Once pristine, Dehradun in throes of modern urban living now

An eye-catching advertisement about luxury apartments in Dehradun opened up a joyful memory from my childhood in this beautiful hill town.

Dehradun was our go-to place during summer vacations due to my grandfather’s post retirement sojourn at Haridwar. As my mother had her extended family in Dehradun, we always looked forward to our yearly holiday stint in the mountains during the vacations.

The colonial style bungalow in Dallanwala was a treat for the eyes. Every house had litchi trees and the roads were lined by majestic shady trees. The afternoons were breezy and the city was largely peaceful. There were waterfalls not far away from our house, and our vacations were heavenly with no social media pressures and time-bound trip package deals.

Sadly, a recent visit to the valley almost belied the old days. Jarring concrete and trappings of modern urban living seemed to have reduced the pristine valley to just a dim shadow of its glorious past now, though the old-world charm still remains in some patchy spots.

Dr Nidhi Sharma Ahluwalia, Patiala