The Retreat, a treat for India''s Presidents

Shriniwas Joshi

The President of India came to stay in Shimla recently and threw an ‘At Home’ at his official residence called ‘The Retreat’ at Chharabra at an elevation of 7,000 feet. The ‘At Home’ was to be under the blue sky, but it started drizzling half an hour before the time fixed for the President’s introduction to Who’s Who of Shimla and at the right time it started pouring. The officials were ready with Plan B and had erected a big leak-proof ‘shamiana’ which saved the assemblage from getting wet. The President under the cover of an umbrella reached the shifted venue on time and greeted the gathering.

Who built the Retreat? Edward Buck writes in ‘Simla-Past and Present’ that one Medical Officer by the name of Dr C (full name not given) built it, but its first dated reference was May 1869 when Sir Edward Buck, father of Edward Buck, writer of ‘Simla-Past and Present’, passed through its woods on a march to the snows. He was so enamoured by the location and the look of the building (See old photo) that he took a vow that if fate brought him to Shimla again, he would purchase this building. And fate brought him to Shimla in October 1881.

Buck writes that the house was then called ‘Larty Sahib ki Kothi’ by the natives. I believe that it was not ‘Larty’ but ‘Laath’ because we used to call the Viceroys as ‘Laath Sahib’ and Commander-in-Chief as ‘Jangi Laath’. Lord William Hay was its occupant for a long time. He was the Commissioner of the Simla Hill States then and so was another ‘Laath’ for the natives. Rana of Koti State, within the jurisdiction of which it fell, had given the Kothi and the forest area of 300 acres on permanent lease to Lord Hay. A few prominent personalities that lived here after Hay were Sir William Mansfield, Commander-in-Chief and Sir Dietrich Brandis, Inspector General of Forests. The permanent lease with Hay changed hands several times till its occupant in 1881, the widow of a government official Lionel Berkeley, held it.

It was from her that the Kothi and its surroundings were transferred in the name of Sir Edward Buck and fresh lease conditions were drawn up raising an amount of ground rent from Rs100 to Rs 200 per annum. Sir Edward Buck, who had the charge of the Department of Revenue and Agriculture for 15 years, writes: “The Retreat proved an excellent rendezvous for official conferences. In the pleasant surroundings of the Mashobra forest, men were in better temper, and of calmer mind than in the midst of Simla interruptions sitting round a long table in a cold office room.”

Sir Edward enriched the forest of The Retreat with saplings that he brought from Hatu and Narkanda forests. Four types of maple, silver fir and hazel nut trees were planted on the northern slopes and on the lawn itself the two Copper Beech trees brought from England were potted. Here is a photo of that specie taken at Chail palace (See Photo). In 1896, Lord Elgin, the Viceroy, became Sir Edward’s tenant. Sir Edward thought of transferring the estate permanently to the government as a viceregal residence because he was about to retire. Rana of Koti, however, purchased the Kothi for Rs 35,000 only and then consigned it to the government as tenant on permanent lease. Since then it is viceregal residence. The property still belongs to the Rana of Koti and the government is his permanent tenant.

What about the official Viceregal Lodge which existed since 1888 on Observatory hill? Dr S Radhakrishnan, as President, decided to start an Institute of higher learning there because it was waste as Viceregal Lodge. During the 15 years of independence from 1947 to 1962, Rashtrapatis stayed there for just 120 days making it only eight days in a year. Dr Radhakrishnan inaugurated the Indian Institute of Advanced Study on October 20, 1965, there and the Retreat at Chharabra, the smallest of the official residences of the President, was privileged to be the one where the Presidents come to spend a few days of summers.

Tailpiece

“I personally believe that the office of the President of India is not to be sought. It is to be offered.” –Pranab Mukherjee