Faded charms of the ageing Queen
Oldtimers reminisce about early days when Shimla was still unspoilt, green and clean
Pratibha Chauhan

Having spent their childhood in the pristine and unspoilt environs of Shimla, it pains these senior citizens to see the present plight of the town, once famous as the "Jewel of the East" during the days of the Raj. Set up by the British as a home away from home, the town is a pale shadow of its past with more and more concrete structures replacing its majestic deodars and pollution-free environs. The denuding forests, shrinking greenery, choked roads, water shortage and traffic congestion are the factors which explain the present state of affairs of the state capital.

Barring the few remaining heritage buildings, reminiscent of its glorious past and symbols of British legacy, the town has turned into a concrete jungle. The leisurely walks in the lap of nature with hardly any traffic are a thing of the past. With a population of over two lakh, the town is bursting at the seams, trying to create resources for such huge numbers. Living in the town is nothing short of a nightmare for the locals when the town is flooded with a sizeable population of tourists during the summer season.

Clean and green memories

Born in December 1927, eight-time MLA and Irrigation and Public Health Minister, Vidya Stokes has seen the town at its best when it was home to only a few thousand people. "I did my schooling in Delhi but loved coming home to Shimla and taking a horseride to our farmhouse in Mashobra with practically no vehicles," she reminisces.

She vividly remembers the town being far more green and clean as the Mall Road used to be washed every morning with there being no question of anyone littering, leave aside spitting. "Today one can see heaps of garbage, overflowing drains and filth all around," she laments.

She feels it is the haphazard and unregulated construction activity which has done the maximum damage to the character of the town. "There was no question of water shortage and the houses were few and sparse with each one being located very strategically to ensure maximum natural light, ventilation and proper drainage," Stokes explains. She feels blaming the government alone is not the solution as it is a sense of belongingness and responsibility on the part of every resident which can improve the town which has turned into a concrete jungle, buckling under pressure of locals as well as tourists.

Vidya Stokes

RC Sharma

Expansion plans of suburbs

Having retired from service in 1985, Gangbir Singh (87) Former Director General of Police, sees immense deterioration not just in the way the town has developed but also the decline in the sense of responsibility and self-discipline among its residents. He blames the authorities in shying away from performing their duty in enforcing discipline, be it in construction of buildings, regulating traffic or just walking on The Mall road. "During our time accountability and sincerity towards service meant a lot and people were generally law-abiding but now when seniors are flouting the rules with impunity one cannot expect the lower staff to enforce the law," he laments. He regrets that every inch of conceivable vacant land is being covered with construction. "It is time that the government develops the suburbs for future expansions plans as there is no space left in the town to take any further burden of constructions to meet the demands of the growing population," he says. He said this could also save the left-out trees which people deliberately dry up so that they are able to obtain permission to fell to undertake construction.

An avid walker till very recently, the heavy vehicular traffic on every road including the once calm Forest Road, where his house is located has deprived many like him of the pleasure of a refreshing morning walk. "As far as the traffic in the town is concerned it is chaotic to say the least and if we wish to promote tourism then the traffic snarls of the town are a big put off for any visitor," he feels. He says several parking lots will have to be constructed to take the burden of traffic.

The complete loss of sense of discipline among the people walking on The Mall hurts him. "I can vividly recall how a cop called Mr Heine in the 1950s would indicate to people to keep to the left as majority stuck to this rule. These days neither the people nor the cops, who are mere decorative figures, have any respect for abiding by the unwritten rule of keeping left, which actually made up the character of the Mall. "Gone are the days when immaculately dressed gentry would walk the Mall, with complete self discipline which made Shimla so distinct and made it unique from other places," he says with a tinge of regret.

Even the President walked

R.C. Sharma (85) Retired IAS, has memories of his grandfather as the Station Master of Summer Hill railway station during the British time. So Sharma has grown up seeing town at its best. "The Mall used o be washed every morning and there was no question of anyone spitting or littering around," he reminisces. He recalls how people started eating paan when the first shop opened on The Mall in 1949 but would dare not spit anywhere.

He says, in the good old days even the President of India, including Dr Rajendra Prasad, would walk and not drive through The Mall so as not to disturb pedestrians. "Today there is no dearth of so-called VVIPs who consider it a status symbol to zip through the Mall, mindless of the inconvenience caused to tourists and locals," he regrets. Expansion is inevitable and one must not resist it but it should be done in a regulated and planned manner. "The manner in which the town is growing in terms of houses, traffic and population it is the need of hour to have flyovers, tunnels and aerial ropeways which is the only answer to the congestion in Shimla," he says. He was actively involved in theatre and also wrote plays and acted. Theatre is not as vibrant as it was and he also misses the long walks he enjoyed as few people used vehicles.

Quirky facts

in the early years, only three carriages and later cars were permitted into town. These belonged to the Viceroy of India, the Commander-in-Chief and the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. The civil surgeon was allowed a jeep.

n The UNESCO inscribed World Heritage Kalka Shimla Railway originally had 107 tunnels. Today, this has 102 though 103 are listed. No. 46 is longer there.

n Among the famous and infamous who have studied in the town’s schools have been the former President of Pakistan, Mohammed Zia ul Haq and the ‘Butcher of Amritsar’, Reginald Dyer.

n The many military expeditions (most disastrous) planned in Shimla include the First Afghan War that left around 16,000 men and camp followers dead (the subject of William Dalrymple’s latest book, Return of the King), the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I and the Younghusband Expedition that invaded Tibet.

n The Mall is still one of the longest only-pedestrian shopping streets in the world. At one time, a part of the road was left unpaved for the use of horses. The tarmac would be washed daily and even oiled on special occasions.

n Shimla’s southern slope is considered to be one of the world’s most densely populated hill slopes.

n The popular American songwriter, Cole Porter put a line in I’ve shooting box in Scotland, I’ve a bungalow in Simla. Mahatma Gandhi visited Shimla around a dozen times. His longest stays were at the residence of Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, ‘Manorville’ in Summer Hill. Almost every nationalist leader visited Shimla during the freedom movement. Most gatherings were held in the Gunj or in the Guru Singh Sabha Hall.

n The Hindustan Tibet Road was the perhaps the first mountain highway to be built on such a scale anywhere in the world.

— Compiled by Raaja Bhasin