Every few years this city calls to me....somehow
I reach the same place at an important juncture of my life. Shimla or Simla
whatever you may call it - is a city that has seen me growing. Having
visited it so many times ... the last time I went there I promised myself
that I would not return for many many years to come. But then again Shimla
called to my soul and despite all my resolutions, I found myself packing and on
my way to Shimla. And this time it showed me another face, touching a deep part
of something within me...giving me an experience of lifetime. Maybe because I did
not stay in Shimla City but Shimla district. Now why I went there, with whom
and where I stayed is not what I want to share. But rather what I found there
and what I felt is the reason for this blog.
My relationship with Shimla started at the tender
age of 10 months(though I don't have any memories of the same), the city saw me
again in my preteens, saw my rebellion during teenage, my arrogance in college,
growing mature while working and hopefully saw me a little stable and
finally grown up this time(Don't smile I don't guarantee this
development). Over my so many visits - the city has lost its charm - I have
seen so many buildings mushrooming like blots on her lovely landscape, mall
road holds no attraction (though this time I went to lovely café - Embassy
Café, visit it – it is an awesome place with great food and an eccentric
owner), ridge looks like Karol Bagh and the whole city has you sweating so that
you almost forget that you are in middle Himalayas and not Delhi. But I have
also experienced the serenity of these mountains, touch of the cool breeze,
light rains in summers, playing with clouds in my room, my first experience in
snow, struggling in water scarcity and so in one sentence I have spent a
lifetime in Shimla.
So this time when I heard Shimla calling - I
thought not again. But as I said I got no choice. I stayed with my group at a picturesque
village called Mashobra about 10 kms ahead of Shimla. A heavenly place, almost
as if God had decided to make me feel alive and happy again. And guess what my
phone which works even in the remotest of locations, lost connectivity totally.
So there I was in a place offering me nature's best, having lost all connection
with the outside world, no disturbances and a wonderful and stupendous
opportunity to enjoy life and make memories for lifetime. And believe you me I
had a blast . The first few hours when my phone was not working I
felt almost half alive, restless and helpless - but slowly I started to enjoy
the freedom of not anticipating any calls, of having no link with any worries.
So maybe I needed to disconnect (with the world) to get connected (with
myself). Though I never thought that I would have a good time but life
surprised me again with a wonderful experience to carry in my heart forever.
Shimla this time wasn't about Mall Road, Ridge,
Kufri, Jakhu Mandir or Green Valley. It was getting lost in unlaid trekking
paths, getting wet in the untimely rain, discovering the unseen beautiful
spots, walking in the mist when visibility was as low as the next step,
enjoying the bonfire, sipping tea while watching the sun rise and allowing
the nature to heal your soul. So Shimla or rather Mashobra was about becoming whole
again and reaffirming the faith that life is worth it. And imagine having this
feeling at a place which had bored me the last time I visited it. Which I
thought had nothing new to offer to me.
So - Never say never to any place - you never
know what you might miss out because of a simple NO. Travel a lot - God
created the world for us to explore.
