The Week India - July 29, 2018

JULY 29, 2018 • THE WEEK

tourism was the better idea. Th e lake, situated in
a vast desolate landscape of parched earth, was
nearly dry, with only a few bored water buff a-
loes lazing in it, and egrets sunbathing on the
buff aloes.
Subhash himself is from Amer, which might
have explained his enthusiasm to take us there.
According to him, the government has evict-
ed most people who used to live there when it
realised the tourism potential of the place. “Th e
people have no legal rights, even though they
have been living here for generations,” he said.
“My father came here in 1972 from Bihar and we
had to pay a deposit to remain here. It doesn’t
matter whether the BJP or the Congress is in
power; both are equally bad. Th ere is also con-
fusion regarding jurisdiction. No one is sure, for
example, whether the Amer Fort falls under the
archaeological department, the forest depart-
ment or the municipal corporation.”
After our lake experience, we decided to stick
to the tried and tested, so headed off to Hawa

Mahal, built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap

Singh for the royal ladies to observe everyday

lives in the streets below. Th e palace is magnif-

icent, with its wide patios, miniature windows,

pillared chambers and rooms of multi-coloured

marble. From the top, you get a wonderful view

of the glimmering city cradled in the Aravalli

mountains. If only there hadn’t been a Café

Coff ee Day on the premises ruining the eff ect. A

mocha latte is the last thing you want when you

are trying to transport yourself to the antique era

of Subhash’s kings and queens.

● Th e monk who lived in

a mud house

DHARAMSHALA, LOCATED IN the upper

reaches of the Kangra Valley in Himachal

Pradesh, can be divided into two regions—upper

Dharamshala, with its quaintness and colonial

fl avour, and lower Dharamshala, with its busy

SOLITARY

PLEASURES

One of the

monks of the

mud house

place who

spends his time

in solitude

PHOTOS: SALIL BERA

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