Gentle Heights

I am not a solitary man. People are my pleasure and my pain. and yet I stood alone looking into the yonder as old bruises gently healed. the mountain was gentle itself， as was the air. my hosts were gracious and gentle as was the river over which my raft drifted. my golf swing was gentle too—it was a rough course， perhaps with its own bruises—in need of a gentle touch. the sun had set over the mountains—and I stood alone—not part of the world， the world not part of me.

the sunset is as a matter of principle a lonely experience—you do not share a red wine or hold hands with a lover over the setting sun. You watch the glowing ball of fire dissolve into the horizon all by yourself， irrespective of the company you keep at the moment. and it forces you to reflect and be honest—so honest I shall be—I do not like the hills and mountains. they nauseate me. they give me motion sickness. Strange hillside shrubs give my eyes a strange allergy. the hills are not ‘gentle’.

and yet， it is perhaps time to qualify the first paragraph of this story.

after a train ride from Delhi to Kalka and from there on a car drive to Shimla and beyond， I arrived at Chalets， a hillside resort at naldehra， fashioned after Scandinavian log huts. the resort， located at around 6，800 ft， seemed to merge into the hillside seamlessly， the dining area was vast， the pool beautiful with warm water and the rooms were elegant and seemed to be carved out of a giant piece of wood by a fine craftsman. the Chalet resort was to be the centerpiece of my naldehra experience. as I stepped into my cottage， I let out a low whistle—the log hut was something of dream carved in wood—huge living room area with an attached kitchenette， all the creature comforts like a tV， refrigerator and the bedroom was cozy and comfortable. and then you walked upstairs to the attic where extra beds and seating were laid out. You didn’t really want to leave the warmth of the room， except maybe to sit outside in the balcony and soak in the mountain view or perhaps to eat some of the best chicken steak sizzlers at the Garden Pavilion restaurant. the setting was perfect， lovely cottages， rolling hills， a river below and the Himalayan mountains beyond. and yet as the sun set on the first evening， I didn’t really know what to do with myself.

“Read a book， go for a walk in the woods—you are in the mountains， take it easy，” advised Yatish Sud， the managing director of the resort， over an evening drink. and so I did. Sitting under the morning sun reading a fine book and walking along the forest trail behind the resort. It was a slow and friendly acquaintance with the mountains. my eyes though had caught sight of the naldehra Golf Club—a striking distance from the resort—and I wondered whether the rugged course which was envisaged by Lord Curzon， when he turned naldehra into his camping ground， would crush the golfing ambitions of a green horn.

amish， the director of Chalets， and Yatish Sud’s son had just returned after winning his round at annandale Golf Club in Shimla and seemed to think the naldehra course would treat me well. and so with confidence borrowed from amish， I set forth. as old timers will tell you ‘you are either born to golf or not’ and for the first time in my life as I held the 8 Iron in my hand， after the necessary lesson from amish， I let swing gently. the ball went straight and high. Beginners luck perhaps！ But forty balls later， it was still straight and high. It was a beautiful course， scenic yet rugged—could break the confidence of a pro， or help anfall in love with the sport. For me， the affair with golf was now underway.

though the advise was to ‘take it easy’， I decided to paddle against it for a bit. Having done river rafting in the Ganges， I wondered how different the Sutlej would be. the river ran about 25 km below naldehra and over winding roads with snowcapped mountains in the background I set forth for Chabba， which was the take off point for rafting. as we descended to Chabba， the river looked quiet， peaceful， as though taking an early afternoon siesta. I had seldom seen a river flow so evenly—I sighed—it was I guessed to be a 12 km float downstream. and yet， the precautions that the young nepali instructor advised of had to adhered to. ‘Row， row， row your boat gently down the stream’ I hummed as we set forth. and over gentle waters we drifted. I wanted to put away my paddle and take out a book—so quiet was the river. and then， we saw up ahead a small rapid develop and the instructor told me to paddle steadily. I was sitting up ahead on the right and as we approached， I realized the rapid was stronger than I had anticipated—the raft swerved to the right， even as I bent forward to bring the raft straight and the water came gushing onto me， wetting me to the bone. I was surprised and yet delighted. the instructor informed me that these were just Grade 2 rapids， “quite gentle” he said with a smile. Yes ‘gentle’seemed to be the operative word.

On the first day of my visit， Yatish Sud had told me how naldehra was ‘different by night’. He hadn’t however explained how. I was though about to discover that for myself. on the final evening of my trip， two old boys （amish and his friend Yaduraj， who worked for Wildflower Hall in mashobra） from the Lawrence School Sanawar in the Shimla hills along with the third old boy， sat at the ‘top of the World’—a revolving karaoke lounge that is all set for opening at Chalets. With green laser lights dancing over the room and Bob Dylan telling us ‘the story of the hurricane’—the feeling was surreal as the landscape through the glass changed from woods to mountains. I had not been prepared for this vibrant experience， and yet after three days of eavesdropping on the sound of nature， the legendary crooner was a welcome relief. as the night set in we decided to venture out for some stargazing at a site called the ‘Heights’. our cellphones acting as torchlights， we stumbled our way over a trail on the hillside near naldehra， until we reached a vast opening—and there it was—the endless yonder， mountains with snow peaks shining bright under the evening sky and the sky… never have I seen an evening sky so bright and playful， so clear and so full of universal mysteries. In that moment I forgot about my companions， forgot where I was， who and why I was… I stood alone—not part of the world， the world not part of me.

At a Glance

Getting there

You could drive to Naldehra， which is 22 km ahead of Shimla， from Delhi or Chandigarh or alternatively take the Shatabdi to Kalka and hire a cab from there onwards.

Stay

At The Chalets Naldehra， a luxurious mountain retreat with Scandinavian log homes. Room rents start from 28，000 per night. Tel： （0177） 2747 715/6940 481；

do

Go for rafting on the Sutlej. The starting point for rafting is usually Chabba， around 25 km from Naldehra. The rafting though is not as well managed as Rishikesh and is run here by locals who wait by the roadside with rafts. Your hotel can organize a rafting trip for you.

play

The Naldehra Golf Course is quite challenging and rugged but offers a different experience from the usual plain courses. Green fees is 2281.

eat

If you are making an excursion to Shimla， stop by for some smoked trout at the Spars Lodge on Museum Road， run Arindam Joshi， popularly known as Joey. Tel： （0177） 2657 908