Cheers! Guess, what have I discovered in Shimla? Yes, the Himachal wines!
During the past twenty five years or so in the army, I have been exposed to various desi and phirangi wines, including the bubbly, sparkling ones, but I never really developed a taste for them. I had long concluded that I was not the wine type. (Perhaps one needs a very refined palate for appreciating fine dining, and my North Indian, small town palate was not discerning enough!) Himachal’s fruit wines have relegated all those thoughts to the history books now. I have discovered the manna, and I am lovin’ it.
Shimla’s markets (especially the Mall) are inundated with a wide range of the local wines. In fact they are as readily available as a bottle of coke (even our neighborhood kirana store stocks them!). I have tried them all (one by one of course!): peach, plum, strawberry, kiwi, apricot, and, yes, Himachal’s pride, the apple. But my favorite remains the exotic rhododendron wine. These young wines are fruity (with a mild and subtle bouquet that gets infused in your entire sensory system!), sweet, light bodied and just right.
Served in the right glassware these wines display their beautiful range of colors and clarity. (Pour them out gently into long-stemmed clear, crystal, red wine glasses; never more than half full!). I have had them served in tumblers as well, but that not only takes their charm away but is also a downright insult to these lovely drinks. My husband tries to teach me how to sip a wine. “Take small sips.” He instructs, “Swirling and aerating them in your mouth to bring out their bouquet, before you allow the mellow liquid to trickle into your gullet. Sip, after sip, after sip.” But these elaborate rituals are not for the rustic me. I follow my own heart. I love to take a mouthful, close my eyes and savor its divine flavourful sweetness. If these are the typical symptoms of a person in love, then I confess that I have fallen in love with these enchanting wines. Yes, Siree! And it’s a heady feeling indeed!!
My sister-in-law (from Kolkata) lugged two cartons full of these Himachali gifts to the rest of the world. She was extremely excited with her shopping: after all the bottles are so contemporarily smart and reasonably priced - it is a total bargain, almost a steal! I hope that the wine merchant lobby isn’t reading this piece; otherwise they might get ideas about upping the prices overnight!
So, those of you who have not yet tasted these exotica, please do it NOW. You do not know what you are missing (at least I did not know!). Go ahead and try them, I promise they won’t get you drunk; they are far too genteel for that! The best part is that they go very well with our desi cuisine. If you are planning to serve these fruit wines with a meal, I recommend the rhodo, plum or strawberry (at room temperature) with red meats (mutton or pork curries) or rich and masaledaar vegetarian dishes. The others (chilled for half an hour in your freezer) go well with poultry, fish and blander vegetable preparations.
Speaking of desi cuisine, you can find the freshest of vegetables in Shimla to put together a great Indian meal (my waistline is in complete agreement!), but when it comes to trying out something different, Shimla’s sabziwallahs do let you down. Over the past five years or so, the Indian Bazaar has been metamorphosed into a gourmet’s haven. Homemakers like me who had to improvise every second ingredient in a recipe from my well thumbed cookbook (ajwain for oregano, onions for leeks, spinach for kale, desi cabbage for the Chinese purple one, synthetic vinegar for wine vinegar, etc.), now take great pleasure in buying red and yellow peppers, asparagus, artichokes, avocados and all kinds of exotic veggies and fruits, available across the Indian urban landscape. Broccoli, lettuce and brussel sprouts are as common as kaddu and lauki in most cities.
But not so in the Summer Capital of the Brits! It is surprising that while kiwi fruit and persimmon are available at every street corner, not a single green grocer stocks any thing other than the very regular (and locally seasonal) stuff. So putting together a slightly-out-of-the-ordinary meal remains a challenge. I have to re-visit my improvising days. The other day, I wanted to serve a basic Chinese dessert of litchis with vanilla ice cream. I was in for a surprise as no shop (however ‘fancy’) had any stock of tinned litchis and we could find only one vanilla brick (with a prehistoric packaging date!) in the entire market (I wish I could do with the ubiquitous ‘softy’ instead!).
No, I am not complaining. I am just too much in love with Shimla to complain about anything, but let’s be honest; even our most loved ones also display warts from time to time…. it is just one of those times!
Shimla nights are slowly getting longer, the sun sets earlier and the air is nippier. All is well and romance is alive!!
Until next time……..
The Times of India, Shimla Plus, 17th November 2007, Chitra Jha
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Shimla beckons!
We were in Secunderabad when my husband received his posting order to Shimla. We army folks are used to moving like nomads from one place to another and making it our home for a couple of years. However, this move, from one good place to another, was quite unexpected. Firstly Shimla was nowhere in our place of choice for posting, secondly I have never lived in a hill station and am petrified of cold. But somehow the very sound of the word Shimla sounded promising. After all, this was the seat of colonial power for about 80years. The faded memories of our short visit to this queen of hills, way back in 1996 became vivid in my mind. I remembered the stately beauty of the majestic Deodars, the lovely walks through the woods and happy crowds at the Mall. The very thought of those happy times excited me and I started preparations for the move in the earnest.
Some friends and acquaintances tried to dampen my spirits by saying, “Oh, Shimla used to be a great place, but now it is very crowded and filthy. Every other person from the nearby plains descends on Shimla at the drop of a hat (or the drop of first snow flake!) and that is the bane of Shimla.” I was deaf to such suggestions. I had decided that Shimla was just the right place for us, and nothing that anyone ever said could dampen my spirits now. I was looking forward to this move with my whole heart (and soul).
Ah, Here in Shimla at last! We reached Shimla on the last day of September. And it didn’t disappoint me at all. I fell in love with Shimla at the first sight. After serene Secunderabad, the hustle-bustle of the Mall truly lifted my spirits.
All Shimlaites will agree with me that there is some magic in the air here. I see happy faces wherever I go. People look relaxed (of course most of the people I see are holiday-makers, especially honeymooners!) and completely unhurried. How I love this mood! The writer in me is blossoming in these environs, and all I can sincerely do is thank God (and the Army HQ) for sending us to this paradise.
To top it all we live in a beautiful colonial bungalow, built during the birth of twentieth century. The walls of our house are made of mud (mixed with pine needles), plastered over a frame of bamboo (or some other weed perhaps). We sit in its long verandah (I spend most of my time there) looking at the Deodar forests (my favorite tree!).
The bird (feathered variety!) activity starts at around 6.30 AM. The birders who arrive from the plains (like my two sisters-in-law) are used to being up and about before 5 AM to spot the birds. They were so glad that the birds of Shimla keep a leisurely pace with its human inhabitants; and don’t start chirping and foraging for food at such unearthly hours. They spotted quite a few birds just sitting in our verandah (what a lovely change from the respective cities that they had come from: Delhi and Kolkata!) and of course many more in their walks towards BCS, Institute of Advanced Studies, Kufri Reserve Forest and Chail Forest.
Speaking of visitors from Kolkata, the Bengali in me feels very much at home in Shimla. I encounter Bengalis wherever I go (Perhaps this is so because of the Puja holidays. Bengalis and Gujaraties are the two biggest traveling communities of India). Kali Bari is a great attraction for all Bengalis. The kali pratima there is more than 100 years old.
Ever since we have come to Shimla, we have tried the jalebies at Mehru, gulab jamuns at Nalini, Momos, brownies and kurkej at the Krishna Bakery, cakes at ----- . The continental fare at Combermere café is one of our favorites. (The Bengali manager at the café is very sweet.) The ubiquitous Café Coffee Day has been our companion since Secunderabad days. We buy its Dark Forest coffee powder for a hot cuppa at home.
The old world charm of Oberoi Clarks and their delicious Chinese fare (we have tried only that so far!) is out of this world. Cecil too has a warm interior while a visit to Wild Flower and a meal in their bright outdoor sitting space is something else indeed. You have to experience it to know what I mean. The Woodville Palace of the film ‘Black’ fame (it was partly shot here) is majestic, befitting its royal history.
Winter has announced its arrival in Shimla. I love to sit in the sun and soak its warmth. What a pleasure! Blooming hydrangeas that had welcomed us on our arrival have wilted away, but pretty nasturtiums and begonias are braving on. The omnipresent periwinkle will soon cover the grounds. (We could not name this flower, which we found extremely pretty, we searched the net but to no avail, this delicate blue flower continued to entice and tease us, until our neighborhood nursery man enlightened us. The periwinkle that we had grown up with is actually Madagascar periwinkle; the periwinkle that grows wild in Shimla is the Oriental periwinkle. Armed with this knowledge when we searched the net again, this fact was everywhere, staring us in our face. I am sure; the Periwinkles had the last laugh.)
I am waiting for November to unfold new mysteries for us in this beautiful, heavenly place called Shimla.
Until next time……….
The Times of India, Shimla Plus, 3rd November 2007, Chitra Jha
Some friends and acquaintances tried to dampen my spirits by saying, “Oh, Shimla used to be a great place, but now it is very crowded and filthy. Every other person from the nearby plains descends on Shimla at the drop of a hat (or the drop of first snow flake!) and that is the bane of Shimla.” I was deaf to such suggestions. I had decided that Shimla was just the right place for us, and nothing that anyone ever said could dampen my spirits now. I was looking forward to this move with my whole heart (and soul).
Ah, Here in Shimla at last! We reached Shimla on the last day of September. And it didn’t disappoint me at all. I fell in love with Shimla at the first sight. After serene Secunderabad, the hustle-bustle of the Mall truly lifted my spirits.
All Shimlaites will agree with me that there is some magic in the air here. I see happy faces wherever I go. People look relaxed (of course most of the people I see are holiday-makers, especially honeymooners!) and completely unhurried. How I love this mood! The writer in me is blossoming in these environs, and all I can sincerely do is thank God (and the Army HQ) for sending us to this paradise.
To top it all we live in a beautiful colonial bungalow, built during the birth of twentieth century. The walls of our house are made of mud (mixed with pine needles), plastered over a frame of bamboo (or some other weed perhaps). We sit in its long verandah (I spend most of my time there) looking at the Deodar forests (my favorite tree!).
The bird (feathered variety!) activity starts at around 6.30 AM. The birders who arrive from the plains (like my two sisters-in-law) are used to being up and about before 5 AM to spot the birds. They were so glad that the birds of Shimla keep a leisurely pace with its human inhabitants; and don’t start chirping and foraging for food at such unearthly hours. They spotted quite a few birds just sitting in our verandah (what a lovely change from the respective cities that they had come from: Delhi and Kolkata!) and of course many more in their walks towards BCS, Institute of Advanced Studies, Kufri Reserve Forest and Chail Forest.
Speaking of visitors from Kolkata, the Bengali in me feels very much at home in Shimla. I encounter Bengalis wherever I go (Perhaps this is so because of the Puja holidays. Bengalis and Gujaraties are the two biggest traveling communities of India). Kali Bari is a great attraction for all Bengalis. The kali pratima there is more than 100 years old.
Ever since we have come to Shimla, we have tried the jalebies at Mehru, gulab jamuns at Nalini, Momos, brownies and kurkej at the Krishna Bakery, cakes at ----- . The continental fare at Combermere café is one of our favorites. (The Bengali manager at the café is very sweet.) The ubiquitous Café Coffee Day has been our companion since Secunderabad days. We buy its Dark Forest coffee powder for a hot cuppa at home.
The old world charm of Oberoi Clarks and their delicious Chinese fare (we have tried only that so far!) is out of this world. Cecil too has a warm interior while a visit to Wild Flower and a meal in their bright outdoor sitting space is something else indeed. You have to experience it to know what I mean. The Woodville Palace of the film ‘Black’ fame (it was partly shot here) is majestic, befitting its royal history.
Winter has announced its arrival in Shimla. I love to sit in the sun and soak its warmth. What a pleasure! Blooming hydrangeas that had welcomed us on our arrival have wilted away, but pretty nasturtiums and begonias are braving on. The omnipresent periwinkle will soon cover the grounds. (We could not name this flower, which we found extremely pretty, we searched the net but to no avail, this delicate blue flower continued to entice and tease us, until our neighborhood nursery man enlightened us. The periwinkle that we had grown up with is actually Madagascar periwinkle; the periwinkle that grows wild in Shimla is the Oriental periwinkle. Armed with this knowledge when we searched the net again, this fact was everywhere, staring us in our face. I am sure; the Periwinkles had the last laugh.)
I am waiting for November to unfold new mysteries for us in this beautiful, heavenly place called Shimla.
Until next time……….
The Times of India, Shimla Plus, 3rd November 2007, Chitra Jha
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