Book Review from http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Little-bit-of-paradise/293035/0 Little bit of paradise Sunday , April 06, 2008 The Doon valley and places in its proximity - Mussoorie and Landour - are amongst the most picturesque places in India. This book takes a historic look at the area from the time of its founding by Ram Rai the son of guru Har Rai. The book is an interesting read for enthusiasts of urban history in that it paints a changing picture of Dehra Doon from a garrison town to retiree heaven on to the boomtown that it is today. The book is strongest in narrating history of places of local importance. Here it is rich in anecdotal details. At the well-known library in Mussoorie for instance, the upper verandah of the building used to be converted every evening into a restaurant that played live music for the patrons from the Savoy Hotel. Or take the fact that the Himalayan Club had segregated spaces for ladies and gentleman and the twain was rarely allowed to meet. It is also rich in similar anecdotal details about other local notables such as the Mussoorie skating rink and the famous Hampton Court Hotel. The cantonment town of Landour, built around a hospital for British soldiers is detailed in the book. This charming little place today houses a nuclear science establishment of DRDO and most of it is off limits to civilians. However the famous local resident Ruskin Bond, a good friend of the author, has made it a part of popular imagination with his many books that are set in Landour's deodar forests. Two other chapters are of interest in the book. 'Household Words' deals with the local mysteries such as unsolved murders and local scandals like love affairs and the like. It is interesting to walk down wooded nooks and mists of these mountains and you can almost feel the shiver of a seeming ghost. The other major attraction of the book is a chapter on the life and times of the General Fredrick Young who founded Mussoorie. This man had many qualities of a typical East India Company soldier - risk taking, ability to lead from the front and take failure in his stride. It is also a telling comment on the spirit that comprised the East India company of standing up and delivering in what they thought to be their manifest destiny the British Empire. For those interested in military history, the book has many telling tactical details of the wards between the British and the Gurkhas where both sides underestimated the other and paid dearly for the misjudgment. The book is a must have for all those who love the hills. ========== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India