1. A Holiday in India - August 1996 by Jayant Doshi
We landed at Delhi, and after resting for a day, started
our holidays in the north of India, in the valleys of the
Himalayas. We were an international group consisting of
4 from Bombay, 4 from Agra and 4 from London. Our
destination was the vales of Kulu and Manali which are
situated in the State of Himachal Pradesh, north of Delhi
and south of Jammu and Kashmir. Developed in the last
two decades or so, this little developed and un-
commercialised part of India has its natural beauty and
splendour. It is , as we found out later, a paradise for
trekkers, and we saw hundreds of foreigners with back
packs. The natural beauty, the greenery, and rivers and
the mountains give this place a uniqueness of its own.
Our rest day was spent at a holiday resort about 40 km
south of Delhi. Based on the same concepts found in the west, the resort lacked the
thinking and planning required to make it more user friendly, and it lacked the holiday
makers to have the facilities fully utilised.
The living quarters were so far away from
the main building and walking in that heat
was out of question, so we had to spend
hours waiting for the transport to pick us
up. It had a golf course and compensated
for its other short comings.
On the way to Chandigarh, we stopped at
a small town called Karnal and visited a
charity organisation. Based on the
teachings of Gita, the charity is based on a
Ashram with about 60 residents who
follow three simple rules … eat together, pray together and work together, and all the
residents have devoted their lives to the service of the poor. The residents include
professionals like doctors and engineers,
and a few foreigners. The facilities include
a hospital catering for the local poor
people. They teach art work, cleanliness,
cooking and health matters to the
villagers, and sell the products made by
those who have been taught the crafts.
They have financial support from local and
foreign donors, and the whole place
seemed to be well organised and run.
They encourage their followers to stay at
home and devote to the service of other

2. human beings, instead of trying to join the ashram. The experience and the abilities of the
residents of the Ashram are fully utilised
for the good of the people who serve.
We stopped at a small town called Ambala
at a roadside Dhaba for our dinner. Dhaba
is the popular form of restaurant in Punjab.
While the place was nothing more than a
roadside hut, the food was really tasty.
While India may be going through
liberalisation , the archaic bureaucratic
rules and regulations still remain. All
tourist buses have to pay taxes and give
their route of travel in advance. While all
this had been done, the driver forgot that we had to go through Punjab for a few hundred
yards. We were stopped by the police and fined for this discrepancy. We reached
Chandigarh late at night.
We had an early morning walk to the famous Rose garden which was quite near the hotel.
Chandigarh is a modern city, planned by a French architect and hardly 50 years old. As
such, it is a complete contrast to other towns of India. There is a lot of greenery, the roads
are very wide and the whole city is well planned. One hardly notices any traffic or crowds
in the streets. The famous Rose garden, which contains every sort of rose variety, was not
much of a site mainly because of the rainy season, when the garden is not tended. Also
the roses are at their bloom in spring and summer.
Later on, we had a tour of the city. We
passed the bungalow of the Governor of
Haryana, and on the same road a few
hundred yards down is the bungalow of
the Governor of Punjab where we were
stopped by the police because no buses
were allowed past this bungalow. Of
course, one had to know these as there
are no notices to that effect anywhere.
Then we stopped at the famous, and in
my opinion another wonder of the world,
Rock Garden. Nekchand, the creator of
this garden, was a street sweeper, when
he collected all the thrown away rubbish, such as broken crockery, tiles, baths, glass etc.
and in his spare time started this rock garden. When the people and the government saw
his work, he was given financial help to complete his work. He was commissioned to make
similar gardens in Paris and USA, and today he is in charge of the roads and greenery of
Chandigarh. The whole garden will take at least two hours to see. He has used every type
of throwaway rubbish to create the garden. Hessian cloth and oil drums are used to make
walls. He has used broken bathroom tiles, cups and saucers and plates and electrical
plugs and sockets to decorate walls and thousands of statuettes of humans and animals

3. he has created in the garden. He has used
marbles and broken glass bangles to the
same effect. He has collected stones of
various shapes from all over the country,
shapes that have an artistic look, to
decorate the garden. It is beyond my
vocabulary to describe this garden, but I
was really impressed by this creation by a
man who was a street sweeper.
We left Chandigarh after lunch and
reached a small town, called Parwanoo, in
the evening. Parwanno has been
connected to a mountain across the valley by a cable car, and a hotel built on top of the
mountain top, called the Timber Trail. The five star hotel had cottages and the main
building. It is cool because of the height, and very misty in the evening. The place is very
pleasant, and the scenery is beautiful. We walked around the hotel area. It became quite
cool in the evening, which was welcome in a way specially after having suffered the heat
of Delhi.
Next morning, I went for an early morning walk in the mountains accompanied by the hotel
gurkha and one youngster from our party. We walked through the mountains and the
valleys, and went to a delapidated castle on another peak. The mountains were covered
with trees and thick growth. The air was cool and pleasant. We watched young girls
picking cow dung; boys, as young as 6 or 8 , were taking cows for grazing. They folded
their hands and said Namaste with a smile. It felt so wonderful to see these friendly
people. We saw various types of fruit trees on the way during our walk. The four hour
walk was pleasant and invigorating, and I appreciated the joy of trekking for the first time.
We stopped at a hill top town called Kasoli. The place is swarming with Indian soldiers, as
China border is nearby. Due to mist we could not see anything otherwise we were told
that one could glimpse at China and the Himalaya range from a high point in Kasoli. The
little hilly town had a square in the middle and shops surrounding the square. We left
Kasoli on our way to Shimla. Shimla, the summer capital of the British Raj, is situated on
very steep hills, and all buildings are on a slope. The town is picturesque. From the foot of
the hills , where Shimla begins, to the top must be over 200 feet. The hills around Shimla
are covered with tall pine trees. The scenery is breath taking and majestic from any point
in the town. Besides steps leading to every point, there are elevators to reach the highest
points. The steps could be steep and going up as much as 200 or 300 feet, and are
daunting and fearsome to the sight, though the locals seemed used to walking those steps.
No wonder, everyone in Shimla looked so healthy, and slim, and their red cheeks reflected
on their excellent health. The town was extremely clean, with dustbins everywhere, and
notices to keep the streets clean. This is in stark contrast to other towns in India. The
shops and their display were more like our London shops rather than the shops one sees
in other towns in India. We walked through the main bazaar of Shimla. It was evening and
already it was feeling very cool. Cardigans or warm clothes were essential.

4. We spent the night in a nearby town called
Kufri. We had to spend a lot of time driving
to find the accommodation and it was
midnight before we reached our hotel and
everyone was very tired. It is very difficult
to stay in Shimla as parking for the coach
would be impossible. It was raining next
morning, but just a drizzle, and everyone
was in a lazy mood as we had a late night.
That evening we went again for shopping
into Shimla. The next day we went to a
nearby cricket ground, renowned as the
highest cricket ground in the world. It was a
sunny day and we all had picnic and some games to enjoy the sun. From there we went to
Chail which has a palace converted into a luxurious hotel. The grounds have some
beautiful gardens and the views are panoramic and the scenery beautiful. The snow
covered peaks of Himalayas can be seen in far distant horizon.
The next day we went to Naldhera, which has, what is claimed to be the most natural and
highest golf course in the world. Except the greens nothing needs tending on this golf
course as the grass cover and the area is just ideal as a golf course. Some of us played
golf while others watched us and had a picnic. It was the most challenging golf course I
have seen. From there we proceeded to Bilaspur which is situated between the mountains,
and because of that the temperatures rose considerably and felt very warm. It was a great
change from a cool pleasant environment to a muggy, sticky hot climate in this place. The
town is situated on the banks of Sutlej river, and is an industrial town.
On the way to Kulu , we stopped for lunch in a rocky valley surrounded by mountains with
a river passing through there. While others prepared to cook food for an open air picnic, I
walked along the river to the point where it meets and joins another river. There were lots
of trekkers around, signifying the enjoyment trekking was giving to all. The air was cool
and refreshing and the walk did a lot of good to the legs, cramped due to all that sitting in
the coach. After lunch we were on our way to Manikaran where there are hot water
springs and a famous historical Gurudwara, a temple for Sikhs. The drive to Manikaran
was the most treacherous and dangerous driving I have seen but luckily the driver was
excellent. On one side were steep mountains, with rocks lying in a threatening position,
and the other side was steep valley. The road was so narrow that when the coach or a
lorry was on the road, then practically inches were left between the edge on either side.
Recent rains had eroded some of the road ends making it more difficult. When a coach or
lorry came from the opposite side, there would be a slight space for overtaking, and when
overtaking took place then literally only two or three inches separated the two vehicles.
Under these circumstances we saw a lorry with people packed on its floor, on a partition
made half way in the lorry and also on the tarpaulin top… an estimate of 200 people in the
lorry would be a conservative figure.
Manikaran is a small town on both the banks of a river. Because of the tourist importance,
the row of shops leading to the Gurdwara was packed with novelties and goods and

5. congested with people. The Gurdwara and a temple in this very small place has
accomodation with 600 rooms. This Gurdwara, one of the oldest in India, had no guides to
tell us about its historical past, but the
place was storming with devotees and
hippies and trekkers. Ponds have been
built so that people can bath in the natural
steam water. The water is so hot that cold
water had to be mixed in the hot water
before even one can touch it. The steam
oozing out of the river created a cloud
thicker then thickest fog we might ever
experience here. The water is so hot that
rice can be cooked or an egg boiled hard in
seconds. After Manikaran, we went to
Kulu, and found a nice hotel between the
towns of Kulu and Manali.
Our hotel was built along the river, and the river bed was strewn with huge rocks and
boulders. Next morning we went for an early morning walk. We first walked along the
river, and then went across the road and climbed a small hill. We met a boy who guided
us along another route to the hotel. He told us that he would walk miles to visit someone or
to buy something. Whenever we saw isolated buildings on these steep hills we wondered
how they would cope. But seeing this boy walk, we realised that they were used to
walking in these hills, and walking miles after miles every day. We had games of croquet
and table tennis before lunch, and later in the afternoon went for a stroll in the town of
Manali.
With the troubles in Kashmir, and the greater importance placed on tourism, the
unexplored areas of Kulu and Manali were opened up for tourism only 25 years or so
back, but in this sort span of time the area has developed and grown into a tourist heaven.
It provides for skiing in winter, and raft gliding as well as para gliding in summer. The
area is wonderful for trekking, and one normally see thousands of trekkers with back
packs walking these beautiful mountains. Most of those trekkers are foreigners. Manali, a
small town, catering mostly for tourists, is
congested, unplanned and badly developed.
Recent rains and floods last year had
brought havoc to roads and some of the
buildings. The floods were so strong that the
river changed its course completely, and one
of the hotels where we stayed was half
washed out in the floods.
The next day we drove to Rohtang Pass,
about 13000 feet high on the mountains
which leads into China. The drive to the
pass was picturesque, the streams along
the way were making lovely sounds, almost

6. music to the ears. There were hundreds of streams
trickling from the mountain slopes. We stopped at a
small fall, and some of us climbed to the top along big
rocks to where the water was falling. Just then we
heard a huge blast that shook the land around us and
no one was sure what that blast was. But soon we
found out that a huge rock that fell from the top during
the rains and was blocking the road was being blasted
with explosives. Their first attempt failed, and when
later they blasted the rock again with success, we were
better prepared for the shock.
Right at the top, when we reached Rohtang pass, in the
mid-summer month of July, there were still glaciers and
snow in patches. Hundreds of people were walking,
horse riding or even skiing on the snow though the maximum one could ski was maybe a
hundred yards or so. But I guess that for people who have never even seen snow or done
skiing, this was a lifetime experience. Those not courageous enough to go for skiing, tried
sledges on the snow. We decided to take a long walk. While it was very cold, but sunny, it
was pleasant . There were hundreds of varieties of tiny flowers, of all sorts of different
colours, on the mountains. Watching those tiny flowers, while walking, was fascinating
and interesting. It was very cold, the cold wind was seeping through our summer clothes,
and the cold created red cheeks and runny noses. At the end of our walk, we saw a dome
shaped hut, the size of a small building (like an igloo which the Eskimos reside in) and out
of curiosity went to see inside.
That was where the River Bees originated from the mountains (water was just coming out
of the rocks, as if nature had put a water pipe )and had become a tourist attraction. As it
happens quite often in India, the place had become a place of worship, with a few pictures
of deities, and the usual equipment for worshipping.
Next day we had a relaxing day, played crocket and moved into Manali in the evening.
The day after, three of us, accompanied
by a hotel staff, went for a whole days
trekking. As I mentioned before, Kulu
Manali is a heaven for trekking, and this
day we experienced the pleasure of
trekking. We started our trek from Sonar
valley, the valley where many famous
Indian films scenes have been shot, and
walked for over six hours, taking a half
hour break for lunch. Some of the treks
were treacherous, specially a river
crossing which we had to cross twice.
The bridge had been washed away and

7. three tree trunks had been laid across from one bank to the other bank of a fast gushing
river. The water was gushing and making terrifying sound, just a few feet down from the
trunks on which we were walking. The river was looking dangerous, and a slip could be
fatal as there was no way anyone could save the fallen person. The huge rocks and the
speed of the water would drag away any
person within seconds. One tree trunk was
firmly set, the other was swinging at least
by a feet when one walked on it and the
third trunk was too far for use. Each one of
us, helped by the hotel guide, walked an
inch at a time, without raising our eyes, and
our heart beats thumping in our ears. But
the walk was wonderful and all the
adventure seemed worth it. At the end of
our walk, we met the rest of the group as
arranged. They were all busy preparing an
open cooked meal. We were all starving and
had some wonderful food out there in the open.
It was time to move, and we started our journey back to Delhi. The choice was to stop for
the night in Chandigarh or take a long ride to Delhi. Everyone opted for the second choice,
and we had a long but nice and comfortable drive. We stopped for lunch at a hut
restaurant on the way down from the mountainous region. We stopped at a roadside
Dhaba for dinner and that was wonderful food which everyone enjoyed. We reached Delhi
at almost past midnight. The cool fresh air of the mountains was gone, and we were faced
with the scorching heat of Delhi and the pollution. The long journey took its toll, and
everyone slept till late next morning. The heat was unbearable, and one of our colleagues
had some problems in her health. We were invited for lunch by the relative of one of our
group. We all were looking for a cool air conditioned house where we could escape from
the heat. But when we arrived there, we had a shock as the electricity supply was gone
and we were left holding a newspaper trying to keep cool and keep the flies away. After a
delicious homemade lunch, after a fortnight of outside hotel food, was well appreciated by
all, we drove to the station for our journey
to Agra. Two of our party had to fly to
Bombay because of health reasons.
In Agra we had the taste of wonderful
Indian hospitality for three days. The
family consisting of five brothers, each
living nearby each other, in luxurious
bungalows, provided us with the best
cuisine and hospitality that can be
offered. We had a meal at each house in
those three days, and tasted a variety of
superb cooking. Next morning I went for a

8. round of golf on the only golf course in the city, and which was used by about forty people
over the year. After golf, we drove straight to Taj Mahal where the rest of the party was to
meet us. Taj Mahal, as we read in the newspapers is no longer white . The white marble
has gone off white and dirty due to the air pollution, but its magnificence is still breath
taking. The serenity and the atmosphere are out of this world. It is a pity that due to
security reasons one cannot watch the Taj Mahal in moon light. After capturing the visit on
a camera we went home for the morning
rituals and rest. With that heat it is difficult to
go out anywhere and we all opted for
afternoon nap and rest in the house, Another
member of the group had diahorrea and was
bed stricken for the stay in Agra. In the
evening we all went to a posh health and
sports club where we had badminton and
snooker and refreshments.
The next morning I again went for golf and
after coming home and freshening up, we all
went to Dayal Bagh which aspires one day to
become the new wonder of the world. Planned
in the last century, and construction starting in 1904, it is still hardly half way finished.
The wars and the shortages of materials were the main reasons for the delay. The whole
temple is being built by a sect , and the design of the temple incorporates the architecture
of a Hindu temple, Christian church, a Muslim mosque , Sikh gurudwara and the Jewish
synagogue. I visited the temple first time in 1971, then in 1983 and now in 1996. The first
floor, under construction , has all types of fruits carved in the marble cornice of the ceiling.
The whole temple is being made of white marble. Originally the completion time was
scheduled for 80 years but the wars and the shortage of materials has delayed the
construction. It is now scheduled to be completed by 2020.
We left Agra with some pleasant memories. From Delhi we took the luxurious Rajdhani
Express train to Bombay. After the air
flying and rushing and reaching the
destination in a short time, this train
travelling seems tedious and long. But it is
relaxing and pleasant - no rushing about
or stressing out by waiting or by delays.
While the train reached the outskirts of
Bombay in time, a derailed train on the
way into Bombay had caused chaos, and
we had to spend three more hours on the
train. Bombay, or Mumbai as it is called
now, as always and usual, is busy,
crowded and polluted beyond

9. imagination, and toleration, but as a regular visitor I guess I have come to accept that all.
While it is known that some people go a
long way to find their roots, that in this
country there are businesses that actually
charge and help one to find their ancestral
past, we Indians have a solid and clever
way of tying ourselves to our roots. Every
Indian family has their ancestral village of
origin, and in that village of origin there is
always some sort of family god or Kuldevi,
where the family member is obliged to go
and worship at an interval during their
lives. Ii is also normal practice to go there
and worship after such major events as
marriage or birth of a child. The ancestral village, and the rituals connected to the worship
of Kuldevi or god , tells one if one is related to someone with the same family name. I had
visited my ancestral village 50 years back as a child, and then 30 years back, and this
time we decided to visit the same place. I was more fascinated by the changes and the
lifestyle, then the ritual side of the visit.
We flew into Rajkot and took a taxi to drive to Jetpur. Jetpur, the home of my cousins, and
where I spent some memorable times in the past, is a bustling town but gives an
appearance of an extended village. The town had become well known all over the country
for its hand printed sarees. Apparently the river water had some special chemicals which
gave extra shine and quality to the hand printing. However, this time I found out that the
use of the river has been banned for this work due to the pollution it caused in the river.
We had to leave Jetpur immediately for our home village, but the taxi that brought us from
Rajkot had mechanical problems, and we had to arrange another local taxi. To our delight,
we had a 1948 Chevrolet as a taxi. Except the body, I do not think that the car had
anything of its original components. The taxi in 48 years must have done practically
hundreds of thousands of miles, but was
still running well and sturdy as a car.
Sitting in that car was like sitting in a
Rolls Royce of today.
While 50 years back, the village was
inaccessible in rainy season, and the most
common method of travelling was by ox-
cart, today I found proper tarmac roads
which made the village accessible all the
year round. In the village, nothing seemed
to have changed. The decrepit houses,
muddy roads which had pot holes all over,
the children playing in the streets barefooted, people sitting under a tree or on shop fronts
and gazing at strangers were same as before. Life seemed to have been frozen since I saw
it 50 years ago. But there was a difference also. The village had piped water, while

10. previously the women brought the water from the well. The village had electricity supply,
and most surprisingly, TV aerials were
prominent on those roofs, and two large
satellite discs were also to be seen. The
village was the domain of the Vanik
businessman, who ran the business and
supplied the requirements of the villagers,
provided finance at high interest rates. But
over the years the vanik community has
disappeared from the villages. The green
revolution has brought prosperity to the
farmers, and they have taken over the
local business. With declining business,
and the desire of the younger generation to go to the city, compounded by the fact that no
girl will marry a village boy in vanik community, has meant that the villages do not have
any vaniks left. Our ancestral family house was being looked after one member of the
community, who spent some time in the village and the rest in Bombay with his family. As
he explained it, that this was the end of the line. There will be no one to look after the
“family temple” and arrangements will have to be made.
We reached Jetpur in the early evening, and I went into a Durga, a muslim place of prayer
and burial, out of curiosity. The prayers were sung loudly to the tune of drums and music,
incense sticks were lighted and the atmosphere seemed very similar to that of a Hindu
temple. The similarity surprised me, and shows that how much the two religions have
adopted similar paths in spite of the animosity that seems to steal the headlines. I spent
the evening with my cousins, reminiscing about the good old days. The next morning we
left for Rajkot. Rajkot, a major industrial city in India, is a mixture of modern and latest
intermixed with the usual congestion and overcrowding and terrible driving conditions that
are common in most Indian cities.
In the afternoon, we went to a nearby
village to see a charity organisation. The
doctor, founder of this charity started 40
years back, is 90 years old , frail but still
working. The buildings, built over a 3
acre site , consist of a 250 bed hospital ,
mainly for eye operations, but also
including a general and maternity ward,
a de-addiction centre, a school with
boarding arrangements for 100 boys and
100 girls. There was also accommodation
for the resident staff and voluntary
workers - everyone was treated equally. The hospital had the latest equipment and looked
neat and clean and well organised. The charity has 12 buses which go to different villages
in Saurastra, checking all the people with eye problems, and bringing back those who
needed further treatment. Everything is planned meticulously, and every village is
informed well in advance as to the date on which the bus with the doctor will be visiting

11. their village. The statistics and accounts are presented in great details and impressive.
The patients, together with close relatives, would be kept for five days, and then dropped
back to their village. The Gujarat government , based on a study, found eye problems in
population in the proportion of 10 per 1000 and have vowed to reduce this to 5 per 1000.
This charity has taken up the challenge to
accomplish this target for Saurastra within
3 years. Gujarat government, in recognition
of the wonderful work being done by this
charity, have decided to support their
efforts by paying Rs.250.00 for every eye
operation carried out. The de-addiction
centre caters for those addicted to tobacco,
alcohol or drugs. The charity is funded
mostly from donations from abroad,
specially Switzerland. The charity helps
the villages nearby by building dams and
helping out in health and other matters.
The past president of Navnat, Vinod Udani was in Rajkot, and I managed to track him
down late at night. It was a pleasure to meet him, and nice to see him enjoying his
retirement. As per his habits, he has got well engrossed in social work over there. Next
morning I visited an orphanage, accompanied by Vinod Udani. Navnat has been
supporting this charity for many years. The orphanage is divided into two buildings. One
building caters for children from birth till 7 years, and they are moved to another building.
We were shown around the place. The place was neat and clean. Children seemed to be
well looked after. Besides being given education, the children were also trained in
household chores. This charity is one of two in Gujarat, which are government approved
for grating children for adoption in overseas countries. The organisation seemed
professional in their work, and well managed. It was a pleasure to see that the money we
have been sending was being well utilised.
Soon after we flew into Bombay, and were
on our way to Poona in the evening. Poona
is a large city about 100 km from Bombay,
but being at a height, the climate is cooler.
During the British Raj the army used to be
stationed here, and some of the famous
leaders during the independence fight
were jailed in this city. The highlight in
Poona was a visit to an organisation that
works for partly disabled and retarded
children. The person who runs the
organisation is himself the father of a
partly retarded child. He realised that bringing up such a child when both the parents are
working for a livelihood is a difficult task. Realising the problems other parents would be
facing, he decided to start this centre to look after such children. The place consists of ram
shackle huts and sheds, made with the barest possible expense and resources, but

12. sufficient to keep those children under cover and protection. There are over 50 children
there, and the government has recognised the good work and given recognition and
financial support to the institution. They are planning to move to some better
accommodation in the near future. But what they had accomplished with the meagre
resources and the achievements were remarkable.
On arrival back, and as I had some time in
hand, I decided to visit the famous
Swaminarayan temple in Ahmedabad,
called the Akshar Dham. The temple is
outside the city, built over several acres of
land, it has beautifully laid gardens, and
children’s rides. The temple itself is nice,
but the exhibition halls that adjoin the
temple are impressive. Using modern
technology, the exhibits display the
teachings of the religion, and a
picturisation of the epics of India. The
whole place is immaculately built and
maintained, and reminds one of the Disney land in Florida. This place is built and run on
similar precise methods. It takes over three hours to see the temple and the exhibition
halls, and one can then spend a few hours in the gardens.
India is always full of surprises, it takes a lot to get used to its eccentricities , its crowded
streets and traffic with no rules and laws, the smoke and the pollution is choking, but
amidst all that there is still great fascination for the country, and no matter what bad
experiences one has, the desire to go again is always there. We had a mixture of good and
bad days on this holiday, but looking back on it we all would love to go again.
The best time to go to Kulu Manali is from April to June, and September to October. While
we travelled by bus from Delhi, on hindsight, I would suggest that it is better to fly to Kulu,
and then do the travelling. We had to stop at Kulu Manali, but I am informed that there are
some lovely places towards Dalhousie and also the Ladakh area and anyone planning
these holidays should include those places in their itinerary. While the area has some
scenic and natural beauty, its importance and pleasure is in trekking.
(website : www.jayantdoshi.yolasite.com)