At Qilaa

Life has become a bit boring, of late. We were planning to go to Kinnaur but the heavy rains poured cold water over all our plans. Being confined to Shimla now, I have decided to try out as many eateries as possible here.

So I have ended up at Qilaa at Shimla for lunch. I was pleasantly surprised to find the good old Shawarma listed in the menu. However, having decided that it would be too much of an adventure to ask for it in the first trial, I have ordered a chicken biriyani.

Chicken biriyani usually acts as the measure by which I grade a non-vegetarian restaurant. And masala dosa for south Indian vegetarian. I have not yet developed a measure for north Indian vegetarian as I am not a great fan.

After eating the biriyani, I can say that this is one of the better restaurants in Shimla. It has a quaint, old world look - an HMV gramaphone, a Victoria station clock, bagpipe and all. And the food has been good.

Trying shawarma next time.

The Shimla Experience

Whenever I meet my seniors in the service, they start talking about their wonderful stay at Yarrows. That always made me wonder as I have never found Shimla enticing enough to hold me back. I have always held it to be self-evident that no sane person can enjoy the place for a duration of more than two weeks. Unless you are from Himachal, of course. After all, there are only limited avenues of entertaining yourself in the erstwhile summer capital of British India. It seems insane that the Brits chose this place to rule over the subcontinent. And more insane that we continue to have our training in a place almost literally cut off from the rest of the country.

When you enter Yarrows, you feel transported back in time. If it were not for the electrical equipment and wi-fi routers, one would have seriously imagined meeting Jinnah near his old bedroom at Room No. 6.

Unfortunately, Yarrows is not haunted. A ghost would definitely have made things far more interesting. One lives in luxury in Yarrows to compensate for the near isolation of the place. We have fabulous, grand rooms; room service is pretty good and the environment is breathtakingly beautiful and for me, jarringly peaceful. I thrive on noise.

The only people you meet here, however, are only bureaucrats, officials or finance professionals with a sprinkling of human beings of other varieties. I do not know why but I found them to be a bit freaky, especially the fourth group. A noted Gandhian had come here. She was near maniacal in her love for him. Gandhi happened to live here in a buildung for a couple of days when he had come to Shimla. If she had her way, she probably would have declared it a national monument. Respect for Gandhi is one thing, and this was a totally different thing.

We need to learn to embrace our heroes as they are - with their failings and mistakes. No one is perfect. Learn from their goodness and spread it around.

It was nearly twenty months of sheer madness and I would not have survived but for my friends, both new and old. I know that I haven't pleased everyone but I have tried my best to deliver all the time. So I hope to leave the place without regrets. My best wishes to the future batches of IA&AS. Live long and prosper. May force be with you.