Love You Landour!

Beautiful Barlowganj

Inhaling the clean fresh pine air was divine, I dragged my chair closer to the rails, put my feet up, and sat back. Phew! I am back in Landour after good ten years. I made it! My summer singed soul started singing.

Oh, I’ve been dreaming through my lonely past

Now I’ve just made it

I found you at last

So come on

Now let’s try it

I love you

Can’t deny it

‘Cause it’s true…

Awfully and supremely borrowed refrains from childhood memories struck me. Euphoria! First, songs I heard play on the vinyl. I had started to skip steps and sing along.  Somewhere I heard myself say, “Hey, there. Finally, time has moved forward. YAY! IYou have made it”. I have conquered my fear and set myself free. About time She grinned back! I am so in love. It was exhilarating. I had come home in more ways than one.  

St. Paul's Church

It was Thursday morning and I had two agonizing days ahead till we could meet one of my favourite authors, Ruskin Bond. May be, may be not, but through it all my bestie was trying to play Mom and cheer me up with possibilities. Somehow the trip had become an unsaid quest of meeting the dear author for both of us among other things. We were guzzling his words, but now that we were so close made us more nervous. We had to distract ourselves for close to 56 hours and that was a tall task indeed. Tsk! Tsk! So we hatched a conspiracy. We planned. This we usually like to avoid singularly on holidays but the situation demanded it to keep calm and enjoy! Lol!

So, in the morning we lazed, read, slept, made friends with neighbour hood German Shepherd, Rusty (unbelievable we are, the grand author is everywhere ) and drank copious amount of “separate” tea. Well, that’s how milk – on – the – side  is better known as in the smaller establishments we found out! Young Arun, who was working part time in room-service told us how we were paying too much for black tea and milk - on- the- side instead we should just order “separate” tea. We were deliriously happy in the knowledge and made the most of it just for kicks. But how much tea can one drink anyway, so in the evening we hit Mussoorie Mall gift shopping. 

The place was gearing up for the weekend holiday makers but not yet thronging with people. We rummaged through scores of shops selling all kinds of odds and ends, stopped here and there, did some people-watching and finally located the two shops which had almost all the stuff we needed.  The moment we saw forlorn Cambridge Book Store with a standee with Mr. Bond smiling benignly at us we nodded our heads in unison, knew our distraction has been successful ruse after all! Come Saturday we will be here at 3 p.m. Now that we had identified the place we both happily agreed to go back to our reading. 

Charming Rokeby 

The place is full of ‘Posh People’ I am told and supposedly you can bump into them at the fabled Chaar Dukaan, Over the years I have seen only one but had no luck of meeting the trinity of Landour authors Ruskin Bond, Steve Alter and Bill Aitken. Neither have I seen the thespian actors. It never really mattered as it had other charms, primarily nature, rhododendron forest, the old St.Paul's Church, where Jim Corbett's parents tied the knot, and not to forget the company of the special One. Reminiscing wasn't needed, memories which were hanging around didn't sting me anymore, just brought back happy images from someone else's life. I had dreaded coming back here but as soon as I had reached I knew all the ghosts have been dispelled forever and I was back in my mojo.

Although it was Bisha long long ago who had sent me to Landour on my honeymoon however, this was her first visit to the writers' paradise, hence it was only fair to make the most of it. So, the next day we went sight seeing. First stop was Laal Tibba and fortunately for the first time on my many Landour encounters I could see the Swarnarohini covered in snow. I had to visit during winters I decided. As day trippers gathered at the view point we went to Sisters’ Bazar to meet the Prakash family who ran two shops from their home one selling home made jams and cheese including Gauda and the other handicrafts from the region.

Walk through rhododendron forest

Like Life, Sisters’ Bazar too, had changed. Once my regular lodgings Devdar Woods was under renovation I was told with no clear indication when they would open house. The place looked abandoned and derelict, as if it had lost it's very wish to revive. It looked tired and lost. Yes, houses and hotels too look tired. May be the people there had become too tired with Life's challenges.  I had a very many happy memories of the old world parlour with wood fire and curled up with many many books or simply catching up with the fellow travelers. Like all things sometimes it’s better to let go of the past I thought. 

But do not despair all is not lost, the good news was a new business in the form of a bake house spreading thick aroma of fresh coffee and doughnuts.We bought sheets of coloured handmade paper and they were striking reminder of the past all right, better known as kite paper of our childhood. Parul was ever so friendly and shouted out as parting repartee, ‘Hey, don’t forget to check out the new Mud Cup Cafe’. I made a mental note, nodded and waved back. Left her chanting for world peace in the highest spot of the elegant, charming, serene and peaceful Sisters’ Bazar wishing her chanting would truly heal the world!

Happy foodies at Rokeby 

All this sight seeing, reminiscing and catching up led us to the beautiful Rokeby Manor for some downtime and much needed nourishment. Lol! Yeah me and food can't be far behind! Many tales have been told about this old and beautiful posh manor house. Check their website  http://rokebymanor.com/ and you are surely to be transported to intriguing times with fascinating characters. I know if the website is so good how it would be in real life will have to be your next thought. It will not disappoint you. Quality service guaranteed at a premium price if you are ready to experience the old world easy Manor House life. I would strongly recommend it for couple of nights to feel restored. We had fabulous lunch with amazing produce (I know not local, flown in from many corners of the country, then who said Posh living was environment friendly?) and we were in a state of bliss. The great thing about Rokeby was the much needed employment that they are generating. Not everyone can be gifted and successful authors or actors. Not necessarily everyone would teach at all the fabulous schools of Dehra, hence, service industry can change the scenario quite dramatically and in a good way too. The mountain air and great scrumptious food did us a whole lot of good. Rokeby stole our hearts and we promised to be back for a short stay soon as this was the quickest get away into the mountains from Delhi. So, we could manage it if we saved up a bit. (Yet to start though!)

Clean verdant Dehra

Saturday turned out to be perfect for ambling. I went up the mountains to Sisters' Bazar for my solitary walk along the ridge. The weather was perfect. Sunny with cold winds blowing in from Tibet. Just what I needed. Happily skipping, clicking the forest and it's quiet benevolent existence little did I realize how Mr. Bond was still calling the shots remotely. I dropped by Chaar Dukaan for some black tea and found day trippers thronging the Old Church Flat. Entering from Dehra by the overnight train it was remarkable to see a clean green verdant town in the North India. Landour being a cantonment  it was expected to be clean but right from the foothills one did not see the usual squalor and decay which we usually get to see in Almora or elsewhere (it was a nightmare to see the decay at Almora last year). It was a much welcome change where burgeoning population has always been an excuse for the authorities. What it indicated to me was high awareness of the general citizenry, and a matching will of the civic authorities.  The solitary flower glowed on the road.  

On my way down to Landour Bazar I suddenly felt the urge to check out Parul's suggestion and I stopped by at the newly opened Mud Cup Cafe. True to her words it did not disappoint me. Nice view of Bazar. Wood stock, great seating areas and wonderful coffee should make your day if you are climbing the steeps.


Perfect place to get a book, read and watch the world go by. The friendly staff and the owners are a bonus if you are in a communicative mood, which I wasn't surprisingly that morning. But don't miss it either way. Parul's recommendation was indeed great.

Don't go by my bad picture which hardly does justice to the place, but I liked the graffiti on the wall and the undulating wall hence the pic. This is just the entrance, it opens up into lovely lounges inside if you are in a group or with kids and has seating outside for the gulp of fresh air and scenery. Either way you can relax and unwind. I had a cold coffee and bid adieu to my newly made friends knowing that I will be back soon in a more chatty mood to find out their names.

Happy troopers

While walking down I was accosted by a couple who wanted to know which way was Botanical gardens and a troupe from Bangalore who wanted to know if Mr. Bond will meet them if they knocked his door just then! (Didn't I tell ya how it was all about Mr. Bond here! What a joy. The number of fans is absolutely staggering!) Smilingly I shrugged at both of the parties and felt a tad bit irritated for impinging on my thoughtful self. 

Exasperated I flung myself on the bay window and told Bisha when I got back. She in her Zen state turned around and said, "Hey, as you seem so much at home here they have mistaken you for a local" and I could not but laugh. "If Only", I said. "Chill babes, all in good time"! There! Now you know why we are best friends since school. Always looking at things from acutely different perspectives keeps us together through it all. 

After a sudden change of return itinerary with many a cancellations and bookings we were ready to meet the great Man. With my gift wrapped we set off for the Mall. We were a bit late and it was 4 p.m. the Mall was milling with people. I saw happy fans passing by with autographed books smiling to themselves or just looking pleased with life! Our hearts were racing by this time. As we took the final bend to Cambridge Book Store we saw a sea of people flocking and we felt more than nervous. For the magical autograph we would need to buy new copies told the lady ahead of us, my heart sank, I had all his favourites tucked in my backpack and there was one special book which I wanted him to talk about.Well, what can you do I said? May be this is the reason I had not purchased his last book Death Under the Deodars on Kindle. Some premonition! "And he won't sign any names", the lady called out. 

Hmm! That's ok then, at least I get to say how his kind words have shaped me over the years, good enough for me. Bisha went and purchased several copies. There were at least 15 people ahead of us. What a surprise they were actually three families and so they disappeared in no time. Lo and behold I was smiling like kid at the grand old magician of words. I immediately gave him the bottle of wine and that immediately put him at ease. In his humourous self he said, "Thank you my dear, for this bottle of wine I will sign your name a hundred time," and started asking us about us and was more than happy to know we were childhood friends realizing a fancy dream together. He smiled. 

I told him how one particular  book presented to me by Bisha long ago in 2004 had got me into baking and how pleased I would be if he signed it for me as it was wrapped in many many beautiful memories. "Although, you confess you can't cook but I learnt everything about baking from Landour recipe book which technically you blessed", I said. He protested and said, "Oh, I can't cook to save myself. All these books are fraud". 

I laughed and gingerly placed the book on the desk. What happened next would be always etched on my mind. He took off his glasses and read the names signed by Bisha years ago and flipped to his own dashing photo and smiled back at me and signed the book with my name. I was so stoked I needed to be pinched to be brought back to my senses I thought. 

Maharani will wait Sir till we meet again, I though to myself and smiled.  Until then, I love you Landour. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do... 

- Jauba Kusum

Photos: Bishalakhi and Pragya