Echoes Of The British Raj

Until you come to Shimla it's easy to forget that India was ruled by the British for such a long while. The colonial traces have seeped away in most places and even the signature buildings in New Delhi have acquired a particular Indian character of their own. But somehow Shimla seems to have retained a whiff of Empire about it which makes it an interesting antedote to the hustle and bustle of modern India.

This place was the summer capital of the Raj. The Viceroy and his minnions would escape here from the oppressive heat of Calcutta and Delhi to enjoy the cooler climate of the Himalayan foothills. From this small hilltop settlement decisions were taken that effected one fifth of all humanity at the time, including the momentous decision to partition India to create the state of Pakistan in 1947.

Given its significance as a seat of power, the architecture of Shimla is remarkably understated. It feels to me like an overgrown and somewhat delapidated version of Great Malvern, only situated on a rather more impressive escarpment that commands magnificent mountain views in all directions. The town has undoubtedly seen better days, but there is evidence of an effort at restoration ongoing, and in any case, I rather like the intrusion of a more Indian feel into this place. I suspect this might have been a stuffy old place to be cocooned in its Raj heyday. Still, it's noticeable that some of the givens of ordinary India do not apply here. There is no litter in the streets, the ubiquituous rickshaw is banished to the lower town, and most remarkably, there isn't a cow to be seen for love or money.