The sound of silence amidst the cedars
By Reeta Sharma

HAVE you ever experienced solitude? Have you heard the soothing notes of divine music emanating from it? Have you listened to the tall and majestic trees whispering to each other ?

If you have not experienced all this,visit Dalhousie. It is still an almost virgin hill station meant for those who wish to experience nature at its soothing best. Above the Gandhi Chowk, you will find few people and still fewer vehicles. Dense forests and lush green mountains surround you. There is no Ridge, a la Shimla, no skating hall, no cinema, no hyper - active shopping areas, no wining-dining opportunities which many other hill stations offer. In Dalhousie, you just experience the music of silence. At night, do not even dream of having a peep at nature’s beauty from your room’s window, for, panthers and bears abound.

Dalhousie, situated at the western end of the Dhauladhar range, was founded in 1850 when the British acquired five hills from the then Maharaja of the Chamba by proposing to develop the areas as a sanatorium. This project was the brain-child of Lt. Col. Napier, the then Chief Engineer of Punjab. He later rose to the position of "Lord Napier of Magdala". The sanatorium was eventually named after Lord Dalhousie since the estate was founded and developed during his time.

Initially, Dalhousie was a part of Kangra district of undivided Punjab. It was transferred to Gurdaspur in August 1861 and finally became a part of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh on November 1, 1966, at the time of the formation of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal states.

Old-timers settled in Dalhousie reveal interesting details about this hill. There are many a family here whose generations have lived in Dalhousie. According to them, this hill was deserted by the British over ego - hassles. "By some kind of lack of farsight, the Viceroy’s house got constructed at a lower hill and the houses of junior ranks got built on higher hills. This was not acceptable to the Viceroy. Hence, he chose Shimla to be the capital instead of Dalhousie and left the place. But we are very happy. It saved Dalhousie from becoming a rotten mess that Shimla is today." But there is some activity in this almost untouched hill.

"Yes. This happened only during 1990 -1993. That was the period of terrorism in Punjab. So the business community of Punjab, out of its own insecurity, wanted a foot hold outside their trouble-torn state. It chose Dalhousie. Businessmen bought land in Dalhousie on power of attorney as outsiders are otherwise not allowed to own land in Himachal. Most of these people constructed ugly looking hotels in a hurry. But fortunately the then state government took note of this development and banned new constructions on this hill. Even the present government has followed the same rule and has even threatened to declare all those transactions as ‘benami’. "This policy of the successive governments in Himachal has helped Dalhousie retain its old glory", reveals Guru Dhillon, Principal, Dalhousie Public School.

An ex-army officer, postgraduate in English and Philosophy and a doctorate in the latter subject with additional degree from Harvard University, Dhillon is a man of few words. Like all other natives of Dalhousie, he too is very possessive about the place. He feels that the neo rich tend to demolish the very concept of nature and its beauty. For them a weekend in the hills is their right as they can afford to buy it. But you look at the kind of damage they do to any hill station. They have no qualms about littering the place, or about disturbing the silence. They think that keeping the place clean is not their moral duty.

Dhillon further elaborates that Dalhousie was ushered into a new era only after the Chamera Hydroelectric Project (540 MW) was launched. "Initially, this project was in collaboration with Canada and obviously many Canadian officials started coming to Dalhousie. Besides, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation of India gave a new life by widening the damaged and ill-maintained road from Pathankot to the project area in Dalhousie. The project and the road communication together have established a new economic order in this area. The sleepy hill has since then witnessed some prosperity", he said.

Dalhousie has three Malls which were laid in the early 1860 for carriages, horses, promenaders etc. What made Dalhousie famous and kept it alive through a century is the convent founded by the order of Belgium nuns and the Sacred Heart School.

I particularly went to pay my homage to a great revolutionary Sardar Ajit Singh whose samadhi is at Panchkula in Dalhousie. I’m sure that at least the people of Punjab are aware that Sardar Ajit Singh was the chacha (uncle) of Sahid Bhagat Singh. After my recent discovery of Bhagat Singh’s personality through the works of great historians, my reverence for him has grown manifold. Bhagat Singh became a martyr at the tender age of 23 and he started penning down his thoughts when he was barely 19. Through his writings, I learnt that his uncle had a deep influence on him. He had died in Dalhousie, just before declaration of India’s Independence.

About a kilometre from Gandhi Chowk there is a spot called "Subash Chandra Daoo Booli". Netaji had visited Dalhousie in 1937 and had stayed here for seven months. Reportedly, he had spent his time meditating in the woods, besides meeting his party workers. Today, one can sit under a tastefully erected canopy in memory of this great freedom fighter.

I must mention here that Netaji came to Dalhousie straight from jail. His health had suffered as a result of torture. Hence, his own class fellow, Mrs Dharamveer, and her husband, Dr N.R Dharamveer, had offered him their bungalow to recuperate. ‘Kynance’, the bungalow, is about 50 metres from Gandhi Chowk.

What has retained Dalhousie’s colonial appearance, besides the Sacred Heart Convent, are four magnificent churches and a quiet cemetery. St Johns Church, Gandhi Chowk, was built in 1852. The architectural design of this church is on the lines of Roman Catholic churches of England, though it actually belongs to the Protestants. The St Francis Church was built in 1894 at Subhash Chowk. Intricate stone and glass work has been done on this church. St Andrew’s Church, popularly known as the Church of Scotland, was built in 1903 at Baloon by Protestant Christians. Then the biggest church in Dalhousie Cantonment, with a seating capacity for 300 persons, was built in 1909 and named St Patrick’s Church.

The Baloon cemetery is located on nine terraces carved out of the mountain. Though in a state of utter neglect with its stolen carved grave stones and ornamental cast iron, the cemetery is engulfed in a profound silence ensuring peace to the ones resting here.

Radha Soami Bhawan and its hospital is yet another attraction in Dalhousie. Many villagers from the surrounding areas have embraced the Radha Soami sect. Similarly, Shivkul Ashram of Vimla Thakur, a religious philosopher, is also very popular. Many foreigners and Indians are her disciples.

The major tourist attraction Dalhousie is known for is Khajjiar followed by Kalatop. Both the places are blessed with nature’s bounty. Khajjiar, situated at 6400 feet above sea-level, is also called the mini Switzerland of India. It was so named by none other than Willy T Blazer, Vice Counsellor and Head of Chancery of Switzerland. He declared that Khajjiar is among the 160 ‘mini Switzerlands’ of the world that bear topographical resemblance with his country. He carried a stone from Khajjiar which will form a part of a stone collage around the Swiss Parliament.

Yes, the place is picturesque. At the centre there is a lush green meadow surrounded by dense forests of cedar and pine. These untouched forests present a perfect picture of pastoral scenery. A little below is a ‘Mother Tree,’ which is at least 500 years old. But, alas, as is the fate of most of our hill stations, Khajjiar too presents a pathetic picture of tourist onslaught. Ugly and filthy restaurants right in the middle of Khajjiar meadow stink. The lake, which used to be in the middle of the saucer-shaped meadow with a floating island, is today nothing but slush. Khajjiar today is like a stunning prostitute whose owners are busy minting money even when she is terribly sick and disfigured.