Many of us grow fond of places. There
are many reasons to this fondness. It may be because a person has
lived a major part of his life in that place or may be someone dear
stays there or simply may be the place is actually good. One of my
favourite places is Nainital in Uttarakhand. And the reason is, well,
there are two reasons: I grew up in Haldwani, a town and gateway to
Kumaon Region, about 35 km short of Nainital and also because it is
indeed beautiful.
My fascination with this place began
early in life. My parents had moved to the Terai Region in 1952 or so
and then to Haldwani in about 1955. As children we used to go to
Nainital every summer by bus and stay there for the night or
sometimes fall back by evening. Boating in sail boats on the lake was
the proverbial icing on the cake, not to underestimate skating!
Our memories are etched in those black
& white photographs which today seem fascinating. The jewel in
the crown of Nainital is the lake which is over 2 km long and sits
pretty in the centre of the town. Beautiful ferns and flowers and
tall, majestic pines and silver oaks deck up the place. I have been a
regular visitor to Nainital and its charm and healthy climate never
fails to fascinate me. It still bears that indelible stamp of the British Empire.
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