Names with a ring of yore
Shimla, the queen of hills, was built by the British who gave some iconic names to houses, institutions and public places. These names have a story of their own and mostly reflect the nostalgia felt by the Englishman for his native land or a historical link to the personality responsible for creating a particular edifice.
Post Independence, and particularly in the last few years, many such institutions and places have been renamed. That may be in sync with the penchant for bestowing an Indian identity on all things in India. However, there is an element of incongruity about a few of these renamed identities.
On the southern slopes of the town is located Kamla Nehru Hospital which provides quality natal expertise. It was built in the early 1920s of the last century and is named after Lady Reading, wife of the then Viceroy. Concerned with the lack of healthcare for native women, Lady Reading raised money through charity and by a generous contribution from her own purse to build the hospital. In 1982, it was renamed Kamla Nehru Hospital after a gentle lady, who married into the most prominent political family of India and died of tuberculosis in a sanatorium in Switzerland.
In the west is the flat picturesque green valley of Annandale. It has a golf course, a helipad and a vintage pavilion, which is the clubhouse. The area was developed by the British and was first documented in 1834, in the East Indian United Service Journal. British officers found it similar to the Annandale valley in Dumfriesshire county in Scotland, and some of them hailed from that area. However, a romantic twist has been given to it, which has gained popularity with tourists. A story has been put out that the actual name is Annadale, given by Capt Kennedy, the first political agent of the British government in Shimla hills, who named it after ‘Anna’, his ladylove back in England. However, a prominent marble tablet, installed inside the pavilion, puts the record straight about the nomenclature. Dated 1896, it’s a commemoration of Lord Beresford, by citizens of Simla, for having greatly improved Annandale.
Another imposing edifice of interest is the Post and Telegraph office, located on the Mall road, constructed in 1922. A stately structure, it has each piece of stone specifically shaped. On the south-western corner is a small linking piece of masonry, about 10 ft above the ground, with a few words in Latin etched into it. The English translation would be — ‘Many men created the stone work of this building: the work was directed by J Begg’.
How appropriate in this day and age of foundation and inaugural stones!
