is held at the Kasauli Club, another of the many buildings in the cantonment area dating back to the 1800s. A short distance away is the beautiful Gilbert trail, which is a serene 1.5-km walk, flanked on one end by Sunset Point. Apprehensive of crowds at popular spots, I skip the viewpoint only to realise later that it is a weekday and I would have been spared the crowds. But I am happy to catch a private sunset on my terrace deck and, more than that, happy to have stayed back for my unexpected tryst with the quiet side of Kasauli.

Shikha Tripathi is a writer and photographer based in Binsar

COMMENT NOW