Words from the hills

Writing a blog on someone else’s laptop feels like replacing a natural organ with an artificial one. They might work in a similar manner but it’s not the same. So pardon me if my writing reflects a little consciousness, limited and a bit of forcefulness.

Also a little conscious, limited and forceful is what you feel when you experience the weather of Shimla in December. It had been a warm morning in morning. Just as soon you decide to walk up to the mall, it starts raining. And as soon as you reach back to your place of stay, it is sunshine again. Therefore, it gives an important lesson of life: be always prepared for eventualities and don’t rely on the forecasting guys out there.

My visit to Shimla had also not been forecasted by anyone. Only twenty days before coming to Shimla, I came to know that I would have to spend the next one year atop the hills. It would have been better if the sojourn would not have to start from peak winter i.e. December. But then again one should always be prepared for eventualities as I am doing now.

Also, good enough is to be prepared by colonial heritage galore this place has. Not a bad thing. But the people (read tourists) flocking around this heritage blocking your views or coming in between photographs could be a little annoying. People like the colonial buildings here are in abundance. A reflection of the past amalgamating with prospects of future.

And the future does sound a little bleak. Depleting natural cover, water scarcities, migrating youth towards plains and infrastructural pressure, the place has a lot of challenges. However, it stands resilient since the days of its summer capital past. The people here remain warm and soft spoken despite the toughness around them.

Tough stay would also be for a person not used to walking. This I could say from a personal experience and sadly so. But it is a good exercise and I tell my lazy self to enjoy a walk as long as you can in the cities of India. It had only been a week for me in Shimla. The heritage buildings, the weather, the tourism does not excite me much about this place. Finally, it is sitting on a table, while I see snow falling atop the deodar trees, writing on (someone else’s) laptop makes this place a worthwhile and cherishing place to be in.