Naldehra picnics and memories of pine scent

The pine smell of Shimla has always been the town’s most under-advertised tourist attraction. Forget mall roads and selfies with ice sticks and breathe deep into that resinous breeze. The scent is sharp, playful, and slightly smug, as if it knows you will come back for more.

Craignano and Naldehra were our favourite haunts for chasing this invisible treasure though no one admitted it outright. Officially it was a picnic, a golf stroll, or “let’s get some fresh air.” In reality, we were all addicts waiting for our fix. The moment the first gust hit our faces, car windows wide open, conversation stopped. The pines had taken over the chats.

By the time we reached Naldehra, sandwiches and boiled eggs lay ignored, because everyone was too busy inhaling like a meditator attempting enlightenment through breathing.

Craignano picnics had their own comedy. Someone always brought lemonade that tasted suspiciously like cough syrup, while someone else would forget to salt the boiled eggs. Yet none of it mattered. The pine smell held court, and we were willing subjects. A cousin once claimed this fragrance, if bottled, would topple Chanel from its perch.

Years later, some companies have attempted to bottle the magic in room fresheners named “Forest Breeze.” But I laugh at these feeble attempts. The only forest those bottles have seen is the supermarket shelf. But sometimes, when rain brushes against a balcony grill, the old scent slips in, phantom-like. And suddenly Craignano picnics and Naldehra strolls come rushing back, as if time itself smells of pine.

Shimla’s true luxury was never colonial houses or golf clubs. It was the fragrance of freedom, floating free of charge, and best enjoyed with a silly grin.

Shama Rana, Shimla