Granny’s tales of Muhin – Himachal’s timeless hamlet

My first visit to my grandmother’s childhood home in Muhin, Himachal Pradesh, felt like stepping into a living storybook. This hamlet is the hyphen between Garli-Pragpur — the two heritage villages in Kangra district.

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Growing up, my brother and I would sit wide-eyed as she shared stories of her playful days spent in this untouched village. She often narrated how her father, as a child, would trudge to school humming “happy and glorious shrimati Victorious” and then, out of breath with the strain of climbing the hill track, shift to “God ‘shave’ the king!”

As I approached the slightly weathered yet regal-looking ancestral house, the towering mango tree — a silent witness to those countless childhood memories — stood proudly in the front yard. I visited the pond where they’d go to wash clothes as piped water wasn’t available back then. The sight brought a bittersweet smile to my face. While their stories sounded adventurous, I knew I wasn’t made for such challenges. Then came the realisation that the routes she and her siblings took to school every day — those long, winding paths — literally seemed like an uphill task to me.

Although Muhin has taken on a slightly new look, it remains largely untouched by modernity. The simplicity of life here remains a balm for my city-worn soul.

Akanksha Sharma, Chandigarh