Archive for May, 2010

Secrets from the North

Monday, May 10th, 2010

Winter’s recluse hill stations

Our guest writer, Ashirwad Mhatre, takes you on a trip to Chail, Shimla.

A touch of history, abodes made from nature and the forest’s blanket. A concoction such as this leaves you dazed with a high that refuses to stop. Mixed by Mother Nature herself, this one is for the wanderlust.

Nestling in between the icy twirls of Shimla, lays a small town that goes by the name of Chail. Chail is known for its majestic palace and for having the highest cricket ground in India. We, here are talking about the former, a palace that’s converted into a hotel. For many, the sound of a palace hotel rings bells of luxury and it being expensive, but there is a twist in the tale. Within the palace grounds, stands a dwelling that is different to say the least and has its own romance. We’re talking about the ‘Log Huts’.

Made from logs, this wooden paradise is a honeymoon delight. A spacious room with cosy interiors makes the room an ideal snuggling spot and scripts a very romantic evening. These log huts are wrapped around the blanket of tress, overlooking a valley, giving you a visual spectacle that is truly breathtaking. Whilst you bask in this raw beauty of nature, for food you have to resort to the more polished way of dining, in the palace hall itself. You do have an option of calling food to your room, but then we advise you to dine in the royal way, and in winters it is all easy on the wallet. More than the food, it’s the experience that tastes sweet.

Morning rays glide through your windows and wake you up with their gentle caress. When you answer their plea to come out and explore the wonder of nature, you’re bedazzled to see snow acting like a carpet on the top shelf of the mountains. Sun along with snow in the December chills is a surprise only a lucky few get. The joy for a snow virgin, like me, was ineffable. The white crystals that showered from the heavens above leave you stunned and make you wonder about the magic of nature.

As you stroll around and bask in the nature’s delight, a trip inside the palace is highly recommended. The high-ceilings and long gangways resonate with royalty. While the grandeur of the place takes you back in time, the beautiful paintings around the palace sing melodious tunes of tradition and culture.

A 10 minute drive and you are in the Chail market. It is small with precisely 12 shops taking up the entire space. With a mix of breakfast/lunch/dinner joints, general stores and an occasional group innocently ruffling around, the market doesn’t have much to offer. But the quietude of small town is a pleasant change.

I was lucky enough to spot a hairy monkey sitting quietly atop a roof. And to be honest, he felt encroached. I just captured his reaction and left him at peace.

A 20 minute-drive from Chail, you move towards Shimla. As the green valley sucks your vision in its vortex, you’re mesmerized by the swirling roads, tall trees and an occasional resort balancing itself on the foothills of the valley. Amidst a bright sunny seeming weather, the chills you experience here are one of the best ironies you could wish for.

On your way towards Shimla, you take a detour that takes you deeper into the valley – 300mts to be precise, but from what it seems, it is no shorter than 3kms. This is the way to Park Woods Resort, Shoghi. Nuzzling amidst the forest sits this 20 acre resort, where a vehicle can only go so far. Once parked on the hillside, one has to trek down for 5 minutes before entering this paradise. This resort is as satisfying a place for the unwinding kind as well as for those with an adrenaline rush! It offers activities including mini-rock climbing and mini-treks within the huge resort itself.

As hotel rooms can be experienced anywhere, this is a place where you absolutely must explore the other accommodation facilities. Set in-between the trees, rest comfortable Swiss tents and ethnic ‘Bamboo Cottages’. We strongly recommend the bamboo cottages, as the calm within the wooden walls is second to none.

A simple yellow-lit lamp that sits on the side table adds life to the cottage, a feat white lights cannot replicate. And the red, orange and yellow curtains that cover the windows light up within this yellow beam and bring out very vibrant, yet romantic soft emotions of the room. Every cottage comes with a patio, making way for a perfect sitting for a long evening conversation with hot coffee for company.

As the evening dawns on you, the forest calls out to you to experience its marvel. As the sun is settling in its bed, it lights up the sky and gives a view amidst mountains that resonates with supremacy, presenting a spectacle only God can create.

After basking in this visual wonder, you can move to the ‘Machaan’ which sits above the dining area for soup and snacks. A refreshing hot soup in the winter chills is the second best warmth to human touch you’d find here.

After a refreshing supper, we suggest you retire to a relaxed conversation on the benches or the hammocks kept for your comfort. The hammocks especially make way for a comfort unlike another. While dinner can be had at the dining area, hot food served at your room makes way for a cosy and romantic dinner amidst the yellow-lit lamp with some jazz music for company. Within the package offered, you could call for anything on the menu, and you won’t be charged extra (except snacks).

After a scrumptious dinner, an intimate warm bonfire awaits you. Get your partner close to you, look into each other’s eyes and dance to the beautiful voice of Sinatra. That’s what I did, just picture yourself in my place and let your imagination take over.

Yes you’re lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.


With each word your tenderness grows
Tearing my fear apart
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose
It touches my foolish heart.


Lovely … Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won’t you please arrange it?
‘Cause I love you … Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.

One of India’s best kept northern secrets invites you to experience tranquillity in its purest form. While the world is crowding at the popular hill stations, go visit these little gems of northern India.

Don’t just travel, travel well.

- Ashirwad Mhatre

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Fields of Gold

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

A beautiful post written by our guest writer - Ankita Chawla

Early morning drive, a lazy sneaky sun and never-ending fields of Gold can bring even the drab task of documenting reproductive health care centers, to life. Dhabas by Dhabas, and by toll taxes every few hours, the workmanship of the folk living by the highway stretched a golden sight all the way to the hills. These were punctuated only by the Babas and their billboards around Kumbh-struck Haridwar.

The crew left Delhi a little later than expected. But at six, the traffic was still letting us breathe and so we reached Jolly Grant, in the outskirts of Dehradun, by early afternoon. All through the sleepy six hours I noticed how, as the highways got narrower and the villages got frequent, Eucalyptus trees gave way to fields of wheat – a sight more pleasant and definitely less towering.

The rest of the trip was one long stare out of the window at the serene fields that seemed to be beckoning while a Shahrukh Khan – Kajol soundtrack played itself out in my head. Overwhelming though, in a good way, is the best way to describe the sight.

From one shoot location to another, wheat remained the backdrop.

Eventually I started to think aloud, wondering how cool it is that we humans figured out that this certain grain is to be dried and crushed and sculpted into dough and flattened and roasted to make chapattis. A long route and a long-drawn procedure turning into a staple of a North Indian’s everyday diet. The director of the documentary happens to be a History major and made an observation as to how evolution of Agriculture has been one of the markers of how advanced a civilization is. Ironically it was interesting to note, that as the fields took on more tangible space the level of assumed development of the area receded. Strange are the ways of our civilization.

With the story ‘the weed that became my chapatti’ ringing in my head, I stared out again. We reached a community where streets were relatively empty and thus shooting in the sun was nice and easy. Bathing buffaloes, strolling cows and whiffs of early morning tea are not exotic experiences. However, the awesome bit – and really in terms of the Awe it inspired – was acres and acres of cultivated land in the backyards of the houses we entered. Immense gardens of gold and green and plastic bag Scarecrows; the first sight every morning, the clean breath everyday and the scared crows still not used to the still man on stilts. What an e-e-easy pace of life it seemed to be.

More interviews, more tea, more sun, more driving and lots more wheat. This time round, strangely I did not want to run through the fields, but lie on the grass and float as the breeze swished and swashed them around. It was such a strong urge that the idea of me falling to the ground, crushing the grain beneath me did not occur at first. This seemingly insuppressible urge to glide made me realize how Bollywood-ness had given way to Mahabharat’s dying man (Bhishm) on a bed of arrows.

When my folks called from Delhi, all I could say was… “The fields are beautiful!” My father added to it “See how nature works, it’ll all be ripe in a week, then it’ll be time for harvest and then they’ll be making land ready to be sown again, with a different pretty crop this time”. If not golden, maybe yellow sugarcane.

At the end of the day’s shoot, we stopped to take in the sunset and while the camera man cursed, for us to not ruin the Nat sound; we clicked away at the gold, the green, the white clouds, the orange sun and the shadow of the Himalayas in the distance.

The work was done, the shoot schedule completed, we left for Delhi through the crop- colored highway roads. While we slept a lot, the wonderful shots of doctors, patients and kids dominated the subject for a while, and the golden wheat stood intact in the background. Ready to be ground for the chapatti’s you’d eat at one of the many Vaishno Dhabas.

- Ankita Chawla

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