shimla another age another time

8/6/2019 Shimla Another Age Another Time

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Saturday, May 26, 2001 M A I N F E A T U R E

W HENCharlesPrattKennedyw asdeputedin1822asSuperintendentoftheHillStates,couldhehaveim aginedthathew asdestinedtoinitiatethefoundingprocessnotonlyofanew tow ninIndiabutofawayoflifethatw ouldrem ainthefocusofsocialiteattentionthroughoutthe19thcentury?TheBritishinIndiahadcalledShim labyvariousnam es ViceroysShootingBox,AbodeoftheLittleTinGodsandevenM ountO lym pus.

Shim law asform allyacquiredbytheBritishinthetenureofLordW illiam Bentick.ButitwasduringLordAucklands tim ethatShim labegantocom eofage.Areportof1839statesthatm ostEuropeanproducts,rangingfrom finefabricstoFrenchsauces,Scotsardines,Englishsw eetsandevenfinehorsesw ereallavailableinShim la.Therebeingnoroadsw orththenam e,theonlym odeoftravelw asthejampansforladiesandhorsesform en.Thejampan w asakindofchair,usuallycoveredandattachedtotw oorfoursm allpolesandliftedontheshouldersbytw oorfourm en.W heeledcarriageswerenotallow edorw erenotfeasibleinShim latillaslateas1840s.

YetShim lasreputationasaplaceforpleasure-seekersdevelopedalm ostwithitsfoundation."Thepresenceofunattachedladies,bachelors,flirts,m atch

m akersgavetoSim laitsearlyreputation....EarlyeveningsontheM all,w asthecustom aryplaceforbuildingacquaintances....Eligibles...sociallydesirables...allw ereontheM all."

SHIMLA: Another age, another time

Shimlas reputation as a place for pleasure-seekers took birthalmost with the foundation of the town itself. "The presence ofunattached ladies, bachelors, flirts, match-makers gave to Simlaits early reputation .... Early evenings on the Mall, was thecustomary place for building acquaintances.... Eligibles ... sociallydesirables... all w ere on the Mall." A nostalgic journey byRaghuvendra Tanwar

LordDalhousie(1848-56)spenttw oseasonsinShim labutdidnotquitelikeit.Inaletterhew rote:"Thisplacehasbeengreatlyoverratedinclim ateandeverythingelse."AftertheM utinyof1857hadbeensettled,Shim law ashom etoalargenum berofinjuredandsickBritishtroops.LikeDalhousie,evenLady(hissuccessorsw ife)CanningfoundShim lasbeauty"ratherquestionable...everyroadhasakhud."

OfShim lassociallifeinthem iddleofthe19th century,the fam ousTimes (London)reporter How ard Russel w rote (June 14,1858):"Socialdistinctionsarerigid...eachm ansstatusw asentirelydependedonhisrank and office... w om en w ere totallydependentfortheirow n positionontheir

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husbandsandneitherw ealth,w it,nordesirableconnectionscouldbreakthroughthebarrier."Soam bitionbittenw erethebureaucracythatacom m onjokeinthe1860sw as:"YoucannotsleepinthenightinSim labecauseofthenoiseofthegrindingofaxes."

Itw astheforesightfulSirJohn Lawrencew horecom m endedtohisH om egovernm enttheideaofm akingShim lathesum m ercapitaloftheGovernm entofIndia.Surprisinglyhisrelevantm inutesm akenom entionofShim lasbeauty:

"HereyouarewithonefootinPunjabandanotherintheNorthW estFrontier.Hereyouaream ongdocilepopulationandyetnearenoughtoinfluenceO udh."Som eyearsearlier,DalhousiehadalreadyinitiatedaproposaltobuildaroadtoSim la.TheconceptoftheHindustanTibetRoadisinfactcreditedtoDalhousie.Oftheproposedroad,w hichbecam etheCartRoadatShim la,Dalhousiewrote:"Itw illnotbesurpassedbyanym ountainroadintheworld."

ThetoneofShim lassociallifeinthe19thcenturyw asnorm allysetbytheViceroyandhislady.Theearlysocialcircuitsm ainlyincludedw ivesofofficialsw how erepostedinthefield,officersfrom cantonm entsand,induecourse,richEnglishbusinessm anfrom Calcutta.Adram aclubcam eintobeingin1840.W ellbeforetheendofthe19thcentury,Annandalehadbecom efam ousacrossBritishIndiaforitsfetesandfairsandw om ensarcherycom petitions.

Peterhoff, the Governm ent House, w asoccupiedforthefirsttim ein1876bythefashionable Viceroy couple, the Lyttons.Peterhoff developed a reputation forhospitality,particularly forthequalityandquantityofexoticdrinksservedthere.Itslunchm enustookm uchtim eofthesocietygossip.TheG aietyTheatreopenedin1838butitw asLadyLyttonw hobroughtitofagealm ost40yearslater.In 1887,the new Gaiety Theatre opened in the Tow n Hallbuilding.

Thesiteforoneofm ainlandm arksofShim la theViceregalLodge w aschosenbyLordLytton.Thereisastoryofhow LadyLyttonw assoim pressedbythebeautyoftheplaceandhow sheinfluencedLordLytton.Thesitehaduntilthenbeenknow nastheObservatoryHill(nam edaftertheobservatorybuiltbyColBouileauin1844).Recordsrelatingtotheconstructionandotherdetailsofthebuildingarem ind-boggling.

Am azingly, just as today, extensiveconstructioninShim lahadbecom eacauseofw orryasearlyas1901."ThePublicw orksand other buildings have m ade Sim lam onstrous",Curzonnoted."Toobustling...toopublic...pom ptoirksom e,itislikediningeverydayinthehousekeepersroom w iththe

butlerandthem aid."

CurzonbeganescapingtotheRetreat,andthentohisnew foundloveNaldehra.The

otherViceroystreatedShim laasaholidaybreak,butCurzon,aw orkaholictothecore,didtheopposite.HetookalongtoShim lahissensitivefiles.ItwasatNaldehrathatCurzonpennedsom eofhism em orablem inutes.Sittinganddiningintheopen.W alkingtheslopes,allthewhilethinking.Allthetim eintouch.AtNaldehra, he even installed a com plex com m unication system of relayingm essagestoShim labyheliographduringthedayandflashinglam psatnight.Bytheturnofthecentury,Shim lahadlostm ostofitsfam edw ildlife.Thegoldeneaglew asrarelysightedafter1900,andtheleopardtoohaddisappeared.

InNovem ber,1903,Shim law asconnectedbytheRailw ays.Itw asam onum entaleventthatchangedShim laforever.W ithinayear,Shim laadded1400new cottages.HotelslikeCecil, Grand, M etropole follow ed in their


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m odernform .W ithinfiveyearsofthecom ingoftheRailw ays,thesum m ertim epopulationofShim lahadaveragedto38,000 ofw hom 7000w ereEuropeans.Am ongthefirstnon-officialperm anentresidentsw erethem em bersoftheDyerfam ilyw hothenow nedthebrew eryatSolan.

Thetraditionthatm adeShim lastandapartasatow nofcleanorderliness,atraditionthatcontinueduptothetim eofDrY.S.Parm arsexitfrom pow er,w asstartedbyCurzon.Thesurestw aytorouseCurzonstem peritw assaidw asto

littertheroadorthehillside.Itw asCurzonw hoinitiatedw ithrightfulfanaticism thepolicyofupkeepingandspecialcareofoldbuildings.

By the early yearsof the 20th century,Shim lahadem ergedasadecentplace toretire.Ofhow theretiredspenttheirtim e,aletterreads:

"Herisesearly....Sixnew spaperstoread,fortyM adrascherootstosm oke....Akindlytiffintolinger....Agam eofbilliards...12pegstodrink...bandontheM all,dinner,chatter....Scandals...jokes....."

Anotherreferencestates:

"Now herepossiblyinthew orldarethepassionsofhum annaturelaidsoopenfordissectionastheyareinthis(Sim la)rem otehillstation."

Forthosew hohaveseenShim lainitsprim e,saythesixties,itsstatetodayleavesonew ithasadandhollow feeling.Shim laisagoodexam pleofw hatso-calleddevelopm entandprogresscandotonatureanditsbeauty.


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shimla another age another time

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