Simla- The Summer Capital of British India

by Raaja Bhasin

An account of Simla in India ranging from the early days of the hill station to the livliness and vitality of life under the British Empire. It then covers its decline after the departure of the British and its subsequent revival when it became the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

253 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Amrendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinary book that traces the extraordinary history of an extraordinary place. Exhaustively researched, insightful and accurate, the story of Simla is told with verve and accomplishment. From a nondescript village in the early nineteenth century, Simla grew to become the 'Summer Capital of British India'. From this town in the Lower Himalaya, a fifth of the human race found governance for a century. Simla may have been called the 'summer capital' but for all practical purposes this was the 'real' capital of India- the Government of India stayed there for the better part of every year, moving down to Kolkata and later New Delhi only for the winter months.

This book presents a standard history of Shimla - the early years, place in literature, the power and the politics, Government, monkeys and people, Governors and Viceroys, architecture and personalities et al. It is a multilayered grand chronicling...rich and many sided. In this brilliant recreation of those years of splendour and the process of change, a window is opened to a way of life and an age that has now vanished. A vivid portrayal, the book is a labour of love and is immensely readable. A literary triumph and a delight to read, this qualifies for a valuable reference book.

[Anshul · Rating 5 out of 5]

... when the long reaches of power and officialdom trickled down the winding roads, when from Myanmar in the east to Afghanistan in the west, millions were affected by decisions made among the blooming rhododendrons and tall cedars.
here lay the microcosm that extended the nineteenth-century ethos of the isolation and strength of the British Isles to a small town in the Himalayan foothills.
Thus anointing Simla as the Summer Capital of British India and an annual pilgrimage of an administration ruling over the Crown Jewel was born.

I would give this book 10 stars out of 5 if I could. Raaja Bhasin's extraordinary book 'Simla the Summer Capital of British India' instantly became my favorite structure of non-fiction on a subject.
Extensively researched, insightful, accurate to its core and holding no bias- this book in its very chapters narrates a tale of a town set in the lower foothills of great Himalayas. A window to what was a way of life and an age that has long passed leaving its footprints in what is now the capital of the state of Himachal Pradesh.

a gracious lady who has aged and wrinkled long before her time, she still wears the worn mantle that no matter what, will always be her own.

[Anne Pickering · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t finish this book as pages were coming out and as it wasn’t my copy; didn’t want it to get worse!