Shimla hills through different kaleidoscopes

Shimla conjures up memories of crisp mountain air, deodar-covered hills and walks down the Mall Road. For tourists, it offers an escape from a busy life. But for those living here, Shimla is no escape but a slice of real life with deadlines, duties and daily drama.

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As an IPS in HP cadre, I have served in Shimla for many years. After retiring, I recently visited Shimla as a tourist. On the surface it was the same town, but the experience, as compared to my posting days, was vastly different.  Tourists arrive carrying excitement, backpacks full of woollens and hopes of watching mountain sunsets in its cool climes. Police officials arrive with posting orders in hand. Before their boxes are unpacked, the phones start ringing about duties and responsibilities.

On this visit, I could enjoy Shimla’s scenic beauty at leisure with a hot cup of tea, and time to read Ruskin Bond. Police officials, on the other hand, start their day in a crisis mode. Breakfast includes reports on crime, traffic routes for VIP movements, even complaints on monkey fighting. No time to appreciate the beauty of Queen of hills.

As a tourist this time, I could enjoy hiking, shopping, taking in its colonial architecture and clicking pictures at various tourist hotspots.

For tourists, weekends are a time to flock to hills for merrymaking, but for officers on duty it brings extra duties about traffic management, lost kids and rescuing snow stranded tourists.

Tourists romanticise Shimla, its fog, silence and scent of deodars. Officers, too, perhaps notice its beauty but only after fulfilling their responsibilities.

Next time when you are sipping tea in Shimla, admiring its scenic views, take a moment to remember and appreciate the men on duty. And the men in Khaki should sometimes pause to soak in the beauty of hills, even if it comes with loads of duties and paperwork.

SPS Verma, Chandigarh