What The Lady saw from her bedroom window
She had woken up to the very same sight as I did, right outside this very bedroom window …over 60 years ago!The Himalayas may have melted a bit since then, but the same overwhelming feeling of seeing it so upclose must have mesmerised Lady and Lord Mountbatten too, on their visit here to escape the heat of Delhi.Holm Farm Heritage, a grand old Brit bungalow built as a Retreat for English Officers (just a 10 minute drive away from the picturesque hill station Ranikhet), was now a heritage hotel, and much to my thrill, I got to stay in the very same historical Edward Suite. "Even Jawaharlal Nehru has stayed here!" declared my genial host. (Er, on some other occasion, I presumed, and not when Lady E had her beauty sleep here…)Wandering about the charming old home with its colonial furniture and generous spaces, Himanshu Upadhyaya, a national level cricketer-turned-hotel owner, showed me pictures of the Mountbattens and Nehru in the museum-like Lounge, and I heard interesting stories of their visits here.
This 150 year old Retreat was acquired by Mohan Upadhyaya (a close associate of Pandit Nehru) soon after Independence, and now Himanshu runs his inheritance with much pride, giving travellers a dollop of laid-back Raj-style living, with historical anecdotes to bring the place alive.Back in my room, I walked barefoot across the pine-wood floor that had been touched by so many celebrity feet…to gaze again at a view that was a magnificent treat for my tired city-eyes.But there was someone already at the window, sitting and gazing at his favourite sight in the world. Like me, eager to lap it all in with his tongue hanging out. Himanshu's delightful pet labrador, Bongo!
This article was featured on http://www.idiva.com/opinion-entertainment/the-mountain-and-lady-mountbatten/2076
