Hari Sud’s International View

 Haatos of Shimla The year was1984 and I was taking my 8 years old son to Shimla. It was his second or third visit, but he was too young to recall anything. He didn't speak Indian languages, but he did have some understanding of our Pahari dialect. We had taken a bus to Shimla. The mountains, the deep gorges and the difficult bus trip fascinated him.  Upon arriving at Shimla Bus Stand, he observed, men chasing the bus. The bus had slowed down, hence they could keep pace with it. Suddenly a young man thrust his badge thru the open window. My son was wondering - what was that for? As far as he was concerned, it was something new. I knew that the guy running alongside the bus is a porter, he was thrusting his badge into our hands so that we hire him to carry our baggage or be our Shimla guide. That was the way of life in Shimla. He earned money and supported his family back home. Suddenly I read the number 0599 on his badge. I immediately recalled this badge number. It belonged t...

China has lost the 2020 battle. Whether it was centrally directed from the Peking or over enthusiastic General in charge got carried away started this fight. Forget the details of the intrusions in Galwan and finger area. The Chinese hated India’s infrastructure upgrade on the border hence came to teach India a lesson but lost the battle. That sudden capture of Kailash heights by India on August 29/30 put the whole Chinese operation in jeopardy. All that finger area capture is in Indian gun range. India can blow up their build up in case of trouble started by them again. Presence of Indian tanks at the Depsang area is another reminder to the Chinese. Their light tanks can be made into minced meat if they start a fight their. Hence what did they gain ......... nothing worthwhile. It proved one point that India can match Chinese buildup on the border - man for man and gun for gun. Chinese expected that Indians will not stand the -40 degrees in the inter and they will run away. On the oth...

  We are back to Obama Administration with Joe Biden as president now. Most of his men are ex Obamaites. Does America have to recreate not so smart Administration of the bygone era. Yes, Obama smiled a lot which convinced the people that everything is OK. Not true......... China captured all the South China Sea, hence shipping and security of that region is in doubt. The Chinese overgrew in military might during Obama Administration and America kept importing stuff from China, filling up their pockets. That money went straight into their military and Obama and his men kept watching. Russia was threatened with war if they stepped one step further in Ukraine. As a matter of fact, neutralistic Eastern Europe closer to Russia is good for everybody. it is a buffer for advanced Western Europe, but Obama could not control his advisors not work to grab Ukraine into its own fold. Now there is an unending war with no results. And many more issues like that in Iraq and Pakistan. The latter co...

(Published in defence forum on January 20th.)   India -US could not hit out together even culturally and naturally we are close to each other, a lot more closer than either Chinese were or will be and Pakistanis whose fundamental organization wish death & destruction except who is not Muslim. Then why we seem to be coming closer as in last four years then drift apart before we close close enough. US has undergone a dramatic shift in its politics with a lifetime leftist personality becoming the President. If Indian came closer during right wing Trump presidency then with Joe Biden as the new person in charge either the relationship will be frozen at current state or begin drift apart. US ambassador to India Ken Juster let the cat out of bag. If Indian does not relent to US demands of minor trade issues and continue to buy the S-400 anti missile system from Russia then he said take for guaranteed, India will get sanctioned and future relationship is in Jeopardy. ...... Think agai...

 The Shimla Mall Road - Thandi Sarak Let's go back to the turn of the century and look at how the Mall, Shimla's shopping promenade, was born. At about that time, the mall was a 14-foot-wide, non-metalized walkway specially built to allow two horse-drawn carriages to cross without bumping into one another. Shopping that was moved after the big fire on the ridge in 1876 went to two places. The Indian (native) population was allocated the southern side of the mountain and the British kept the mountain crest and northern side of the mountain. Horse drawn carriages travelled back and forth from time to time. Traffic increased when the Viceregal Lodge was finished in 1886/88 and the viceroy worked there for six months of summer.  The uprooted shops from the Ridge now were distinctly segregated. The British built on this crest, just a few stores in the beginning. Indian shops, which provided everything, including the daily needs of the British and the Indians, were located about 500...

 The first snowfall of the season for the kids was fun. As the snow arrives in Shimla, the children are delighted. The time for sledging/sleighing is round the corner. They locate their sledge which had been put away after the last season. They clean and oil the fine strip of steel below, making it smoother and waiting for the next heavy snowfall. In the West, the same game for children is called Tobogganing. Young Canadians are excited about it as well. The senior boys go for ice skating rink or better to ski slopes, the junior kids are looking for a smaller slope or hill in the neighborhood to Toboggan. My grandchildren are no different, they wake up much sooner than normal and will go Toboggan before going to school.  It is the fun to hurtle yourself down the slope, that creates an exhilarating feeling and that is what drives this sport. In Shimla when 4 inches of snow had accumulated and the temperature had dropped to minus five degrees, allowing the snow to harden a bit, ...

  The Ghost of Sanjauli Road When I was a kid, I heard some ghost stories, and that amused me. As I grew up, I began not to believe the stories. For the next 50 years, I read about them and heard about them, but because they were never trusted, I never believed them. Not until, in 2007, I went to visit my brother in law (my cousin sister’s husband) Des Raj*, who lived and worked in Sanjauli throughout his life. After a few pleasantries and one of the best Pahari lunches, we settled down for gossip. I often visited them, although not recently, since I live in Canada. Quite a few times, I would pay them a short visit when I am in Shimla. During a short and quick visit, except for family discussions, we never had time to talk about anything else. This time in 2007, Des Raj and I spoke extensively. He wished to know about Canada and I wanted to know about his welfare. From the appearance, they were a prosperous lot. Their kids, all the reputable businessmen had built palatial houses....

 Shimla Rail Line and Bhalku who showed the way  In my school days, I have ridden this train from Shimla to Kalka and back many times. One reason, there was discount offered to school boys. Another reason, my mother would not take the bus service as it induced vomiting in her and also in most other women, hence a better alternative was to take the train. What my parents did not know that we (other boys in my school) had taken the train from Shimla to the first station of Summer Hill many times, always free, giving the Guard a slip. The free ride is more fun than otherwise. Every time we took the train we indirectly paid high regards to Lord Curzon (The Viceroy at the turn of the century) who took personal interest in its construction and a plain daily wage earner with the name ‘Bhalku’ who made it possible for the train to reach Shimla. The interesting part is that we all know Lord Curzon well, however we hardly know “Bhalku” the man who made boring of the many tunnels on the ...

  Shangri-la At the Foot of the Himalayas In his 1933 novel, Lost Horizon, James Hilton described a remote paradise in the Western Himalayas. He called it Shangri-la, a beautiful and a peaceful land. The author had described a mythical land, an earthly paradise where perpetual happiness prevailed. A movie was made and the myth was popularized. Ever since, search has been, on, to locate this earthly paradise. Various places almost, but not quite fitted the Hilton’s description. What the author described was a piece of a Hindu and Buddhist story in which, an offshoot of Tibetan royal family, leaves the tumultuous environment of 8th or 9th century Lhasa and retreats to a hideaway in Western Tibet, to build a city where perpetual happiness prevailed. They succeeded in their efforts. This small kingdom lasted several centuries. A story about it, was told in both Hindu and Buddhist literature and was picked up by James Hilton for his famous novel. The author of this current piece hails f...

  The Day the Piped Water Arrived in Shimla When Pratt Kennedy opened his guest house in 1827 in yet to be named hill station of Simla, water needs were met from Bauwalis in around the hill Spurs. There were never more than 8 to 10 guests in his chalet (Kennedy House) at any time, so eight Bauwalis in the vicinity were enough to meet the needs. When the Governor General and later the Commander in Chief visited two years later they brought all food supplies for 300 people on the back of labor, but had to draw the water from a free flowing stream emanating from Jakhoo Hill. Later, a large reservoir was constructed to collect that water from the creek. For about 30 years, this reservoir was used as a source of water for the growing population, which now stands between 7 -10,000 people. The water was filtered locally and purified with basic chemicals like alum to make it potable. This scheme continued until 1975 with several Viceroys from 1957 to 1975 drinking this water.  A m...

 Fire destroys many Heritage Buildings in Shimla The year is 1957, I cannot remember the date, but my high school exams were over and it was a free time for me to loaf around waiting for my results to come. It was summer time, probably around 8:00 a.m., when my father came back from his work in Gunj Bazaar, which usually ends around 1:00 p.m. He brought the bad news that Himachal Dham, the Himachal Government office building (Himachal was not a state yet) has caught fire and is burning. That day the Gunj Bazaar had reduced activity, hence he came back home a bit early. He very strictly forbade me to stay away from the fire mishap area.  Was I, the obedient son going to miss out the excitement? I don't suppose so. I heard my friends whistle call to collect. Three whistles were a call of an emergency. My parents also heard the whistles, but ignored it because they knew that no matter how much they forbade me, I would not miss the excitement, so they looked the other way and I qu...

  Hilltop Devi’s in Shimla & Surroundings The goddess in Indian mythology holds an elevated place and is revered by the masses. ‘Lakshmi’ is the consort of our principal God Vishnu.  It is her benevolence that we are prosperous. Of equal importance is Sarswati, the consort of Brahma. With her benevolence, our education, arts, science and music etc. progress. The third most worshipped Goddess is Parvati, the consort of Shiva. She is the fountainhead of love, devotion and determination. Together they form a female trinity of life as we know it today. The goddess Durga is the combined force of the goddesses Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati. In other words she is the warrior Goddess, who slays the enemy. Just as Haridwar is a Shiva country where the worship of Shiva is predominant, Himachal Pradesh is Devi worship country, here Goddess worship is the greatest. Their images adorn beautiful temples in the length and breadth of Himachal Pradesh. Their temples occupy most exalted h...

  Shunka, our domestic help becames a JCO  I am not from an elitist family, but from a well to do Sud/Sood family who save every penny to build a financial reserve, I believe my father had enough money to hire help if it was necessary. We lived in the city, but when the schools closed in Shimla in the winter, the whole family closed lock, stock and barrel and returned to the village where our ancestors lived. Back in the village, there was an urgent need for help for my mother with 5 children between 15 to 2 years old, for different jobs. I am the two years old. We are the village micro credit managers, like 28 other families in the village. The year is 1945 and Pirthi, a Brahmin farmer about 3 miles walk from our village home had borrowed some money from my father which he could not pay back. He had a son named Shunka (Sunak Ram), 14 years old and he sent him to work in our house as a part payment. It was a good deal for my mother and the best from my perspective as Shunka ca...