Sarv Dharm Sthal, Antarctica

It’s the only one of its kind in Antarctica. The concept is probably borrowed from the Indian Army, where such common places of worship are omnipresent. After all, for 26 years, the Army has been an integral part of the Indian Antarctic Expedition.
A small area in the loft of the Maiti station, just adjacent to the communication room has been allotted to the mandir, and the place is known as at Maitri. It is a thick carpeted cubicle, occupying both sides of the passage to the library. The low roof is very uncomfortable for the tall statured and one has to slouch or sit down while in the mandir. One side is like a proper hindu temple, complete with and enclosure for hindu deities, pooja samagri, bhajan books and kirtan musical instruments. Agarbattis and dhoopbatthis are not permitted due to the risk of fire. The musical instruments include harmonium, manjeera, tabla etc.

The other side has photographs, statues and books relevant to other faiths. We have Guru Granth Sahib, Kuraan, Geeta, Ramayan, Bible and books relevant to Buddhism and Jainism. These are available in various languages and have been housed in proper enclosures. For the interested, these provide a wealth of knowledge

The mandir is a nice place to spend some quiet time and to de-stress. A quiet one hour here gives a lot of mental peace and makes one forget the stress of wintering over in Antarctica. The mandir property also includes an invaluable collection of religious and spiritual books in various languages added by successive expeditions over the years.
Every Tuesday, at 7 PM, a pooja is held and everyone is free to join in. Fresh Prasad is prepared each time, and consists usually of suji halwa. Tuesday is also the only day when non veg dishes are not prepared at Maitri.

The mandir is the hot favourite spot among foreign visitors to Maitri. They find the concept very fascinating and take numerous photographs in various weird poses. One can find a few articles on the net, written by the visitors describing their trip to the mandir.

The Rolling Mists of Kasauli

Misty Kasauli

The Dussehra weekend offered me 3 days of holiday- sufficient for a short trip to the hills. Kasauli was the closest to Delhi. So Kasauli was where I headed with my parents on Saturday. After a gruelling 9 hour drive, we reached Dharampur on the Shimla- Kalka highway, 13 km away from Kasauli. Dharampur was to be our base for the trip, given the ‘no vacancy’ status of the limited accommodation in Kasauli for the extended weekend.
We departed for Kasauli the next morning. As we ascended to Kasauli, a dense shroud of mist slowly descended on us. The mist rolled in & out rapidly. It was sufficiently cold for us to pull out our woollens. The mist was to be the defining experience of or trip. This, along with the laid back ambience of Kasauli made each moment of our trip worth it. Our family friends, who happened to be Amrita Shergil’s relatives, were staying at the latter’s bungalow at the higher reaches of Kasauli. We proceeded to the bungalow called ‘Ivy Cottage’. We wound our way through the mist, beyond the Kasauli Club to a point that overlooked a deep valley. A narrow road led upto Ivy Cottage. The Ivy Cottage was a typical British style bungalow. Most of the interiors, including furniture, linen, decorative articles, electrical and bath fittings, carpets and utensils dated back to the same era. The setting, too, was typically British. On opening the doors, the mist, along with the chill rolled into the house. Nothing was visible in the deep valley, except the mist. The mist rolled about right in front of us, rolling in and out in a few moments. It was as if we were flying among the clouds. Occasionally, the sun’s rays peeped through briefly. The vast estate of Ivy Cottage was lush with thick vegetation and wild & cultivated flowers. Thick ivy clung to the walls. I exercised my rusty photography finger for the first time since my return from Antarctica & tried to capture this idyllic setting the best I could. We went for a walk along the uppermost reaches of Kasauli. It was an isolated road leading to the Air Force station. Though it was a wide, well paved road, it was more of a nature trail. Wild flowers grew in abundance all around. It being the end of the monsoon season, there was a lush green carpet of grass all around. We crossed sunset point on the way. But it was of no use to us- no sun, no sunset.

Khushwant Singh's Villa

Following lunch, we went to explore the town. The main market was a 10 min walk from the Ivy Cottage. On the way, we crossed Khushwant Singh’s bungalow. The main town consisted of a tiny market extending not more that 25 metres, an upper and a lower Mall Road. The Upper Mall Road was equally microscopic & had shops selling colourful clothes, souvenirs, vegetables & local wine. The Lower Mall Road was where all the hotels in Kasauli were concentrated. Inspite of the weekend rush, the traffic in Kasauli was well regulated & parking regulations strict, thanks to the military control over the affairs of the town. The roads were narrow & steep but well carpeted with beautiful pavement & street furniture. The milestones urged us to preserve the environment.

Kasuali Market

The main market was where the action was. The best part were the halwai shops selling jalebis, samosas, gulab jamuns, paranthas and omlettes prepared fresh all through the day. The thick fog, the winter chill & the quiet, idyllic old world charm of Kasauli were the ideal backdrop for a hot cup of coffee along with piping hot samosas & pakodas straight out of the frying pan, rounded off with gulab jamuns and jalebis. Add to it the warmth of the chulhas and we were in paradise.

Church Of England

Ivy Cottage

The next day, we decided to visit Shimla. That was an antithesis of all the Kasauli was. It was hot, crowded and polluted. It was as if we had landed in Delhi. We did not stay there for more than a few hours and dashed back to Kasauli for the damage caused to our spirits and spent the last night in Kasauli.
Kasauli is so thickly forested that it gives a feeling of a town in a forest rather than the other way round. Nature coexists in harmony with an urban human settlement.

The above paragraphs encapsulate all that Kasauli has to offer- ‘nothing’ in the words of an average Indian tourist. It is regarded as a place that does not deserve more than a few hours and is best visited on the way back from Shimla. There are no usual frills offered by an average hills station- no markets, no restaurants, no cinema halls, no crowds- nothing. But that is the charm of Kasauli- one can do ‘nothing’ here, something we can’t do elsewhere. Long walks, loads of nature, the rolling mists & friendly populace are what Kasauli is all about- enough to make me contemplate purchasing a house there. I left Kasauli with a promise to return soon, this time for a longer duration.