As I continued my journey within the hills of north India, I found myself couple of hours away from the town of my favourite author and storyteller - Ruskin Bond. With nothing to have second thoughts on, I rushed to experience and explore Mussoorie. Ruskin’s Mussoorie.
Ruskin Bond to Mussoorie is what Gore Vidal and Robert Wagner are to Amalfi Coast in Italy or Orhan Pamuk to the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The man, through his stories, has immortalised the magic and mystic of life in the hills and this magnificently beautiful Himalayan town.
A walk past the historic Mall or Mall Road (as it’s been called now), I gazed in wonder at the legendary Picture Palace – one of the first cinema theater in Mussoorie. Although the exterior was worn out, the old building still seemed to have a good number of years left. And all of a sudden, within moments, characters and scenes from Mr Bond’s books were alive. It was as though I was transported to a different time. There was dhoti-clad Bisnu and his friend Ahmed, characters from Mr Bond’s books, who were seen working at the newly opened Picture Palace. Back on the street, the vegetable vendors were busy making a sale while a few fruit sellers had put up seasons first cherry produce. Voices of people fervently discussing country’s future were heard from the tea stall nearby. While from the corner of my eye, I could see the record shop owner off the Mall was occupied with his latest repair work. As I went ahead few steps, the sweet shop was seen thronged with impatient children who sought reward from their mothers’ in the form a jalebi or gulab jamun or condensed milk for being a good student at school. Overlooking the lush backdrop of the Dehradun valley, these scenes played out.
An uphill stroll to Landour, and the road got quieter. Amongst the curvaceous hills, I began an attempt to locate the famous Pari Tibba (Hill of Fairies), where Mr Bond met with little flying people. Wondered if Burnt Hill or Haunted hill still exist? And if it does, is it still deserted because of the lightning the iron deposits used to attract or has it now been bought off by people who have dealt with the issue. Walking further, I tried to find the stream where Mr Bond and his friend, the jungle leopard grew oddly comfortable in each other’s presence. And where young Ruskin met Biniya, the village girl he fell in love with.
Mussoorie has surely changed over years. A sight of concrete roads carved out over the hills to make inroads for vehicular traffic, high street boutiques, souvenir and gift shops, billboards hanging underneath the street lights, brightly coloured multi-cuisine restaurants and cafes who are desperate to grab attention of the numerous tourists who flock the place during summer and late winter, are bound to make your eyes sore. Nevertheless, it’s completely upto you on how you want to experience and make a memory of this inspiring place. I made mine by taking a leisure walk through Mussoorie and reviving a bygone era.
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